SPEEDTV.COM Open Wheel Racing Fans have voted and spoken!  Declaring “FEARLESS” FRANCK PERERA the “MINOR LEAGUE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR 2007”.

For a Driver who had never raced in North America till this season, Champ Car Atlantic Rookie Franck Perera racked up an impressive list of accomplishments.  From the moment the Frenchman jumped into the Atlantic Car on the last two days of pre-season testing at Laguna-Seca Raceway, he set the fastest times in all four sessions and broke the unofficial track record and never slowed down all season.

In a mere five months, Franck became the first Champ Car Atlantic Driver in the last 11 years to finish all 12 races in the Top-5.  The first Non-North American to win the Toronto Grand Prix in 17 years.  And closed the season with an impressive 8 podiums, 3 Wins, 2 Poles and 1 Best Lap Time.  Garnering Perera hands down the Champ Car Atlantic title “Rookie of the Year”. 

Winning is no stranger to “Fearless” who early in his Karting career was quickly nicknamed “Mosquito” by journalist because he was so skilled he would quickly buzz past the other drivers.   From 1996 to 1999, Franck won five Karting Championships including being crowned “Karting World Champion” at age 15.  Which caught the eye of Toyota, who then signed Franck in 2001 along with Ryan Brisco to be the first two drivers in the world in the “Toyota F-1 Young Drivers Development Program”.

Perera’s Championship wins continued in 2002 as the Formula Renault Eurocup Champion, the 2003 Italian Formula Renault 2.0 Champion, and the 2004 F3 Euro Series Rookie Champion, along with an impressive 5th place in the Macao Grand Prix.  And a spectacular 2nd place behind Lewis Hamilton in the GP2 Monaco Grand Prix of 2006.

“I want to thank all the fans for voting for me.  I really enjoyed racing in America this year.” said Franck Perera, “I want to be in Champ Car next year for sure.  We had a pre-agreement before Christmas with a CC team but my management CJMotorsport asked for the contract back so we could be free to do a deal with other teams who are ready to commit now.  I hope to announce my new Team the first week of January.”

This has been such an interesting year for me in my racing career. Winning the Champ Car Atlantic Rookie of the Year and getting the opportunity to drive a Champ Car with a historic team like Forsythe after only eight months of racing in America is very special to me.

It was a huge decision for me to switch my career to America after working so many years in Europe to be in F1. For sure, I am happy now that Sebastien Bourdais has gone to F1 because I know that a move to Champ Car was the right decision.

Being in Atlantic this year gave me the experience to work in America and to learn the way people work here and the different characteristics of the tracks, which is very important to stepping up to Champ Car. Driving in Atlantic was great this season. I had so much fun with the car but it was so different. Especially for myself to step down in car power, I kind of had to learn over again how to drive a car with less horsepower.

But now I'm glad because I feel stronger again as a driver like I was a few years ago when I won the Karting World Championships, the Formula Renault Italian Championship and was in F3 fighting with Lewis Hamilton. It's a good feeling to have fun driving again and be winning again after a couple of tough years.

During the Atlantic season I had the chance to talk to many drivers from the Champ Car series like Bourdais, Graham Rahal, Simon Pagenaud and Robert Doornbos and I knew that the car wasn't going to be easy to adjust to due to its weight, which makes steering very strenuous. Unlike the GP2 series, which I did the year before Atlantics, the brakes weren't carbon and so that requires a much different approach to driving and braking. Plus MSR in Houston was again a totally new track for me like all the races this season. I had never raced in America before Atlantics last year which made it more difficult for me, but I have always been good at quickly learning new tracks from my karting experience.

In order to help the team's testing plan, I knew I had to put in very competitive lap times, and I knew it would be difficult with track conditions changing so rapidly this time of the year. Without the use of push-to-pass, it would be even harder. After a few laps, everything came so perfect, I was very quickly in the pace of the speeds of preseason testing in February and in the rhythm to give the maximum feedback, so I was very happy.

I was so excited to be back driving such a powerful car and I surprised myself at how quickly I got back into the rhythm. I was very happy to be able to give my help and experience to the Forsythe/Pettit team like I was doing one year ago with the Toyota Driver Development Program and shaking down F1 cars. We worked on many important things on the car with the engineers and found many improvements. For sure you can always go faster, but the team was happy with everything so I didn't push harder. We were there to test the car and I stuck to that plan.

Of course now after such a good test like I did, and now that I have had the experience to be in a bigger car, I want even more to be in Champ Car next year to show what I'm able to do like before when I was winning championships.

I think Champ Car needs to add more young talents and rookies like F1 did in 2007 with drivers I was fighting with in Europe for many years like Hamilton, Robert Kubica, Nico Rosberg, Heikki Kovalainen, Kazuki Nakajima, Sebastian Vettel, Nelson Piquet Jr., etc. They also need to show that by coming to Atlantics from even a series like GP2 that you can have fun and--if you can prove yourself--you will move up to Champ Car.

Graduating drivers from Atlantics is very important like has happened for Pagenaud, Rahal, Raphael Matos and maybe even myself. This will encourage drivers to come to Champ Car even more to continue their racing careers. You have also the chance in America to enjoy it so much more. As I said during all the season, there is so much more respect between drivers here and the fans are so great too.

INDIANAPOLIS- Forsythe/Pettit Racing completed two days of testing with Champ Car Atlantic Rookie of the Year Franck Perera at MSR Houston, the 17-turn, 2.38-mile road course located 13 miles south of Houston. MSR will also be the site of the Series final test dates in March 2008before the season kicks off with the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach April 18-20th.

"Over the two days of running, we laid out some very stringent tests and performance requirements for Franck," explained Tom Brown, technical Director for Forsythe/Pettit Racing. "Running flawlessly both days, it was extremely encouraging that Franck met and exceeded each requirement set for him. He is a consummate professional with a rare touch and feel for the car."

Within the very first few laps of the morning session, Perera's ability to quickly learn the car and track along with his vast shakedown and testing experience enabled him to immediately be up to speed and provide valuable feedback. Over the course of the two days, the engineers were able to gather extremely productive suspension, braking and aerodynamic data through a battery of testing procedures in preparation for next season.
In addition to providing valuable feedback and helping with improvements to the car, Perera was also able to put in some extremely competitive lap times. Overall, it was a win-win for Forsythe/Pettit Racing as the team was able to get their testing done and at the same time evaluate one of Champ Car's rising young stars.

"I want to thank the entire team for everything, especially Mr. Forsythe and Mr. Pettit for giving me this chance," said Perera. "The Atlantic Cars are great, but being in a Champ Car is why I came from Europe to America to race. It was really fun to be in a fast car again like the F-1 and to help Tom Brown and all the engineers prepare the car for next season. I was also glad to show that I was very competitive compared to the testing here last February and I wanted to go even faster for sure, but in the end the team was here to test the car and I stuck to the plan."

For more information on the team, please check out www.forsythe-racing.com.

Forsythe/Pettit Racing completed two days of testing with Champ Car Atlantic Rookie of the Year Franck Perera at the Mercedes-Benz of Sugarland 17-turn 2.38-mile Road Course located 13 miles south of Houston.  MSR will also be the site of the Series final test dates in March 2008 before the season kicks off with the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach April 18-20th.

"Over the two days running we laid out some very stringent tests and
performance requirements for Franck.  Running flawlessly both days it was extremely encouraging that Franck met and exceeded each requirement set for him.  He is a consummate professional with a rare touch and feel for the car". Tom Brown, Technical Director, Forsythe/Pettit Racing.

Within the very first few laps of the morning session, Franck's ability to
quickly learn the car and track along with his vast shakedown and testing experience enabled him to immediately be up to speed and provide valuable feedback.  Over the course of the two days, the engineers were able to gather extremely productive suspension, braking and aerodynamic data through a battery of testing procedures in preparation for next season.

In addition to providing valuable feedback and helping with improvements to the car, Franck was also able to put in some extremely competitive lap times.  Overall it was a win-win for Forsythe/Pettit racing as the team was able to get their testing done and at the same time to evaluate one of Champ Car's rising young stars.

"I want to thank the entire team for everything, especially Mr. Forsythe and Mr. Pettit for giving me this chance” said Franck. “The Atlantic Cars are great but being in Champ Car is why I came from Europe to America to race.  It was really fun to be in a fast car again like the F-1 and to help Tom Brown and all the engineers prepare the car for next season. I was also glad to show that I was very competitive compared to the testing here last February and I wanted to go even faster for sure, but in the end the team was here to test the car and I stuck to the plan."

