2003 Results - Star Mazda Series Red Line Oil Championship

John Olsen sweeps Rounds Seven and Eight at Seattle

May 25, 2003, Seattle, WA. Fresh off of his podium finish at Nazareth Speedway, Team Bucknum driver John Olsen swept to victory in both rounds of the Star Mazda Series Red Line Oil Championship at Pacific Raceway.

“This was an excellent weekend for me and Team Bucknum, and relief to get my first wins,” Olsen commented, adding,  “the past couple of weekends have been great. After the podium at Nazareth and the victories here, we are going to work hard to keep that momentum going at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.”

The race weekend at Pacific Raceway, (Formerly Seattle International Raceway), would be the end of a logistically challenging weekend for several teams and drivers, including Olsen and the Team Bucknum crew, as they worked to get their equipment back across the country and their cars converted from oval to road course setups. “My car was perfect,” Olsen stated, “the team did a very good job under the circumstances between the tight schedule and preparing the car.”

While Olsen would ultimately prevail in the first of the two rounds, championship points leader Mike Anderson continued his streak of pole positions at Red Line Oil Championship events he entered in his HASA Pool Products Formula Mazda, capturing his fourth consecutive pole for Saturday’s race, with Olsen alongside in second. At the start of the race Olsen was able to jump into the lead and Anderson would fall back as his car started to develop an oversteer condition around the 2.25 mile track.

While Anderson was fading, Olsen was able to establish a healthy lead ahead of non-championship entrant Melvin Kemper, Jr. and his Team Bucknum teammate, Alan Rudolph, who had recovered from a difficult start to work his way back up the field. Rudolph managed to work his way past Kemper but ran out of laps before he could make a bid for Olsen’s spot. Anderson, despite his handling woes was able to hold on to claim the points for third place.

Continuing their battle from the previous week at Portland International Raceway, Kyle Kelley and Phil Fogg Jr fought back and forth with Kelley being able to get thought he traffic to claim the fifth finishing sport overall. “After the victory last weekend I was a little disappointed,” Kelley commented. “The top group was able to get away from me in traffic, but to finish in the top five against these superb drivers is still a good performance.”

With the first of two races in the books the drivers and crews had just enough time to recover and prepare to qualify for the race on Sunday, and for the first time since Phoenix, Anderson would not be the pole sitter as Olsen would continue on his hot streak and lead the field to the green flag for Sunday’s 20-lap event.

As the 21 cars entered in the event raced down into the first turn, Olsen was able to maintain and lengthen his lead until a full course caution came out for an incident involving Dave Gaylord, allowing the rest of the field to close the gap. On the restart, Olsen would be held up by the slower cars, from a different class of SCCA Competition, ahead of him, the result of a split start format. Taking advantage, both Anderson and Kelley moved past Olsen, with Rudolph joining the battle as well.

“That restart worried me,” Olsen commented. “I was stuck behind slower cars and both Anderson and Kelley got around me. Once I was able to emerge from the traffic I was able to get past Kelley in turn three and was able to reclaim the lead from Anderson the next time around I turn two. From there it was just a run to the finish thanks to the work of Team Bucknum. This weekend’s results are for them and my sponsors Rotary Rockets, Derek Daly Academy and my friend Ross and Don.”

Despite losing the lead to Olsen, Anderson was able to use the lapped traffic to establish a gap between himself and Rudolph and Kelley, who were locked in battle for third place. “I had quite the battle with Kyle Kelley which let Olsen and Anderson get away,” Rudolph lamented. “At the end I was able to catch up to Anderson on the final lap but I needed one more lap to get by him. Never having raced here before, and having missed the test day, I’m happy to have scored a second and a third place finish and look forward to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. 

Things have closed up at the top of the championship battle, for while Anderson was able to extend his lead over Rudolph by one point with 297 to 261, by virtue of his pole position run for Saturday’s race, Phil Fogg Jr with 258 points and Olsen with 244 have jumped back into the fray with three races remaining in the championship.

In Masters Championship competition for drivers aged 45 and older, Bob Negron retains his lead over Phil Fogg Sr. by a slim ten point margin with 134 points to Fogg’s 124.

Round nine of the Star Mazda Series Red Line Oil Championship will be held in conjunction with the Star Mazda Series North American Championship at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca as part of the ChampCar weekend June 13-16.

   
Current Series Points

 

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