Another Former Indy Lights Team joins the IPS!!

[indyracer56]

Brian Stewart Racing joins the Infiniti Pro Series.

I like this quote:

“I’m happy to be in the Infiniti Pro Series,” owner Stewart said. “It’s the road to Indy, and Indy has always been our goal. For the past few years, we deviated from that course. Now we’re back on track."



The link:
http://www.indyracing.com/press/story.php?id=412

[gofastturnleft]

Fantastic addition. Brian Stewart has run a class operation for years.

Whoever runs for these guys is an instant favorite to be a title contender and race winner.

Good job Mr. Bailey!

[mattndallas]

Once again, the IPS is key for the domestic future of the IRL.

USAC star needing RE experience, or to prove yourself..here ya go.

In a couple years, Cheever won't be taking such a "flyer" by selecting a former USAC hotshoe, if he proves himself in the IPS.

I know many still think the IPS is still a "donkey" series, and don't recognize its importance, but it is different from Indy Lights of old. Indy Lights was a training ground for CART racers. IPS is a training ground for IRL racers, therefore, USACers that had no interest in CART, but did in Indy, now have a place to develop.

I like it, and am cheering for its success as much as the IRL's, because I think it is a real key to the future of the IRL (as long as he IRL stays similar in format to how it currently is).

[Turn7]

When a 10 car series shut down and they were given the choice to race the HIGHLY competitive field of Toyota Atlantics or (the IPS)...this outfit chose once again to be a big fish in a little pond.

Good luck to them.

[ February 13, 2002: Message edited by: rev-ed ]

[Cant_hit_apex]

I didn't really follow that series too closely and never really knew much about this team. The Indy Lights website has tons of info on them.

With 31 wins, these guys are obviously a serious, experienced team. This is just what the IPS needs. Here is the link:
http://www.indylights.com/Team.asp?ID=1

And here is the text contained therein (sorry for the length, but it is a great bio) :

Team Highlights

Made first 2001 race starts with Larry Mason and Andy Booth at Long Beach

Active team career win leader with 31 wins

Second on the all-time career win list, one victory behind the defunct Tasman/Forsythe team?s 32 wins

Fielded Paul Tracy for his 1990 Indy Lights championship

Finalizing plans for 2001 season

Team Bio

The oldest team racing in the Dayton Indy Lights Championship, Brian Stewart Racing (BSR) debuted as Landford Racing in 1989. The team, owned and run by Canadian Brian Stewart, made its first major mark in Indy Lights with Paul Tracy in 1990 when the future Champ Car star dominated the series and gave Landford/Stewart its first title. Eric Bachelart followed with the team?s second title in 1991 and, in total, BSR has won 31 races and two championships with drivers such as Tommy Byrne, PJ Jones, Bryan Herta, Gualter Salles, Cristiano da Matta, Luiz Garcia Jr., Tracy and Bachelart in 12 seasons of competition. The team changed names to Brian Stewart Racing beginning with the 1993 season but Stewart, a former championship-winning driver in his own right, has always called the shots.

The team?s 2000 drivers were returning veteran Rodolfo Lavin Jr. and rookie Todd Snyder who had the benefit of 1996 Indy Lights champion David Empringham as the team?s driving coach. Despite a promising start, Snyder was forced to leave the series after the Chicago race when he lost his sponsorship while Ayari didn?t make it past Long Beach.

Lavin ended up being the team?s sole driver and earned his first "in-the-money" championship finish, earning 48 points for 11th place. He is focusing on Toyota Atlantic competition this season while BSR evaluates new drivers for a 2001 campaingn. Rookies Larry Mason and Andy Booth each drove at Long Beach with negotiations underway for the remainder of 2001

Despite winliess seasons in 1999 and 2000, Garcia scored BSR?s 31st and last win at Cleveland in July of 1998 which ranks the team second in career wins (first on the active list) behind the now disbanded Forsythe/Tasman team that has 32 victories.

Brian Stewart Bio

Brian Stewart was born in Port Glasgow, Scotland, in 1942, but moved to Canada at an early age. He began his motorsport career as a driver in 1965. He captured Canada?s Formula Vee title in 1969 and Formula Ford championship in 1972. That earned him a berth in the Formula Ford world championship at Brands Hatch, England, where he finished 12th overall.

He then redirected his competitive energies to team ownership and fielded cars in Formula Ford, Formula 2000, Super Vee and Atlantic, before turning to Indy Lights in 1988. He has since become the most successful of the active Indy Lights team-owners, second only to now-disbanded Tasman Motorsport on the all-time win list with a total of 31 victories.

Although his team is now located in Niagara Falls, N.Y., Stewart continues to live Canada, in the small town of Pefferlaw, Ont. He is married to Sharon and they have a seven-year-old daughter, Kimberley. He also has an adult daughter, Janet, from a previous marriage. His hobbies include golf and ice-hockey and he plays both sports regularly.

[indyracer56]

Originally posted by Turn7:
<STRONG>Good luck to them.</STRONG>

Just for everyone's information here is the team and driver info from the Toyota Atlantic Web Site:

Here is the complete listing of the current 2002 teams and drivers:

#1Ryan Hunter-Reay (R)USA Hylton Motorsports

#2TBA TBA Jensen Motorsports

#3Rocky Moran Jr. USA Sigma Autosport

#4David Wieringa(R) USA Sigma Autosport

#5Sepp Koster(R) BLG Michael Shank Racing

#6Frank Dancs USA Condor Motorsports

#8TBA TBA Transnet Racing

#11Rodolfo Lavin MEX Michael Shank Racing

#12TBA TBA Brooks Racing Assoc.

