Brandon Wagner Onboard for Loudon

Pittsboro, Indiana August 9, 2011 - Team Moore Racing announced today that Brandon Wagner will be onboard the #22 TMR-Xtreme Coil Drilling car for the race in Loudon, NH on Sunday, August 14. Brandon has been competing in Indy Lights since 2009. During the 2010 season he only competed in five races but garnered three top ten finishes and his first win at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

"I'm very excited about the opportunity to race with Team Moore Racing, they are a great team. I hope to bring them the success I know we're both capable of," said Wagner.

Co-owner Mark Moore added: "We're really excited to have Brandon step in the car. This will be an excellent collaboration with Davey Hamilton Racing. They were not scheduled to participate in this event. Brandon Wagner will return to Davey Hamilton Racing with a two-car effort at Kentucky and Las Vegas. In the meantime, we had an open seat and are the only team to have tested here. It went very well. It would be a shame for all of our hard work to go to waste. I'm happy to have a race winner in one of our cars, someone who is quite capable of winning this race. Gus did a great job here at the test and following his second place finish in Trois-Rivieres, we feel we have two contenders for the win here."

 

Mikael Grenier Joins TMR for Trois-Rivieres

Pittsboro, Indiana    August 3, 2011 -  Team Moore Racing is pleased to announce that it has signed Mikael Grenier  to fill the seat in the #22 TMR/Xtreme Coil Drilling car for the Trois-Rivieres race this coming weekend.  The 18 year-old French Canadian has been accumulating honors in various karting open-wheel series since he started karting at the age of five. A native of Stoneham, Quebec, Canada, Mikael will be a hometown favorite at Trois-Rivieres.

“I am very happy to be with TMR this weekend. This season has been difficult for me, with bad luck. But, I am sure with TMR, we can achieve our goals for the weekend,” said Grenier. “I want to say a big thank you to my sponsors Desharnais Service de Pneus, April Superflo, Savini Resto Bar, HS Telecome, Ville de Stoneham, and Napa Autoparts.”

Team co-owner Mark Moore said, “I am very excited to have Mikael with our team at Trois-Rivieres. Being from Quebec, I know how great this must be for him, being the home-town boy. It is very special for me as well. It was nearly thirty years ago that I last raced here myself (1982/Formula Atlantic). 3R is a very special place.  We expect great things this weekend from him since he has already raced here twice.   Also, he got our attention at St. Pete and Long Beach. He impressed us at both tracks. Now that both of our situations have changed, we have an opportunity to work together. It should really work well for both the team and for Mikael. With his past race experience at this track, we feel it will truly add to our overall racing program and will help our other driver, Gustavo Yacaman, as well, as he continues his race for the championship.”

“Daniel Morad did a fantastic job in Edmonton with the limited track time he had due to weather conditions and the altered schedule. It is unfortunate he did not have the results to show for how well he did in the car,” Moore continued.  “Now, we have another young Canadian to run. This is a great time of year for TMR to take a look at all the young talented drivers out there for the 2012 season. We are fortunate to have run Daniel and now to go on to run Mikael. It’s never too early to work on our plans for next season,” he concluded.

Gustavo Yacaman in the #2 TMR/Tuvacol/Crepes and Waffles car will work to continue to close the gap from his 4th place position in the series championship.

 

Canadian Daniel Morad Replaces Victor Garcia at Edmonton

Pittsboro, Indiana July 20, 2011 - Team Moore Racing is pleased to announce that it has signed Canadian Daniel Morad for the Honda Indy Edmonton event this weekend. This will be the twenty-one- year-old Canadian's first race in the Firestone Indy Lights Series. He will pilot the #22 TMR/ Xtreme Coil machine formerly driven by Victor Garcia. Garcia (who is fourth in FIL points), through an unfortunate set of circumstances, will not be returning from Spain to complete the rest of the season with TMR.

