Jeff Bucknum, in his second year of Star Formula Mazda competition and second season with World Speed Motorsports Formula Mazda team, is preparing for his first taste of Road Atlanta’s famed 12-turn, 2.54-mile road course this weekend. The Star Formula Mazda Pro Series Speedvision Challenge race is part of the American Le Mans Series Grand Prix of Road Atlanta presented by Lease Plan USA.
Its a new track for me, but I think it is the kind of track that works for my style of driving, said Bucknum, who drives the #14 WSM/Red Line Oil entry. I think we will do very well as long as we can get a good balance on the car for the whole race. We proved a couple of weekends ago that we can run up front, now we just need to reinforce our position as a force to be reckoned with for this years championship.
Bucknum, who captured one win and two poles en route to third overall in last years Star championship, led the World Speed Motorsports team to a second-place finish in the season-opening Star Formula Mazda Pro Series Speedvision Challenge race at Sebring International Raceway last month. After qualifying on pole with a new Formula Mazda track record, he was never seriously challenged for the second-place spot and set a comfortable pace behind eventual race winner Joey Hand.
We came up just a little short at Sebring, said Bucknum. We learned that its not going to be an easy year, but were pretty confident well have the speed for the duration of the race at Road Atlanta.
World Speed Star Mazda rookies Grant Ryley and Pierre Ehret also had strong 1999 season debuts at Sebring. Ryley, of Saratoga, California, started in the fifth spot, quickly moved into fourth, then fell victim to an on-track skirmish while challenging for third place that ended his day. Ehret (who won last years Pacific Coast Road Racing Championships at Sears Point International Raceway) also moved forward in his first Sebring race to finish 11th after starting 15th.
World Speed Motorsports dominance of the Formula Mazda series includes six championship and five pro series Rookie-of-the-Year titles since 1991. Most recently, the team captured five wins (Mike Miller 4, Bucknum 1) and two poles (Bucknum) en route to second (Miller) and third (Bucknum) in the 1998 Star Formula Mazda Pro Series championship.
Joining Bucknum, Ryley and Ehret in the World Speed Motorsports Star Mazda stable are returning veterans Bryan Willman, Frank McCormick, Ginni Swanton and Debbie Girdler.
World Speed Motorsports is pulling double duty this weekend with the teams professional Kool/Toyota Atlantic program making its 1999 season debut at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach with series standout Nicolas Rondet behind the wheel. Further information, including Long Beach event photos, will be available throughout the weekend.