Kraig Johanssen is a native of Connecticut and holds a degree in Software Engineering. He now works at a software development firm in Alabama. His love for writing and great interest on cars makes him a proficient contributing author to various automotive magazines.
Aside from good sales of automotive Mazda parts, the car company had multiple professional series this past weekend at the Grand Prix of Cleveland.
At Cleveland Car Course, 4 series were held: Cooper Tires presented The Champ Car Atlantic Championship powered by Mazda; Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear; BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National Presented by Mazda; and the SCCA Pro Racing SIRIUS Satellite Radio Mazda MX-5 Cup.
Champ Car Atlantic Championship Series points-leader Raphael Matos expanded his championship lead by earning the provisional and final pole positions and a flag-to-flag win. From the standing start into Turn 1, Matos led the field and was never headed. With four wins in 2007, he now surpassed his Sierra Sierra teammate James Hinchcliffe by 30 points.
Round 7 of the series will be at Mont Tremblant (Canada) on July 1.
In the Star Mazda Championship, Jonathan Goring of Norfolk, Conn. bagged his first series win. The 2006 Skip Barber National Series champion, he qualified on the outside of the front row and struggled for most of the 45-minute race with pole-sitter leader Dane Cameron of Sonoma, Calif.
Round 7 will be at Toronto (Canada) on July. A drive in the 2008 Champ Car Atlantic Series will be awarded to the 2007 Star Mazda Champion.
Meanwhile, the two winners in the previous race weekend of the BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National series did it again. Josef Newgarden of Henderson, Tenn. took starting positions for both Cleveland races, converting the first pole into a victory. And for his second win of the year, another VIR winner, Joel Miller of Hesperia, Calif. took the lead in the second race. Miller is now leading the points-championship.
In this series was the debut of 13-year-old Colombian Gabby Chaves who qualified third and made a great start to lead the first lap before being passed by Newgarden, and finished where he began.
Rounds 7 and 8 will be at Road America on August 2-5. A drive in the 2008 Star Mazda Championship Series will be awarded to the 2007 Skip Barber National Champion.
The Friday race of the SCCA Pro Racing SIRIUS Satellite Radio Mazda MX-5 Cup is an impressively successful event as the record books held eight official lead changes at the start-finish line, but overlook the dozens of passes and repasses around the track. Scoring a come-from-behind win after being bumped-off at turn one on the opening lap was Cleveland-area native Jason Saini. Ara Malkhassian and Andrew Caddell were following him across the line. Saini again earned the same success in the second race after another great battle that saw four different leaders (Saini, Caddell, Matt Cross, & Elivan Goulart) and two lead changes on the final lap. Both races were green flag all the way.
Round 7 will be at Trois-Rivieres (Canada) on August 18 to 19. A drive in a MAZDA6 for the 2008 SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge Touring Car Championship will be awarded to the 2007 SCCA Pro Racing SIRIUS Satellite Radio MX-5 Cup Champion.
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