"The decision for Victor not to continue with TMR was extremely painful for all us. It's hard to believe our race winner from Barber and championship contender cannot continue. We are all very fond of Victor and he has been huge part of our program. The economy in Spain has made it impossible and we are all very sorry that this has happened now," said team co-owner Mark Moore. "However, we are very fortunate to have someone of Daniel's caliber available to fill the seat and we will move forward. We had a lot of success last year with another Canadian James Hinchcliffe who won the Edmonton race for TMR. The fact that he is Canadian, it is a Canadian race, and Xtreme Coil Drilling Corp. is Canadian-based, it is a perfect fit for the team," he concluded.

Morad is an exciting addition to the TMR driver line-up. He is a former GP3 Series race winner and was World Champion in the Rotax Max Challenge Grand Final in 2010. Morad was race driver for A1GP Team Lebanon in 2008/09. He boasts the most wins in Formula BMW USA history (2007). A former 13-time national karting champion in many different series across North America, Morad has been racing since he was eight years old. He is currently a Sofina Foods development driver who is backed by Delavaco Capital Corp. and DeFrancesco Racing.

"I'm really excited to have the opportunity to make my Indy Lights debut in Canada in front of my fellow Canadians. I'd like to thank TMR and Xtreme Coil for providing me with this opportunity in such short notice. I'd also like to thank Andy DeFrancesco, founder of Delavaco Capital Corp., as well as Sofina Foods Driver Development Program for their continuous support throughout my career," said Morad.

 

TMR Announces New Sponsor for Freedom 100

Pittsboro, IN May 25, 2011 – Team Moore Racing is thrilled to announce that it will display "Racing to Success" decals on its #2 and #22 entries in the Freedom 100 this Friday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Racing to Success is an after school slot car racing club at the Linton-Stockton School Corporation in Linton, Indiana sponsored by teacher Dan Thorlton. The club is funded by a grant (Indiana State Prevention Grant) that was written by Angela Colliver (Angela's husband is Mike Colliver, TMR's race engineer on the #22 car). Involving more than fifty percent of the fifth grade population at the school, the students must maintain their grade point averages and demonstrate a positive outlook on life. The members race 1/32 scale electric slot cars on a custom built six lane track. The scoring system calculates elapsed times up to a thousandth of a second. The club members created the decals and pooled their money to "sponsor" a car on the famed oval.

In the after school setting, "the students apply knowledge from class, such as science and math, building their cars if they choose. The language arts are applied in such ways as researching the history of slot cars as well as the actual race venues around the world. Artistic students can design dioramas as scenery for the track. Paint schemes and decals are also hands-on activities. The encouragement of a creative mind is a powerful component in learning," says Thorlton.

"While promoting student achievement, impacting critical values of hard work, team work and social skills, the club is also building our racing fans of the future," said team co-owner Mark Moore. "The track they have built is amazing. We're very proud to have the club's decals on our cars for this year's Freedom 100. We may see many of these kids working in open wheel racing as adults, which is great. And, we definitely hope we will see these kids in the stands as race fans for many, many years to come," he concluded.

"We hear so many negative things today about the state of education in our country. It's wonderful to hear such a positive thing. We don't hear enough about teachers like Dan and Angela (and there are so very MANY) who go above and beyond the call of duty in their work with children. What an awesome gift to give kids a healthy, productive after-school activity! They are encouraged to do well scholastically, which is important of course, and they are also learning to work together while having fun and enjoying some healthy competition," said Sylvia Moore.

Please take time to go to www.racingtosuccess.com and read more about this incredible club and its members.

 

TMR Dominates FIL Open Test at IMS

May 14, 2011 Pittsboro, IN - Team Moore Racing drivers Gustavo Yacaman and Victor Garcia dominated the speed charts at the FIL Open Test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Friday, May 13th. Gustavo maintained P1 and Victor P2 until the last five minutes of the day when Wilson found a tow and pulled out a faster lap.

"We were on top for most of the day," said Yacaman. "The car was good in traffic."

Victor Garcia continues to impress as he adapts very quickly to ovals. "I like this track a lot," Garcia said. "It is very different from Chicago. Although I was fast there, I didn't like that track as much as here. This is more like a road course with four turns."

Next up: The Freedom 100 on May 27th.

 

Garcia and Yacaman Impress at Chicago Open Test

May 11, 2011 Pittsboro, IN - TMR's Gustavo Yacaman was the only veteran driver who tested on Tuesday, May 10th at Chicagoland Speedway. The other twelve drivers were all rookies, among them Gustavo's teammate, Victor Garcia. The rookies all earned their oval licenses after an incident-free day on the 1.5 mile oval.

All the drivers were within a half-second of pacesetter Victor Garcia. Victor topped the speed charts all day, while Gustavo ran an impressive fourth.

"I have to say it is amazing to overtake another car at that speed [on an oval], I have good feelings and am really comfortable," said Victor.

TMR now moves on to the FIL Open Test at Indy on Friday, May 14.

 

Phil Giebler Signed as Yacaman's Driver Coach

April 20, 2011 - Phil Giebler has been hired by Gustavo Yacaman to be his driver coach for the rest of the Firestone Indy Lights Season. They began working together at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach where Yacaman finished fourth on Sunday.

Giebler, 32, of Huntington Beach, CA, was the 2007 Indy 500 Chase Rookie of the Year. He's won races in Indy Lights, French Formula 3 and French Formula Renault. Giebler also drove Formula 3000.

"Our relationship started really well," said Giebler. "Gustavo just needs fine tuning and that's where I come in, filling in the gaps. He's receptive and it's taking effect. I'm an extra set of eyes and understand what is going on through his eyes," he concluded.

 

Yacaman Finishes Fourth at Long Beach

April 17, 2011  Pittsboro, IN  -  Gustavo Yacaman finished a career best fourth at Long Beach today. Gustavo and his teammate Victor Garcia qualified 7th and 8th, respectively, at the 1.968 mile, 11 turn street course.  During the 85 lap event, the young Colombian drove a smooth and clean race.  Victor, while running in 6th, had a late race spin (on lap 37, with no contact) which relegated him to a 12th place finish.

“I am not satisfied, but the fourth place gives us valuable points. It was better to conserve the car to obtain a good result. Thanks to the team for its hard work. I am looking forward to the oval at Indianapolis,” said Yacaman.

“Gus drove very well today and while I know that no driver wants to finish fourth rather than winning, he should be proud of himself. He drove a smart race. Now, we will focus on the ovals, where I know Gus will improve his results even more,” said Mark Moore.

The team followed up the Long Beach race with a one-day private test at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. TMR drivers Yacaman and Garcia were joined by more than a dozen FIL teams at the 1.5 mile oval. 

 

Garcia Dominates Barber Flag-to-Flag

April 11, 2011 Pittsboro, IN – Victor Garcia claimed his first victory for TMR and in Firestone Indy Lights on Sunday at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama. The 21 year-old rookie (to the series) grabbed the pole the previous day with only 40 seconds left in qualifying. The race was no less exciting than his qualifying performance. In a field  of 15 cars separated by only 1.73 seconds in qualifying, Victor led all 40 laps of the event (including three restarts) and never putting a wheel wrong the entire day on the 17-turn, 2.3 mile road course.

“First of all I need to thank all of the team, especially my crew. The Firestone tires performed really great all weekend,” said Garcia.  “It was a great race. This is especially true since St. Pete was such a disappointment,” he continued. “I am looking forward to taking this momentum to Long Beach. Now we have built confidence and will continue to do so for the next race,” he concluded.
Added team co-owner Mark Moore: “Victor showed great maturity today, he never wavered under pressure. He drove a flawless race.”

