AUG 01, 2007
Sonoma, CA

World Speed Motorsports Alumni continue to show up on podiums all over the world. In sports cars, open wheel, stock cars and prototypes these drivers have taken their WSM experience and parlayed it into top-level results. World Speed drivers are currently racing in ALMS, Grand American, NASCAR, Champ Car, IRL, and Formula One.

Michael McDowell who won multiple races in World Speed’s FormulaTR 1600 car went from winning in Grand American Daytona Prototypes, and Grand Am Cup to winning in the 2007 ARCA Racing Series this season in preparation for an eventual move to the NASCAR ranks. McDowell is currently running with Eddie Sharp Racing who receives technical support from Chip Ganassi Racing and also has an alliance with Michael Waltrip Racing. He is currently leading the Rookie of the Year points, and is second overall in the championship. McDowell has led the most laps so far this season, and has the best qualifying record with 5 pole positions.

Adrian ‘Ace’ Carrio who won the Star Mazda Championship with World Speed in 2006 tested in an Indy Pro Series car with Sam Schmidt Motorsports, and in a Daytona Prototype with Crawford. Carrio eventually landed on Genoa Racing’s Champ Car Atlantic Team for 2007. With a large learning curve behind him Ace has been progressing well, and has had some promising results in the last few races.

World Speed’s 2003 FormulaTR driver Brad Coleman was competing in the ARCA series in 2006, and won in only his second race of the season. This season he is competing in the NASCAR Busch Series for Joe Gibbs Racing and has been at the front of the pack all season including a pole position at Talladega.

Mikel Miller who won numerous races in the Star Mazda Series with WSM in 1997-1998, and raced in the WSM Atlantic car, won the Grand American Cup finale in 2006. Miller is currently 4 th in team point in the GS class. Nicolas Rondet who ran in the Champ Car Atlantic Series with WSM during the same era is currently working with the Jim Russell Racing School as a test driver for their latest school cars.

2001 World Speed Star Mazda Champion Scott Bradley is currently managing Standing Start a driver development company that is producing some very talented professionals, and is also assisting dedicated hobbyists reach the podium.

Alex Figge who won races in World Speed’s Formula Mazda in 2000, and competed with WSM in Champ Car Atlantic has been learning a lot in his rookie season in the Champ Car series with Pacific Coast Motorsports.

This season Pierre Ehret competed and won multiple races in the Porsche Sports Cup Series in Europe, and finished third in the 24 Hours of LeMans. Pierre spent two seasons with World Speed racing in the Star Mazda Series.

Guy Cosmo raced in the Grand American Cup Series, ALMS P2, and Daytona Prototypes in 2006. He has been on the same kind of program in 2007 racing in a variety of series, and doing well everywhere he goes. Cosmo won the inaugural KONI Challenge race at Iowa Speedway this year. If there was a sports car event happening this season you could almost expect to find Cosmo there. Cosmo was a World Speed Toyota Atlantic driver during the 2001 season.

2001 WSM Toyota Atlantic test driver Andy Lally won the 2006 Rolex GT championship in a Racer’s Group Pontiac GTO-R. Lally has continued his winning ways in sports cars for 2007, and has just announced that he is entering the NASCAR Busch Series with TRG.

Mario Moraes who competed and won in the World Speed FTR 1600 car in 2004, is currently competing in British Formula F3 with Carlin Motorsport.

Past WSM Rising Star Award winners are also making headlines. The award, which was presented to top level karters, included free testing with WSM. 2002 winner Scott Speed has been racing in his second season of Formula 1 with Scuderia Torro Rosso. Alan Sciuto who won the award in 2003 and finished on the podium in his first Atlantic race, is driving for his own Atlantic team and is currently 7 th in points. Ryan Phinny who was awarded a free test day with WSM in 2004 made it to the top two in the Red Bull Driver Search, and competed in FBMW and Star Mazda in 2006. Prior to the 2007 season he was one of the few Americans invited to the Formula BMW World Finals. Cole Whitt who also won a Rising Star Award in 2004 has been winning in USAC 410 Sprint Cars and was named the Hoosier Auto Racing Fans Rookie-of-the-Year.

World Speed continues to train and develop future champions, and is hard at work testing in preparation for a full season in the 2008 Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear.