2009 Atlantic Championship

The 2009 IMSA Cooper Tires Atlantic Championship season was the thirty-sixth Atlantic Championship season. It was the first full season of the Championship under the sanctioning of the International Motor Sports Association. After a three-way title battle into the final round at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, John Edwards became the series' youngest champion, beating Jonathan Summerton on a tie-breaker, after both drivers finished on 182 points. They also finished tied on four victories, but Edwards broke the tie with four second-place finishes compared to Summerton's three.

2009 Atlantic Championship season
Cooper Tires Presents the Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda
Season
Races12
Start dateMarch 20
End dateOctober 11
Awards
Drivers' championUnited States John Edwards
← 2008
2010 (AC)
2010 (IL) →

Schedule

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Round Race name Circuit City/Location Race date
1   Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring[1] Sebring International Raceway Sebring, Florida March 20
2   Larry H. Miller Dealerships Utah Grand Prix[2] Miller Motorsports Park Tooele, Utah May 17
3   Mazda Formula X – Race 1[1] New Jersey Motorsports Park Millville, New Jersey June 13
4   Mazda Formula X – Race 2[1] June 14
5   Northeast Grand Prix Lime Rock Park Lakeville, Connecticut July 18
6   Autobahn Grand Prix – Race 1[1] Autobahn Country Club Joliet, Illinois July 25
7   Autobahn Grand Prix – Race 2[1] July 26
8   Acura Sports Car Challenge of Mid-Ohio Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course Lexington, Ohio August 8
9   Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières[3] Circuit Trois-Rivières Trois-Rivières, Quebec August 16
10   Grand Prix of Mosport[1] Mosport International Raceway Bowmanville, Ontario August 30
11   Petit Le Mans[1] Road Atlanta Braselton, Georgia September 26
12   Monterey Sports Car Championships[4] Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca Monterey, California October 11

Seven rounds are held jointly with the American Le Mans Series: Sebring, Miller, Lime Rock, Mid-Ohio, Mosport, Road Atlanta and Laguna Seca.

The series planned to open its season on a road course on Hutchinson Island in Savannah, Georgia, on March 15. The race was postponed until 2010, as further work on the track was required before it could be homologated for professional open wheel racing. A second race at New Jersey Motorsports Park and Autobahn Country Club were added instead.[5]

Drivers and teams

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The following teams and drivers competed in the 2009 Atlantic Championship. All teams are using the Swift 016.a chassis powered by a Mazda-Cosworth MZR 2.3-litre inline-4 engine and Cooper tires. C2 Class teams use the Swift 014.a chassis.

Team No Drivers Rounds Sponsor
  Newman Wachs Racing 1   Markus Niemelä 1–4 Mr. Jones / Nuclear Clean Air Energy / Entergy
34   Jonathan Summerton 5–12
36   John Edwards All MAZDASPEED / Nuclear Clean Air Energy / Entergy
  Jensen MotorSport 1   Markus Niemela 6–12
2   Matt Lee 1
  James Winslow 2
  David Garza 3–4
  Barrett Mertins 12
3   Michael Nacol 1–7
  Eric Jensen 9–10
13 7
  Condor Motorsports 6   Borja García 1–10 CJ Consulting
  Frédéric Vervisch 12
7   Max Lefèvre All DOTMOBiL
  Conquest Racing 12   James Winslow 1
  Matt Lee 5
21   Harald Schlegelmilch 1
  Genoa Racing 17   Frédéric Vervisch All Quartier / Isomo / Shinokki
18   Tõnis Kasemets 2
  Robert Wickens 10
  Greg Mansell 11
  James Winslow 3–4, 9–10
19 5–7, 11
  Jonathan Summerton 1–4
  Mathiasen Motorsports 26   Jonathan Bomarito 1
  Polestar Motor Racing 35   Tõnis Kasemets 1, 3–12
66   Richard Zober 3–5
  Paladin Motorsports 45   James Winslow 12
  Team Stargate Worlds 77   Frankie Muniz 1-9 Stargate Worlds
  Jonathan Bomarito 11–12
78   Simona de Silvestro All
C2 Class
  Swan Racing 29   Ahsen Yelkin 1 Everclear Specialty Lubricants
68   Chris Lee 1 Everclear Specialty Lubricants
71   Michael Mällinen 1–4, 8 Mallinen Properties
75   Sadat Yelkin 1 Everclear Specialty Lubricants
80   Hans Peter 8
88   Mirl Swan 1, 8 Everclear Specialty Lubricants

Race results

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Round Race Name Pole Position Fastest Lap Most Laps Led Winning Driver Winning Team
1   Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring[1]   Jonathan Summerton   John Edwards   John Edwards   John Edwards   Newman Wachs Racing
2   Larry H. Miller Dealerships Utah Grand Prix[2]   Simona de Silvestro   Simona de Silvestro   Simona de Silvestro   Simona de Silvestro   Team Stargate Worlds
3   Mazda Formula X – Race 1[1]   Jonathan Summerton   Jonathan Summerton   Jonathan Summerton   Jonathan Summerton   Genoa Racing
4   Mazda Formula X – Race 2[1]   Simona de Silvestro   Markus Niemelä   Simona de Silvestro   Simona de Silvestro   Team Stargate Worlds
5   Northeast Grand Prix   Simona de Silvestro   John Edwards   Simona de Silvestro   Simona de Silvestro   Team Stargate Worlds
6   Autobahn Grand Prix – Race 1[1]   John Edwards   Jonathan Summerton   John Edwards   John Edwards   Newman Wachs Racing
7   Autobahn Grand Prix – Race 2[1]   John Edwards   John Edwards   John Edwards   John Edwards   Newman Wachs Racing
8   Acura Sports Car Challenge of Mid-Ohio[6]   Jonathan Summerton   Jonathan Summerton   Jonathan Summerton   Jonathan Summerton   Newman Wachs Racing
9   Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières[3]   Simona de Silvestro   Jonathan Summerton   Simona de Silvestro   Simona de Silvestro   Team Stargate Worlds
10   Grand Prix of Mosport[1]   Jonathan Summerton   John Edwards   Jonathan Summerton   Jonathan Summerton   Newman Wachs Racing
11   Petit Le Mans[1]   Jonathan Summerton   Jonathan Summerton   Jonathan Summerton   Jonathan Summerton   Newman Wachs Racing
12   Monterey Sports Car Championships[4]   John Edwards   Jonathan Summerton   John Edwards   John Edwards   Newman Wachs Racing

Championship Standings

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The point system was modified from previous years for the 2009 season.[7] Points are awarded as follows:

Pos 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
Points 20 16 14 12 10 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
  • Bonus points will also be awarded for the fastest driver in a qualifying session (10 races will have two sessions), and most places gained during the race.
  • This means the maximum a driver can score is 21, as a driver cannot earn the most places gained point, if they've started from pole.
  • Only the driver's best eleven scores will count towards the championship.

Atlantic Class

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Pos Driver SEB
 
MIL
 
NJ1
 
NJ2
 
LRP
 
ACC1
 
ACC2
 
MID
 
CTR
 
MOS
 
ATL
 
LAG
 
Points
1   John Edwards 1 2 5 6 2 1 1 9 2 2 3 1 182
2   Jonathan Summerton 3 6 1 2 4 2 11 1 3 1 1 2 182
3   Simona de Silvestro 5 1 2 1 1 3 2 2 1 10 2 10 176
4   Frédéric Vervisch 2 3 7 3 6 4 4 5 9 3 6 3 131
5   Tõnis Kasemets 7 5 6 7 5 5 3 10 4 6 9 4 103
6   Markus Niemelä 12 9 4 4 9 10 6 4 5 5 5 5 98
7   Borja García 6 DSQ 3 5 3 6 5 3 11 7 88
8   James Winslow 8 8 9 9 7 8 9 6 7 7 7 72
9   Frankie Muniz 10 4 8 8 10 7 7 8 6 62
10   Max Lefèvre DNS 7 11 11 8 9 8 7 10 8 8 9 58
11   Jonathan Bomarito 13 4 8 19
12   Eric Jensen 10 8 9 16
13   Harald Schlegelmilch 4 12
14   Robert Wickens 4 12
15   Michael Nacol 11 10 13 13 12 DNS DNS 11
16   Barrett Mertins 6 8
17   David Garza 10 10 8
18   Richard Zober 12 12 11 7
19   Matt Lee 9 13 6
20   Greg Mansell 10 4
Pos Driver SEB
 
