In what will go down as one of the most exciting Atlantic races in recent memory, World Speed Motorsports rookie Mike Miller posted a top ten finish in his first ever CART Toyota Atlantic race. Teammate and season regular Grant Ryley, however, fell victim to the Cleveland Burke Lakefront Airport circuit’s notorious turn one as he was sidelined from the race on the first lap after being ran into by another competitor.
In a race that included a dry start, rain and a mandatory pit stop to change to rain tires, Miller persevered to climb from his 14th starting spot to finish 10th in a difficult race, at a difficult track for a rookie Atlantic driver.
“I think we faced every possible element this weekend,” said Miller, who drove the #15 World Speed Motorsports/Traver Enterprises/Ironclad Gloves/Red Line Oil/XYZ Clothing Swift. “It was hot and humid on Friday, cooler on Saturday and totally wet today. This was one of those weekends where you really needed an experienced crew behind you and the World Speed team came through beautifully. Not only was this my first time in an Atlantic race, it was also the first time I’ve driven one in the wet. We actually had a set-up that worked out very well for us. I just wanted to finish respectably in the race and we more than accomplished that today. My hat’s off to the team and, especially, to Chuck West for standing behind me all of these years.”
Ryley, who raced to a season-high second place finish at Milwaukee last month, was bitterly disappointed after contact through no fault of his own took him out of the race in the very first turn.
“This is one of those races where you accept the bad and just hope that the good is coming up around the corner,” said Ryley, who drives the #14 Northwest Speedwerx/ Cupertino Electric/Velocity Ventures/Del Monaco Specialty Foods Swift. “Cleveland is known for first turn accidents, so I was taking it extremely careful. I was way to the outside giving several people plenty of room. Then all of the sudden, Tony Ave drilled me in the right rear and sent me flying into the air and spinning around. It’s really a shame our race had to end this way. We found a combination that was going to be great for the race, so we were all pretty pumped up. We’ll have another chance in Toronto in two weeks.”
Miller, of Discovery Bay, California, is making his first of two Atlantic appearances for this year. Currently a Skip Barber Racing School instructor and regional Formula Dodge and RT2000 standout, Miller captured the 1997 Rookie of the Year title in the Pro Mazda Series as well as second overall in 1998 while driving for World Speed’s Pro Mazda team.
Ryley, who is coming off of his first career Atlantic pole and podium at Milwaukee, drops to 11th overall in the 2001 Atlantic points standings and to fourth in the rookie championship.
Ryley most recently captured second in the 2000 Mazda Pro Series. His Mazda pro series record includes five wins, five poles and four track records while driving for World Speed’s pro Mazda team. In 1999, Ryley finished second in the rookie championship by virtue of one win, three podiums and two poles. For 1997 and 1998, he competed in the Skip Barber Formula Dodge Western Series and continues to serve as an instructor at the Skip Barber Racing School.
Miller served as Ryley’s Formula Mazda engineer in 2000 and most recently engineered World Speed’s Scott Bradley to two victories in two races thus far in the 2001 Mazda Pro Series championship.
Northwest SpeedWerx was established to identify aspiring young drivers and assist them with the resources and promotional guidance to move their careers forward through participation in a multi-year driver development program. Focusing on CART’s ladder system, including the Toyota Atlantic Championship, the goal of Northwest SpeedWerx is to train the next generation of drivers for competition in the CART FedEx Championship.
Based in Palm Springs, California, World Speed Motorsports operates multi-car programs in CART’s Toyota Atlantic Championship, as well as the Star Formula Mazda Pro Series. Founded in 1991, World Speed has captured six Formula Mazda championship and five pro series Rookie-of-the-Year titles since its inception. Last season, World Speed captured their first Atlantic victory at Gateway International Raceway with driver Case Montgomery
ESPN2 and ESPN International will broadcast today’s Atlantic race from Cleveland on Saturday, July 7, at 4:30 p.m. ET.