#14Alex Figge(R) USA World Speed Motorsports

#16TBA TBA Margraf Racing

#18Bob Siska USA RJS Motorsports

#19Michael Valiante CAN Lynx Racing

#23Grant Ryley USA Lynx Racing

#24Steve Romak(R) USA Autospa

#25DeWayne Cassel(R) USA JPT Motorsport

#26David Cutler USA P-1 Racing

#27Joey Hand USA DSTP Motorsports

#31Jonathan Macri CAN P-1 Racing

#32Jon Fogarty(R) USA Dorricott Racing

#33Luis Diaz(R) MEX Dorricott Racing

#34Alex Gurney USA Dorricott Racing

#43Waldemar Coronas(R) ARG Scuadra Fortia

#67Marc Devilles(R) USA Sierra Sierra

#77Scott Lampkin(R) USA Crossover Motorsports

#81Carl Russo(R) USA Performance Development & Racing

#86Eduardo Figueroa(R) MEX Scuadra Fortia

TBA TBA TBA Michael Shank Racing

TBA TBA TBA Indy Regency Racing

-------------------------------------

Boy, that TBA guy is driving a lot of cars!!!




The link: http://www.toyotaatlantic.com/

[ February 13, 2002: Message edited by: indyracer56 ]

[ February 13, 2002: Message edited by: rev-ed ]

[sf-indy-fan]

Originally posted by Turn7:
<STRONG>Good luck to them.</STRONG>

Same ol' IRL-bashing blather, huh, T7?

(YAWN)

Isn't it getting kinda old?

It's actually quite simple: former Indy Lights teams that preferred road racing go into Atlantics, former Indy Lights teams that excelled on the ovals go into IPS.

Why can't the road racing community, great racers and great fans, every one of 'em (well, almost ), simply acknowledge that their discipline has very little to do with Indy? Why can't they just shut up and leave us alone?

[ February 13, 2002: Message edited by: rev-ed ]

[Turn7]

Yeah...I see your point only haveing 27 cars confirmed in the line up with 4 drivers yet to be announced and two more teams not yet commited but expected really looks bad.

If only the ips could be so lucky.

[don7031]

Originally posted by Turn7:
Good luck to them.

The Toyota Atlantic series saw 16 car fields last year, not exactly an ocean. When three drivers combine to win 10 of the 12 races, it doesn't bespeak of much competitive depth.

[ February 13, 2002: Message edited by: rev-ed ]

[Turn7]

Originally posted by sf-indy-fan:
<STRONG>

Same ol' IRL-bashing blather, huh, T7?

(YAWN)

Isn't it getting kinda old?

</STRONG>

I havent mentioned the IRL once....I can if you want me to.

If I ripped anything it was BSR. This team was once a great team but they seem to have not been as commited as they once were. As the field became smaller in Indy Lights and the chances became greater to win.....they lost more. Maybe the IPS is where they need to be? That may be the recipe for them to turn the luck around and start winning again. Who knows?

[Peter Olivola]

Why will sprint/midget/sc drivers have any more luck beating out rear engined/road race trained drivers in the IPS than they have in the IRL?

Originally posted by mattndallas:
<STRONG>Once again, the IPS is key for the domestic future of the IRL.

USAC star needing RE experience, or to prove yourself..here ya go.

In a couple years, Cheever won't be taking such a "flyer" by selecting a former USAC hotshoe, if he proves himself in the IPS.

I know many still think the IPS is still a "donkey" series, and don't recognize its importance, but it is different from Indy Lights of old. Indy Lights was a training ground for CART racers. IPS is a training ground for IRL racers, therefore, USACers that had no interest in CART, but did in Indy, now have a place to develop.

I like it, and am cheering for its success as much as the IRL's, because I think it is a real key to the future of the IRL (as long as he IRL stays similar in format to how it currently is).</STRONG>

[indyracer56]

It's nice to see that the IRL support series will get equal bashing!!



[ February 13, 2002: Message edited by: indyracer56 ]

[mnkywrch]

Lessee... go with Roger Bailey's record of leadership and run in the IPS, or hope that no one at CART forgets about Atlantics as they struggle to get CART itself headed back in the right direction.

Not that hard of a decision, is it?

Who is in charge of Toyota Atlantics, anyways?

[mattndallas]

Originally posted by Peter Olivola:
<STRONG>Why will sprint/midget/sc drivers have any more luck beating out rear engined/road race trained drivers in the IPS than they have in the IRL?

</STRONG>

They may not, but at least they'd get a chance to prove one way or the other. I've already heard rumors of a couple of USAC kids getting IPS rides. If they get smoked, so be it, but at least they'll get the chance to learn in a series developed to feed the IRL.

Why would a guy with road racing aspiration come to the IPS, when the "superior" (as T7 showed above) Toyota Atlantics series is available?

[rev-ed]

Originally posted by Turn7:
<STRONG>

I havent mentioned the IRL once....I can if you want me to.
</STRONG>

It might be wise if you don't. . .