MIL
 
NJ1
 
NJ2
 
LRP
 
ACC1
 
ACC2
 
MID
 
CTR
 
MOS
 
ATL
 
LAG
 
Points
Color Result
Gold Winner
Silver 2nd place
Bronze 3rd place
Green 4th & 5th place
Light Blue 6th–10th place
Dark Blue 11th place or lower
Purple Did not finish
Red Did not qualify (DNQ)
Brown Withdrawn (Wth)
Black Disqualified (DSQ)
White Did not start (DNS)
Blank Did not participate (DNP)
Driver replacement (Rpl)
Injured (Inj)
No race held (NH)

C2 Class

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Pos Driver SEB
 
MIL
 
NJ1
 
NJ2
 
LRP
 
ACC1
 
ACC2
 
MID
 
CTR
 
MOS
 
ATL
 
LAG
 
Points
1   Michael Mällinen 5 1 1 1 1 93
2   Mirl Swan 1 DNQ 21
3   Hans Peter 2 17
4   Sadat Yelkin 2 16
5   Ahsen Yelkin 3 14
6   Chris Lee 4 12
Pos Driver SEB
 
MIL
 
NJ1
 
NJ2
 
LRP
 
ACC1
 
ACC2
 
MID
 
CTR
 
MOS
 
ATL
 
LAG
 
Points
  • Polesitters are denoted in bold. Polesitters are determined by the fastest overall lap in qualifying, and one point is awarded at each round.
  • Driver in italics has gained the most places in a round. One point is awarded at each round.

Notes

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  • At round one, no hard charger point was awarded in the C2 Class as no drivers changed positions over the 19-lap duration.[8] This also occurred at rounds two, three and four, but on these occasions due to only one car taking part.

Television and other video

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For the 2009 season, a new Atlantic Championship high-definition television package was announced on HDNet, which features live coverage of certain events, and replays of others.[9]

Web video of events has also historically been available on the series website, and the series also has its own official YouTube channel under the username "AtlanticRacingSeries."

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Atlantic Championship Schedule Features New Look in 2009". 2008-11-06. Archived from the original on 13 November 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
  2. ^ a b "Miller Motorsports Park Announces 2009 Racing Schedule". millermotorsportspark.com. 2008-10-29. Retrieved 2008-10-31.[permanent dead link]
  3. ^ a b "Star Mazda Announces 2009 Schedule" (PDF). starmazda.com. 2008-10-03. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-11-30. Retrieved 2008-10-05.
  4. ^ a b "Atlantic Series has new owner". montereyherald.com. 2008-11-05. Archived from the original on 2012-02-13. Retrieved 2008-11-05.
  5. ^ "Atlantic: Team Owners Meeting Details Revealed". 3 February 2009. Archived from the original on 8 February 2009. Retrieved 3 February 2009.
  6. ^ "Atlantic Championship 2009 Racing Schedule". atlantic-championship.com. 2008-07-29. Archived from the original on 2009-07-27. Retrieved 2008-07-29.
  7. ^ "2009 Atlantic Championship Points Structure Reconfigured" (PDF). 2009-02-11. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-12-04. Retrieved 2009-03-20.
  8. ^ Nate Siebens (2009-03-20). "2009 Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda, Round 1 – Sebring International Raceway Driver Performance Chart" (PDF). International Motor Sports Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-04-19. Retrieved 2009-03-21.
  9. ^ "Title Unknown". Archived from the original on 2011-05-26. Retrieved 2009-06-07.