Driving the Motorola Mazda campaigned by Mitchell Motorsports, Mitchell’s enthusiasm was well-placed, as he was in top-five form through the intense two-day weekend.

Driving on an oval, the traditional Star Mazda formats were altered for the weekend, with the race not only being extended by twenty-five laps to a 125 lap race distance, but the qualifying procedure also saw the cars take to the track one at a time to set the grid.

After not getting exactly the start to the weekend that he had been hoping for during the promoter test day, Mitchell and his Motorola crew continued to work on  the car, and the two practice sessions showed the improvement as Mitchell’s best time improved to 20.791-seconds as he went on to take fifth on the grid for the extended race.

Mitchell knows all about the hectic starts in Star Mazda competition, and used his experience to make sure he was there at the end of the first lap, while still fighting for position early on. Converting fourth into fifth early in the going proved to be key, as just one yellow flag punctuated the running. And with several cars turning similarly fast laps, position changes were few and far between as Mitchell crossed the line fourth at the finish.

“That was a long race!” said Mitchell, who also took in all the action at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the 500. “The car was pretty good, but once we got going, the times were so close that you really couldn’t safely make a move. We had that long run of green flag laps, and at one point, I was starting to wonder exactly how long we had been out there! I wanted to be careful at the start but you also know that its going to be the best chance to make something happen.”

Mitchell’s result matched his previous career-best oval finish, set last year (his best race result is 2nd, scored after a dominating pole performance at Trois Rivieres in 2009).

The week also marked another new move forward for the “Road to Indy” program, which aims to facilitate moving young talent like Mitchell up the racing ladder. Now that the ladder has been officially recognized, there is more and more effort being put into the promotion and preparation of the racers of tomorrow.

That was evident in the week ahead of the Indianapolis 500, as Mitchell and his fellow Star Mazda drivers were involved with autograph sessions, seminars, and meetings with several key people along the ladder to help prepare them to work on the things that are important-besides fast lap times–to help move up to the IndyCar ranks.

“It was a good week, spending all that time at the Speedway, getting to race on Saturday night, and then catching the 500 for the first time, it was a really good week and now I’m looking forward to Iowa. We were strong there last year and I’m hoping that we can have another good weekend out there with the Motorola Mazda.”

The Star Mazda machines will remain in oval-trim for the next outing, as the series returns to Iowa Speedway in Newton for round five. Mitchell scored fourth on the midwest oval last year, and will look to go even better next time out.

The ORP round boosted Mitchell to eighth in the overall championship standings, with nine rounds of racing yet to go.

Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear
ORP-Rusty Mitchell

Practice 1-        P7 66 Rusty Mitchell 20.786
Practice 2         P7 66 Rusty Mitchell 20.981
Official Practice 1     P4 66 Rusty Mitchell 20.919
Official Practice 2     P6 66 Rusty Mitchell 20.791
Qualifying–        P5 66 Rusty Mitchell 20.983
Race –        P4 66 Rusty Mitchell 122 47:36.997

With the Star Mazda championship becoming fully enmeshed with the “Road to Indy” program,  and with the series returning at the end of the month for the “Night Before the 500” race on the .686-mile track, the testing was very important for the drivers looking to make the most of the series ORP round as part of the huge Indianapolis 500 race weekend slate of events.

One of those pilots, driver Rusty MItchell, was on the pace in his No. 66 Motorola/Petro Com Mazda as he looks to continue the impressive form he showed in oval competition last season. Despite only having previously run on dirt ovals, Mitchell made a strong impression in his 2009 oval debut as he scored sixth at Milwaukee and then improved on his career-best finish at that point with a run to fourth at Iowa (Mitchell later scored pole position and a second-place finish at Trois Rivieres last season).

This week, Mitchell couldn’t be disappointed as the unofficial times not only showed the Star Mazda competition to be closely matched as just tenths separated the top seven drivers, but they also showed that the Motorola machine was well-tuned to the oval once again despite the run being Mitchell’s first on the track.