INDIANAPOLIS - Champ Car Atlantic Championship Rookie of the Year Franck Perera has been selected by the newly combined Forsythe/Pettit Racing to test its Champ Car at MSR in Houston today and Friday. "We are happy to give Franck the opportunity to drive the Champ Car. It gives us a chance to evaluate him and at the same time help the team with some testing items," said Neil Micklewright, V.P Forsythe/Pettit.

"With Toyota F-1 I did a lot of shakedown and some official testing and I am excited to work with Forsythe/Pettit for their testing this week and get time to know the car and present myself to the team and the series for a Champ Car drive next season," said Franck Perera.

Last season Perera demonstrated his skills as one of the most talented drivers in the Champ Car Atlantic Championship - impressively completing all laps without a single crash on his way to racking up an impressive three wins, eight podiums, two pole positions, and one best lap. All this after joining the series with only two days of preseason testing at Laguna Seca where he turned the fastest laps in all sessions in addition to setting a track record. His inaugural season also included becoming the first Champ Car Atlantic driver in 11 years to finish all races in the top five and the first non-North American to win the Toronto Grand Prix in 17 years.

"Since the Atlantic season ended, Franck has been approached by teams in several series about next season, including the IRL and GP2. But Franck hasn't hidden the fact all season that he would prefer a Champ Car ride. In fact, he came close to driving in Australia and Mexico for Conquest Racing, but the schedule just didn't allow any time to do proper testing before the races," said manager Charles Barrett of CJMotorsport.co.uk.

Perera's career highlights include being one of the first two drivers signed in 2001 to the Toyota F-1 Young Driver Program alongside Ryan Briscoe who is now in the IRL. Perera's impressive career began in karting and includes several titles: World Karting Formula A Champion in 1999 and Vice-Champion in 2000, Karting Junior French Champion and Karting Junior European Champion in 1998, Karting Cadet Junior French Champion in 1997, and Mini Kart French Champion in 1996. Other career highlights include a second place finish in GP2 in Monaco in 2006, F3 Euro Series Rookie of the Year with a fifth place finish Macau in 2004, and Italian Formula Renault 2.0 Champion in 2003.

Sam Bird capped off his maiden Macau weekend in style, finishing 6th in the Grand Prix race on Sunday. In what observers called "the most competitive Macau line-up for years", the BP Ultimate Driver was this year's Top Rookie and also the leading driver from outside of Japanese F3 (the top five finishers having competed in the Far East this season).
 
Following an impressive performance in Saturday’s Qualifying Race, Bird lined up fifth for the Grand Prix Race. Making his customary stunning start, the CJ Motorsport managed racer overtook British F3 Champion Asmer and Euroseries contender James Jakes to challenge Oshima for second place. By the time the 30 strong field reached Lisboa, Bird was third behind eventual winner Oliver Jarvis and Oshima.

However, having had to start the race on used tyres following his incident in Thursday's practice session, Sam struggled for early pace against the men on fresh rubber and, unable to carry equal speed into the straights, he had no choice but to yield to Asmer, Tsukakoshi and Streit successively. After a few laps, once the considerable performance advantage of new tyres had faded, Sam was back on level terms and was challenging Streit for 5th when the safety car was called out.

BP Ultimate Driver Sam Bird today ended his first year in Formula 3 with a tenth podium place in the final race of the season at Rockingham, after coming second to secure his title as Rookie Champion. 

Having had 2 wins, 4 second places and 4 thirds, Sam has also suffered a number of mechanical gremlins during the latter half of the season, forcing five non-finishes, so he did outstandingly well to finish the championship in 4th overall and as top rookie.  During the early stages of the season, the CJ Driver was never out of the points, and scored more podiums than anyone other than the championship winner.

“While I am of course thrilled with the rookie title, I am extremely disappointed that the bad luck that has dogged me lately has dropped me from 2nd in the championship.  Today I was on course to finish third overall, until my driveshaft snapped in race one.  I started from 6th on the grid, and was up to 3rd when it went, causing yet another retirement, leaving me just three points adrift of third overall”.

Sam started the second race in third place and was challenging the pole man at the first corner, but had to back off and settle into second place for the remainder of the race.  “After a good start, my car was lacking the pace of my team mate and eventual race winner, but it was great to be back on the podium for the final race of the season” he said afterwards.

I’d like to thank everyone who has helped me during the season, especially my sponsors BP Ultimate, my managers at CJ Motorsport; Trevor Carlin and the team, my engineer and mechanics for their hard work, and Don Macpherson and David Brabham for their unfailing support and faith in me. 

CJ Driver Borja Garcia rounded off his GP2 season with two performances packed with fighting spirit and panache.

The weekend had not started well for Borja as his qualifying session was dogged by traffic and yellow flags, preventing him from completing a single clear fast lap. As a consequence, race one would see him line up a lowly seventeenth on the grid.

However, in front of his adoring home crowd, the Valencian was not going to throw the towel and under extremely treacherous wet conditions, Borja showed exquisite skills and car control to fight his way through the field. His overtaking manoeuvres on Andy Soucek and Luca Filippi in particular got the fans to their feet as the CJ Driver kept up a breathtaking pace for 75 minutes, while the likes of Glock, Filippi, Senna and many others were struggling to keep their car on track.

At the end of a swashbuckling performance Borja took a remarkable 5th place to earn himself 4 championship points and a second row start for the sprint race.

The Spanish sunshine was back out in force on Sunday as the red lights went out for the last race of the GP2 season. Borja made a good start to draw level with 3rd place starter Soucek but the latter squeezed the Valencian to the very edge of the track and almost onto the grass, forcing him to yield before the first corner.

Desperate to move up from 4th and onto the podium, Borja put in fast lap after fast lap, with only race leader and incumbent GP2 Champ Timo Glock able to match his pace. In contrast, Giorgio Pantano, running in 5th behind Borja could simply not keep up. Nevertheless, Soucek, driving defensively but fairly, managed to hold on to 3rd place.

Following his 9th points finish of the season the CJ man ranks 10th in the final Championship standings with 28 points, a remarkable achievement racing for one of the less fancied teams in the Series.

“It was wonderful to be racing in front of my fans. Their support was quite overwhelming and I tried to repay them by giving 110% in both races. I only regret that I could not give the crowd the podium finish that they deserved” said Borja after the sprint race.

“It has been a challenging season in many respects but I feel that the adversity has made me stronger, both as a driver and a person. I want to thank all those that have helped and supported me this season. My mind is already focused on next year and I can’t wait to take on the new challenges that await me”.

BP Ultimate Driver Sam Bird once again showed impressive and character as he put a series of bad fortune and disappointments behind him to record his 9th podium of the season in the British F3 International Series at Croft in North Yorkshire.

Starting from 6th on the grid, he made an excellent start, making up three places and to slot into 3rd place.  Sam held station until the halfway point in the race when the newly crowned champion, Marko Asmer’s engine failed promoting Sam into second.  Despite battling the car for grip, Sam drove impeccably to secure second place and put himself back into contention for 2nd place in the championship.  “Jelley and I have closed the gap on Engel with this race and I hope to be able to keep this momentum up into the second race today and on to Rockingham” said the CJ Driver.

Bunschoten/Spakenburg, Netherlands - French 2007 Champ Car Atlantic Championship runner-up and Rookie of the Year Franck Perera, and his Condor Motorsports teammate, Dutchman Junior Strous, took part in a traditional Netherlands "botters" sailing boat race against Champ Car drivers Robert Doornbos (Minardi), Tristan Gommendy (PKV), Dan Clarke (Minardi) and Katherine Legge (Dale Coyne).

The event was organized by Bart Rietbergen in the historical fishing village of Spakenburg, located about 50km from Amsterdam. The event brought together local media and corporate sponsors of the Bavaria Beer Champ Car Grand Prix of Holland presented by Audi, Gant, Hertz, Jumbo and Pioneer. The drivers "captained" five different 100-year-old traditional Dutch sailing boats called "botters" used for fishing in the early 19th century which can hold between 12-14 people.

The race saw Perera and Strous take the lead early on, challenged mainly by Dutch native Doornbos. With little wind in his sails, Doornbos creatively led his crew in a unison dance on deck by swaying and stomping forward and backward in what appeared to be a stationary American Country Music line-dancing move. In his defense the move "a Dutch sailing secret"did- to the mystery of all involved, help him to overtake Gommendy who had a significant lead over Clarke and Ledge.

