In his very first Indy Lights road course event, CJ Driver Franck Perera wasted no time in making a clear statement to the rest of the field by qualifying his car on pole for race one of the Watkins Glen double-header.

With a fastest lap of 1:37.8651, Perera was the only driver to break into the 1:37s’ as he comfortably outpaced Championship frontrunners Raphael Matos (2nd), Richard Antinucci (4th) and Dillon Battistini (17th).

On the strength of his qualifying prowess, “Fearless” Franck seemed bound for honors in both races. Unfortunately however, a sequence of events beyond his control would decide otherwise.

On the opening lap, Franck crashed out of the first Corning Duel when his gearbox unexpectedly gave in. The Guthrie Racing team did very well to put the car back together in time for race two. However, it became apparent on the formation lap that the express repair job had left a suspension arm still loose. This forced Franck back into the pits and he eventually came back out eight laps behind the leaders. Nevertheless, far from giving up on a seemingly hopeless situation, Franck brought the car home in 17th position with the 3rd fastest lap of the race.

With the historic floods plaguing Iowa, many skeptics doubted the Jeld-Wen 100 at Iowa Speedway would even take place last weekend, but the fans and drivers proclaimed that the race must go on! 

CJ Driver Perera, although brand new to the Guthrie Racing Team and fighting with a failing rear wheel bearing, had the best finish among the Guthrie Racing drivers taking the checkered flag in 11th place. Perera showed how quick he was at adapting to new cars and new tracks by showcasing some amazing wheel-to-wheel racing and competing for the top ten while keeping his nose clean.

“Overall I was very happy with my performance this weekend,” Perera said.  “If I had not had a wheel bearing going out, which caused horrible vibrations towards the last third of the race, I'm sure I could have finished much better, but I wanted to finish as safely as possible so I had to manage the situation.  I had a sharp learning curve to figure out a new car and race on only my second career oval all within a weeks’ time frame.  I am confident I can run upfront with best drivers in the series and I'm excited to see what I can do for the team and myself for the remainder of the season.”

“I can't wait for Watkins Glen in a few weeks,” Perera added.  “Road courses are my specialty so I plan on having a strong showing in my second race in the team and series.”

Team Owner Jim Guthrie proclaimed, “Franck did an amazing job especially when you consider this was only his second career oval race.  He moved up through the field like a veteran only to be thwarted by a wheel bearing failure.  I was impressed with his strategy and approach to the race.”

CJ Driver Franck Perera will jump back into action to compete in the Firestone Indy Lights series for the remainder of the 2008 season.  Watch out for this young gun to make an immediate impression in the IRL as he has already done so impressively in his career to date.

Perera's astonishing resume stems from deep roots in European open-wheel racing where he won the Italian Formula Renault Championship in 2003 and went on to compete against the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Timo Glock in both the F3 Euro Series (Rookie Champion 2004) and the GP2 Series (Runner-up to Hamilton at Monaco 2006). Franck was also a member of the exclusive Toyota Driver Program and was entrusted with testing Toyota’s Formula One car on several occasions.

Going into 2007, Perera decided to move to the U.S. and attack the highly competitive Atlantic Championship.  He literally rewrote the record books on his way to the Rookie of the Year title and narrowly missed out on the overall title to series returnee Raphael Matos.

Perera's achievements did not go unnoticed as he secured a ride for the former Champ Car and current IndyCar team Conquest Racing.  Franck competed in three races for the team demonstrating his outstanding road course skills by finishing a solid 6th at Long Beach, which was his final race before his sponsor ran into financial trouble and was unable to continue their support of the young Frenchmen.  He also proved to be a quick learner after finishing a commendable 14th in his first ever oval race. 

Franck will team up at Guthrie Racing with Sean Guthrie, Logan Gomez and Mickey Gilbert for the rest of the 2008 season.

“I'm just excited to be back in the driver’s seat,” Perera said.  “I'm very thankful to Guthrie Racing and my management company CJ Motorsport and I am going to do the best I can for the team.”

Starting at the seventh race into the season, Perera is not worried about the Drivers Championship, but rather building oval experience and fighting for podiums and wins.

“I’m not really focusing on the Title at this stage.  I'm just looking at it race by race so I will not be holding back at any of the races!  I hope to get some wins on the road courses since that's where my experience lies, but I plan on being right up there in the front on ovals as well after I get some more practice.”

Gaining oval experience is a must for drivers looking to compete at the top level of US open-wheel racing with half of the races occurring on these tracks.  Having only driven one oval in his career at Homestead-Miami earlier this year, he hopes to continue learning the unique driving style that ovals require, which is where his teammates may prove to be invaluable.

“I have a lot to learn,” Perera exclaimed about oval courses.  “Sean and Logan are great on ovals so I know they can teach me some techniques and hopefully I can help them on road courses in return.  I think together we can make it beneficial for all of us so we can improve all season long.”

