PPG-Dayton Indy Lights News and Notes
28 December 1997
Detroit, MI. -- With key personnel in place and two test days already under its belt, Team Rahal's inaugural PPG-Dayton Indy Lights Championship effort is two weeks old with two weeks left in 1997.The CART FedEx Championship Series-veteran team, which recently announced plans in September to field a single Indy Lights entry in 1998 for sponsor Textron Automotive Company and driver Mike Borkowski, had its green and white Lola T97/20 out for its first official laps this week at the two-mile Roebling Road Raceway neat Savannah, Georgia.
With Borkowski at the wheel, the team logged less than 100 miles over the intial two track days, uniting team, driver and car for the first time in a test designed more to familiarize than to facilitate fast laps.
"It was a pretty typical shake-down test," Borkowski said. "We had the standard comfort and convenience issues to address, and we familiarize ourselves with the various systems and controls. We didn't really run any timed laps, but we ran enough to know what we've got, where we are and where we need to go."
"Even after a season of Trans-Am, I felt right at home with the feel of a formula car," the 1997 SCCA Trans-Am series Rookie of the Year added. "I have to say, it was nice to see my wheels again."
The test was the first on-track interaction among Borkowski, race engineer Andy Borme and chief mechanic Rand Lampard. Borme and Lampard, both former members of the three-time Indy Lights championship-winning Tasman Motorsports Group, joined Team Rahal in November and helped lead Borkowski through his first few days back in the cockpit of a Lights machine.
"We're very pleased with the group we've assembled to staff this program," said long-time Team Rahal crewman and Indy Lights Team Manager Bill van de Sandt. "Andy and Rand know what it takes to win in this series, and we think Mike has the skills it takes to make the most of that experience."
A Cornell University graduate, Borkowski has a solid racing resume that includes Indy Lights experience. A double race winner and Trans-Am's top rookie this past season, he was recently named to the American Auto Racing Writers and Broadcasters Association (AARWBA) All-American Team. A former champion of both the SCCA's Pro-Formula 2000 and Pro Sports 2000 series, he scored five top-ten finishes in a limited six-race Indy Lights schedule in 1995. A Valvoline Team USA Scholarship winner and former SCCA North Atlantic Road Racing champion, Borkowski began racing quarter midgets at age eight.
Borme engineered Indy Lights championship runner-up Helio Castro-Neves to three wins and four pole positions in 1997. His racing background also includes Indy carand sports car experience.
An award-winning Indy Lights fabricator, Lampard spent the last three seasons as a mechanic on one of Tasman's two CART entries. He was part of 19 race wins and two championships during a two-year stint as a mechanic on the team's Indy Lights crew in 1993 and 1994.
"I'm pleased with the progress we've made in such a short time and with the effort and dedication I've seen from our young team," said Team Rahal team owner Bobby Rahal. "I think we're going to provide our friends at Textron with a strong inaugural effort in this series, and that will be no small task given the competition we've seen in the Lights ranks in recent years."
Textron Automotive's 1998 Indy Lights sponsorship is the second-year effort in a unique three-year partnership between Textron Automotive and Team Rahal that includes the involvement and support of Ford Motor Company. Through the program, the partners identify and provide competitive opportunities for young American drivers in one of the nation's top racing series.
Textron Automotive Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Textron Inc., is a leading, worldwide manufacturer of automotive interior, exterior and functional components with annual sales in excess of $2 billion. Textron headquarters in Troy, Michigan, is located near the home of Indy Lights operating organization, the American Racing Series (ARS). Additionally, Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) is also located in Troy, just a few miles away from bot Textron and ARS.
Brand New Baby Lolas:
In addition to Team Rahal's new Lola, Mattco Raceworks recently took delivery of two new Indy Lights which means a total of 41 T97/20 race cars have now been produced.
"With the three Lolas just delivered and the initial production run from last year, we should be set with an adequate supply of race cars for the near future," said Indy Lights President and Chief Operating Officer Roger Bailey, who recently visited Lola headquarters in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, England. "Lola has made it very clear that they can build more race cars when we need them, but the number in circulation at the moment gives us a good balance of race cars when you consider the series' engine lease program and our desired number of starters per race. We fully expect to see entries of up to 30 race cars as some events in 1998."
Indy Lights competitors own the indentical Lola chassis, but rent engines from the series through a unique leasing program. The 425 horsepower, V-6 engines, which are sealed to prevent competitor modification are prepared on a year-round basis by former drag racing star "Ohio" George Montgomery who runs George's Speed Shop in Dayton, Ohio with his son Gregg Montgomery. They have been builders for the series since its inception in 1986.
More Lola News:
Lola is also placing the finishing touches on another T97/20 that will debut at the Autosport International/Racing Car Show at the NEC Birmingham in England in early January. The racecar will be featured at the Indy Lights display in the Constructors Pavillion along with other series and Lola information. Show dates are January 8 - 11.
"We were pleased to invite Lola to join us at the Autosport International show," Bailey said. "The annual Autosport event is the first major international gathering of the motorsports community each year, and we at Indy Lights are always pleased to be a part of it."
The Autosport show will mark Bailey's second trip to England un under a month's time. He also attended the Autosport Awards in London in early December as a guest of the magazine's publisher.
Mattco Raceworks News:
New Indy Lights competitors Mattco Raceworks will house its new Lolas in a newly renovated race shop in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.
Over the last few months, Mattco headquarters has undergone an extensive remodeling and expansion project, quadrupling the shop's size. Rookie team driver Tony Renna has relocated to nearby Manhattan from his hometown of DeLand, Florida, in order to be part of the day-to-day operation of the team.
"This (move to Indy Lights) is a huge opportunity for me and I think the best way to make the most of it is to be around every day," says Renna, who celebrated his 21st birthday on November 23rd. "The cars are brand new and as the mechanics are putting them together, it's a good chance for me to see how everything works, become familiar with all the various components. I think the driver with a good working knowledge of his car has a better feel for the car out on the track, and it definitely helps in communicating with the team about what's going on with the car."
The team plans to test several times prior to the start of the 1998 season, with the first test tentatively set for late January with Renna and a second driver. Mattco Raceworks is in final negotiations with another driver, and team owner Matthew Cohen expects to make an announcement in the near future.
The Tasman Rain Test:
Reigning Indy Lights champions Tasman Motorsports Group completed a three-day test at Sebring International Raceway in Sebring, Florida this past weekend. The session was hampered by heavy rain, restricting the number of miles the team had hoped to run with new 1998 drivers Cristiano da Matta and Airton Dare.
"Even with the rain, we were able to do about 200 miles of testing with Cristiano and Airton," said team manager Steve Dickson. "It was a very work-oriented test, and we were trying a number of things looking for more performance from the cars. Once again, it was another good test."