On a more conventional note, without wind at one point, Perera and Strous manned sticks and attempted to paddle their boat faster to no avail.  Doornbos said, "Our boat set the pace early, feeling comfortable, we had a good setup, especially when we stole the wind away from everyone's sails at one stage. I tried everything I could to try and cheat, even throwing a rope out at a container ship to tow us along."

About one hour into the race, and with a good 100-meter lead by the Champ Car Atlantic Team, the officials decided to change the rules. The first person back to the docks would now be the winner. Reversing course with good wind in the sails, Perera and Strous' boat gained on Doornbos eventually overtaking him and his dancing crew--then speeding past Gommendy and narrowly missing contact--and eventually overtaking Clarke and Ledge as well. In the end, Perera and Strous won the race twice in one day, much to the dismay of the other Champ Car drivers.

For more information on the "botter" boats, visit www.botters.nl and www.mybotter.de.

Franck Perera is attending the European races in Zolder, Belgium and Assen, Netherlands to give his support to Champ Car and to attend various meetings with Champ Car teams and sponsors.  Perera has made no secret of his love for the American series and has guaranteed if he doesn't graduate to Champ Car next season he will return to Atlantics, where is he is sure to be a front-runner in the quest for the coveted Champ Car Atlantic $2 million championship prize.

Perera set several records this year, becoming the first driver since 1996 to finish all 12 races in the top 5 with 3 wins, 2 poles and 8 podium finishes. He was also the first non-North American to win the Toronto Grand Prix in 17 years.

It was yet another display of speed, skill and intelligence at Istanbul Park, Turkey, as CJ Driver Borja Garcia picked upa further seven points after finishing fifth and fourth respectively in the two GP2 races over the weekend.

On a circuit that is renowned to separate the boys from the men, the Spaniard was on the pace all weekend, mixing it up with the likes of Glock, Pantano, di Grassi, and Carroll.

Borja’s magnificent fourth place on Sunday marked his fourth consecutive top 5 finish. It was also the second time he finished just off the podium. With six races still to go, Borja Garcia is already comfortably Durango’s most successful GP2 driver ever, easily outscoring Clivio Piccione (14 points in 2005) and Lucas di Grassi (8 points in 2006).

“We made some minor changes for today”, said Garcia after the sprint race on Sunday, “and unfortunately it upset the balance of the car so I struggled with understeer throughout. As a consequence I wasn’t able to fight for the victory or even the podium as I had hoped to.”

“We have come a long way with the team, we are working well together now and we are satisfied overall with this weekend’s results”, he added. “Nevertheless, I have no intention of leaving it there and I intend to give 110% to finish at least on the podium at my team’s home race in Monza.”

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. - Franck Perera (#11 CJ Motorsport) closed out his Cooper Tires Presents The Champ Car Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda rookie season in fine fashion by taking his third victory of the season in the 2007 season-ending Generac Grand Prix at Road America (ESPN2, August 22, 5:00 p.m. ET).

Perera started from the pole position and got away cleanly when the lights went out to move into the lead. The Condor Motorsports driver was in control of the race throughout, but Brazilian Raphael Matos (#6 ProWorks) managed to close the gap to less than one second in the final laps of the race. However, Perera's lead was never seriously challenged and he went on to win by 0.676 seconds over Matos. Perera's previous two victories came at Mont-Tremblant and Toronto.
It was Perera's eighth consecutive podium result. He closed out the year as the only driver in the series to finish every race inside the top-five positions, becoming the first driver since Patrick Carpentier in his championship-winning season of 1996 to accomplish that feat. Perera is the 2007 Champ Car Atlantic Rookie of the Year and finished second overall in the final championship standings.  Matos beat Perera to the championship by 31 points, 341-310.

It was the triumph of persistence and self-belief as CJ Driver Borja García put three consecutive race meetings of frustration and heartache behind him to score two excellent points finishes at the Hungaroring.

The weekend started off in promising fashion as Borja used Friday's free practice to test both the qualifying and race set-ups, on light and heavy fuel loads respectively, and concluded that his Durango was satisfactory in both situations.

Qualifying confirmed that hopes were well founded as Borja set the11th fastest lap and was on course for P3 on his last flying lap when waved yellow flags forced him to lift in the final sector.

The feature race on Saturday cemented Borja’s return to the sharp end of GP2 as his speed, intelligence and opportunism saw him work his way through the field into what might well have been a podium finish, had he not been blocked for several laps behind an inconsiderate back marker, cruising at the front, courtesy of a very late pit stop. The Valencian finished race one in 5th position, earning himself a second row start for the sprint race.

For Sunday’s race, Borja had firmly intended to put pressure on the leaders from the start, but was unable to do so as his car suffered from excessive front grip on new rubber. However, there is no one better than Garcia at making the most of any situation and he managed to stay clear of trouble, as the less composed drivers crashed out around him, to secure another strong 5th place finish.

"This is a good start to the second half of the Championship”, said Borja. “The team and I still have a lot of work to do but we are looking forward to it and our next target is the podium.”

When did you start racing? My first race was when I was age 9. But I started training at age 6. My father gave me a Christmas gift of a go cart. And the same christmas, my uncle bought my cousin Sebastian Buemi- who is one year younger than me and who is now racing in F3 Euroseries- one as well.

How competitive were you and your cousin? At first it was more for fun. Then it turned into a competition between us. So it was a good way to progress.

Who taught you how to drive? My dad set up a track in the parking lot of his car dealership and started practicing us there. Then we started going every weekend and holiday to a track in Pontarlier, France which was about one hour from my house for training. My father loves motorsports and my grandfather was an endurance racer in Nurburgring and Lemans with his brother who was building the car while he would drive.

What does your mother think of you racing? She knows I like it and she is happy for me. But now that I have a little brother it is more difficult for her to come to the races.

When was your first race and how did you do? Osogneia, Switzerland was my first race, it was raining and Sebastian and I were both so stressed. I did good, I finished 8th out of about 50 entries.

What happened next in your career? I did mini-kart and after that two years with Juniors, I won the Swiss Junior Karting in 2001, against my cousin Sebastian who finished second in the series. At the last corner in the last turn in the last lap he tried to overtake me and we crashed together. But he had damage and couldn’t go back on the track, but I could and so I won the championship.

So who was your family rooting for? It was a really strange situation. We traveled together in a van and shared the same tent on the track. It was just big enough for two go-carts and we were both there to win the championship. My cousin has some Italian background so my father and I were the calmer side, for sure. So, walk us through your career. In 2002 I drove some Formula Ford and some ICA go-cart races. Then tested with BMW and finished fourth out of 64 drivers. So I started testing with BMW to make the next season. In 2003 I went to Maubrey Motorsport in BMW and didn’t have a good season but I got a lot of experience. We were always good by the end of the weekend but it was a hard season because I was still learning the tracks and learning the car. So, we were always one day behind the other teams. Then that same season Weber and Lauda came to me to manage me, so that was very exciting. In the end, I signed with Weber because he offered me a better deal. But he put me into a new team again in 2004, and I had another very tough season as I knew more than the engineer and mechanic when I joined the team, so it was a struggle all season. Then the next year, in 2005, I said I wanted to go to Kaufman motorsport. I was 17 and in the off season I was doing an apprenticeship at my father’s car dealership to be a secretary, just in case the racing didn’t work out. But I was going crazy because all I was thinking about all day at work was racing and doing my fitness. So I went to germany to live there and be with the team and work with the team like a family. The winter testing was good and I was always in front of my other teammates . But we took a new car and the new car was very bad. I lost three test days on this car. The season was not bad as I finished 6thand my cousin finished 2nd. In 2006, I waited for more sponsorship till Feb to do F3 with a top team, but ended up joining a small team with little budget. The daughter was doing the engineer and the mother was changing the tires. At the beginning I thought it was cool because the Father wanted to win like me and prove you can do it with no money, so I went with them. But in the end, you need the money. So, 2007! You joined the Star Mazda Championship and you have gotten two podiums in four races and everyone is talking about you? Well, I don’t know about that. I love my team AIM and I am so happy. I am finally on a good team and things are really cool, they work very hard and they are very calm.

Would you want to do Star Mazda Championship again so you could do a whole season? I think it would make no since to do Star Mazda again, because I would not be moving forward.

