For media information:
Linda Mansfield, Restart Communications
Cell: (317) 201-0729
E-mail: LindaKMansfield@cs.com
Formula Palmer Audi Record-Setter
Tristan Vautier Joins Andersen Racing
For Star Mazda Championship
PALMETTO, Fla., Feb. 23 - France's Tristan Vautier, who won a record six
Formula Palmer Audi races last year, will compete in the Star Mazda
Championship presented by Goodyear in 2010 as a member of Andersen Racing.
The 20-year-old driver from Corenc, France will be sponsored by three
French companies: Moulin T.P., a leading construction, engineering, excavation
and renovation company; Cecibon, which provides candy, cookies, cotton candy
and popcorn to many leading attractions, parks and theaters; and Circuit du
Laquais, a race track in Champier, Rhone-Alpes which has a 2-mile road course
and a kart track.
Vautier was consistently among the top runners at a Star Mazda series test
Jan. 23-24 at Sebring International Raceway in Sebring, Fla., which is also
the site of the 2010 Star Mazda season opener on March 19.
Vautier finished fourth in the 2009 Formula Palmer Audi standings with a
record six victories, six poles and six fastest race laps. He also recorded
one victory and two podium finishes in the French GT3 Championship last year.
He had the opportunity to compete in the season-ender of the FIA Formula 2
Championship too, where he astonished the regulars with a third- and a
sixth-place finish.
He competed in the Formula Renault 2.0 Championship in 2007 and 2008,
finishing second in that series in the latter year with three victories and nine
podium finishes. He was also the runner-up in the French Championship of
Formula Campus in 2006 with five victories in 13 races. Prior to advancing to
car racing he had many successes in karting, including two championships.
The podium finish in his first FIA Formula 2 race, which occurred in
Barcelona last November, definitely helped propel his career.
"I've been in touch with Andersen Racing since the end of 2008 because I
already had some interest in Star Mazda, and I knew Andersen was a top team,"
Vautier said. "Unfortunately I wasn't able to raise the necessary budget at
that time.
"My podium for my first F2 race at the end of 2009 helped me to raise solid
funds for this year, and after having had a good test with the team at
Sebring, I have to say that Andersen is really the place where I want to be,"
Vautier continued. "The team has a great capacity to mix good atmosphere and
professionalism, and the cars are fast. I'm really honored to be part of the
team, and I'm really looking forward to the start of the season!
"To finish with I'd like to thank my sponsors, because nothing would have
been possible without their help!" he emphasized.
All of the Star Mazda tracks will be new to Vautier this year, as he's
never tested or raced in America other than the test at Sebring last month.
"I'm looking forward to learning a lot, and to see what oval racing is
like," he added, referring to races at O'Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis May
29 and at Iowa Speedway June 20. "The Star Mazda cars have more grip than
the cars I've been racing for the last couple of years, so I will have to
adapt to that too. It will be quite different, and I'm really looking forward
to the new season."
With today's announcement, Vautier becomes the fourth driver who will be
working out of Andersen Racing's tent at the Star Mazda season opener at
Sebring. He joins two other Andersen Racing drivers who are also expected to vie
for the championship - Anders Krohn of Norway and Mikael Grenier of Canada
- as well as Dom Bastien, who is running a partial season. Like Vautier,
Bastien is also a native of France, although his home is now in West Palm
Beach, Fla.
"We have followed Tristan's career in Europe and saw that he is indeed a
winning driver," said Andersen Racing co-owner Dan Andersen. "When he got in
one of our cars at the Sebring open test and was immediately fast, in a new
car, on a circuit that was new to him and in a new environment, we definitely
wanted to sign him for the season. He worked very well with our engineers
and his teammates, and I can see us winning a lot of races this year in Star
Mazda!"
A limited number of additional seats are still available with the team.
Potential drivers may obtain more information by contacting the team by
telephone at (941) 723-3900 or by e-mail at info@andersenracingteam.com.
Andersen Racing, which is sponsored by Allied Building Products and Lafarge
North America, has its own 1-mile road course test track at its
headquarters in Palmetto, Fla.
Andersen Racing's sister company, Andersen Promotions, administers the
USF2000 National Championship presented by Cooper Tires and powered by Mazda.
That series and Star Mazda are both part of the IRL's Road to Indy program and
the MAZDASPEED Motorsports driver development system.
Andersen Racing's Web site is at andersenracingteam.com. The Star Mazda
series' Web site is located at starmazda.com.
About Allied Building Products Corp.:
Allied Building Products Corp., headquartered in East Rutherford, N.J., is
one of the largest roofing and siding distributors in the United States.
Founded in 1950 with five employees and two trucks, today it is a $1.8 billion
building material distribution company with over 3,500 employees, more than
200 branches in 30 states, well over one million square feet of office and
warehouse space, and an inventory of approximately 85,000 products, from
residential roofing and siding to doors, windows, waterproofing, manufactured
stone, interior products and commercial roofing systems. For more information
see alliedbuilding.com.
About Andersen Racing:
Andersen Racing strives to provide the best and most comprehensive training
possible for future open-wheel superstars while giving its marketing
partners media exposure and hospitality opportunities at some of the most
prestigious events in North America. It provides a unique program utilizing multiple
entries in three different platforms: karting, Star Mazda and Firestone
Indy Lights.
A sister company, Andersen Promotions, administers the USF2000 National
Championship presented by Cooper Tires and powered by Mazda. It is part of
both the Indy Racing League's Road to Indy program and the MAZDASPEED
Motorsports driver development system.
Andersen Racing is sponsored by Allied Building Products Corp. and Lafarge
North America. The team is headquartered at Andersen RacePark, an 18-acre
facility in Palmetto, Fla. that includes a 1-mile road course test track. For
more information see andersenracingteam.com, andersenkarting.com,
andersenracepark.com and usf2000.com.