Perera will join Guthrie Racing at Iowa next week for his first race in the series.  The team will participate in the open test at the track on June 10th giving Perera a chance to work with the team and the car before getting into the thick of the action of the Firestone Indy Lights series. 

“It always takes a little time to get used to the way a new team operates, but it's great that we get the chance to test first so I can familiarize myself with the crew, my teammates and my new car.  After that, I can't wait to see what the rest of the year brings!”

Team owner, Jim Guthrie, is honored to run such a high-performing driver like Franck Perera. 

"It's great to have the opportunity to work with a driver of Franck's caliber.  I have high hopes for Franck and the Guthrie Racing team.  One of our Engineers, John Martin, has worked with Franck and is really excited about having him on our team.  I expect once Franck gets comfortable on the ovals he will contend for many wins."

Teammates Logan and Sean are also thrilled to have Perera on board as they feel they can all work together to make the team a force to be reckoned with.

“His tremendous road course experience should bring valuable info to the team and us as drivers,” Sean suggested.  “He is very committed to his racing career and not afraid to take a step back to continue his path to success.  People with that attitude are good for the team, the sport and are fun to be around.  I know he needs some oval experience and we are happy to give him that.  Hopefully we can work together to bring each other even more success.”

“Franck has had a very successful racing career and I know he will continue to prosper in our series,” Gomez said.  “His logical thinking in breaking down a car's performance will help each of us find that ideal setup so we all can battle up front for the win.  Working with Franck is going to be a great experience for everyone on the team.”

Racing on the streets of Pau is tricky at the best of times but in the torrential rain that fell throughout the weekend the third round of the 2008 F3 Euro Series was surely one of the most eventful and chaotic ever witnessed.

In race one on Saturday, while most of the F3 Euro Series competitors (including most of the Championship front-runners) made mistakes and crashed out, CJ Driver Sam drove faultlessly and was running comfortably in the points when he was collected by the spinning car of Martin Plowman, with only a handful of laps to go to the finish.

"Plowman and Janis got themselves into a tangle and Martin came bouncing off the barrier into my path. I almost managed to squeeze through but his car hit me and sent me crashing into the barrier" said the BP Ultimate Driver after the race. "I'm very disappointed because I had good pace in tricky conditions and  I was on course for a top five finish.

Having had to start race two mid-pack as a result, Sam drove impeccably once again in the rain, working his way through the field to finish a creditable 11th.

"A very tough weekend for me" said Sam on Sunday evening. "I come away from Pau with nothing to show for it, which is very disappointing. Nevertheless I want to say a big thanks to my team who worked late into Saturday night to put my car back together for Sunday's race. I've had a few knock backs this year so far but it makes me even more determined for the rest of the season and I can assure those that follow and support me that I will be back with a vengeance at Norisring!"

Sam Bird’s first F3 Euroseries race turned out to be a true test of his racing skills and mental fortitude but the BP Ultimate Driver rose to the challenge, as he has done so often in the past, and came through in splendid fashion.

Having topped the time sheets in pre-season practice sessions, the CJ Driver was in buoyant mood heading to Hockenheim this weekend. 

The practice sessions were held in appalling wet conditions, so much so that the qualifying session on Friday had to be postponed until Saturday morning.  The track was still wet but drying out, and everyone knew that their best lap would be at the very end of the session.  Sam was prepared for this and was about to do his last lap before the chequered flag, when “a muffin on slicks” (to quote a respected journalist)  appeared out of the pits just in front of him, and being on the wrong tyres for the conditions, he baulked Sam’s best efforts and lost him a staggering 2 seconds.  Despite brilliant 2nd and 3rd sectors, he had no answer to that 2 second deficit and ended up 23rd on the grid.  As the official track timing would later show, a 1st sector time taken from any of his previous 4 laps would have put him 5th on the grid.

However, never one to let his head drop or shy away from a challenge, Sam duly lined up on the 12th row of the grid. As the first race of the season unfolded, the newly selected BRDC “Superstar” profited from a few retirements but more remarkably overtook 8 cars on the track, very much making the show, to eventually take the chequered flag in 10th position.  “With the reverse grid format, I was desperately trying to get up to 8th” he said after the race, “which would have given me pole for Sunday’s race.  However, with the safety car period, and being stuck behind a slower car which managed to make itself very wide, I didn’t have time to make up those extra two places.  I feel I could have done it in different circumstances”.

Race day two dawned sunny at last, and Sam started in 10th slot.  A race long battle with Gotz and Tsukakoshi was the highlight of the day and had the Hockenheim faithful on the edge of their seats. Sam eventually overcame both competitors to finish a remarkable 6th and in the points.

“It’s been an eventful few days” said Sam on Sunday afternoon. “After an unfortunate qualifying session, I bounced back and I’m quite pleased that I’ve opened my Euroseries account with a point. I had to dig deep this weekend but I’ve got a great team behind me in Manor Motorsport and I’m lucky to have the support of some great sponsors, BP Ultimate of course, but also my new sponsor Marc “The Edge” Ivey who was here to cheer me on.

