champcar-walker-racing-mont-tremblant-atlantic-championship-greg-mansell-leo-lacroix

The third round of the Cooper Tires Presents the Atlantic Championship Powered By Mazda, held in Mont Tremblant, Canada this weekend, proved to be a steep learning curve for all three Walker Racing drivers, Canadian Kevin Lacroix and Brits Greg and Leo Mansell.

Lacroix, a Saint-Eustache, Quebec, Canada native, started today’s Sommet des Legends Mont Tremblant event from second position. The 19 year old didn’t get quite the start he had hoped for, losing two positions. As he tried to make his way back up to the front, Lacroix went too wide in turn ten, running off the track and, as a result, damaged his front nose. The Canadian had to come into the pits after the first lap to repair his front nose.

Maintaining pace throughout the race and staying on the lead lap, Lacroix came back in on lap 22 while the track was still under caution, for new tires to help him fight his way back up the grid.

Meanwhile, Lacroix’s teammate, Leo Mansell, was chugging along, strategically moving his way up to the front. The 23 year old started from 17th position and gained a spot on lap five, passing Karjalainen for 16th place.

As the green flag dropped on lap 24, the trouble began for Walker Racing. Lacroix caught up with the pack and started behind his teammate, Leo. Thinking he had more room, the Canadian tried to pass Leo, but unfortunately came into contact with the #15 Sunseeker car, sending it into the concrete wall, ending the Brit’s day. However, Lacroix only received minor damage to his front wing and was able to continue the race, finishing in 13th position.

On another note, Greg Mansell (#5 Sunseeker) had a disappointing finish to his weekend as well. After completing just four laps in this morning’s warm-up session, the #46 car of Luis Schiavo lost control and hit the young rookie, causing him to hit the concrete barrier, resulting in extensive damage to his red, white and blue chassis. Due to the severity of the impact into the turn one barrier, the #5 Walker Racing entry, had to be withdrawn from today’s race. Both Greg and Leo Mansell will fly home to the UK to regroup for the next event in Edmonton.

Walker Racing heads back to their headquarters in Indianapolis, Indiana to prepare for the Rexall Grand Prix of Edmonton July 24-26. For more updates on the team please visit www.walkerracing.com <http://www.walkerracing.com/> .

What they had to say…

Kevin Lacroix (#25 Uni-Select/ Deans Knight Capital Management Ltd./Wasteco)- I had a really bad start. I fell back a couple of positions from P2. I had a good run going into turn eight and I think I might have gotten a little too excited before turn ten and pushed too hard. The tires weren’t very hot yet, so I spun and hit the barriers and we had to make a wing change. From there, I drove the whole race alone and when the yellow flag came out, we caught up to the group.

On the restart I made a mistake and pushed too hard. I thought I could make it, but it’s hard to pass in turn one and I made a mistake and hit my teammate, which I’m not happy about. I apologized and hopefully he will accept my apology and we will move on for the next race.

I want to thank my team. They gave me a great car, even though I didn’t make it. So thanks to Walker Racing and all of my sponsors Uni-Select, Deans Knight Capital Management Ltd. and Wasteco."

Derrick Walker, Walker Racing Owner: :The only good thing about the Mont Tremblant race, apart from the fact that it is a great racetrack, is that we are finished and now leaving. Obviously, Walker Racing today was an absolute disaster. By definition we are a team, but today I don’t think we necessarily functioned as one. So now we move on and we are looking forward to Edmonton."

- Elizabeth Cannon -

David Martinez finishes seventh at Trois Rivieres 18.08.08

David Martinez finished seventh at the streets of Trois-Rivieres in a difficult race where he started tenth. Martinez had to race with the same tires that gave him so much trouble during Saturday qualifying, and the problems continued during the...

Bittersweet Result For Walker Racing in Trois-Rivieres 18.08.08

The eighth round of the Cooper Tires Presents the Atlantic Championship Powered By Mazda, held in Trois-Rivieres, Canada this weekend, proved to be a bittersweet result for all three Walker Racing drivers, Canadian Kevin Lacroix and Brits Greg...

