The 2008 Atlantic Championship season was the thirty-fifth Atlantic Championship season. It began on April 20, 2008 and ended on October 4, 2008. Despite the merger of Champ Car's premier series with the Indy Racing League, the Champ Car owners continued to own and operate the Atlantic Championship under a new legal entity, Atlantic Racing Series, LLC.Champ Car Atlantic News Champ Car continued to sanction the first two events of the season at Long Beach and Laguna Seca with the remainder of the season running under IMSA sanction.Champ Car Atlantic News The Cooper Tires Presents the Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda Drivers' Champion was Markus Niemelä driving for Brooks Associates Racing.
Teams and drivers The following teams and drivers competed in the 2008 Atlantic Championship season. All teams used the Swift 016.a chassis powered by a Mazda-Cosworth MZR 2.3 liter inline-4 engine and Cooper tires.Champ Car Atlantic News
TeamNoDriversRounds Jensen MotorSport 2 Henri Karjalainen 1–10 22 Eric Jensen 8–9 Forsythe Championship Racing 3 James Hinchcliffe All 7 David Garza 1–5, 11 David Martínez 6–10 Walker Racing 5 Greg Mansell All 15 Leo Mansell All 25 Kevin Lacroix All Condor Motorsports 6 Junior Strous All 9 Dominick Muermans All 11 Douglas Soares All 77 Brian Thienes 1 Brooks Associates Racing 8 Markus Niemelä All 88 Andreas Wirth 1–3 Tom Sutherland 4–11 14 Carl Skerlong 1–10 41 Frankie Muniz All Genoa Racing 17 Alan Sciuto 1 Tõnis Kasemets 6–7 J. R. Hildebrand 11 19 Dane Cameron All Mathiasen Motorsports 26 Jonathan Bomarito All PR1 Motorsports 32 Mike Forest 1 Newman Wachs Racing 34 Simona de Silvestro All 36 Jonathan Summerton All Paladin Motorsports 45 Greg Minium 1 Christopher Zöchling 2, 4–5 EuroInternational 46 Luis Schiavo 1–8, 11 70 Daniel Morad 1–8 Polestar Motor Racing 66 Rich Zober 9
Schedule The original 13-race 2008 Atlantic Championship calendar, which featured many supporting runs during Champ Car World Series events, had to be scrapped as a result of the 2008 open-wheel reunification announcement. The Long Beach, Laguna Seca, Edmonton, Mont-Tremblant and Road America races, which had been part of the Champ Car schedule before reunification, remained in the calendar. The Road America races were changed, as the American Le Mans Series' Generac 500 weekend meet was changed from one to two races (a Saturday and Sunday race). The Edmonton race, now part of the IndyCar Series, also switched to a two-race format. The original races at Trois-Rivieres and Miller were not affected, since the Quebec race was part of the Grand Prix of Trois-Rivieres (which also features the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series), and the Utah race was conducted as part of the Rolex Sports Car Series Sunchaser 1000 weekend. On April 3 a revised post-reunification schedule was released featuring 11 races including the seven weekends that were kept (with two races at Edmonton and Road America), and two new races, one at New Jersey and a second Road Atlanta (as a support race to the Petit Le Mans).
Rd Race Date Race Name Circuit City/Location 1 April 20 Imperial Capital Bank Atlantic Challenge of Long Beach Long Beach Grand Prix Long Beach, California 2 May 18 Monterey Festival of Speed Atlantic Championship Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca Monterey, California 3 June 29 Sommet des Legends Circuit Mont-Tremblant Mont-Tremblant, Quebec 4 July 25 Rexall Edmonton Indy Twin Races Edmonton Indy Edmonton, Alberta 5 July 26 6 August 9 Road Race Showcase/Road America Road America Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin 7 August 10 8 August 17 Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières Circuit Trois-Rivières Trois-Rivières, Quebec 9 September 14 Mazda Formula Zoom Zoom New Jersey Motorsports Park Millville, New Jersey 10 September 21 SunRichGourmet.com 1000 Miller Motorsports Park Tooele, Utah 11 October 3 Atlanta Atlantic Challenge Road Atlanta Braselton, Georgia Cancelled events Original dateRace nameTrackCityApril 27 Atlantic Grand Prix of HoustonJAGFlo Speedway at Reliant ParkHouston, TexasJune 22 Atlantic Grand Prix of ClevelandBurke Lakefront AirportCleveland, OhioJuly 6 Steelback Atlantic Grand PrixExhibition PlaceToronto, OntarioJuly 26 Atlantic Grand Prix of PortlandPortland International RacewayPortland, OregonJuly 27November 9 Atlantic Gran Premio TecateAutódromo Hermanos RodríguezMexico City, MexicoReferences:
