|
North Hills,
CA - Colin Fleming, one of the brightest new prospects
on the motorsports scene, has a full plate of racing for the
winter 2001-02. From his ‘Stars of Tomorrow’ Champ Car test,
his first Formula Dodge race and victory, to the Skip Barber
Karting Scholarship win, Colin is making his presence known.
CART “Stars
of Tomorrow” Champ Car Test
The spoils of his victorious season in the Rotax class of the
CART “Stars of Tomorrow” were bestowed upon 17-year old
Fleming at the Firebird International Raceway on December 10
in Phoenix, Arizona when he took control of a Team Rahal Champ
Car on the Arizona road course and quickly showed the talent
that has scored him multiple national karting championships.
Colin was understandably amazed by the experience. "This car
just has incredible power, both under acceleration and under
braking. And it's incredible how well the Lola handles."
Colin, as well
as the other three drivers at the test were not only
impressive on the track but in working with one of the top
teams in racing. "These drivers did an excellent job,"
remarked Bill Vandesandt, Team Coordinator. "Being on a real
race track really brought it home for them; those are concrete
walls out there after all. But they were quick to get up to
speed and there's no doubt that this type of experience will
benefit their careers. They've now worked with a professional
race team, they have an idea of what will be expected of
them."
As expected, Colin had the wide-eyed wonder of any 17-year
old after driving a 900 horsepower racing machine, but he also
displayed the quiet determination of a young man who expects
to be doing this on a regular basis. “I know, as I’ve shown
in karting, once I get the chance in a car I can be as fast or
faster than anybody.”
Colin Makes
First Formula Car Race Appearance, with Spectacular Results
Just days after his Team Rahal Champ Car test, Colin Fleming
blew the sidepods off the field of seasoned veterans to take
the victory in his first car race, the Skip Barber Formula
Dodge Western Series event at the 1.51 mile road/oval track at
Phoenix International Raceway on
December
15-16, 2001. “Although I took the three-day Barber course,
this was my first time in the R/T 2000’s. I had to adapt
quickly, as many of the racers had lots of miles in these
cars. Considering I’ve driven a Champ Car and won my first
car race, Arizona has been very good to me.”
Fleming wins
Barber-CART scholarship
To top off his incredible winter racing season, Colin
walked away from the Skip Barber Karting scholarship with a
fully paid ride in the 2002 Formula Dodge National
Championship presented by RACER. The scholarship, valued at
$50,000, will allow Fleming and three other karters to contest
the 12-round series. Fleming was chosen from the group of 16
North American karters by virtue of a competition held on
January 3-4 at Sebring International Raceway. The panel of
Skip Barber judges were watching not only on-track speed, but
off track composure. "I felt I had performed well over the
past two days, however I was still a little nervous when they
were announcing the names. When I was the first one called I
was incredibly excited, this is by far the biggest step in my
career so far and I hope to join some of the very famous names
that have come out of the Skip Barber stable." The National
Championship begins in March at the Mazda Raceway at Laguna
Seca in
California.
Still
Karting After All These Years
All this time in formula cars does not mean the end of
Colin’s tenure in karts, as he plans to make a full assault on
the NAKA/CART "Stars of Tomorrow" in 2002 as a factory driver
under the Paul Tracy Karting Team banner in the new 125cc
shifter ICC class. “I’ve been driving karts since I was 9
years old. The car control learned there is invaluable.
Also, karting is finally growing to a prominence where the
competition and exposure make it important to continue driving
at this stage in my career. As drivers such as Schumacher,
Barron, and Gidley have shown, it keeps you fresh, keeps you
sharp.”
Feedback
can be sent to feedback@autoracing1.com
Go to
our forums
to discuss this article
|
Martin Basso
News and Commentary