The laps, which were well below the track record-setting times set by the NASCAR Nationwide Series machines when they visited the track, send the cars close to the walls as the drivers chase a fast lap time.

“There is more banking up top, so you can carry more speed if you run closer to the wall,” said Mitchell. “But you have to have the car underneath you to do that. If it washes up even a little bit, you are going to be in the wall before you know it.”

Testing at the track not only gets Mitchell warmed up for the race return to ORP in May, but it also helps Mitchell Motorsports continue to develop the oval program as the team also looks ahead to the second oval race on the Star Mazda Championship schedule when the series returns to Iowa June 19.

“Even though it doesn’t directly translate (set-ups) from ORP to Iowa, these tests give us the chance to keep learning about how the car reacts to changes and get more data,” said Mitchell. “The more we have in our log books, the faster we can make changes to get more speed. It will be interesting to see how this track changes when we come back and get more rubber down. We will have to run two grooves and there will have to be some give and take to make passes–at least early in the race!”

That the “Night Before Indy” event includes the Star Mazda Championship is no accident, as the field of formula car drivers all carry an aspiration of making it to the Brickyard just down the road. Mitchell is no different as he looks forward to seeing the 500 in person this Memorial Day weekend.

“Running in the 500 is a huge dream of mine, it’s the ultimate race,” said Mitchell between sessions. “I’m really excited to be going this year, and even more that I get to race before going to see the 500, so I am really looking forward to it making it to the Speedway. Hopefully and can be running there someday.”

Mitchell will return to action in two weeks as the Star Mazda Championship makes a West coast swing with a visit to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca for round three of the 2010 Championship on May 23rd as part of the American Le Mans Series visit to the Monterey peninsula track.

Additional information:  http://rustymitchellracing.wordpress.com/
www.starmazda.com
www.sundaymanagement.com
###

The race was part of the IZOD IndyCar race weekend event, which featured every step of the “Road to Indy” ladder as the full roster of open-wheel developmental level categories were on the ticket for Florida race fans.

Mitchell, who after making solid and continual progress through the 2009 season with improving performances as he became more and more familiar with his Motorola Mazda, had a break-out weekend in Quebec last year on the streets of Trois-Rivieres.

That podium performance gave Mitchell good reason for optimism as he entered the St. Pete Grand Prix weekend.

But the initial practice sessions, which saw the Motorola machine credited with 17th and 12th-fastest times, didn’t confirm that optimism. But hard work from the Mitchell Motorsports crew, and a new approach to set-up for qualifying saw Mitchell back up into the top five on the qualifying grid, improving his time  (1:11.317) by nearly two seconds over the practice session.

Looking to build on his 11th place finish from Sebring, the strong qualifying run on the 1.8-mile, 14-turn temporary road circuit in Florida didn’t produce the race day outing Mitchell had hoped for, but the Texan held on to bring the Motorola Mazda home in 10th position after 33 hard-fought laps on the streets of St. Pete.

“I think we knew that we had qualified a little bit better than where we really were in the field, so even though we were hoping to move up at the start, it was still good to come out of the weekend with a top ten,” said Mitchell. “The car was good, but we just didn’t have the pace through the full race distance to defend against some of the guys who had maybe a little bit more tire than I did at the end.”

While the 10th place finish was not what he had been hoping for ahead of the weekend, Mitchell still came away from the event with some satisfaction as the championship builds intensity into the summer months.

“I really liked the track in St. Pete, and I’d like to run there again next year,” said the Texan. “There is just something extra fun and challenging about running on a track like this,  running so close to the walls, and dealing with the different surfaces. It was also cool to be there as part of the IndyCar event, and overall it was a good weekend for us even if we didn’t quite finish where we had hoped we could. Hopefully we can pick up some momentum in the points in the next few rounds.”