So talk about how your attempted race in Champ Car Atlantics went this weekend in San Jose? It was crazy because I came not knowing if I was going to drive or not. At the beginning I hesitated to come because if I wasn’t going to drive, I didn’t want to come. But in the end, I thought if I really want to prove to everyone that even though I am a woman I am serious about being a race car driver I have to come anyway to watch and meet people even if I don’t drive. For that I am really happy, I met a lot of people and now everyone knows that I am serious about racing and that I have talent. Now, they are kind of afraid of me I think, which is good to be taken seriously.

Why jump in a car you don’t know, with a team you don’t know, on a track you don’t know? Because I am crazy. No, because I am a race car driver and I think any other driver would have done the same. Because when you have an opportunity you must jump in and try it. You missed the first practice and made it to the last two laps of the qualifying #1 but ended in contact with Junior Strouss (#16 for Condor Motorsports). Which caused you then to miss the next morning practice and in qualifying #2 you ended up hitting the wall again. Not a good debut? I don’t think so. The crashes were bad as it was my debut race and for the damages, but besides that we learned a lot. I know the car now, this track, the teams, the drivers, and the series. Everyone was so supportive. If I would not have crashed, I would have done the race and then maybe it would have been worse to have finished the race last, because that is what everyone would remember. Now they remember the fight and the crazy situation I tried and that is so good.

Do you think you hurt your career chances in Champ Car Atlantics by driving this weekend? Not at all. I proved I can compete, I am serious and I have talent. I know I did ok because three Atlantic teams and a couple of sponsors have already approached my new managers CJMotorsport (www.cjmotorsport.co.uk) about racing in the rest of this season and next. So I am happy.

So you don’t regret it? No I don’t. I would do the same again. It was a crazy weekend for sure but I think it was good to try. And that is why I came here. If I would have stayed home, nobody would have thought about me, but now everyone knows who I am.

What is the craziest experience you ever had in racing? This weekend for sure.

How did you get the scar on your wrist? I flipped a go cart upside down while racing my cousin Sebastian in 1999. We had contact and slid about twenty meters upside down.

But you think your experience in Champ Car Atlantic at San Jose was more crazy. Why? Because I took a lot of risk to come there at the end of season, everyone has a lot of days in car, some drivers two seasons. I had no test, no seat fitting, I didn’t even know how to start the engine, or where the speed limiter was…and so it was a little crazy to do that, but if you don’t try you don’t get anything. I want to race and I am serious. I was curious to see the track and the car. And it was quite fun.

Why not wait for a proper test before jumping into a race? Because I thought it was a chance to do something good this weekend but I missed the practice on Friday and again on Saturday- so it was impossible to do anything because the car was not set up for me. But I tried anyways and I improved with each lap getting faster and faster. After only 2 sessions in the car, I was only two seconds off the pace-- for never having been in the car, competing against the other drivers who had over 60 sessions in the car, and at what many drivers told me was the hardest track of the season. If I had made the practices, I would have been in the pace and faster than many drivers. I am sure.

So what are your plans for next season? Test in Champ Car Atlantic and come back and show everyone what I can really do once I get time to learn the car.

CJ Motorsport Consulting Ltd is a U.K. based management company representing drivers and corporate sponsorship/marketing opportunities throughout the world of motor racing. Contact Charles Barrett at charles@cjmotorsport.co.uk or visit www.cjmotorsport.us

BP Ultimate Driver Sam Bird claimed an impressive victory at the legendary Spa Francorchamps circuit this weekend, putting him firmly back into second place in the British Formula 3 International Championship. 

As the lights went out and the 30 car grid sped off down the hill towards Eau Rouge for the first of twelve laps, Sam, who started in third, dived to the right, with his wheels up against the concrete wall, to get alongside pole position holder Stephen Jelley.  Bird got ahead brilliantly but Jelley used the tow on the run up the hill to Les Combes to regain first place.

On lap 2, Jelley was coming under immense pressure from Sam, who tried to tow the Double R Dallara out of Eau Rouge but Jelley held on.

Lap 3 saw Sam finally get past Jelley after a textbook tow and pass at Les Combes.
Jelley would not get another look at Sam’s rear wing as the CJ Driver pulled away at breathtaking pace to establish a 3.7 second lead which he managed all the way to the chequered flag.
“Sam did a fantastic job” said team boss Trevor Carlin after the race, adding “he had a perfect start and demonstrated great racecraft to get the lead from Jelley.  It was a very mature performance for a rookie”.

“Everyone knows I had a bit of a problem starting at Brands Hatch”, said Sam “and I was keen to put that behind me and prove I could have a legitimate and very quick start!  I had enough speed to pass Stephen [Jelley] into the second corner and I must thank him for not squeezing me into the wall.  Stephen then got a good tow on me and led the next couple of laps but then I got a good tow on him and was able to pass him.  I thought we would then pull away from the rest of the pack, but unfortunately for Stephen and I suppose fortunately for me, he then began to suffer from handling problems and I was able to break away.  What can I say?  It was just brilliant to take another victory.

“I would like to dedicate this win to a friend and neighbour, Val, who died recently” Sam added.

In race two, Sam again started from third on the grid.  However, persistent rain from forced a rolling start behind the safety car.  After two laps, the race order was therefore the same as the qualifying positions, and once the safety car went in, the rain was teeming down on a despondent crowd.  “It was like having two sheets of tracing paper in front of my visor” said a wry Sam “at one point, I was moving all over the track just to try and get a view of where the drivers ahead of me where on the track.  There was no point trying to push for an overtaking manoeuvre which could have gone badly wrong, so I decided to settle for third place, my second podium of the weekend and a good points haul”.

A crash involving Ricardo Teixeira on lap four brought out the safety car again, which stayed out right to the chequered flag, turning the race into something of a procession.

Sam now has a total of 8 podiums to his credit, including two wins in the series, and holds 2nd place in the championship with 138 points.

Sam’s next race is the Zandvoort Masters at Zolder, next weekend, August 4/5, where he will take on the crème de la crème of European F3. 

In a race that saw a 14:29 red flag and 13 cars retire due to contact, French rookie Franck Perera (#11 CJ Motorsport) picked up his second consecutive Cooper Tires Presents The Champ Car Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda victory in the Steelback Grand Prix of Toronto (ESPN2, July 11, 5:00 p.m. ET).

Yet again this season, PERERA has shown that he is one of the most consistent, talented and experienced drivers in the Champ Car Atlantics. Franck continued to prove that he’s a force to be reckoned with as he managed to balance fast- yet safe- results in even the most extreme wet driving conditions. Thus, moving Franck into second place in the overall championship standings, as well as, increasing his lead in the rookie of the year standings.

CHAMP CAR FAST FACTS ON FRANCK PERERA:

PERERA arrived on the Atlantic scene with a bang in March as he dominated the final pre-season test at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in his first time driving an Atlantic car and first time racing in the U.S., PERERA led all four test sessions over a two-day period and unofficially blitzed the previous track record.

The young but experienced Frenchman hopes to follow the path of fellow countryman and 2006 Atlantic champion SIMON PAGENAUD into Champ Car.

PERERA’S team Condor Motorsport won the ‘05 Atlantic championship with CHARLES ZWOLSMAN.

PERERA remains the only driver in the series to have finished inside the top five in every race.

PERERA achieved his first career victory in the Champ Car Mont-Tremblant race by a 20.486 second advantage- the largest advantage of any race this season.

PERERA picked up his second consecutive career victory at the Steelback Grand Prix of Toronto- proving a master of wet conditions leading 23 of 28 laps and achieving the fastest lap topping his nearest competitor by 0.893 seconds.

PERERA became the first non-North American native to win in 17 years of Atlantic racing in Toronto, as the first 16 were won by either Canadian or American drivers.

FRANCK PERERA (#11 CJ Motorsports): "After some mistakes and a slow start (to the season) things are finally getting better with each race. At the beginning I tried to build my points without mistakes. Now that I think I have finally mastered the street course here in America even in wet conditions, I am fighting for everything. It took some time to learn this car and get to know the team and get used to racing here in America. My style early in the season was much more suited to European tracks and so for me the road courses were easier than the street courses like I showed in pre-season testing at Laguna-Seca. So for sure, I look forward Edmondton and Elkhardt Lake. And now I can say that San Jose is going to be good too. And for the fans it’s going to be an even more exciting season now as the fight for the championship continues. Again, I want to thank my team, Condor Motorsport, who continue to do a great job. I also want to thank my sponsor, Everflux, and my man agers CJ Motorsport who gave me this chance to win this championship."

