Adrian Carrio, the current championship points leader, was pleased to bring his #14 Rockford Fosgate World Speed Motorsports Mazda home in the final podium spot after a difficult race in Portland which saw him go off on the opening lap. “With a track as challenging as this, where a single mistake can cost you, it feels good to finish on the podium and get those points for the championship,” the seventeen-year old driver from Monument, Colorado, said. “I got a good start and was able to move to third and almost had second place before Michael got through. The World Speed Motorsports guys gave me a fast car but I couldn’t find a way around Michael and wasn’t going to make a low-percentage maneuver to try and gain the spot.”
Ace and the WSM team had qualified on the second row with a 102.388 just 0.282 away from pole time set by Ryan Justice. Matt Varsha won the race, his first in a Star Mazda event.
With four races remaining in the 2006 championship chase Carrio holds a thirteen point lead over Potekhen with 289 points to Potekhen’s 276 points. Kevin Lacroix, from St. Eustache, Quebec, sits in third place in the championship with 252 points.
In the Team Championship World Speed Motorsports, returns to the top of the charts with 148 points. The series now heads to Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, where it will join the American Le Mans Series for the Generac 500 at Road America on August 17-19. Round Eight of the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear is scheduled to air on Speed Channel at 1:00 PM Eastern Time on Sunday, August 13th.