Now the focus will move to a full-series test at O’Riley Raceway Park outside of Indianapolis as Mitchell moves back to the oval concentration ahead of the “Night Before the 500” event on May 29th. Mitchell showed very well in the series’ two oval outings last year, and will look to build on those performances again this year at ORP and then in Iowa in June.

And while this weekend’s Grand Prix of St. Petersburg marks the debut appearance for Rusty Mitchell and the Star Mazda presented by Goodyear Championship on the 1.8-mile, 14-turn temporary road circuit in Florida, it is already a leading contender in Mitchell’s book of favorites.

The Texan, who stormed to a record-setting pole position and debut podium appearance the last time the series raced on a street circuit–the famed Trois Riveres course in Quebec–has never seen the track in St. Pete, but he’s got a feeling that he’s going to like it.

“I’ve watched some in-car footage from an Indy Lights car, and I think it’s going to be a lot of fun this weekend,” said Mitchell, who stayed in Florida following the Sebring race opener last weekend to prepare for this Sunday’s race. “I’m not sure why  it is, exactly, but I’ve just been able to excel on the street circuits so I’m really looking forward to the race. There are a few different surfaces that we are racing on every lap, but I think it’s going to be a fun challenge.”

The St. Petersburg weekend marks round two of the 13-race Star Mazda Championship season. The event will be the first time that race fans will have the chance to take in races from every rung of the “Road to Indy” ladder. Mitchell, who carries the Motorola colors on the No. 66 Formula Mazda machine, is looking to shake off a disappointing opening round event last weekend and thinks that this could be the perfect place to do just that.

“I’m happy we get to race right after Sebring because I was really frustrated with how that race went,” said Mitchell. “We had a great car and even though there was just one yellow, we made up a lot of positions so you hate to think of what could have happened if we didn’t get the penalty. So to get the chance to turn around and go race the very next weekend is great. I just want to get a good feel for the track and hopefully we can build some speed through the weekend.”

The opening round of the 2010 Star Mazda presented by Goodyear season saw Mitchell pass more cars than any other racer in the field. Unfortunately, the charge through the pack wasn’t one that put him at the top of the podium.  Mitchell was forced to the rear when he was called in to the pits after officials deemed he had rolled a fraction of a second too early at the start of the race, which utilizes a standing start to kick off the 45-minute sprint events.  The call was a disappointing one for the Midland, Texas, youngster, who was among the top five runners as the weekend testing opened up.

But knowing that a new track and constantly changing conditions could make for a  wide-open race weekend, Mitchell is hoping that he’ll have another reason to add the track to his favorites as he looks to score another Star Mazda podium this weekend.

In conjunction with the new Cooper Tires Presents the USF2000 National Championship powered by Mazda and Firestone Indy Lights, the Road to Indy provides a clearly-defined path for career-minded young drivers to progress up through the ranks to compete in the IZOD IndyCar Series and the Indianapolis 500.
Drivers from each of the “Road To Indy” series will benefit from the program in both immediate and longer-term ways.  In 2010, all three series that make up the “Road to Indy” program will join the IZOD IndyCar Series at the Streets of St. Petersburg and Iowa Speedway.  In addition, the drivers and teams will participate in various Indy Racing League programs such as:

·         Inclusion in online advertising promoting the Road to Indy program
·         A micro Website dedicated to Road to Indy housed and promoted on the League’s official website IndyCar.com
·         Opportunities to develop business-to-business relationships with Indy Racing League teams, sponsors and manufacturers.
·         Invitation to participate in the Road to Indy Summit at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in May on the same weekend they will be competing in the “Night Before the 500.”

“Today’s announcement is a formidable milestone in the 20th year of our history as a development series,” said Gary Rodrigues, founder of the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear.  “For the Star Mazda Championship to be honored with a formalized position in the pathway to an Indy car driving career is not only gratifying to us, but provides a clarity that open wheel drivers and fans have long been seeking.  Now young driving talent can know where they need to be and where they are trying to go.  Race fans can now determine where to watch for tomorrow’s stars.

