May 3, 2002

To All Star FM Racers:

The schedule change for the Star Mazda Series North American Championship dominated much of the conversation at Buttonwillow. To say that many were disappointed, and even offended, by having the rug pulled from under us by SCRAMP is leaving it much too mild. Nevertheless, we were fortunate to find a top quality event to replace the June event with CART, and to be able to do it on short notice. The race at Pikes Peak with the IRL, only one week later than the original date, should be a great chance to impress a national TV audience with what many of us already know: Formula Mazdas are a terrific show on a one-mile oval!

The spec tires for Pikes Peak will be 800 compound on the right, 620 compound on the left. The schedule will start on Friday; Star Mazda teams can move into the paddock in the morning. Practice will start at 2:00 p.m. and go until 5:30 p.m. We will probably divide the field into three groups, to reduce traffic and create some down time to work on setups. Saturday will be 35 minutes of practice, then single car qualifying. The race is scheduled to be 50 laps, on Sunday. Race time will be determined by TV in all likelihood. We will publish the details on the website and through these bulletins ASAP. If you need assistance finding rooms in Colorado Springs, call our office, we will fax you a list.

Regarding the Thunderhill date and the schedule for the West, the consensus was to run the double weekend on Memorial Day as scheduled, even though it is no longer a National. Pikes Peak will count as both a West division and a North American Championship points race, same as the June CART race would have done.

Buttonwillow encompassed two excellent races. Eric McComb’s stories and Suzi’s points are enclosed. The latest Sears Point schedule, including the Thursday practice, the Thunderhill schedule, and the SFO Region entry forms are also here. NOTE:  Use two entry forms for the Thunderhill double, one for each race. The fee is $325.00 total for both races, however.

Let us know if you are interested in carrying an on-board camera for a TV race. We try to give everyone who wants one a chance. It guarantees a couple of mentions on the TV shows. There is a sponsor line on screen for a few seconds and if you strategically place decals . . .

The latest Star Reporter is also enclosed. We hope you enjoy it.

See you at Sears Point.

Sincerely,
Gary E. Rodrigues