PERERA continued yet again in Toronto to close the gap in championship points as the battle for the coveted Champ Car Atlantic’s 2-million dollar championship prize got even hotter. 2nd place Perera (FRA) 198pts now sits only 30 pts behind 1st place Matos (BRA) 228pts. PERERA has a lead of 20 pts over 3rd place Wickens (CAN) 178pts and 4th place Hinchcliffe (CAN) 178pts. Rounding out the Top-Five Atlantic Drivers after R8/12 is 5th place Ricci (ITA) at 125pts.

(www.champcaratlantic.com)( www.cjmotorsport.us)( www.everfluxracing.com)( www.franckperera.com)

CJ DRIVER FRANCK PERERA is represented by CJMotorsport.co.uk a management company representing drivers throughout the world of motorsports. For more information or sponsorship opportunities contact CJMotorsport.us, Charles Barrett.

Rounds 9 and 10 of the 2007 Champ Car Atlantic Championship will be hosted at Edmonton's 1.973-mile City Centre Airport, Alberta, Canada, Friday 20th - Sunday 22nd July - www.grandprixedmonton.com

After knocking on the door over the past few weeks ,French rookie FRANCK PERERA (#11 CJ Motorsport) for Condor Motorsports kept his streak of top-five finishes in the Cooper Tires Presents The Champ Car Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda alive in a big way. PERERA picked up his first career Atlantic pole position in final qualifying on Saturday and achieved his first career victory in the Champ Car Mont-Tremblant race on Sunday by a 20.486 second advantage- the largest advantage of any race this season (ESPN2, July 6, 6:00 p.m. ET).

After problems with the traffic and some problems with the gears in Friday qualifying session #1, CJ DRIVER FRANCK PERERA'S domination began in the Saturday morning practice session #2 where he led the fastest lap time by .468 ahead of #6 MATOS. Then in qualifying #2, Franck improved his lap time to a gap of .626 ahead of his nearest competitor car #18 RICCI to take pole position away from the previous day's fastest qualifier #6 MATOS for the start of Sundays race.

Then again in Sunday morning warm up, #11 PERERA improved his gap by .940 from nearest competitor #6 MATOS. By Lap 30 in Sunday's Mont-Tremblant Race, #11 PERERA had established a 12.029 second distance between himself and #6 MATOS to take the checked flag on Lap 34 with a new gap record this season of any finish by beating second place finish #6 MATOS by 20.486 seconds. The previous biggest gap of the season so far was set in Portland Race #1 when #3 WICKENS finished 10.957 seconds ahead of # 9 HINCHCLIFF.

The performance enabled Franck to move into third place in the overall championship standings and also take over the lead in the Rookie of the Year standings. With seven of 12 races completed in the 2007 Champ Car Atlantic Championship, #11 PERERA remains the only driver in the series to have finished inside the top five in every race.

FRANCK PERERA (#11 CJ Motorsports) of Condor Motorsports race summary: " It was already very exciting to come to Canada to race for the 1st time in my career. I also knew that this kind of track was very interesting for me with my driving style. It reminded me of Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium. Now after 2 race podiums, we are getting much better in the set-ups and I knew this weekend was the best weekend to try to stop Sierra Sierra. After day 1, I was quite disappointed of missing the 1st pole position due to traffic and some gear problems with the car. But I knew the speed was there and I knew I could get the pole on Saturday session #2. Before the qualifying #2, I was quite upset with the weather (rain) and I had the feeling the weather would go in my favor (sun come out). So in the beginning the track was a little wet but I started anyway with the slicks. And after a couple of minutes, the track was dry and good and I knew that the possibility of dry track was short. I was already leading with used tires, and when we put on new tires I pushed hard for a few laps and after that the rain came back. I was finally in my first pole position in a champ car race.

Perera also continued yet again this race to close the gap in championship points as the battle for the coveted Champ Car Atlantic's 2-million dollar championship prize heats up. Top Five Atlantic Drivers R7/12: 1st Matos (BRA) 201pts, 2nd HINCHCLIFFE (CAN) 168pts, 3rd Perera (FRA) 166pts, 4th Wickens (CAN) 161pts, 5th Bomarito (USA) 116pts.

(www.champcaratlantic.com)( www.cjmotorsport.us)( www.everfluxracing.com)( www.franckperera.com)

CJ DRIVER FRANCK PERERA is represented by CJMotorsport.co.uk a management company representing drivers throughout the world of motorsports. For more information or sponsorship opportunities contact CJMotorsport.us, Charles Barrett.

There is no rest for the weary as the teams and drivers move to their third race in as many weeks with the Steelback Grand Prix of Toronto which will take place on the temporary circuit built at Exhibition Place. Practice and qualifying for the event begins Friday, July 6 with the race starting on Sunday, July 8 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern.

On his first ever trip to the the home of the Italian Formula One Grand Prix, BP Ultimate Driver Sam Bird came 2nd and 3rd in the two British Formula 3 International  Series races, consolidating his second position in the Championship.

The uninformed onlooker might have thought that Bird raced around the legendary Italian circuit every Sunday, such were his pace, consistency and composure.

His dominant display began as early as qualifying 1, when he topped the leader board for over half of the session. His time was only bettered late, once Sam was back in his garage.

“I was heading the leaderboard for much of the session” he said after Q1, “and thought I’d done enough to put it on pole.  The team and I wanted to preserve my tyres so I came into the pits, but then 3 other drivers put in quick ones, demoting me to 4th.” 

The increased heat for qualifying 2 caused handling difficulties with Sam's car and when it looked like he had managed to put together a fast lap, his effort was spoiled by a slow-moving competitor cruising around on the racing line.

"In Q2, we didn’t quite have the rhythm, and ended up 8th, so I am just working on making good starts and staying out of trouble tomorrow in the races, when I hope to make up a few places”.

In race 1, Sam overtook Mustonen off the start to move into 3rd.  He was then overtaken by Championship leader Marko Asmer, but battled back, overtaking Asmer and Jelley, both seasoned F3 drivers, to secure 2nd place which he held to the flag.

In race 2, as the 33 car grid sped down the long main straight to the first corner chicane the grid was tightly bunched.  But 33 cars won't fit into the first corner at Monza and chaos ensued. Sam was forced to take to the grass to avoid getting caught up in the melee and returned to the track in 10th place.

It was then that Bird's irresistible surge up the order began as he started picking off his opponents one by one.

Particularly impressive were his titanic battles with Hohenthal and Valerio successively. In both cases, the young Brit came out on top to secure the final podium position, courtesy of some classic moves around the Parabolica and down the home straight.

“I’m very pleased with the weekend” said Sam “Monza is an awesome circuit, and although I hadn’t been there before, I got used to it very quickly.  Carlin did a great job and the team had 5 out of the six available podiums of the weekend.  I was delighted to do well here for BP Ultimate and the other sponsors that support me.

Sam consolidates his second place in the Championship standings after his 6th podium on the trot.
 
Sam’s next race is at Brands Hatch on July 14-15.

It was another great weekend of  set-up improvements and strong racing results for CJ Driver Franck Perera as he claimed his second straight third-place result in the Champ Car Atlantic Championship at Burke Lakefront Airport.

In qualifying Friday, Perera was second-quickest and was looking for his first front-row starting position since Round 2 at Long Beach.

During Saturday morning practice, Franck improved to clock a best lap of 1:05.933, which was the quickest Atlantic lap of the weekend that far.

"The track is like yesterday," Perera said. "It's good. It's more like my kind of driving. I was first after the free practice, and I believed I could get the pole. In the beginning of the session, I was leading, but I had a ton of traffic and I was not able to find the right lap so I burned up a lot of fuel. So, in the end I had to stop four laps before the end of the session like James (Hinchcliffe) did yesterday because I ran out of fuel. The team has been working a lot. Everywhere, we're doing better and better. It's okay. We'll do it next time.”

But the race was to to be a different proposition altogether as he would have to do battle not only with his fellow competitors but also with his own damaged car.

Indeed, on the very first lap, his right rear was hit twice by the car of J.R Hilderbrandt, forcing Franck to slow down and relinquish P2.

Hence, for 42 laps and 50 minutes of on-the-edge racing, CJ Driver Franck battled with very heavy over-steer, making his car nearly uncontrollable. Only his considerable skills and sheer determination enabled him to bring his car home for a miraculous podium finish.