“I am personally proud of the fact that this program renders assistance to aspiring drivers and race teams by providing them access to business partners at the very pinnacle of our sport.  The potential value of features included in the Road to Indy, such as the Indy Summit in May, is difficult to overstate.  Much of the networking and support structure that young drivers especially need to cultivate will now be more accessible to them.”

“To top it all off, I am convinced that everybody in our sport wins with this program.  The best new talent can build their motorsports careers.  Race fans in North America eventually get to see them in Indy cars.”
Notable graduates of the Star Mazda Championship already competing in the IZOD IndyCar Series include Marco Andretti, Graham Rahal and Raphael Matos (the 2005 Star Mazda champion).  Additionally, competitors in the Indy Lights series who honed their skills in the Star Mazda Championship include James Davison, James Hinchcliffe, Pablo Donoso, Michael Potekhen and Daniel Herrington.

“The Road to Indy program is the result of a lot of effort by a lot of people over a long time,” says Roger Bailey, Executive Director of Firestone Indy Lights.  “Our series has had a long relationship with the Star Mazda Championship over the years and a number of the drivers competing with us currently are Star Mazda graduates.  The Star Mazda race car is just the right vehicle, with the right horsepower and driving characteristics, to produce drivers ready to hit the ground running in Firestone Indy Lights.  Star Mazda has been the unofficial stepping-stone to Indy Lights for many years and to be able to officially recognize that now, along with all the other good things happening for the Indy Racing League, is perfect timing and a big step forward for open-wheel racing.”

Drivers in the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear are in the unique position of participating in two complementary programs designed to advance their motorsports careers; in addition to the IRL’s Road to Indy program, the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Driver Development Ladder is the only long-term motorsports scholarship backed by a global automaker.  Champions at each level from karting to the top ranks of auto racing are provided with a Mazda-sponsored ride in the next step up the ladder:

·         The winner of a ‘shootout’ among top kart racers from several series wins a Mazda-funded season in the BFGoodrich Skip Barber National Presented by Mazda.
·         The Skip Barber National champion moves up to race in the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear.
·         The Star Mazda Champion graduates to a season of racing in the Cooper Tires Presents the Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda.

“I’m very happy to see more routes to the top developing for young open-wheel drivers,” says John Church, owner of JDC Motorsports, winner of the 2009 Star Mazda Championship with driver Adam Christodoulou. “The Road to Indy is going to be good for everyone involved, from the drivers, teams, series and sponsors to the fans and the sport in general.”
The 11-weekend, 13-race 2010 Star Mazda Championship schedule retains its traditional season-opener at the legendary 12 Hours of Sebring on March 19.  On the following weekend, March 27, the Mazda Renesis rotary-powered open-wheelers will join the Indy Racing League for the first time ever on track in the Streets of St. Petersburg, followed by Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca on May 22 with ALMS.  From there it’s a sprint halfway across the country to the heartland of open-wheel racing in North America and an appearance on May 29, along with the USAC Midgets and the new U.S. F2000 series, on the oval at O’Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis at the “Night before the 500,” where they will also be participating in the Road to Indy Summit during the same weekend.

One high-profile oval race will follow another on the schedule as the teams and drivers of the Star Mazda Championship head for another appearance at an IRL event, this one on the one-mile oval at Iowa Speedway on June 19.  The following weekend, June 26 – 27 marks a return to road racing with a Mazda-sponsored double-header at New Jersey Motorsports Park.  Next up is the second of two Mazda-sponsored, double-header weekends, this one at the Autobahn Country Club in Joliet, Illinois on July 31 – August 1.  Two weeks later, on August 15, drivers will test their skills on the famed street circuit of the GP3R in Trois-Rivières, Quebec.  The season wraps up with trio of major ALMS races; Road America on August 21, Mosport on August 28 and Road Atlanta for the ‘Petit Le Mans’ on October 1.

