junkydawg
08-19-2008, 02:15 PM
With the Atlantic Series celebrating moving closer to the end of its fourth decade and returning to the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres for the first time since 2003, the iconic Quebec street race served as the perfect backdrop for the series to unveil its 35th anniversary All-Star Team.
The ten-member team was selected from a field of 25 finalists by a panel of esteemed racing journalists and photographers earlier this year, and reflects the series' long history of developing drivers from Canada and the United States. The final list, which spans all 35 years of the series, consists of six Canadians and four Americans, while a handful of 'overseas' stars populate the 'nearly' men.
“We were thrilled to be back at Trois-Rivieres for the first time in five years and this was the perfect event for us to announce our 35th anniversary Atlantic Championship All-Star Team,” series president Vicki O'Connor commented, “This team represents the very best of the Atlantic Championship over the years and every member of the team truly earned the right to be a part of it. I am grateful to our friends in the media who participated in the selection of the team and I offer my sincere congratulations to every driver who was selected.”
Plans are currently being made to honour the All-Star Team as part of the 2008 season finale on 3 October, which could see at least some of the following joining this year's crop of hopefuls at Road Atlanta:
AJ Allmendinger
Only raced in Atlantic for one season (2003), but won the series championship with seven victories, including the race at Trois-Rivieres, and his nine pole positions tied Gilles Villeneuve for the record for most poles in a single season. Allmendinger went on to win races in the Champ Car World Series and now competes in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in the #84 Red Bull Racing Toyota.
Claude Bourbonnais
In an Atlantic career that spanned 1989-93, the Canadian claimed 13 career victories, tying him for second place on the all-time win list with Gilles Villeneuve. Bourbonnais also earned eleven pole positions during his Atlantic career, tying him for fourth on the all-time list with Gilles' brother Jacques and Patrick Carpentier. He finished inside the top three in the championship three times, including runner-up performances to David Empringham in 1993 and Brian Till in the Atlantic Division of the 1990 season. He went on to compete in the 1997 Indianapolis 500, Champ Cars and other forms of road racing and is now coaching young drivers.
Bill Brack
The Canadian competed in Atlantic from its inception in 1974 through 1979 and won the first two series championships in 1974 and 1975. He owns a total of eight career Atlantic victories, including one Trois-Rivieres triumph, and eight pole positions. He now owns a Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Kia dealership in Toronto and the Bill Brack Driving Academy.
Patrick Carpentier
Another popular Canadian racer, Carpentier competed in Atlantic from 1992 through 1996, and his nine victories in his 1996 championship-winning season tie him with Gilles Villeneuve for the most Atlantic victories in a single season. Carpentier owns a total of twelve career Atlantic victories - including two at Trois-Rivieres - placing him fourth all-time, and he is tied for fourth with Gilles' brother Jacques and Claude Bourbonnais on the all-time pole-winners list with eleven. He went on to a successful Champ Car career that yielded five career victories before moving into the Indy Racing League. This year, he competes full-time in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in the #10 Gillett Evernham Motorsports Dodge.
Mark Dismore
The Indiana native owns the Atlantic record for most career victories with 15, spread over a career that had two stints, the first from 1989-90 and the second from 1992-94. Dismore's most successful Atlantic season came in 1990, when he won eight races and four pole positions en route to the SCCA/Toyota Atlantic Championship Pacific Division title. He won at least one race in all but one of his five years in the series and also owns nine career pole positions. He went on to compete in sportscars, winning the 1993 24 Hours of Daytona. He was also an IndyCar competitor, and won the 1999 season finale at Texas Motor Speedway. He now owns and operates a karting facility and sales outlet in Indiana.
David Empringham
In an Atlantic career that stretched from 1992 to 1995, Empringham was one of the most successful drivers in series history, taking eleven victories and five pole positions, as well as back-to-back series championships in 1993 and 1994. His three Atlantic wins at Trois-Rivieres tie him with Jacques Villeneuve Sr for the most all-time at the historic event. The Canadian bested drivers such as 1997 F1 world champion and 1995 CART champion and Indianapolis 500 winner Jacques Villeneuve, as well as Atlantic great Claude Bourbonnais, eventual Champ Car and IndyCar racers Richie Hearn and Patrick Carpentier, and 1999 IndyCar Series champion Greg Ray and went on to win the 1996 Indy Lights championship and also won the 2006 Grand-Am Cup Series Grand Sport championship. He is a respected driver coach currently working with Mathiasen Motorsports and driver Jonathan Bomarito in the Atlantic Championship.
Jon Fogarty
One of only five drivers in the history of Atlantic to win multiple series championships, Fogarty is the only American driver to win the championship more than once, taking titles in 2002 and 2004. Fogarty owns eight career Atlantic victories and ten pole positions while racing against drivers such as Michael Valiante, Alex Gurney, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Luis Diaz, Ryan Dalziel and Danica Patrick. Fogarty has sinc become a star in sportscar racing, co-driving to the 2007 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series Daytona Prototype title with Gurney.
