World Speed Motorsports drivers Pete Mercier and Akihiro Asai look forward to a challenging race on the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Quebec this weekend for round five of the 12-race CART Toyota Atlantic Championship series, part of the FIA Formula One Canadian Grand Prix.
“We’re feeling confident about having a great weekend in Montreal,” said team owner Chuck West. “Both Pete and Aki have tested extensively on road courses and Montreal should suit both of their driving styles pretty well. As a former Atlantic driver, I know that there is no other race like Montreal. The track is phenomenal and the fans are among the best in motorsports. We always look forward to racing in Montreal, and now we have two great contenders in Pete and Aki.”
Mercier, driver of the #14 World Speed – Northwest SpeedWerx/Walker Racing Swift 008.a, discovered the unforgiving nature of oval racing a couple of weeks ago in Milwaukee after he spun into the turn four wall while battling for position. He is hoping to turn his luck around with a solid performance this week in Montreal.
“If there’s one race I’ve really been looking forward to, it’s Montreal,” said Mercier. “Not only is this race so rich in racing history, but we also race in front of the Formula One crowd and Canadian fans. What could be better? I think the track will suit my style and I’d like to make up for what happened in Milwaukee.”
Asai, a native of Tokyo, Japan, and the newest addition to the World Speed Toyota Atlantic team, driving the #15 World Speed – Pro Staff/Walker Racing Swift 008.a feels right at home on road courses. “I’ve never raced in Montreal before, so it will be a challenge. I’ll have to adapt quickly, but I’m more of a road course driver so we’ll see what happens,” said Asai, who will be competing in just his second Atlantic race this weekend. He ran his first Atlantic race just two weeks ago in Milwaukee, where he finished 15th.
Both World Speed rookies, Mercier and Asai have joined the World Speed Motorsports team under the Walker Racing affiliation in which Team Owner of World Speed Chuck West and Derrick Walker, owner of Walker Racing’s CART FedEx Championship and Indy Racing League teams, look for aspiring young drivers with a future in open-wheel racing. West, Walker and Rick Waddell of Northwest SpeedWerx, share the desire to provide young talent with the opportunity to advance their professional racing careers by grooming them towards the next level of competition.
Mercier, of Las Vegas, Nevada, worked his way into the driver’s seat following several years as a professional race car mechanic and engineer. His background includes crew chief responsibilities for the Russell Racing School, engineering a Star Formula Mazda team and car preparation for 1995 Toyota Atlantic Championship winner Richie Hearn. Behind the wheel, Mercier has been a winning driver in shifter karts, Skip Barber Formula Dodge and the Russell Racing and Formula Mazda series. He has served as a driving coach for Star Formula Mazda competitors and currently instructs at the Derek Daly Academy at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Mercier joins the 2000 Atlantic Championship as part of the Northwest SpeedWerx driver development program. This program was developed by Waddell, of Seattle, Washington, 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.
Asai began his career racing go-karts at age 15, when he raced in the Japanese National Kart Championship, winning at Sugo. After a few years in karts, Asai traveled to the states to attend a five-day course at the Skip Barber Formula Dodge racing school, where he became hooked on formula cars. “My first real formula car experience was at Skip Barber. It was a great feeling, the car felt so solid,” said Asai.
It was at that time that he began racing professionally. In 1994, Asai participated in the ESSO/Formula Toyota Championship where he earned top honors as the highest-ranking rookie (eighth). From there Asai competed in the Japanese Formula 3 and Formula 4 Championships, scoring the victory from the pole while making his Formula 4 racing debut. Asai continued to break records and earn victories, winning two and claiming six of 12 wins and six pole positions in the Eastern Formula 4. He was also the first driver, in the Formula 4 to win on the Motegi road course, after the track opened in 1998.
Last year, Asai completed a full season in Australia with the Formula Holden Australian series, where he finished fifth in the championship, after struggling to move up from the back of the grid in more than half of the races. Asai’s most memorable moment in Australia was at the Adelaide Street Course where he finished fourth after starting 18th on the grid while setting the fastest lap.
World Speed Motorsports is considered one of America’s most dynamic racing organizations, featuring entries in CART’s Toyota Atlantic Championship, as well as the Star Mazda Pro Series. Founded in 1991 by Chuck West, World Speed initially focused on the Formula Mazda series where West finished third overall and won the Rookie-of-the-Year title in his first season as an owner/driver. 1992 resulted in the series championship by virtue of West’s five wins, ten podiums and three track records.
Since then, World Speed has captured six Formula Mazda championship and five pro series Rookie-of-the-Year titles under West’s guidance and Doyle’s engineering expertise, featuring such drivers as Ben Massey, Pete Wise, Mike Conte, Mike Miller, Jeff Bucknum and Grant Ryley. Most recently, World Speed campaigned Rondet in 1999, capturing a podium finish at Trois-Rivieres, and averaging a top five running position at every race.
The Montreal race will be televised on espn2 and espn international, Saturday, June 24 at 2:30 pm Eastern. Round six of the 12-race CART Toyota Atlantic Championship season takes place in Cleveland, Ohio, July 2, part of the Marconi Grand Prix of Cleveland.