“I think its fantastic that we’ve narrowed the field and have all levels of open-wheel racing, from the grass roots to the top, working together,” says Keith Willis, team principal at AIM Autosport, the 2008 Star Mazda Champions with John Edwards.  “With the fragmentation of the sport in recent years, and the current economic climate, the joint effort represented by the Road to Indy program is a great step forward.”

About Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear

For 2010, the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear will feature an 11-weekend, 13-race schedule, most on major race weekends with American Le Mans and the Indy Racing League. Rising stars from around the world will be watched by more than a million fans as they compete for prizes valued at $1.5 million, including a Mazda-sponsored, full-season drive on the next level of the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Driver Development Ladder. Drivers 16 and older are welcome to compete and the Star Mazda Championship also features Expert (30 to 44) and Master (45 and older) classes for more mature racers. The Star Mazda Championship features standing starts, wheel-to-wheel racing at 150 mph and budgets a fraction of other top open-wheel ladder series. For more information on the Star Mazda Championship please visit www.starmazda.com

Pacoima, CA (Nov. 23, 2009) – The Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear today takes on a more prominent and influential role in the training and career development of young open-wheel racers with the announcement of a 2010 schedule that includes events on American Le Mans Series and Indy Racing League weekends as well as the high-profile “Night Before the 500.”
Series President Gary Rodrigues stated, “As the Star Mazda Championship heads into its 20th season of competition, we remain obsessed with providing our racers with the most useful variety of venues to showcase their talent and advance their careers.”
The 11-weekend, 13-race Star Mazda Championship schedule retains its traditional season-opener at the legendary 12 Hours of Sebring on March 19.  On the following weekend, March 26, the Mazda Renesis rotary-powered open-wheelers will join the Indy Racing League for the first time ever on track in the Streets of St. Petersburg.

With the traditional season-ending event for both ALMS and the Star Mazda Championship moving from Fall to Spring in 2010, both series will be in action on May 22 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.  From there it’s a sprint halfway across the country to the heartland of open-wheel racing in North America and an appearance on May 29, along with the USAC Midgets and the new U.S. F2000 series, on the oval at O’Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis at the “Night before the 500,” the unofficial but popular and prestigious lead-in event to the legendary Indy 500.
One high-profile oval race will follow another on the schedule as the teams and drivers of the Star Mazda Championship head for another appearance at an IRL event, this one on the one-mile oval at Iowa Speedway on June 19.  The following weekend, June 26 – 27 marks a return to road racing with a Mazda-sponsored double-header at New Jersey Motorsports Park.

After a break to rest, test and tune, the Star Mazda Championship heads for the second of two Mazda-sponsored, double-header weekends, this one at the Autobahn Country Club in Joliet, Illinois on July 31 – August 1.  Two weeks later, on August 15, drivers will test their skills on the famed street circuit of the GP3R in Trois-Rivières, Quebec.  Drivers all agree that the atmosphere surrounding Trois- Rivières makes it one of the highlights of the season.

The 2010 Star Mazda Championship then wraps up with ALMS at a trio of races held on some of the most famous natural-terrain road courses in North America; Road America on August 21, Mosport on August 28 and Road Atlanta for the ‘Petit Le Mans’ on October 1.

“There will be more exciting announcements about the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear at the Performance and Racing Industry show in December,” added Series founder Gary Rodrigues.  “2010 will be the twentieth season of the Star Mazda Championship and this schedule, along with the news to come, will signal the beginning of a new era of open-wheel racing in North America.   Along with our sponsors, Mazda and Goodyear, Star Mazda has a long history of helping develop the careers of top drivers; with our close and cost-effective competition, high-tech cars and high-profile schedule, 2010 is shaping up to the most exciting and important year in our history.”