“It was quite a tough race. I had a really good start, and for me, the strategy was to try to be first in the first corner, but it was important to be between both Sierra Sierra cars and that was what I did. At the second corner, (J.R.) Hildebrand came from nowhere and touched my rear and I was close to spinning. We fought again in the other chicane, and maybe he touched me again. Then, my rear was not broken but bent. I saw that in the end, because all the race my steering was off. In the straight my alignment was so bad I had to keep my steering completely cocked to keep the car going straight. But you have to continue and think about the race and the championship.  But still be safe.  After my start I knew it could have been a good fight for the win, but after the contact it was a fight with the car.  So, I was lucky and happy to finish the race and get another consecutive podium.  The team did a very good job this weekend. Next time, we'll be first."

After finishing in the top five in all six races this season, including podium finishes in the last two, Perera is the most consistent driver in the Championship. He lies 4th in the standings but within striking distance of the men above him, as the series heads to Mont Tremblant, Quebec, for the next round on 30th June - 1st July.

It was another great weekend of set-up improvements and strong racing results for Condor Motorsports rookie Franck Perera (#11 CJ Motorsport) as he claimed his second straight third-place result in the Cooper Tires Presents the Champ Car Atlantic Championship powered by Mazda competition at Burke Lakefront Airport.

The Frenchman is the only Atlantic driver this season to finish inside the top five in each of his first six races.

In qualifying Friday, Perera was second-quickest and was looking for his first front-row starting position since Round 2 at Long Beach, where he started second. The Frenchman claimed his first Atlantic podium result with a third-place run in Round 5 at Portland two weeks ago.

In the Saturday morning practice session, Franck improved to clock a best lap at 1:05.933 (114.989 mph), which was the quickest Atlantic lap of the weekend that far.

"The track is like yesterday," Perera said. "It's good. The team has been working a lot. Everywhere, we're doing better and better. This track, I like a lot. It's more like my kind of driving. The team's done a very good job. We are catching up to Sierra Sierra, and we finally achieved it now, I think."

But in Saturday qualifying, Perera slipped from second to third on the final grid after running out of fuel with four laps of qualifying still to go, setting a lap at 1:05.619 (115.540 mph) for his fourth top-three qualifying performance in six starts this season.

I believed I could take the pole for Sunday. This morning I was first after the free practice, and I believed I could get the pole. In the beginning of the session, I was leading, but I had a ton of traffic and I was not able to find the right lap so I burned up a lot of fuel. So, in the end I had to stop four laps before the end of the session like James (Hinchcliffe) did yesterday because I ran out of fuel. When you are competitive and you think that you can do the lap, you try everything about strategy. It's okay. We'll do it next time.

What no one knew but Franck till the end of the Sunday's 50-minute race, the halfway point of the 12-round series, was that it was a miracle CJ Driver Perera finished the race at all.

Initially moving from third to second in the notorious funneling first turn at the start, Perera later in Lap 1 took impact twice to his right rear from Hildebrand causing him to have to slow and consequently relinquish back his position gain.

Battling tremendous over-steer making his car nearly uncontrollable for 42 laps and 50 minutes of racing, Perera proved once again that he's one of the most talented drivers in the series as his experience and training enabled him to safely finish third even with a damaged car.

It was quite a tough race. I had a really good start, and for me, the strategy was to try to be first in the first corner, but it was important to be between both Sierra Sierra cars and that was what I did. At the second corner, (J.R.) Hildebrand came from nowhere and touched my rear and I was close to spinning. We fought again in the other chicane, and maybe he touched me again. Then, my rear was not broken but bent. I saw that in the end, because all the race my steering was off. In the straight my alignment was so bad I had to keep my steering completely cocked to keep the car going straight. But you have to continue and think about the race and the championship. But still be safe. After my start I knew it could have been a good fight for the win, but after the contact it was a fight with the car. So, I was lucky and happy to finish the race and get another consecutive podium. The team did a very good job this weekend. Next time, we'll be first."

Perera also continued yet again this race to close the gap in championship points as the battle for the coveted Champ Car Atlantic's 2-million dollar championship prize heats up. Top Five Atlantic Drivers R6/12: 1st Matos (BRA) 173pts, 2nd HINCHCLIFFE (CAN) 143pts, 3rd Wickens (CAN) 140pts, 4th Perera (FRA) 134pts, 5th Bomarito (USA) 93pts.

CJ Driver Franck Perera is represented by CJMotorsport.co.uk a management company representing drivers throughout the world of motorsports. For more information or sponsorship opportunities contact CJMotorsport.us, Charles Barrett.

The Champ Car Atlantic Championship begins their tour through Canada on July 1st with the series' first visit to picturesque Circuit Mont Tremblant in St. Jovite, Quebec, in the mountains west of Montreal, Friday 29th June - Sunday 1st July.

Portland’s double header turned out to be both the most challenging and rewarding weekend so far for French rookie CJ Driver Franck Perera (#11 CJ Motorsport) of Condor Motorsports in the 2007 Cooper Tires Presents The Champ Car Atlantic Championship Powered By Mazda.

In qualifying one, a mechanical failure left Perera stranded in the pits for most of the session.  When he was finally able to join the track, conditions were considerably slower and he could only manage 14th position. 

However, extremely wet conditions for the race on Saturday proved to be the ideal setting for Perera to show his pure skill as he impressively fought his way up through the pack to finish race one in 5th position.

During qualifying two, Perera shot straight to the top of the leader board occupying P1 early in the session but finally ending up 3rd.  Franck continues to prove he is one of the consistently fastest drivers in the series by making his third career top three start in just five races.

The 45 minute race progressed with none of the three front men making any mistakes, rendering overtaking between them virtually impossible.  Hence, Perera took the chequered flag in 3rd place, for his maiden podium this season.

CJ Driver Franck Perera is now the only driver in the series to finish all five races this season inside the top five.  He sits fourth in series championship standings and second in the rookie
standings.

FRANCK PERERA (#11 CJ Motorsport) of Condor Motorsports: "I am really happy about the races this weekend because I was very aggressive to win and not repeat the mistake of Long Beach.  It was a tough start of season because I had experience but I needed time to learn a new car and new team and I also had some bad luck and mistakes.  So, I overtook everything in the start of the first race to climb from 14th to finish 5th.  Then in the second race I wanted to show that I had rebuilt myself and now for sure I am very confident for the next races.  Now, we are finally beginning to fight in the top and keep constant time.  And even had many laps with fastest times in qualifying and races.  The Condor Motorsports team did a really good job.  I want to also thank my managers CJMotorsport.us and my sponsor, Everflux.”

Round 6 of the 2007 Champ Car Atlantic Championship moves on to Cleveland, Ohio and the temporary 2.106-mile Burke Lakefront Airport, Friday 22nd - Sunday 24th June.

A double header in Portland turns out to be both the most challenging and rewarding race so far for French rookie Franck Perera (#11 CJMotorsport) for Condor Motorsports in the 2007 Cooper Tires Presents The Champ Car Atlantic Championship Powered By Mazda.

In the first qualifying session, a mechanical failure left Perera starting in 14th position on the grid for the first race on Saturday. But extremely wet conditions, having not driven in the rain in two years, and a middle of grid starting position proved to be no match for Perera as he impressively fought his way up through the pack to finish the first race in 5th position.

qualifying but ended up starting 3rd on the grid for the second race-- making it his third out of five top three starts this season. The race saw Franck actually take second at the start before surrendering the spot back on Lap 2 to finish 3rd getting Franck his first podium of the season.

Perera is now the only driver in the series to finish inside the top five in all five races this season, sits forth in series standings and second in rookie standings.

FRANCK PERERA (#11 CJ Motorsport) of Condor Motorsports: "I am really happy about the races this weekend because I was very aggressive to win and not repeat the mistake of Long Beach. It was a tough start of season because I had experience but I needed time to learn a new car and new team and I also had some bad luck and mistakes. So, I overtook everything in the start of the first race to climb from 14th to finish 5th. Then in the second race I wanted to show that I had rebuilt myself and now for sure I am very confident for the next races. Now, we are finally beginning to fight in the top and keep constant time and even had many laps with fastest times in qualifying and races. The Condor Motorsport team did a really good job. I want to also thank my managers CJMotorsport and my sponsor, Everflux. (www.franckperera.com, www.cjmotorsport.us, www.everfluxracing.com)

Round 6 of the 2007 Champ Car Atlantic Championship moves on to Cleveland, Ohio and the temporary 2.106-mile Burke Lakefront Airport, Friday 22nd - Sunday 24th June.

It was a weekend to forget for Borja Garcia in the streets of Monaco, over the weekend.

