For media information:
Linda Mansfield, Restart Communications
Cell: (317) 201-0729
E-mail: LindaKMansfield@cs.com
Andersen Racing's Vautier Wins
Star Mazda Season-Opener;
Grenier Finishes Fourth, Krohn Fifth
SEBRING, Fla., March 19 - Tristan Vautier's racing accomplishments are too
numerous to call it beginner's luck, but the 20-year-old from Corenc, France
won his first race in the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear
Friday at Sebring International Raceway. It was also his first race ever at
this track or even in this country, and it was also his first race as a member
of Palmetto, Fla.-based Andersen Racing.
Vautier started third in the 22-car field. After a tussle on the first lap
he settled into second place on lap two, trailing only the driver who had
started fourth, Conor Daly.
By lap three Daly had a 2.135-second lead over Vautier but the Frenchman
had cut Daly's advantage to 0.810 of a second by lap six. Daly was 0.548 of a
second ahead on lap 10 of what turned out to be a 21-lap race, but on the
next lap Vautier passed Daly with an inside move in Turn 14 to take the lead.
Vautier had built up a 3-second lead over Daly by lap 15 but that was wiped
out by a full-course yellow on the following lap. The green flew again on
lap 17 with 8 minutes remaining in the 45-minute race.
On the next lap Daly lost second to a rapidly approaching Jorge Goncalvez.
The latter had closed to within 0.175 of a second when Vautier took the
checkered to earn the series' first Visit Florida trophy for his sponsors,
Moulin T.P., Cecibon, Circuit du Laquis and Fontanel Promotion.
Another Andersen Racing driver, Mikael Grenier of Stoneham, Quebec, started
second and led briefly during the wild first lap only to slip to fifth by
lap two. He passed David Ostella for fourth place with six laps down, but
then fell back to fifth again with 15 laps down when Goncalvez got by right
before the full-course caution. His teammate, polesitter Anders Krohn, who
had held third or fourth position since lap two, dropped from fourth to sixth
with 19 laps down, which gave Grenier fourth place again. Grenier was still
in fourth when he took the checkered two laps later in his No. 17, which is
sponsored by NAPA Auto Parts, HS Telecom and Desharnais.
Although Krohn was sixth on the white-flag lap, the Norwegian driver who
now lives in Houston nailed down a top-five finish on the final lap by passing
Joao Horton. Krohn, who smashed the track record here in qualifying
yesterday, also set the fastest lap of Friday's race when he was timed in 1:59.527
(111.440 miles per hour) on lap seven while he was running third, trying to
catch Vautier while simultaneously holding off Grenier.
Krohn's car is sponsored by Trallfa Industries, Colosseum Dental, Norse
Cutting & Abandonment, Bring Logistics US Inc., SR Transport, ZATGraphics.com,
Rioja Tapas Restaurant, Eagles Canyon Raceway and Repcon Media.
Another Andersen Racing driver, Dom Bastien of West Palm Beach, Fla.,
started 19th and finished 15th overall and second in the Masters class.
A fifth Andersen Racing entry in this race was driven by Court Vernon of
Key Biscayne, Fla., who is sponsored by Mangroove Boats and Capt. Harry's
Fishing Supply. He started 12th and was up to ninth as early as lap four, but
his car developed a problem with its fuel pump around lap 14 which pushed
Vernon to 21st in the final rundown.
The next Star Mazda race is coming right up next Saturday, March 27, as
part of a busy weekend of action on the street circuit in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Bastien doesn't plan to compete in that event but Vautier, Grenier, Krohn
and Vernon will be joined by Nick Andries of Pinellas Park, Fla. for that
challenge.
Andersen Racing's Firestone Indy Lights team will also be in action at the
St. Petersburg event with rookie Carmen Jorda. Its sister company, Andersen
Promotions, will also administer the season-opening doubleheader of the
USF2000 National Championship presented by Cooper Tires and powered by Mazda at
that event.
Andersen Racing, which is sponsored by Allied Building Products Corp., has
its own 1-mile road course test track at its headquarters in Palmetto, Fla.,
Andersen RacePark. It also has a professional karting team in addition to
its Star Mazda and Firestone Indy Lights programs. Five of its karting
drivers - Andrew Palmer, Andy Dunne, R.C. Enerson, Jeremy Kane and Michael
McCarthy - are competing in a Florida Winter Tour event this weekend at the Ocala
Gran Prix course in Ocala, Fla.
Andersen Racing's Web site is at andersenracingteam.com. The Star Mazda
series' Web site is located at starmazda.com.
Post-race quotes follow:
Tristan Vautier: "I passed Conor for the lead on the straightaway between
Turns 12 and 14. He did a small mistake so I could get close. We were
side-by-side in Corner 14 but I was on the inside and took the lead. He raced
fairly and for that I am thankful.
"I got a good start at the beginning of the race too.
"This is good for my sponsors and for the team. I'm very happy. We wanted
to finish one-two-three-four, but it didn't work out that way.
"I was quicker than I expected to be in the race. The Goodyear tires stayed
quite consistent. After the full-course yellow we couldn't warm the tires
up so after the restart the car was harder to drive because of that, but I
still had a good car at the end.
"When I got here and drove on the course and discovered how bumpy it was, I
said, 'Oh, what's happening?' It's much harder to set up the car when it's
such a bumpy track. But the team did a very good job and gave me a very
good car.
"I raced once before on a street course, so I'm looking forward to next
week's race at St. Petersburg. This was a great way to start the year!"
Mikael Grenier: "The team had cars to win; Tristan proved that. I would
say that we didn't work as a team, and that's why we didn't have more cars on
the podium.
'I had a good car. It's hard to pass here. I drove really hard at the
beginning of the race and I used up my tires by the end. The next time I need
to be more patient during the first laps so I can push at the end.
"I was in a street race before; I finished fourth at Trois-Rivieres last
year, so I'm looking forward to St. Petersburg next weekend. We just need to
work as a team better."
Anders Krohn: "I'm disappointed because I had hoped for at least a podium.
I think we all screwed each other up on the first lap and were
over-aggressive. I guess we were all trying too hard. I am not happy how that went, but
what's done is done and we'll have to work together better and do better at
St. Petersburg.
"I was still able to run fast laps. In free air my car was OK, but I had
problems when I was running behind somebody."
Dom Bastien: "My day was excellent. The car was excellent; we had one
problem with the rev light though. It went out, and with all the noise you
can't tell what gear you're in so the whole field went by. Then I started to
deal with it better, and was able to anticipate my gear switches better, and I
caught up with the other guys.
"I picked up some rubber debris under the full-course yellow that affected
me too. I went on the rev limiter in Turn 16 once and that killed my exit
speed so I lost a spot or two.
"But for the first time out, I feel good. The race was much more tiring
than practice and qualifying. It was very intense. But I was getting better
and better at the end, so I feel good about the whole experience. This is a
very good team, and I'll be going for that Masters win the next time."
Court Vernon: "At first the car was great. I was gaining on the people
ahead of me. But then about halfway through the race the fuel pump failed. We
had to come in to reset the master switch every lap.
"I kept coming in and going out because I wanted to stay out to get some
points. I'm entered in the championship. I'll do the St. Pete race with
Andersen Racing next week. Hopefully that will give me the time to find the
sponsorship I'll need for Laguna Seca.
"I really want to thank Dan Andersen for letting me be on his team."
The team's race results:
1. Tristan Vautier
4. Mikael Grenier
5. Anders Krohn
15. Dom Bastien
21. Court Vernon
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.