Date
Track/Location
With
January 23 – 24

Sebring International Raceway
Sebring, Fla.
Star Mazda pre-season testing with American Le Mans Series
March 19
Sebring International Raceway
Sebring, Fla.
American Le Mans Series
March 26
Streets of St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg, Fla.
Indy Racing League
May 5-6
O’Reilly Raceway Park
Indianapolis, Ind.
Star Mazda series test
May 22
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca
Monterey, Calif.
American Le Mans Series
May 29
O’Reilly Raceway Park
Indianapolis, Ind.
USAC Midgets
June 19
Iowa Speedway
Newton, Iowa
Indy Racing League
June 26
New Jersey Motorsports Park
Millville, N.J
Atlantic Championship
June 27
New Jersey Motorsports Park
Millville, N.J.
Atlantic Championship
July 31
Autobahn Country Club
Joliet, Ill.
Atlantic Championship
August 1
Autobahn Country Club
Joliet, Ill.
Atlantic Championship
August 15
Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres
Trois-Rivières,Quebec,Canada
Atlantic, Grand-Am, CASCAR
August 22
Road America
Elkhart Lake, Wisc.
American Le Mans Series
August 28
Mosport International Raceway
Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada
American Le Mans Series
October 1
Road Atlanta
Braselton, Ga.
American Le Mans Series

(Monterey, CA) 12 October, 2009—With some seat time under his belts and previous track experience behind his visor, Rusty Mitchell’s 2009 Star Mazda presented by Goodyear season could be described as a break-out year. Driving the No. 66 Motorola Mazda, Mitchell not only scored well in his first-ever oval races with runs to fourth and sixth, he also became a threat for race wins on the road courses as well as he scored a debut race podium with his run to a close second-place at Trois Rivieres.
So with a season that kept picking up momentum, Mitchell was naturally looking forward to closing out the year with another strong result as Star Mazda presented by Goodyear finished the 2009 season at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.  The race, held in conjunction with the American Le Mans season-ending event on the Monterey peninsula, was one that Mitchell was particularly looking forward to as the iconic corkscrew course marks as one of the Texan’s favorites.

But the race weekend didn’t play out has he had hoped, as an off-course excursion in practice put Mitchell’s Motorola Mazda behind the curve for the weekend.  The incident, which happened at turn 6 on the 2.3-mile circuit, saw the Mitchell Motorsports crew hard at work to repair the damage to the right front of the Mazda. Quick work with the repairs saw Mitchell back on track, but the loss of time on the circuit meant that the Texan was placed in the slower qualifying group to set the grid for the sprint race.

Further hampering the effort was the limited laps that the qualifying session ran, making it tough for Mitchell to set a quick time as multiple incidents kept his running to a minimum, although he was still able to post a speed that locked him on to the seventh row for the race. Looking to score yet another top ten or better, Mitchell’s 2009 season ended prematurely after contact with a championship contender saw his race weekend go from “challenging” to “over” in the blink of an eye.

“This was a tough weekend,” said Mitchell. “The guys worked really hard to fix the car, and we were hoping to make up some spots in the race because we didn’t get many laps in qualifying so we had to start pretty deep in the pack. The car had some speed and we likely would have been able to move up more, but someone took that opportunity away from us. I got dive-bombed and we had contact. I know he was trying to be aggressive, but it was a shame how it played out. Just not a great weekend for us, which was too bad because the second half of the year we had been really strong so we were hoping to close out on a high point.”

Additional information:  http://rustymitchellracing.wordpress.com/
www.starmazda.com <http://www.starmazda.com>
www.sundaymanagement.com <http://www.sundaymanagement.com>
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Having dominated at Trois Riveries last weekend by leading the entire race except for the final lap, a win for Mitchell Motorsports would be that much sweeter. The team has recently tested at the Canadian track and is confident that Rusty Mitchell will again have a strong car on the high-speed track outside of Toronto.

“The team performed well last weekend and we’re looking forward to carrying that momentum to Mosport this weekend”, said Mitchell.  “With the testing we have done and our continued support from Motorola we’re prepared to have yet another perfect car that can hopefully bring home the win!”

Mitchell Motorsports will have the chance to fine tune its race setup on Friday, August 28th during two practice sessions. Qualifying will take place Saturday morning at 9:20am and the race will go green at 5:35pm.

