After setting the fastest time at the recent CART Toyota Atlantic test session at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course earlier this week, World Speed Motorsports’ Grant Ryley is seeking another trip to the podium in this weekend’s fifth round of the 2001 CART Toyota Atlantic season at Cleveland’s Burke Lakefront Airport racetrack. Joining Ryley for his first CART Toyota Atlantic start is World Speed veteran and Pro Mazda Series standout Mike Miller.
“We’re pretty pumped-up after our Mid-Ohio test,” said Ryley, who drives the #14 Northwest Speedwerx/ Cupertino Electric/Velocity Ventures/Del Monaco Specialty Foods Swift. “This will be my first run at Cleveland, but it seems like the type of track that I thrive on. There’s a lot of transitions between concrete and asphalt, which is pretty similar to the surface at Mid-Ohio. We’ve been working on our set-up over the bumps so I think we’ll have the right package for Cleveland. It’s also great to be racing with Mike Miller again. It’s going to be a lot of fun and I’m certain that we’ll have a great weekend.”
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.
“Naturally, I want to do well this weekend,” said Miller, who will drive the #15 World Speed Motorsports/Traver Enterprises/Ironclad Gloves/Red Line Oil/XYZ Clothing Swift. “The goal is to get this race under my belt and to do as well as I can. I haven’t driven an Atlantic car much, so it’s great to have someone with as much experience as Chuck West (team owner) to guide me along. It should also be fun to race with Grant. We go out and bang wheels on the kart track all the time, but we’ve told each other that we’ll keep it clean this weekend. I have a lot to learn in Cleveland and I’m glad that I have Chuck, Grant and the World Speed crew on my side.”
Ryley, who is coming off of his first career Atlantic pole and podium at Milwaukee, currently is eighth overall in the 2001 Atlantic points standings and third 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.
This weekend’s Atlantic race is the featured support event for Sunday’s CART FedEx Championship race. The Atlantic schedule begins with a 40-minute practice session at 2:00 pm (EDT), followed by a 30-minute qualifying session at 5:45 on Friday, June 29. The 32-lap, 67.39-mile race is scheduled to begin at 10:15 am (EDT) on Sunday, July 1, and will be televised via espn2 and ESPN International.
Further information is available on the team’s web site at www.worldspeed.com as well as the official Atlantic series site at www.toyotaatlantic.com.