Muniz Runs Strong for 12th, Part Failure Destroys Skerlong’s Top-Five Finish 18.08.08

Grand Prix de Trois Rivieres The weekend was as bumpy as the track at Trois Rivieres for Pacific Coast Atlantic Drivers Carl Skerlong and Frankie Muniz. Carl finished in the top-three in both practice sessions, but just outside of the top-three...

Frustrating qualifying session for David Martinez at Trois-Rivieres 17.08.08

After qualifying provisionally on the second position on Friday, David Martinez and the Forsythe/Pettit Team ran into bizarre problems during final qualifying and the Mexican driver had to settle for the tenth spot on the grid for Sunday’s...

Walker Racing Continues Learning Curve in Trois-Rivieres 17.08.08

Walker Racing’s pilots, Englishmen Greg and Leo Mansell, and Canadian Kevin Lacroix, continued their learning curve today. The trio battled the competitive Atlantic field in final qualifying for tomorrow’s Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres. Hometown...

Trois Rivieres Challenges Result in Disappointing Qualifying Results for PCM Drivers 17.08.08

Grand Prix de Trois Rivieres Saturday, August 16, 2008 CARL SKERLONG, #14 King Taco/Mazda/Swift/Cooper Tires Practice 2 Finished 3rd :59.545 91.957 Qualifying 2Finished 6th 59.481 92.056 Carl on qualifying: "The last two days have been a...

Walker Racing on Positive Footing in Trois-Rivieres 16.08.08

Walker Racing proved they were ready to put Road America behind them and go racing this weekend in Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, Canada. All three drivers, Canadian Kevin Lacroix and Brits Greg and Leo Mansell, sons of former Formula One World Champion...

Skerlong Searches for Second Pole, Muniz Struggles with Gears 16.08.08

Grand Prix de Trois Rivieres Friday, August 15, 2008 CARL SKERLONG, #14 King Taco/Mazda/Swift/Cooper Tires Practice 1Finished 1st :59.853 91.466 Qualifying 1Finished 4th 1:00.142 91.045 Carl on qualifying: "Finishing fourth in qualifying...

David Martinez qualifies provisionally on the front row at Trois-Rivieres 16.08.08

David Martinez had never seen the historic Trois-Rivieres street circuit in person, and up until last weekend he had not driven the Atlantic Championship cars in two years, but none of this kept him from showing his talent and speed today by...

Skerlong Knocking on the Door for Maiden Victory, Muniz Races to the Top-Ten 15.08.08

Event: Grand Prix de Trois Rivieres Round: 8 of the 2008 Cooper Tires Presents the Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda Where: The Streets of Trois Rivieres, Trois Rivieres, Quebec, Canada 1.521 – mile temporary street circuit TV: August 17,...

Muniz Achieves Goal of Top-Ten at Road America 11.08.08

Road America Showcase It was a successful day at the end of a double-header weekend for the Pacific Coast Motorsports drivers Carl Skerlong and Frankie Muniz. Both drivers had a strong start, each gaining a position within the first couple of...

Seventh place finish for David Martinez at Road America Race 1 10.08.08

David Martinez finished seventh in the first of two races of the Atlantic Championship at Road America after starting 11th. The Mexican driver became the star of the show after pulling off some daring passes on the outside at Turn 1, and by...

Skerlong and Muniz Searching for Success on Saturday 09.08.08

Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin CARL SKERLONG, #14 King Taco/Mazda/Swift/Cooper Tires Practice 1 5th 2.00.484 120.905 Qualifying Race 1 9th 2:00.486 120.950 Carl on qualifying: "I’m pretty disappointed with my qualifying results...

Tough Day for Walker Racing in Final Half of Edmonton Doubleheader 27.07.08

It was a bittersweet day for Walker Racing drivers, Kevin Lacroix (#25 Uni-Select/Deans Knight Capital Management Ltd.), Leo Mansell (#15 Sunseeker), and Greg Mansell (#5 Sunseeker). The second half of the Atlantic Championship doubleheader in...