Additional Information: http://rustymitchellracing.wordpress.com

About Rusty Mitchell Racing

Based in Midland, Texas, Rusty Mitchell began racing in 1997 and has been working his way through the ranks and currently competes in the Star Mazda Championship Series.

But with just minutes remaining in the race, a final caution period set the stage for a green-white checkered flag showdown. As Mitchell once again sped to the green flag, a yellow flag stood in turn one as he gave pause and was passed for the lead. The race was shown on local television and series officials will have the opportunity to review video evidence of the incident before posting the official results.

Mitchell was pleased with his performance, and is hoping that the results reflect his standing as the fastest car all weekend long.

“I hope they get it sorted out the way the results should be, but no matter what, I’m really happy with the race this weekend,” said Mitchell following the podium ceremonies and media activities. “This whole weekend is down to the team’s performance and the work they did on this Motorola Mazda. They had to change two engines and put in so much work. My engineer Steve had this car perfect for me all weekend long.”

Despite the disappointment of the apparent results, the Texan showed his cool and maturity in the post-race ceremonies, accepting the second place hardware with grace despite feeling as though he was getting the wrong trophy.

“I was just cruising there in the middle stages of the race, so I really didn’t want that last restart of course!  On that restart, there was a yellow flag up in the corner,  so he shouldn’t have passed me but we will just see what the series decides. But no matter what, this was a great weekend for me and for Mitchell Motorsports. It’s great to get up on the podium at a race that is cool as this one is. These fans are awesome and of course as a driver this track is a big challenge so this is really satisfying. A big thanks again to my folks and to Mitchell Motorsports and to Motorola for the support to get to this point. Almost a perfect weekend!”

Mosport International Raceway will be the site of round 11 as the series joins the American Lemans Series for a second consecutive Canadian race date.

(Trois Rivieres, Que) 15 Aug, 2009—With strong runs on ovals and road courses alike, Rusty Mitchell continues to show strength in the 2009 Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear, and the young Texan added a new accomplishment to his resume on Saturday as he put the No. 66 Motorola Mazda on pole for Sunday’s Grand Prix du Trois Rivieres with a record-setting lap time of 1:01.341-seconds. The time bettered the previous track record by nearly a half-second on the 1.52-mile temporary street circuit in Quebec.

The pole position is the first career pole for Mitchell in Star Mazda competition, and improved on his previous best starting position of 3rd earlier this year at Milwaukee.

“I didn’t have a radio because the earpiece fell out right at the beginning of the session, so I didn’t know what the times were but I knew we were setting some good laps out there,” said a very satisfied Mitchell after the session. “We didn’t really do too much to the car between yesterday and today because it was just hooked up.”

Mitchell’s weekend didn’t get off to the start he had hoped for, as a motor issue robbed him of track time on Friday. But quick work by the Mitchell Motorsports squad and good use of his previous experience on the track saw him set the 8th fastest time of the day, locking him into the faster group of qualifiers on Saturday.

That effort paid off as Mitchell set a run of quick times in the qualifying session, moving up to score pole just past the middle point of the session. After coming in to take on fresh rubber and target even more speed, Mitchell got three more laps in as he looked to unlock the maximum performance in the Goodyear tires. But before he had a chance to break his own track record, the session was checkered after another car went off track and caused a red flag.

“That worked out well for us in terms of how we’ve managed our tires this weekend,” said Mitchell as he was congratulated from team members and competitors alike after the session. “I’m really happy right now and this is great for the team. We had to do that motor change yesterday and they got it done really fast so we were able to get back out on track. Hopefully we can be this strong tomorrow. I’m just going to concentrate on getting a good start and staying out front.”

The standing-start race is slated to take the green flag at 11:00 AM on Sunday morning.

Additional information:
www.starmazda.com <http://www.starmazda.com>
www.sundaymanagement.com <http://www.sundaymanagement.com>
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