Perera dominates all 4 sessions in Atlantic testing
After dominating testing on Wednesday and unofficially shattering the Atlantic track record at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Perera continued to impress Thursday as the Atlantics wrapped up their third and final test session prior to the start of the 2007 season. Testing for Condor Motorsports, Perera staged a day-long fight with series sophomore Raphael Matos of Sierra Sierra Enterprises Thursday. The two talented racers battled for the top time of the test and just when it seemed that Matos was ready to equal the speedy rookie, Perera would set a new mark to reach for.
At the end of the two full days of testing that would see the Mazda-Cosworth/Swift/Cooper machines log well over 10,000 miles on the fabled 2.238-mile road course among 26 drivers, Perera once again proved to be the man to beat. The 22-year-old former GP2 racer and Formula One test driver completed a perfect test by leading all four sessions as he wound up with a fast lap of 1:16.067 (105.917 mph).
“It was a good test and we had a really nice fight with Matos all day. The Condor team did a really good job and I think I was getting better with the car all the time," said Perera, who hasn’t yet been signed for the 2007 season. “My goal is definitely to be in Champ Car and the best way to do that is like (2006 Atlantic champion Simon) Pagenaud did last year. Win the Atlantic championship and then move up. I’ve just got to focus on that and see what happens with the team."
Pagenaud, another fast Frenchman with a strong European racing background who was also impressive from his very first Atlantic test, claimed the $2 million Atlantic champion’s bonus last season and will compete with the Team Australia Champ Car squad in 2007. Another $2 million bonus is available for this year’s series champion to graduate to Champ Car.
After finishing second to Perera in Wednesday’s testing, Matos again looked strong in the final day of the test as he raised his game to match the impressive performance of the rookie. The native Brazilian who now makes his home in Miami, Florida owned the second fastest overall time of 1:16.216 (105.710 mph).
“It’s been two days of good battles on the track," said Matos. “We definitely made some progress today, especially in the afternoon session when we were able to find at least three or four tenths (of a second) in our car. It was definitely a positive test and I think the Sierra Sierra team is ready for the start of the season."
While the fight for the top time of the test was compelling between Perera and Matos, the other Atlantic competitors also demonstrated impressive speed as the top six drivers all posted laps faster than the official track record of 1:16.986 (104.653 mph), recorded by A.J. Allmendinger in 2003.
PR1 Motorsports driver Jonathan Bomarito, who hails from Monterey, came on strong in the final session of the day to claim the third-fastest time on his home track. Bomarito stopped the clocks at 1:16.374 (105.491 mph) to finish on the testing podium.
“The way the morning was going, we didn’t think we’d wind up third," said Bomarito. “We struggled a little bit but the whole team, along with engineer John Hayes, rallied and found the little things that made the difference."
Italy’s Giacomo Ricci enjoyed a top-four result for the second consecutive day. The Conquest Racing rookie was fourth overall after posting a top lap of 1:16.605 (105.173 mph). After struggling a bit on Wednesday, Sierra Sierra racer James Hinchcliffe recovered to finish among the top-five testers with a time of 1:16.631 (105.138 mph).
First-year Atlantic racer Carl Skerlong of the US RaceTronics team clocked a fast lap of 1:16.850 (104.838 mph) to settle in sixth overall, while Genoa Racing’s Adrian Carrio posted the seventh-fastest lap at 1:17.072 (104.536 mph).
David Garza of US RaceTronics was eighth in the order as he checked in at 1:17.118 (104.474 mph) and the Red Bull Team Forsythe duo of Robert Wickens and John Edwards completed the top 10. Wickens owned a fast lap of 1:17.132 (104.455 mph) while Edwards recorded a time of 1:17.134 (104.452 mph).
After a busy and exciting pre-season testing schedule, the 2007 Atlantic competitors now have a month to concentrate on preparations for the first race of the year – April 6-8 on the downtown streets of Las Vegas, Nevada at the inaugural Vegas Grand Prix.
To learn more about North America’s top open-wheel development series and to follow all of the Atlantic racing action throughout the 2007 season, visit www.champcaratlantic.com.