The Euroseries is definitely very competitive but I always knew it would be and I’m enjoying every minute of it! I’m really looking forward to the next round in Mugello, another new track for me. ” 

John Booth, Manor Motorsport’s team boss said afterwards:  “Sam recovered brilliantly from a big setback in qualifying that was not of his own making. He drove superbly all weekend to get himself and the team into the points.”

"It's nice to finish the race”, said Franck. “It was very tough, very long. I think it is the longest race I did in my life. It was good because I could fight with Oriol (Servia) who is also on one of the transition teams. I'm happy I brought the car back for the guys they did such a good job and it's good for Conquest, now we can concentrate on the road course next week. I learned a lot tonight even if it was difficult out there with all the traffic. You don't really know the driving style of the other drivers and when they come in a group they are so quick. But I was always staying in the clear line to not get in their way. Now we have to work on gaining more speed."

"We came here in Homestead very humble with the goal of acquiring experience for both the team and our drivers”, said Conquest Racing’s Owner Eric Bachelart. “We managed to run competitively and stay out of trouble. Franck has done a very good job all weekend while Enrique struggled in the race. It's part of his learning curve. I am proud of what we have achieved in such a short period of time and we are looking forward to competing in a more natural environment in the streets of St Pete next week."

CJ Driver Garcia will return to World Series by Renault this season, having signed with RC Motorsport, with whom he was crowned Vice-Champion in 2006.

“We are delighted to have Borja back with us as we are well aware of what he is capable,” said Carlo Migliavaca, the team’s co-owner. “He is a brilliant racing driver with a winning mentality. We have a really strong team this year and with Borja now on board, I feel we can achieve great things. The entire team is determined to give him all the support he needs to go for the title. For now we need to focus on the next test in Barcelona, before the beginning of the Championship”.

“I am delighted to have signed with RC Motorsport once again” said Borja. “This is a crucial stage in my career and this is undoubtedly the best decision with my future in mind. I am also very excited because I strongly believe that we can win the title this year. The last test in Valencia was very constructive and we were quickest. I can’t wait for the next test in Barcelona so that we can continue where we left off and further prepare the car for the start of the Championship.”

“Between my new teammate Aleix and myself, we will push hard to achieve great results for the team”, added the Valencian. “I am grateful to RC Motorsport, my sponsors and my fans for their trust and support. I will make them all proud this season!
I want to say a special thanks to those who have made it possible for me to land this coveted seat, in particular Serge Celebidachi from CJ Motorsport.”

The World Series by Renault Championship begins on April 26th and 27th in Monza.

Sam Bird has recorded the fastest time over the two day test at the Estoril circuit, Portugal, a track he has never visited before.  Having made the switch from British F3, BP Ultimate Driver Bird has had a steep learning curve over the last week, testing a new car, on new tracks, with his new team, Manor Motorsport.  “I knew it would be tough” said Sam after the first day “but I’m not concerned with times too much today, I am learning the car and the tyres and trying to achieve the best set up with my engineer.”

On the second day of testing, the CJ Motorsport managed driver had obviously got to grips with the car, putting in a best time of 1.32.035, beating title favourite Nico Hulkenberg into second place.

“Obviously it’s just testing and we’re all trying out different settings, brakes, using both new and old tyres” Sam commented, “but I’m naturally thrilled to have come out on top over the two days – it certainly gives me a great deal of  confidence going into  the new season, and I’m looking forward to racing again after the long winter break.”

The F3 Euroseries begins at Hockenheim, Germany on April 12/13.

On his return to World Series by Renault for a pre-season test with his old team RC Motorsport, the 2006 Vice-Champion was in a league of his own at Valencia’s Ricardo Tormo Circuit, as he recorded the fastest lap of the two-day session.

Throughout the day, and despite not having been on track on day one, CJ Driver Borja was consistently in the top 3, as the lead changed hands numerous times.

However, with just over half an hour to go, Garcia returned to the track and took permanent control of affairs to put top spot well beyond the reach of his rivals with a time of 1.22.03, leaving second-placed Marco Bonanomi over 3 tenths adrift.

On his very next lap, Borja was already 4 tenths up on his own record after two sectors, when a yellow flag forced him to lift in the final sector.

The test also enabled Borja and the team to familiarise themselves with the brand new Dallara chassis.

“I’m happy of course to have gone quickest but this has been a productive test in so many other aspects as well”, said Garcia.

“I was able to do quite a few laps and try many different set-up configurations, given that this was our fist ever time working with this new car, both for myself and the team.

There is a lot of fine-tuning to be done to achieve the best out of the car and I think there is still room for a lot of improvement.

It was fantastic to be reunited with my old team. We work very well together and know eachother inside out, which is of course an advantage.

I hope an agreement can be reached as I would truly love to race with RC Motorsport again this season!”