Atlantic Series Championships Suspend Operations

Bob Baldwin jr · Joined: 21 Sep 2006 Posts: 3579

Just announced by the IRL that the Atlantic Series Championships will be suspended this year.Several Karters have used this as a Stepping stone to go on to bigger and better racing venues .
I should have started a poll ,But the question is : ARE there too many feeder series for those who desire to move onward and upward?
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Chris Livengood · Posted: Thu Mar 04, 2010 8:58 am Post subject:

Yes, and many of them focus squarely on the wrong things. The series that attempt to be marketable are also the ones that trade marketability for track time. Track time for the buck should be looked at. This is why I am a firm believer that the USF2000 Championship WON'T succeed over the F2000 Championship Series.
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Chuck Skowron · Joined: 19 Jul 2001 Posts: 1152

Given its state in the last couple of years, this may seem pretty insignificant.

But history-wise, this is a very significant loss.

This Formula Atlantic championship, in all its different guises throughout the years, was the longest, continuous-running, class of professional formula racing in North America. It had its roots stretched all the way back to 1973 I believe, in Canada.

That makes it older than both the IRL and the former CART/Champ Car series, and practically every other professional formula car "ladder" series that has come and gone over the years.

Admittedly, the Atlantic series sort of died a spiritual death in 1998, when the organizers decided to go to a complete spec-car format. Ironically enough, not only the was the new Swift 008 slower than the existing Ralt RT-41 at the time, it was also more expensive too; which asks the question: What was the point then?

It got worse the following year, when CART took over from the SCCA as the sanctioning body of the Pro Atlantic series. And in a perfect example why CART/ChampCar no longer exists today, they took away one of the great unique features that differentiated Atlantics from the rest of the open-wheel series, they took away the standing starts!

The Atlantic series was for a long time a nice mixture of pro, career-minded drivers looking to move up the ranks in open wheel, and amateur racers from the SCCA or other club racing venues. Fields of up to 40 cars in one event were not uncommon during those years. But that mix started to vanish eventually into a "ladder series" only, as it further got disassociated with the club-racing arena. And while Atlantics were always expensive, the costs of competing started to hit ridiculous levels, over a million dollars by some top teams.

The fields shrunk, then briefly expanded during a small renaissance when the new Swift 016 Mazda was introduced; but then it descended into obscurity again.

I'm sure there are a few on this forum who raced the Pro (and club) Atlantic series at one time. I believe Steve O'Hara mentioned he raced a DB4 in Pro Atlantic. And of course, there are drivers like Michael Valiante who raced (and won) in the Atlantic series as well, along with many others.

And to answer the other question: Yes, there are way too many feeder series, and it's been that way for many, many, many years. And it's just as bad, if not worse, in Europe too.
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John Denman · Posted: Thu Mar 04, 2010 5:42 pm Post subject:

Steve O'Hara · Posted: Thu Mar 04, 2010 11:17 pm Post subject:

Bad economy, bad luck in being part of the "CART" side of the Indy car wars, bad new car, real bad new engine deal, small fields, huge budgets.... all adds up to this result. Such a shame to see a form of racing with such a great history fade away.
Here is a pic from the glory days when the fields were huge and the budgets weren't.
Formula Mazda is a much better program these days
Steve O'Hara

Chuck Skowron · Joined: 19 Jul 2001 Posts: 1152

One picture says a thousand words. With the names listed, that must be 1991, glory days indeed. Thank-you Steve.
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Brian Mead · Posted: Fri Mar 05, 2010 8:51 pm Post subject:

That right there is your basic "full field". Steve, how'd you do?

Steve O'Hara · Posted: Fri Mar 05, 2010 9:51 pm Post subject:

Finished 2nd that day, Jimmy 1st, Chris Smith (son of Carroll Smith) 3d, Series champ Jovy Marcelo 4th.

Had a good shot at Jimmy that day until brake problems slowed the attack.

There were a lot of other big names in that field... pretty sure Steve Shelton and Calvin Fish were in there. Former karter Mike Berg, Sports 2000 champ Bob Lesnett, maybe even Bryan Herta... can't remember if he had a ride that weekend or was just hanging around passing out resumes Smile

You can't see the whole grid... some of the cars had to start around the last corner.
Steve O'Hara

rob ferstl · Posted: Sat Mar 06, 2010 7:55 pm Post subject:

Steve, did you race back when it was ECAR/WCAR? I crewed for Scott Goodyear in 1986.

Steve O'Hara · Posted: Sat Mar 06, 2010 8:18 pm Post subject:

Rob,

My first Atlantic race was the season ending two race event at Laguna Seca in October 1990 which was the first year of the all Toyota powered nationwide pro series. The field was huge that year as well and Mark Dismore took both races and the season title. I drove the car that Mark ran for most of the year and finished 6th in my first try on Saturday and 4th on Sunday.... missed the podium by about 18 inches.
Steve O'Hara

rob ferstl · Posted: Sun Mar 07, 2010 6:47 am Post subject:

My dad raced the Toyota Championship in the mid 90's. He was involved in a big crash in 95 in Miami. ****** Giaffone ignoring waving yellows!!!!

Steve O'Hara · Posted: Sun Mar 07, 2010 9:05 pm Post subject:

Rob,

I ran Miami in 1992 and finished 2nd to Russell Spence in the factory Reynard effort by .6 sec...... needed another 100 yards to win it.
The Miami street course was the worst circuit I raced on in the series... very bumpy and just a generally crappy layout.
I don't know if the course was the same in 1995.
Too bad about the wreck.... hope your Pop was not injured.
Steve O'Hara

rob ferstl · Posted: Mon Mar 08, 2010 5:36 am Post subject:

He was hurt real bad. He spun and was in the middle of the track. ****** Brazilian ignored the yellow flag and t-boned him at 120 mph. Broke his hip , 4 ribs , punctured lung and a concussion.
It was a bad wreck.

Ted Hamilton · Posted: Mon Mar 08, 2010 7:17 am Post subject:

Steve --
Do you know what became of Dismore's car after you had it? When I was part of the Formula SAE program at Pitt, my local pastor was advisor to the team and took us to see Dismore's car, then owned by an Upholsterer in Pittsburgh, Chianelli's, I think. It was in blue and white livery IIRC, and still running condition. That would've been 1997.

(That pastor, Randy Harrison, is brother to Dismore's current engine builder, Mark, @ Comet, btw. He was the first "faster pastor" I knew, and I've stolen that title now...)

Do you think the current SCCA Spec Formula will supplant Atlantics or another series like Mazda?
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Dan Schlosser · Posted: Mon Mar 08, 2010 4:24 pm Post subject:

Chianelli's owned a number of cars over the years. Frank (the son) started in karts and worked his way up the open wheel ladder. He even entered a CART race at Pocono but I don't believe he qualified.

He actually ended up moving over to winged sprint cars and late models and was pretty succesful in the PA/Ohio circuit which was about as serious as you could get in winged sprints.

We went to the Indy 500 with a big group from Pittsburgh and their family was part of the group for many years. The Chianellis brought their kart operation to our hotel one year and ran around in the parking lot with a little show. We stayed at the Travellodge on West Washington back when Dick Simon was sponsored by the hotel chain and he came out as well. That was probably my first exposure to karting - mid-seventies probably??

I haven't seen them for many years but Frank passed away a few years back. He was pretty young - mid 40's.