Skerlong Second, Muniz Charges for Strong Recovery, Dominguez Loses a Wheel 27.07.08

Rexall Edmonton Indy Carl Skerlong earned his third podium of the season today in the second of two Atlantic races this weekend in Edmonton. He also set the fastest lap of the race, recording a 1.06.020 lap. Muniz recovered from a first-lap...

Skerlong Scores first Atlantic Pole in Edmonton 26.07.08

Rexall Edmonton Indy MARIO DOMINGUEZ, #96 Visit Mexico City/PCM/Honda/Dallara/Firestone Qualifying 20th 1:03.359 112.500 Mario on Qualifying: "I am very disappointed with my qualifying result today. We had a pretty good car. My engineers...

Walker Racing Atlantics Completes Qualifying for Race No.1 in Edmonton 25.07.08

Walker Racing proved they were ready to put Mont-Tremblant, Quebec, Canada behind them and go racing this weekend in Edmonton. All three drivers, Canadian Kevin Lacroix, Greg and Leo Mansell, sons of former Formula One World Champion and IndyCar...

James Hinchcliffe and Tirerack.com take second Atlantic pole of season 25.07.08

Going into the fourth and fifth rounds of the 2008 Cooper Tire Presents the Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda this weekend at the Rexall Edmonton Indy, Canadian Driver James Hinchcliffe (No. 3 Tire Rack - Forsythe/Pettit Racing) has already...

Skerlong third, Frankie Turns in his qualifying result and Dominguez runs in the middle at Edmonton 25.07.08

Rexall Edmonton Indy MARIO DOMINGUEZ, #96 Visit Mexico City/PCM/Honda/Dallara/Firestone Practice 1 14 1:04.110 110.791 26 Practice 2 16 163.586 111.703 26 Mario on Qualifying: "It feels great to be back in Edmonton and on a track I...

A Lap of Rexall Speedway with America’s Top-Ranked Atlantic Driver, Carl Skerlong 21.07.08

Carl Skerlong’s need for speed started as a youngster, a two-year old on skis. By the age of seven he was racing for his local mountain, the Stevens Pass Club just outside of Seattle. A specialist in Slalom and Giant Slalom, the four-time...

Atlantic Points Leader Junior Strous Chases Thieves Through Dutch Hometown 19.07.08

While most of his fellow competitors in the 2008 Cooper Tires Presents The Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda have been spending the time between last month’s race at Mont-Tremblant and next weekend’s doubleheader at the Rexall Edmonton Indy...

Walker Racing Launches New and Improved Website 19.07.08

Walker Racing announced today the launch of their new website, www.walkerracing.com, which is now available to fans, media and potential business partners. The new site will feature an array of fresh elements, including regularly updated...

PCM to be featured on tonight’s episode of "Modern Marvels" 10.07.08

Pacific Coast Motorsports will be featured on tonight’s episode of The History Channel’s hit show "Modern Marvels" tonight at 9:00 pm ET. The episode, titled "Crashes" takes an in-depth look at the safety innovations in Open-Wheel racing. Filmed...

Walker Racing Withdraws the #5 entry of Greg Mansell in Mont Tremblant 01.07.08

Mont Tremblant, Quebec, Canada (June 29, 2008)- This weekend was the first visit to the Mont Tremblant circuit for Brit, Greg Mansell (#5 Sunseeker). The 20 year old qualified 11th for today’s Sommet des Legends Mont Tremblant , the third event...

Muniz, Skerlong Ready for Action at Mont Tremblant... 26.06.08

... Dominguez will Return to IndyCar Competition at Watkins Glen Event: Sommet Des Legendes Round: 2 of the 2008 Cooper Tires Presents the Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda Where: Circuit Mont Tremblant, St. Jovite, Quebec, Canada...

[:: previous ] [ next ::]