Television The 2008 series was televised at 5 PM ET on Sundays starting on November 9, 2008 on Speed TV.2008 ATLANTIC CHAMPIONSHIP EVENTS TO AIR ON SPEED THIS FALL AND WINTER September 29, 2008
November 9 – Grand Prix of Long Beach November 16 – Laguna Seca and Race 1 of Edmonton December 14 – Race 2 of Edmonton and Race 1 of Road America December 21 – Race 2 of Road America and Trois Rivières December 28 – Miller Motorsports Park and Road Atlanta
Race results RdTrackPole PositionFastest LapRace winnerReport Driver Team 1 Long Beach Grand Prix Jonathan Bomarito Carl Skerlong Simona de Silvestro Newman Wachs Racing Report 2 Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca James Hinchcliffe Douglas Soares James Hinchcliffe Forsythe Pettit Racing Report 3 Circuit Mont-Tremblant Junior Strous Junior Strous Junior Strous Condor Motorsports Report 4 Edmonton Indy James Hinchcliffe David Garza Pérez Jonathan Bomarito Mathiasen Motorsports Report 5 Carl Skerlong Carl Skerlong Jonathan Summerton Newman Wachs Racing Report 6 Road America Dane Cameron Tõnis Kasemets Jonathan Bomarito Mathiasen Motorsports Report 7 Jonathan Bomarito Dane Cameron Jonathan Summerton Newman Wachs Racing Report 8 Circuit Trois-Rivières Jonathan Bomarito Jonathan Summerton Jonathan Bomarito Mathiasen Motorsports Report 9 New Jersey Motorsports Park Carl Skerlong Carl Skerlong Carl Skerlong Pacific Coast Motorsports Report 10 Miller Motorsports Park Markus Niemelä Carl Skerlong Markus Niemelä Brooks Associates Racing Report 11 Road Atlanta Jonathan Summerton J. R. Hildebrand Markus Niemelä Brooks Associates Racing Report
Race summaries
Round 1: Imperial Capital Bank Atlantic Challenge of Long Beach Sunday April 20, 2008 - 1:30 p.m. EDT Streets of Long Beach - Long Beach, California (1.968 mile street circuit) Time: 50 minutes Distance: 38 laps / 74.784 miles Race weather: 60 °F, Sunny skies Television: Speed (November 9, 2008 - 5:00 p.m. EST) Pole position winner: #26 Jonathan Bomarito, 93.286 mph (150.125 km/h) Race Summary The 2008 Imperial Capital Bank Atlantic Challenge of Long Beach was won by the young Swiss driver Simona de Silvestro making her only the second female driver to ever win an Atlantic Championship race after Katherine Legge. Top Five Finishers Fin.Pos St.Pos CarNo. Driver Team Laps Time Laps led 1234 Simona de SilvestroNewman Wachs Racing3850:51.26115 2417 Alan SciutoGenoa Racing38+1.2850 3525 Kevin LacroixWalker Racing38+2.2560 4636 Jonathan SummertonNewman Wachs Racing38+2.9830 5126 Jonathan BomaritoMathiasen Motorsports38+4.60523Race average speed:Lead changes: 1 between 2 driversCautions: 1 for 2 Laps
Round 2: Monterey Festival of Speed Atlantic Championship Sunday May 18, 2008 - 4:00 p.m. EDT Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca - Monterey, California Time: 50 minutes Distance: 34 laps / 76.092 miles Race weather: 89 °F, sunny skies Television: Speed (November 16, 2008 - 5:00 p.m. EST) Pole position winner: #3 James Hinchcliffe, 1:16.189 (105.748 mph) Race Summary Canadian James Hinchciffe took the pole at Laguna Seca with a 1:16.189 which was a track record qualifying run on by an Atlantic car on Saturday after taking the provisional pole on Friday. He then went on to dominate Sunday's race. Top Five Finishers Fin.Pos St.Pos CarNo. Driver Team Laps Time LapsLed 113 James HinchcliffeForsythe/Pettit Racing3450:50.35228 2214 Carl SkerlongPacific Coast Motorsports34+2.3916 346 Junior StrousCondor Motorsports34+6.6710 458 Markus NiemeläBrooks Associates Racing34+13.0270 5119 Dominick MuermansCondor Motorsports34+18.4040Race average speed: 89.803 mphLead changes: 2Cautions: 2 for 9 laps
