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Australian Norbert Siedler Joins Brooks Associates Racing Atlantic Squad
After an impressive performance at a recent Atlantic test session, Austrian driver Norbert Siedler has been named as the second driver for Brooks Associates Racing and will contest the full season in the upcoming 2006 Yokohama Presents the Champ Car Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda.
A polished 23-year-old pilot from Wildschِnau, Austria, Siedler enters the Champ Car Atlantic series with a wealth of experience for a relatively young racer. With both Champ Car and Formula One test sessions already in his racing resume, the former European F3000 standout certainly came prepared to showcase his talents for last month’s Atlantic test at Firebird International Raceway near Phoenix with the Brooks team. His quick lap times in the 2005 Atlantic car and his instant chemistry with the team spurred owner and former Atlantic racer John Brooks to act quickly in signing the focused Austrian. Siedler will join fellow rookie and Venezuelan driver Luis Schiavo in the BAR stable this season.
“We are happy to have Norbert on our team,“ said Brooks. “He was just extremely quick at Phoenix during our initial test and has a very good technical background as well. I am confident he will be in contention for the championship. His level of experience, his feedback and his ability to extract 100% of the car very, very quickly makes him a great addition to not only our team, but the Atlantic series as well."
A former Austrian karting and Formula Ford champion, Siedler made a name for himself in Europe, earning an F1 test with the Minardi team at age 20. He continued to excel in the European F3000 series producing four victories and 10 pole positions over the last two seasons. Siedler tested a Champ Car for Walker Racing in February of 2005 and he’s been focused on entering the Champ Car ranks ever since. He’ll get that opportunity this season, competing in the top level of Champ Car’s development system with one of the top teams in the series.
“I have a good feeling and I am optimistic that I will achieve something with BAR,” said Siedler. “In 2005 they were always competitive but had to end their title quest after their number one driver got hurt near the end of the season. The series looks to be quite competitive with all the new teams and drivers.”
The Brooks Associates Racing team, entering its 12th season of Atlantic competition in 2006, finished sixth and seventh in the final ’05 series standings with drivers Andreas Wirth and Al Unser III, respectively. Wirth, who gave the squad its first win last season when he took the checkered flag in Denver, was running second in the championship chase when a race-day practice accident at Road America ended his season in the second-to-last event of the year.
BAR looks primed for another title run this season with Siedler and Schiavo leading the way. The squad has taken delivery of its new Mazda-Cosworth/Swift 016.a/Yokohama cars and will be ready to make its debut at the series-sanctioned open test session at California Speedway, March 21-22.
For more information on the Atlantic series, please visit www.champcaratlantic.com.
After an impressive performance at a recent Atlantic test session, Austrian driver Norbert Siedler has been named as the second driver for Brooks Associates Racing and will contest the full season in the upcoming 2006 Yokohama Presents the Champ Car Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda.
A polished 23-year-old pilot from Wildschِnau, Austria, Siedler enters the Champ Car Atlantic series with a wealth of experience for a relatively young racer. With both Champ Car and Formula One test sessions already in his racing resume, the former European F3000 standout certainly came prepared to showcase his talents for last month’s Atlantic test at Firebird International Raceway near Phoenix with the Brooks team. His quick lap times in the 2005 Atlantic car and his instant chemistry with the team spurred owner and former Atlantic racer John Brooks to act quickly in signing the focused Austrian. Siedler will join fellow rookie and Venezuelan driver Luis Schiavo in the BAR stable this season.
“We are happy to have Norbert on our team,“ said Brooks. “He was just extremely quick at Phoenix during our initial test and has a very good technical background as well. I am confident he will be in contention for the championship. His level of experience, his feedback and his ability to extract 100% of the car very, very quickly makes him a great addition to not only our team, but the Atlantic series as well."
A former Austrian karting and Formula Ford champion, Siedler made a name for himself in Europe, earning an F1 test with the Minardi team at age 20. He continued to excel in the European F3000 series producing four victories and 10 pole positions over the last two seasons. Siedler tested a Champ Car for Walker Racing in February of 2005 and he’s been focused on entering the Champ Car ranks ever since. He’ll get that opportunity this season, competing in the top level of Champ Car’s development system with one of the top teams in the series.
“I have a good feeling and I am optimistic that I will achieve something with BAR,” said Siedler. “In 2005 they were always competitive but had to end their title quest after their number one driver got hurt near the end of the season. The series looks to be quite competitive with all the new teams and drivers.”
The Brooks Associates Racing team, entering its 12th season of Atlantic competition in 2006, finished sixth and seventh in the final ’05 series standings with drivers Andreas Wirth and Al Unser III, respectively. Wirth, who gave the squad its first win last season when he took the checkered flag in Denver, was running second in the championship chase when a race-day practice accident at Road America ended his season in the second-to-last event of the year.
BAR looks primed for another title run this season with Siedler and Schiavo leading the way. The squad has taken delivery of its new Mazda-Cosworth/Swift 016.a/Yokohama cars and will be ready to make its debut at the series-sanctioned open test session at California Speedway, March 21-22.
For more information on the Atlantic series, please visit www.champcaratlantic.com.
Jeeeez, I've lost count.
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