Sonoma, CA (February 5, 2013) — It’s has been nine years since a Lynx-branded race car took to the track, but 2013 will see the return of the famous colors and cat-in-racing-goggles logo.
Team principals Peggy Haas and Jackie Doty, the first-ever female owners of a championship-winning, professional open-wheel racing team, announced today that they will return to racing in the Pacific Formula F1600 series with a two- car effort as part of the Lynx Driver Academy.
Past Lynx Racing drivers include Indy 500 winner Buddy Rice, top endurance such as racers Michael Valiante, Memo Gidley, Dane Cameron and Bryan Sellers, as well as Champ Car standouts Patrick Carpentier and Alex Barron. To view the history of Lynx Racing, please visit www.LynxRacing.com.
The Pacific Formula F1600 Series is a 6-weekend, 12-race series running on tracks up and down the U.S. West Coast that is designed to provide an affordable transition for drivers as young as 13 to move from karting to open-wheel racing. A ‘spec’ formula is designed to reduce costs to about the level of a season of karting, and cars are built with a light-weight tubular space frame designed to maintain the highest levels of driver safety.
“When we started Lynx Racing in 1990, we did so because we saw a need to help young drivers develop through to the upper levels,” says Haas. “After fifteen years in the Atlantic series, with many wins and Championships we though our work was done! But once again we see that young drivers, particularly West Coast drivers need help to make the jump from karting to racing and the Pacific Formula F1600 series provides the ideal opportunity.”
The Lynx Racing Academy will provide the cars, team, training and guidance for the team drivers. The drivers will be responsible to secure sponsorship to cover the operating cost of the race season and other criteria. The drivers will undergo PR training, driver coaching and career planning as part of the program.
“In the past we provided complete financial support for our drivers and that was appropriate for an era in motorsports when a truly talented driver could find a paying ride with a fully-funded team,” says Doty. “But racing, like everything else, is evolving and obtaining sponsorship is harder and more completive than ever. As a result, Lynx has to evolve with the times and the times require the drivers bring funding to the team they want to race for. Our expanded mission is to make sure that not only are they brilliant drivers, but also have a realistic view of the motorsports economic environment and the skills to secure the sponsorships needed to move their career forward.”
For the Lynx Driver Academy, Haas and Doty will provide driver training and guidance, career planning and performance review. Cameron Racing will run the team and provide all technical operations. Former Star Mazda Communications Director Peter Frey will provide PR and media training. Steve Cameron will provide driver coaching and data training. All are veterans of the original Lynx Racing program.
This new version of Lynx Racing will employ the same techniques and philosophy used with previous Lynx drivers. Drivers that graduate from the Lynx Racing program are thoroughly educated in the arts and sciences of auto racing. They are intelligent, enthusiastic, pragmatic and fiercely focused on winning. Each is an individual, but all have in common those characteristics possessed by winners and champions.
About the 2013 Pacific Formula F1600 Series
Formula F1600 is the world’s premier junior development category in motor sport. The Pacific Formula F1600 Series is a 6-weekend, 12-race series based on the U.S. West Coast and is designed to provide an affordable transition for drivers as young as 13 to move from karting to open-wheel racing. The ‘spec’ formula is designed to reduce costs to about the level of a season of karting, and cars are built with a light-weight tubular space frame designed to maintain the highest levels of driver safety.
A number of manufacturers, both local and international, build the basic Formula F body and chassis; the most common being the Van Dieman, Mygale, Piper and Spectrum. The F1600cc engine is either the new Honda FIT powerplant or the Ford Kent engine that has been with the category for over 30 years.
The key to the category’s long-term success is the uniquely level playing field dictated by the performance parity rules, allowing the differing skills of the drivers to determine the victor. The relative equality between the vehicles also guarantees the category’s reputation for some of the most exciting and close racing to be seen on any American or international circuit.
No less than eight World Formula One champions have come from the F1600 open-wheel class, including Michael Schumacher, Mikka Hakkinen, Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, Emerson Fittipaldi, James Hunt, Jody Scheckter, Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve.
About Cameron Racing
Cameron Racing has long been the ‘team behind teams’, operating the highly successful racing programs of Lynx Racing, Finlay Motorsports, Dorricott Racing and Pope Racing. 2012 saw Cameron Racing operate the World Challenge program for G-Speed Motorsports with the Ferrari F430 GT2. Cameron Racing also ran selected races in the Grand-Am Continental Challenge with the Mustang Boss 302R. Other customer programs included Pro Mazda’s in the Formula Car Challenge series. Included in Cameron’s operations are Cameron Karting and the Red Line Oil Karting Championship. Cameron Karting is a full service kart shop offering sales and service. The Redline Oil Karting Championship is a ten race series that includes one of the largest Rotax Max Challenge series in the USA.
For more information contact Steve Cameron at Steve@cameronracingusa.com
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