2021 is the 30th consecutive year that World Speed Motorsports has been developing drivers, fielding formula cars that finish, and winning races and championships. The team has been fortunate to work with some great drivers, mechanics, engineers, and support staff. The team members have been what has made the team so successful over these three decades. It would take an entire book to summarize all of the race wins, championships, and other interesting stories. Here’s the short version of where we have been, and where we are headed.
In The Beginning (1991-2002)
World Speed Motorsports first opened its California-based race shop in 1991 and entered the Star Mazda Series. In 1992 the team’s founder Chuck West won the overall Star Mazda Championship. West was also an instructor at Skip Barber Racing School (then based at Sonoma Raceway). This background was the foundation of the driver development focus that the team has always had. “We were coaching at a high level before it was common,” noted team President Telo Stewart, “we were early adopters of data and video.” The team’s Lead Engineer at the time was Michael Doyle, who set a very high standard for car preparation and setup that still drives the processes today.
Over the next ten years, WSM dominated the Star Mazda series with countless wins and drivers (Mikel Miller, Grant Ryley and Jeff Bucknum to name a few) finishing in the top three in points every season. The team also competed in the Toyota Atlantic series including the team’s “Karts to Cars” program with Rick Waddell. The team visited the podium multiple times with Chuck West and other drivers including a win at Gateway with driver Case Montgomery. In 2001 WSM secured the Star Mazda Overall Championship with driver Scott Bradley.
Telo Stewart joined the team in 1996 as a mechanic and was World Speed’s Star Mazda Team Manager from 1997-2002. Stewart won the SFR Formula Mazda Championship himself as a driver in 1997. For 2002 Stewart put his focus on the new US Formula Renault Championships and secured karter Michael McDowell, followed by Brad Coleman. That season, McDowell posted multiple podiums in Formula Renault including three wins. He finished the season vice-champion. In 2003 Telo Stewart took over the reins of World Speed Motorsports and moved the team to back Sonoma Raceway (West had relocated the team to Palm Desert, CA from 1999-2002.)
The Sequel – Strategically Growing The Team (2003-2016)
It was time to develop the team in the same way that the team had been developing drivers. World Speed took delivery of a completely new race vehicle in 2004, the Star Pro Formula Mazda. While developing this new chassis, the team was also designing a West Coast racing series that the cars could compete in. In 2005 World Speed launched the Formula Car Challenge in partnership with the Jim Russell Racing School, while also re-entering the Star Mazda Championship. In 2006 World Speed secured the overall Star Mazda Championship with Adrian ‘Ace’ Carrio, and by the end of the season was also supporting a dozen Pro Formula Mazdas in the new Formula Car Challenge championships.
In 2007 the team formalized the driver development program with its coaching division, Standing Start. Standing Start took the driver development program to the next level. The program was systemized much the way car preparation is. Team members received training from people like Ronn Langford the founder of Master Drive and co-author of Inner Speed Secrets and brought in the best driver coaches in the country, such as John Olsen, to work with. All of this became part of the DNA of World Speed going forward.
Over the next 10 years, WSM won a total of 26 championships using the Star Pro FM. This included additional multiple titles in the Star Mazda series, The Formula Car Challenge, and multiple SCCA Regional FA and FS championships. Chris Cumming, Bobby Eberle, as well as Kyle Kaiser (IndyCar driver) were a few of those champions.
The Pro FM wasn’t the only racecar the team was having success with. In 2010-11, the team also supported Porsche GT3 Cup Cars and Swift Formula Atlantic cars. This was World Speed’s first foray into sedan racing. In the first season, the team secured the SCCA PC Championship and finished 4th in points in the IMSA Porsche GT3 Challenge with Chris Cumming.
If this was not enough for the team to focus on, they also designed and built a new open-wheel car. The FormulaSPEED was announced in 2009 and went on to win many Formula Car Challenge championships, as well as SCCA Formula Atlantic races and season championships. The cars currently compete in the SCCA Formula X class championships.
These years were also when the VMB Driver Development program and scholarship was founded by Steve Brisentine and World Speed. The program continues today providing new drivers with an amazing opportunity to take their career to the next level. The program is now also supported by World Speed alumni driver Andy Brown, and Silicon Valley tech company Chegg.
Changing Times and New Opportunities (2017 – present)
In 2017 the team supported Bobby Eberle and Sting Ray Robb in the Mazda Road to Indy Pro Mazda Championship, but by year-end when Pro Mazda was going to a new car World Speed decided to move towards the new Ligier F4 car that was designed for the USF4 Championships.
World Speed secured the Formula Pro USA F4 Winter Series Championship in 2018, as well as 2nd in the regular season with rookie Kyle Loh. In 2019 the team secured 2nd in the F4 Pro Championship with Rayce Dykstra. The team secured three of the top five spots in the 2020 F4 Championship and also won the SFR SCCA F4 Championship with driver William Ferguson. As well as having success with Courtney Crone who is now running in IMSA LMP3.
2019 also marked World Speed’s F3 program start. In the F3 category, World Speed secured the championship with Jay Horak. Horak already had four Pro FM championships on his resume that he secured with World Speed support. In early 2021 Horak added the F3 Winter Championship to his list of wins.
The Future
World Speed currently supports F3 and F4 cars in the Formula Pro USA and SCCA series on the West Coast. The team still supports several Pro Formula Mazdas and FormulaSPEED cars including drivers at the Turn 2 club located at Thunderhill Raceway. The team continues to graduate drivers up into the national F3 and F4 series.
One other fun fact and driver of note is Frank McCormick who has been running with the team uninterrupted since 1994. McCormick now pilots an F3 car and his participation in the team now and into the future is certainly noteworthy and sure to continue.
Wherever the team goes in the future, the plan will be to focus on the continued improvement of the cars and drivers, and of course, keep on winning.