Qualifying is paramount in single-seater racing and nowhere is this more true than in Monaco where overtaking is extremely difficult. The Spaniard and his team came into Friday’s qualifying session with much optimism, having had a constructive free practise session the previous day to set-up the car to Borja’s liking. Sadly, their confidence was short-lived as, midway through Borja’s fast lap on new tyres, his gearbox differential imploded and he was forced to park his car at Sainte Devote, walk back to the paddock and sit out the rest of the session.

Nevertheless, with his customary determination, Borja had managed to work his way up to 13th position when, 4 laps from the chequered flag, Brazilian Sergio Jimenez attempted an impossible overtaking manoeuvre on Garcia at the Grand Hotel hairpin, causing a collision and ending both of their races.

“I certainly did not have the weekend I was hoping for, which is a shame because I know that both the car and myself can be very quick around here” said Garcia. “When you start 20th on the grid in Monaco you might as well try something brave. It didn’t go our way because the rain never came but I still stand by our decision… We will be working hard throughout June, including at Paul Ricard, and we are determined to be back fighting up front at Magny Cours!”

Bloomington, California – Condor Motorsports Champ Car Atlantic driver Franck Perera spent a successful two days gathering data and working with the team. The test saw several improvements to the set-up of the car and speed of Perera.

Franck Perera, car #11/CJMotorsport, ranked number five in the series/ number two in rookie standings: “It was a really good test. I needed to get time to understand how this car is working and to apply my European driving and testing experience here in the Atlantic Car. We have been able to find more speed and now can be even more competitive. Now for sure the team is building for even better results.”

Team Owner Carlos Bobeda couldn’t be happier: "We are very pleased with the results. Franck has shown great improvement and we got some really valuable feedback from him at the test. Since we only had one test session before the three race season opener, it was good to get to know Franck’s needs better. Because of his experience and speed we were also able to learn more about the car, so overall it’s been a great two days for both the driver and the team."

Franck Perera is managed by CJMotorsport.us a London based management company representing drivers though out the world of motorsports. www.franckperera.com

Condor Motorsports will continue the season with Rounds 4 and 5 the 2007 Cooper Tires Presents The Champ Car Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda on June 9 and 10 in Portland .

The 2007 Champ Car Atlantic Championship takes in 12 races over 10 weekends from April to August with events held throughout the United States in Las Vegas, Long Beach, Houston, Portland, Cleveland, San Jose and Elkhart Lake with a cross-border excursion to Canada in July for races in Mont-Tremblant, Toronto and Edmonton.

Borja Garcia had a GP2 weekend of mixed fortunes in Barcelona.

Friday afternoon’s qualifying session was promising after the Spaniard, competing on home soil, managed to qualify his car in 7th position, in a time of 1:28.808, ahead of the likes of Giorgio Pantano, Antonio Pizzonia and Bahrain race winner Luca Filippi.

The feature race on Saturday afternoon was eventful, to say the least, in its early stages. The first start was aborted after Jason Tahinci stalled on the grid. At the restart, a similar fate befell front-row man Adreas Zuber, who had to be pushed into the pits, and eventually into the garage as the pack got away. The race’s first casualty was Borja’s team-mate Karun Chandhok who spun into the pit-straight wall. Meanwhile, a few yards down the road at turn one, a crash involving Pantano, Conway, Filippi and Pizzonia signalled the end of the race for all four drivers.

As usual, Borja kept a cool head and managed to find a clear path through the chaos to settle into fifth place. He then drove superbly to hold off the repeated attacks of Nakajima until the Japanese driver outbraked himself, and cut open his front right tyre against Borja’s rear wing end plate.

Borja then strolled home to take the chequered flag in fifth place, for his third points finish out of three starts, a record shared only by Championship leader and firm favourite Timo Glock.

For Sunday’s sprint race, the reversed grid meant a very promising 4th place on the grid for Borja and realistic hopes of a podium finish, at least, in front of a record Circuit de Catalunya crowd.

Sadly, seconds before the start, an overheating engine caused a complete system shutdown and Borja was forced to start from the pits, in last place. Opportunistic as ever, he managed to haul himself back up to fourteenth where he finished the race.

The four points scored in the feature race move Borja up into fifth place in the GP2 Championship, level with Nicholas Lapierre.

Borja will be looking to move further up the rankings on the streets of Monaco in two weeks’ time.

Bruce Jouanny put in a stunning performance in the LMES Valencia 1000 KM over the weekend, to finish second in the LMP2 Class.

Driving for Saulnier Racing, a team that he also manages, he shared his Courage LC75 AER with gentlemen drivers Jacques Nicolet and Alain Filhol.

Before the final changeover, Bruce had even managed to haul the team into first place, however, his team mates were understandably unable to match his pace and Saulnier Racing had to settle for second place and an impressive 8th overall, having completed 222 laps in a time of 6:02:12:383.

Further satisfaction for CJ Motorsport came in the form of Affiliate CJ Driver Bruno Besson, who, competing in the LMP1 Class for Courage Competition, drove superbly, clocking fast lap after fast lap, with a personal and team best of 1:29.257. Sadly, the team was forced into retirement by a mechanical failure after 3 hours and 41 minutes of racing.

Franck Perera continued his consistent points scoring streak in the Champ Car Atlantic Championship, with a fifth place finish in Houston.

Having had his front row qualifying time cancelled out by a red flag, Franck started third on the grid behind Sierra Sierra duo Raphael Matos and James Hinchliffe.

The start of the race saw a melee develop at the very first chicane, which Franck was obliged to cut through to avoid contact. The incident cost him third place to Carl Skerlong, while the race commissioners decided to penalise him an additional position, forcing him to yield to Jonathan Bomarito under yellow flag. “I was side by side with Hinchcliffe going into the chicane, which in order to avoid an accident I had to miss. This was very frustrating as it cost me a position in the end for being a safe driver.” 

Sam Bird has retained his 6th place in the British F3 Championship table despite a disappointing weekend at Donington Park.

Free practice last Thursday saw him in an unrepresentative 8th place, while his Carlin team-mates also struggled to get to grips with the set up for the Leicestershire circuit where Sam holds a lap record in Formula Renault.

“We had to change the set up in time for Saturday’s qualifying” said Sam “but we still didn’t get it right, so I qualified in 11th and 9th places for the races on Sunday.  In Formula 3, qualifying is critical as is getting a good start. Fortunately, I seem to be quite quick off the line” said Sam “so I am hoping this will be the case and I can grab back a few places”.

In the first race, he did indeed make a good start, putting him up to 7th place, but another fast charger went wide, forcing Sam onto the grass.  He recovered but was back into 12th.  During the closing laps of the race, Sam was able to overtake two of these to claim a championship point for 10th place

The second race saw a few drops of rain, but certainly not enough for the teams to swap to wet tyres, although the track was slippery.  Again, from the start Sam progressed from his 9th slot, but a series of incidents included a clip on his rear tyre, spinning him 360 degrees and dropping him to 23rd.  An amazing drive through the pack brought Sam back to 9th place by the end of the race.

“Naturally I’m disappointed not to have gone further up the order” he said afterwards “but at least I was able to salvage some points and prove that overtaking in F3 is possible.  I found the pace and was determined to retain my position in the championship table, which I have done.  I’m really looking forward to the next round, which is a street race in Bucharest in May.  It will be my first street race and although some of my rivals have done several, it will be the first time at Bucharest for all of us, so it should be a level playing field”

CJ Driver Borja Garcia made a promising start to his 2007 GP2 campaign this weekend, finishing both races in the points.

The year’s first qualifying session began with much anticipation on Friday and after struggling for pace in the first half, Borja came into the pits for a small set-up adjustment and went straight back out to put in a quick lap that would see him qualify on the fourth row of the grid alongside Championship favourite Timo Glock.

In Saturday’s feature race, Borja reacted quickly off the line and might have made up a few places but found himself boxed in and unable to capitalise on his initial momentum.

After his mandatory pit stop, Borja came out just behind Nicolas Lapierre, and Adrian Zaugg. The latter, although clearly slower than his two followers, managed to defend his position to the chequered flag and Borja crossed the line in 8th position, following some superb defending from the Championship winning ART car of Michael Ammermuller.

Starting Sunday’s sprint race on pole position by virtue of the reversed grid rule, Borja made another excellent start to lead the way on the first lap. However, having been forced to start the race with brand new brake pads, Borja struggled under braking for the first five laps and was forced to yield to Lapierre, Glock and Filippi in quick succession.

As Borja’s brakes improved, he managed to close back in on the top three and was inches away from regaining third position from Filippi following a brave move that forced him wide. With Mike Conway now hot on his trail, Borja defended brilliantly before pulling away from the Briton and catching up with Filippi once more. However, time ran out and Borja had to settle for 4th.

“I had a problem with the brakes today because of the race yesterday, so I started out with new brakes and for five laps the pedal was too long so in the first laps I was passed by Lapierre, Filippi and Glock, but towards the middle of the race I got back on terms with the lap times of Glock and Filippi”, said Borja. “I’m satisfied at least that I finished both races in the points and I feel I did a good job. We had a few technical issues but I think it will be okay for Barcelona.” 

Sam Bird made a solid start to his Formula 3 campaign at Oulton Park this weekend, scoring a healthy total of points in both races.

In qualifying on Saturday, he finished the two sessions 6th and 7th respectively, from a record field of 32 cars. "I am not thrilled with my qualifying" he said "In pre-season testing I have been right up at the sharp end of the times, mixing it with the more experienced drivers. There are so many drivers in the series, and there were a lot of red flags and a lot of traffic in qualifying -- of course it was the same for everyone, but I was
unfortunate to be in the wrong place at the wrong time to put in a really good lap. But if I can get a couple of good starts, I should be able to make up a place or two".

True to his prediction, Sam made a lightening start from the grid in race one to make up two places. A safety car was deployed for an incident after only one lap. On the restart, Sam pulled alongside third placed man, Jelley, but was unable to capitalise and had to settle for fourth position, where he stayed, unhampered to the finish line… "I'm quite pleased with that" he said afterwards, "my first race start in F3 and I was able to make up a couple of places. It's difficult to overtake at Oulton, so I had to try and make up as much as possible at the start. I've got a race under my belt now and am really looking forward to the next one."

Franck Perera’s first race weekend in the Champ Car Atlantic Series season opener at the Vegas Grand Prix was one of survival in an incident-strewn day.  Marred by four lengthy caution flags, contact claimed a record 15 cars in the field of 27.

With very impressive 2nd and 3rd positions in the two practice sessions and a 5th place finish in this very difficult season opener, it is obvious that Rookie Franck Perera is a true contender for the Atlantic Title and the $2M prize

Despite having topped the time sheets for over half of the qualifying sessions, traffic and incidents never allowed Franck to put everything together in a single lap during qualifying.  

“I had a lot of problems with traffic for the second qualifying.   I was leading the entire session with 4/10ths until we got a red flag and my last fastest lap did not count.  I lost every chance to be in pole and I had to start race in 6th position.  I was very disappointed about that.” 

Franck made a great start off the grid, immediately making up two spots.  But the “real racing” was short lived as there ended up being only 7 green laps during the 50 minute race.  “I had a very good start and I could overtake Hildebrand and Matos but Bomarito kept changing the line and closing me at the first corner.”

Condor Motorsports Team Owner Carlos Bobeda believes “We had a lot more potential than we were allowed to show because of the red flags but I am happy despite all the problems we were able to come on top 5 and at the same time we know the driver and car were strong enough to be at the front.”

Frank also notes that “We had only 2 days at Laguna Seca testing to know each others work and to work on the car.  So, it’s not enough but now we are ready for Long Beach.  I want to congratulate Matos and to say that the next round will be different.”

Frenchman Franck Perera will be racing in the Champ Car Atlantic Championship for Condor Motorsports next year following an outstanding test at Laguna Seca, where he clocked the fastest time in all four sessions, smashing AJ Almendinger’s track record, with a best of 1:16.067.

Still only 22 years of age, Perera has a wealth of experience including career beginnings in Karting where he was crowned world champion, Formula Renault, F3 Euro Series, World Series by Renault and GP2.
"We're all very excited and happy to welcome Franck to the team," said Carlos Bobeda, owner of Condor Motorsports, which captured the 2005 Champ Car Atlantic Championship with Dutchman and eventual Champ Car driver Charles Zwolsman. "He is clearly a very special talent and the team developed good chemistry with him from the first minute he got into the car. I think everyone is looking forward to a very exciting 2007 season."

BP and CJ Motorsport are proud to announce that BP is to back rising British star Sam Bird in his bid for the British Formula Three title.

The sponsorship will showcase the BP Ultimate range of premium fuels, including BP Ultimate 102 unleaded - the highest-octane petrol available on British forecourts.

BP Ultimate branding features on the sidepods of Bird’s Carlin Motorsport challenger and also on his driving suit and visor.  The driver will be an ambassador for the brand throughout the season.

Said Mark Reader, UK Fuels Marketing Manager at BP: “Teaming up with Sam Bird is a showcase for the performance benefits of BP Ultimate fuels.

“The brand is already prominent in the World Rally Championship – and this gives us a platform to engage with a different group of motorsports fans as well as a presence at race circuits.

“Sam’s an incredible prospect and we’re excited to be getting into a relationship at this stage of his career.”

CJ Driver Bruce Jouanny will have a busy 2007 season after being signed up by renowned Le Mans Series (LMES) team Saulnier Racing.

The Frenchman, highly regarded around the paddock for his driving skills as well as his coaching abilities, will combine the role of lead driver in LMP2 with that of Team Manager.

CJ Driver Borja Garcia made a strong start to his GP2 pre-season testing campaign with team Durango this week, at the Paul Ricard Circuit in le Castellet, France.

Borja and his engineer, Fabio Segalini, used the first morning to assess the car’s brand new aerodynamic kit, through a series of short stints on track. They then set out to post some quick times in the afternoon and the Spaniard finished up second, just behind highly experienced Italian Giorgio Pantano.

The second morning was beset by intermittent rain with a track suitable for neither wet-weather nor slick tyres. In the afternoon, however, on a dry track, all the drivers came out in force and Borja finished the day four tenths off pole in fifth, with a time of 1.10.175, behind the cars of reigning GP2 champions ART Grand Prix and title-favourites iSport International.

Of his first pre-season test, Borja said: “I’m satisfied with the outcome of the past couple of days’ testing, but more importantly, I am very pleased about how my working relationship is developing with the team. My engineer, Fabio, and I are working together very productively to optimize the car’s performance for the season. I look forward to continuing our work in Barcelona”.

Pre-season testing resumes in the Catalan capital on March 8th and 9th.

Sam had his first Formula Three test of the season this week at Pembrey in Wales, and in mixed weather conditions, set the fastest time (49.633) on the first day. 

Sam said he was very comfortable with the outcome of the first day of testing “Carlin Motorsport has prepared a superb car for me, and we worked well with the new tyres so I am quite satisfied with today’s results.  However, it’s only the first test day and there’s a long way to go.  As a rookie in the series, I have a lot to learn about the car from my engineers and I’m looking forward to tomorrow and the rest of the testing programme.”

On Wednesday, he had a good morning, and set the second quickest time (50.072, 4 tenths off pole).  The afternoon, however, was beset with red flags, interrupting his flow and he was pipped into third place overall.

“To finish third overall in my first test is encouraging”  said Sam afterwards, “and I’m looking forward to the next test at Silverstone next week”.

CJ Driver Borja Garcia will be back in GP2 for the 2007 Championship, having signed to drive for Italian team Durango.

After a remarkable season in World Series by Renault where he finished vice-Champion, the 24 year old from Valencia chose Durango over several other GP2 teams, following a series of very productive winter tests.

“I’m really looking forward to this new challenge” said Borja “the team and I worked very well together during the winter test in Valencia and I feel confident we can achieve great things this season”.

CJ Driver Sam Bird has chosen to return to Carlin Motorsport for his assault on the British Formula 3 Championship in 2007.  The team, which has won the prestigious title three times in recent history, has this week announced that it will switch to Mercedes engines for the forthcoming season.

Sam drove with Carlin in his first ever season of car racing in 2005 when he won a scholarship to drive in the inaugural Formula BMW UK Championship.  “I was very comfortable with the Carlin team then and am delighted to return to them for 2007” said Sam  “it’s a fantastic outfit and a championship-winning team, and with the Mercedes engine deal they should be in a good position to return to the top step of the championship podium”.

Team Principal, Trevor Carlin said, “It’s excellent to have Sam back with us.  We were very pleased with his performance back in 2004 and have kept in touch and monitored his progress ever since.  It’s great that now Sam is ready to make the step up into F3, he can do it with his old team.”

Formula 3 testing commences in mid-February and the season kicks off at Oulton Park, on Easter Monday.