Jimmy Vasser
The American driver's Atlantic career began in 1987, but his career as a full-time driver in the series spanned 1990 and 1991. He earned a total of eight victories and twelve pole positions, placing him third on the all-time pole-winners list behind Gilles Villeneuve and Steve Shelton. His best result in the championship was second in 1991, behind the late Jovy Marcelo, but Vasser went on to compete in Champ Car, taking the series title in 1996 and a total of ten victories and nine pole positions. He continues to compete in selected sportscar events and is co-owner of KV Racing Technology, which competes in the IndyCar Series.
Gilles Villeneuve
Arguably the most celebrated Canadian racer in history, Villeneuve competed in Atlantic from 1974 through 1977. He owns a total of three Atlantic titles, taking both the IMSA-sanctioned series and the CASC-sanctioned series in 1976, as well as the 1977 crown. He ranks second on the all-time Atlantic race winners list with 13 victories, including an extremely popular win at Trois-Rivieres in 1976, and he still holds the Atlantic record for most pole positions with 14. He went on to drive for McLaren and Ferrari in F1, taking six grand prix victories and two pole positions from 67 starts before his death in a crash during practice for the 1982 Belgian Grand Prix.
Jacques Villeneuve
The brother of Gilles Villeneuve, Jacques had several stints in the Atlantic Championship. His first, from 1979 through 1981, yielded titles in 1980 and '81, ahead of drivers such as Tom Gloy, Steve Saleen, Price Cobb and Geoff Brabham. After his second Atlantic title, 'Uncle Jacques' went on to win the 1983 Can-Am title, as well as competing in F1 and Champ Car events. He picked up his lone Champ Car race victory in 1985 at Road America, but returned to race in Atlantic events from 1989 through 1998 and owns a total of ten Atlantic victories and eleven pole positions. He is tied with David Empringham for the most Atlantic victories at Trois-Rivieres with three, and is the only driver to qualify on the Trois-Rivieres pole position three times. He remains an active powerboat and snowmobile racer, and was the first three-time winner of the World Championship Snowmobile Derby at Eagle River, Wisconsin.
For the record, the remaining 15 finalists were Michael Andretti, Alex Barron, Price Cobb, Scott Goodyear, Tom Gloy, Richie Hearn, Howdy Holmes, Anthony Lazzaro, Dan Marvin, Roberto Moreno, Hoover Orsi, Bobby Rahal, Buddy Rice, Keke Rosberg and Jacques Villeneuve Jr.
Weren't Paul Tracy and Greg Moore in Atlantics?
The ten-member team was selected from a field of 25 finalists by a panel of esteemed racing journalists and photographers earlier this year, and reflects the series' long history of developing drivers from Canada and the United States. The final list, which spans all 35 years of the series, consists of six Canadians and four Americans, while a handful of 'overseas' stars populate the 'nearly' men.
“We were thrilled to be back at Trois-Rivieres for the first time in five years and this was the perfect event for us to announce our 35th anniversary Atlantic Championship All-Star Team,” series president Vicki O'Connor commented, “This team represents the very best of the Atlantic Championship over the years and every member of the team truly earned the right to be a part of it. I am grateful to our friends in the media who participated in the selection of the team and I offer my sincere congratulations to every driver who was selected.”
Plans are currently being made to honour the All-Star Team as part of the 2008 season finale on 3 October, which could see at least some of the following joining this year's crop of hopefuls at Road Atlanta:
AJ Allmendinger
Only raced in Atlantic for one season (2003), but won the series championship with seven victories, including the race at Trois-Rivieres, and his nine pole positions tied Gilles Villeneuve for the record for most poles in a single season. Allmendinger went on to win races in the Champ Car World Series and now competes in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in the #84 Red Bull Racing Toyota.
Claude Bourbonnais
In an Atlantic career that spanned 1989-93, the Canadian claimed 13 career victories, tying him for second place on the all-time win list with Gilles Villeneuve. Bourbonnais also earned eleven pole positions during his Atlantic career, tying him for fourth on the all-time list with Gilles' brother Jacques and Patrick Carpentier. He finished inside the top three in the championship three times, including runner-up performances to David Empringham in 1993 and Brian Till in the Atlantic Division of the 1990 season. He went on to compete in the 1997 Indianapolis 500, Champ Cars and other forms of road racing and is now coaching young drivers.
Bill Brack
The Canadian competed in Atlantic from its inception in 1974 through 1979 and won the first two series championships in 1974 and 1975. He owns a total of eight career Atlantic victories, including one Trois-Rivieres triumph, and eight pole positions. He now owns a Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Kia dealership in Toronto and the Bill Brack Driving Academy.
Patrick Carpentier
Another popular Canadian racer, Carpentier competed in Atlantic from 1992 through 1996, and his nine victories in his 1996 championship-winning season tie him with Gilles Villeneuve for the most Atlantic victories in a single season. Carpentier owns a total of twelve career Atlantic victories - including two at Trois-Rivieres - placing him fourth all-time, and he is tied for fourth with Gilles' brother Jacques and Claude Bourbonnais on the all-time pole-winners list with eleven. He went on to a successful Champ Car career that yielded five career victories before moving into the Indy Racing League. This year, he competes full-time in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in the #10 Gillett Evernham Motorsports Dodge.
Mark Dismore
The Indiana native owns the Atlantic record for most career victories with 15, spread over a career that had two stints, the first from 1989-90 and the second from 1992-94. Dismore's most successful Atlantic season came in 1990, when he won eight races and four pole positions en route to the SCCA/Toyota Atlantic Championship Pacific Division title. He won at least one race in all but one of his five years in the series and also owns nine career pole positions. He went on to compete in sportscars, winning the 1993 24 Hours of Daytona. He was also an IndyCar competitor, and won the 1999 season finale at Texas Motor Speedway. He now owns and operates a karting facility and sales outlet in Indiana.
David Empringham
In an Atlantic career that stretched from 1992 to 1995, Empringham was one of the most successful drivers in series history, taking eleven victories and five pole positions, as well as back-to-back series championships in 1993 and 1994. His three Atlantic wins at Trois-Rivieres tie him with Jacques Villeneuve Sr for the most all-time at the historic event. The Canadian bested drivers such as 1997 F1 world champion and 1995 CART champion and Indianapolis 500 winner Jacques Villeneuve, as well as Atlantic great Claude Bourbonnais, eventual Champ Car and IndyCar racers Richie Hearn and Patrick Carpentier, and 1999 IndyCar Series champion Greg Ray and went on to win the 1996 Indy Lights championship and also won the 2006 Grand-Am Cup Series Grand Sport championship. He is a respected driver coach currently working with Mathiasen Motorsports and driver Jonathan Bomarito in the Atlantic Championship.
Jon Fogarty
One of only five drivers in the history of Atlantic to win multiple series championships, Fogarty is the only American driver to win the championship more than once, taking titles in 2002 and 2004. Fogarty owns eight career Atlantic victories and ten pole positions while racing against drivers such as Michael Valiante, Alex Gurney, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Luis Diaz, Ryan Dalziel and Danica Patrick. Fogarty has sinc become a star in sportscar racing, co-driving to the 2007 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series Daytona Prototype title with Gurney.
Jimmy Vasser
The American driver's Atlantic career began in 1987, but his career as a full-time driver in the series spanned 1990 and 1991. He earned a total of eight victories and twelve pole positions, placing him third on the all-time pole-winners list behind Gilles Villeneuve and Steve Shelton. His best result in the championship was second in 1991, behind the late Jovy Marcelo, but Vasser went on to compete in Champ Car, taking the series title in 1996 and a total of ten victories and nine pole positions. He continues to compete in selected sportscar events and is co-owner of KV Racing Technology, which competes in the IndyCar Series.
Gilles Villeneuve
Arguably the most celebrated Canadian racer in history, Villeneuve competed in Atlantic from 1974 through 1977. He owns a total of three Atlantic titles, taking both the IMSA-sanctioned series and the CASC-sanctioned series in 1976, as well as the 1977 crown. He ranks second on the all-time Atlantic race winners list with 13 victories, including an extremely popular win at Trois-Rivieres in 1976, and he still holds the Atlantic record for most pole positions with 14. He went on to drive for McLaren and Ferrari in F1, taking six grand prix victories and two pole positions from 67 starts before his death in a crash during practice for the 1982 Belgian Grand Prix.
Jacques Villeneuve
The brother of Gilles Villeneuve, Jacques had several stints in the Atlantic Championship. His first, from 1979 through 1981, yielded titles in 1980 and '81, ahead of drivers such as Tom Gloy, Steve Saleen, Price Cobb and Geoff Brabham. After his second Atlantic title, 'Uncle Jacques' went on to win the 1983 Can-Am title, as well as competing in F1 and Champ Car events. He picked up his lone Champ Car race victory in 1985 at Road America, but returned to race in Atlantic events from 1989 through 1998 and owns a total of ten Atlantic victories and eleven pole positions. He is tied with David Empringham for the most Atlantic victories at Trois-Rivieres with three, and is the only driver to qualify on the Trois-Rivieres pole position three times. He remains an active powerboat and snowmobile racer, and was the first three-time winner of the World Championship Snowmobile Derby at Eagle River, Wisconsin.
For the record, the remaining 15 finalists were Michael Andretti, Alex Barron, Price Cobb, Scott Goodyear, Tom Gloy, Richie Hearn, Howdy Holmes, Anthony Lazzaro, Dan Marvin, Roberto Moreno, Hoover Orsi, Bobby Rahal, Buddy Rice, Keke Rosberg and Jacques Villeneuve Jr.
Weren't Paul Tracy and Greg Moore in Atlantics?