Combined lap times from the two-day Atlantic test at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca follow:
1. Franck Perera (R), Condor Motorsports – 1:16.067/105.917 mph
2. Raphael Matos, Sierra Sierra Enterprises – 1:16.216/105.710 mph
3. Jonathan Bomarito, PR1 Motorsports – 1:16.374/105.491 mph
4. Giacomo Ricci (R), Conquest Racing – 1:16.605/105.173 mph
5. James Hinchcliffe, Sierra Sierra Enterprises – 1:16.631/105.138 mph
6. Carl Skerlong (R), US RaceTronics – 1:16.850/104.838 mph
7. Adrian Carrio (R), Genoa Racing – 1:17.072/104.536 mph
8. David Garza (R), US RaceTronics – 1:17.118/104.474 mph
9. Robert Wickens (R), Red Bull Team Forsythe – 1:17.132/104.455 mph
10. John Edwards (R), Red Bull Team Forsythe – 1:17.134/104.452 mph
11. J.R. Hildebrand (R), Newman Wachs Racing – 1:17.216/104.341 mph
12. Justin Sofio, Mathiasen Motorsports – 1:17.227/104.326 mph
13. Ryan Lewis, Walker Racing – 1:17.312/104.212 mph
14. Matt Lee (R), Conquest Racing – 1:17.399/104.094 mph
15. Jonathan Summerton (R), Brooks Associates Racing – 1:17.441/104.038
16. Simona De Silvestro (R), Walker Racing – 1:17.548/103.894 mph
17. Colin Fleming, Walker Racing – 1:17.723/103.660 mph
18. Tom Sutherland (R), Jensen MotorSport – 1:17.789/103.572 mph
19. Adrien Herberts (R), Paladin Motorsports – 1:17.950/103.359 mph
20. Brian Thienes (R), Condor Motorsports – 1:18.261/102.948 mph
21. Dane Cameron (R), Polestar Racing Group – 1:18.384/102.786 mph
22. Mike Forest (R), PR1 Motorsports – 1:18.484/102.655 mph
23. Frankie Muniz (R), Jensen MotorSport – 1:19.019/101.960 mph
24. Dominick Muermans (R), Jensen MotorSport – 1:19.359/101.523 mph
25. Richard Heistand (R), Genoa Racing – 1:21.092/99.354 mph
26. Leonardo Valois (R), Genoa Racing – 1:23.048/97.014 mph
Champ Car PR
03/08/07 Ex-GP2 driver Franck Perera from France never stepped a foot in a Champ Car Atlantic car before yesterday, but he led all four sessions in testing Wednesday and Thursday at Mazda Raceway going faster in all four sessions and eventually getting down to 1:16.067s.
Session 4 times
Pos Driver Car# Team Lap Time Leader
1 Franck Perera 11 Condor Motorsports 1:16.067 0.000
2 Raphael Matos 6 Sierra Sierra Enterprises 1:16.216 0.149
3 Jonathan Bomarito 23 PR1 Motorsports 1:16.374 0.307
4 Giacomo Ricci 18 Conquest Racing 1:16.605 0.538
5 James Hinchcliffe 9 Sierra Sierra Enterprises 1:16.631 0.564
6 Carl Skerlong 24 US RaceTronics 1:16.850 0.783
7 David Garza 4 US RaceTronics 1:17.118 1.051
8 Robert Wickens 3 Red Bull Team Forsythe 1:17.132 1.065
9 John Edwards 7 Red Bull Team Forsythe 1:17.134 1.067
10 Adrian Carrio 17 Genoa Racing 1:17.148 1.081
11 J.R. Hildebrand 34 Newman Wachs Racing 1:17.216 1.149
12 Justin Sofio 26 Mathiasen Motorsports 1:17.227 1.160
13 Jonathan Summerton 8 Brooks Associates Racing 1:17.441 1.374
14 Ryan Lewis 15 Walker Racing 1:17.545 1.478
15 Matt Lee 44 Conquest Racing 1:17.612 1.545
16 Colin Fleming 10 Walker Racing 1:17.723 1.656
17 Simona De Silvestro 5 Walker Racing 1:17.772 1.705
18 Tom Sutherland 2 Jensen MotorSport 1:17.789 1.722
19 Adrien Herberts 45 Paladin Motorsports 1:17.950 1.883
20 Brian Thienes 19 Condor Motorsports 1:18.282 2.215
21 Mike Forest 32 PR1 Motorsports 1:18.484 2.417
22 Dane Cameron 12 Polestar Racing Group 1:18.712 2.645
23 Frankie Muniz 13 Jensen MotorSport 1:19.321 3.254
24 Dominick Muermans 22 Jensen MotorSport 1:19.837 3.770
25 Leonardo Valois Genoa Racing 1:23.048 6.981