Round 3: Sommet des Legends Sunday June 29, 2008 - 1:00 p.m. EDT Circuit Mont-Tremblant - Mont-Tremblant, Quebec (2.621 mile road circuit) Time: 50 minutes Distance: 30 laps / 78.630 miles Race weather: 75 °F, Partly cloudy skies Television: TBA Pole position winner: #6 Junior Strous, 1:28.805 (106.251 mph) Race Summary Dutch driver Junior Strous dominated the weekend by taking pole and leading every lap in the race. The win was his first ever in the Atlantic Championship, as was his pole position. He leads the season championship with 74 points over James Hinchcliffe and Markus Niemelä who are tied at 67. Top Five Finishers Fin.Pos St.Pos CarNo. Driver Team Laps Time Laps led 116 Junior StrousCondor Motorsports3053:50.60030 238 Markus NiemeläBrooks Associates Racing30+0.487*0 3414 Carl SkerlongPacific Coast Motorsports30+0.9660 453 James HinchcliffeForsythe Championship Racing30+1.5140 5819 Dane CameronGenoa Racing30+2.0570 * Race finished under cautionRace average speed: 87.621 mphLead changes: 0Cautions: 3 for 10 Laps
Round 4: Rexall Edmonton Indy Twin Races - Race 1 Friday July 25, 2008 - 5:15 p.m. MDT Rexall Speedway - Edmonton, Alberta (1.973 mile temporary airport circuit) Time: 50 minutes Distance: 38 laps / 74.974 miles Race weather: 80 °F, Partly cloudy skies Television: Speed (November 16, 2008 - 5:30 p.m. EST) Pole position winner: #3 James Hinchcliffe, 1:05.910 (107.765 mph) Race Summary Polesitter James Hinchcliffe led from the green flag but was closely stalked by Jonathan Bomarito, who finally made the pass in Turn 1 on lap 31. A late race caution set up a one lap sprint to the finish with Bomarito holding off Markus Niemelä to become the fourth race winner in as many races this season. The win was Bomarito's third Atlantic victory and the first victory for his team, Mathiasen Motorsports, in 36 starts. In the points chase, Niemelä leads Hinchcliffe 94-93.
Top Five Finishers Fin.Pos St.Pos CarNo. Driver Team Laps Time Laps led 1226 Jonathan BomaritoMathiasen Motorsports3845:18.9428 258 Markus NiemeläBrooks Associates Racing38+0.6910 313 James HinchcliffeForsythe Championship Racing38+1.15130 4419 Dane CameronGenoa Racing38+1.7570 567 David GarzaForsythe Championship Racing38+2.1700Race average speed: 99.269 mphLead changes: 1Cautions: 1 for 3 Laps
Round 5: Rexall Edmonton Indy Twin Races - Race 2 Saturday July 25, 2008 - 12:45 p.m. MDT Rexall Speedway - Edmonton, Alberta (1.973 mile temporary airport circuit) Time: 50 minutes Distance: 36 laps / 71.028 miles Race weather: 80 °F, Mostly cloudy skies Television: Speed (December 14, 2008 - 5:00 p.m. EST) Pole position winner: #14 Carl Skerlong, 1:05.455 (108.514 mph) Race Summary A1 Grand Prix veteran (but Atlantic rookie) Jonathan Summerton jumped into the lead from third on the starting grid and dominated the race, leading every lap on the way to his first Atlantic series win. He became the fifth different winner in five races and the first rookie to top a podium this year. James Hinchcliffe finished third and jumped to the top of the points table. He has 118 points, five more than Markus Niemelä.
Top Five Finishers Fin.Pos St.Pos CarNo. Driver Team Laps Time Laps led 1336 Jonathan SummertonNewman Wachs Racing1845:08.75136 2114 Carl SkerlongPacific Coast Motorsports18+2.2220 343 James HinchcliffeForsythe Championship Racing18+6.0390 4526 Jonathan BomaritoMathiasen Motorsports18+6.7190 5219 Dane CameronGenoa Racing18+7.1950Race average speed: 94.398 mphLead changes: 0Cautions: 1 for 5 Laps
Round 6: Road Race Showcase/Road America - Race 1 Saturday August 8, 2008 - 1:00 p.m. CDT Road America - Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin (4.048 mile permanent road circuit) Time: 50 minutes Distance: 18 laps / 72.864 miles Race weather: 76 °F, Partly cloudy skies Television: Speed (December 14, 2008 - 5:30 p.m. EST) Pole position winner: #19 Dane Cameron, 1:59.190 (122.265 mph) Race Summary