Victor’s teammate, Gustavo Yacaman did not fare as well in the race. Gustavo qualified 6th but “after a really bad start, where I fell to 12th or so, I realized that everyone was racing like it was a one lap race. I just relaxed, breathed, and thought to myself ‘it’s fine, I’ll get them one by one.’ I didn’t try to get from 12th to 2nd into Turn 5 like everyone else did. It was mayhem. I came out of turn 5 in 4th position. After the safety period, I had a couple of fuel pressure alarms come on. I informed the team about the situation. Coming out of Turn 2, my car just stalled and my race was over,” said Yacaman.
The car was brought into the pits and the team fixed the problem, so Gustavo was able to continue, but was left to accept a 12th place finish.

Co-owner Tom Wood commented: “For TMR it was a weekend of redemption after a disastrous weekend at St. Pete. Victor’s pole and win showed us the caliber of the team as well as Victor’s solid driving skills. He was flawless and it wasn’t like Wilson wasn’t testing him all race long. I am really impressed with his confidence and maturity as a driver.”

“I feel bad for Gus. He likely had a podium finish in him but for a $5 part that ruined his race. He has had bad luck in the first two races but his luck will change. We have two very solid drivers that can both win any of these races against the best field of drivers I think Indy Lights has ever fielded. At Long Beach we have the opportunity to podium two drivers. The fact we won there last year with Hinch puts a little more pressure on us but I think the team is really starting to hit its pace and we have two shots at winning every race we enter,” Wood concluded.
The flag-to-flag win bumped Garcia to 3rd in the points standings.

 

Versus’ Live Coverage Begins With Barber

VERSUS’ live coverage of the 2011 Firestone Indy Lights season takes the green flag with the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama from Barber Motorsports Park at 1 p.m. (ET) April 10.

The IZOD IndyCar Series television window on VERSUS will expand to five hours to include the live broadcasts of Firestone Indy Lights events at Barber Motorsports Park, the streets of Long Beach, Iowa Speedway, streets of Toronto, Edmonton City Centre Airport, streets of Baltimore and Kentucky Speedway.  The Firestone Indy Lights standalone event – the Grand Prix of Trois Rivieres on the streets of Trois Rivieres, Quebec – will be taped for air at a later date.                                             

Kevin Lee will host the broadcast with Mike King as the main announcer and Willy T. Ribbs as analyst. Jake Query will serve as pit reporter for the telecasts. 

King, the lead announcer for the IMS Radio Network since 1999, has been a member of the Firestone Indy Lights broadcast team since 2007. He served as a pit reporter for Firestone Indy Lights telecasts for the 2007-08 season and was the lead announcer for Firestone Indy Lights TV broadcasts in 2009.
In his nearly 25 years of professional auto racing, Ribbs has achieved many firsts, including being the first African-American to qualify and compete in the Indianapolis 500 as well as Indy car. He also has competed in NASCAR.

Query, an Indianapolis native who has worked in local television and radio since 2001, is a veteran of the IMS Radio Network, calling IZOD IndyCar Series races since 2007. 

Lee has covered the IZOD IndyCar Series since 2001 as part of the IMS Radio Network and has served as a pit reporter for VERSUS’ broadcasts of IZOD IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights coverage since 2009. He also hosts a weekly motorsports radio show in Indianapolis.

~ courtesy of Indycar.com

 

Team Moore Racing Signs Victor Garcia for 2011

Pittsboro, IN February 18, 2011 - Team Moore Racing announced today that it has signed driver Victor Garcia for the 2011 season. The 21-year-old Spaniard will drive the #22 Xtreme Coil Drilling car in his first season in the Firestone Indy Lights Series.

Victor was racing in the World Series by Renault last season and has decided to switch to the United States and the FIL series with its exciting competition on road courses, street courses, and ovals.

"First of all, I have to thank Team Moore Racing for giving me this opportunity. I am really happy and confident to be signing with them. We have already worked together [testing] and I really get on well with my crew and the whole team. We will work hard to have our best performance during the 2011 season," commented Garcia.

TMR co-owner Mark Moore said: "Tom Wood and I are very happy to have Victor Garcia racing with us this season. Victor has a very solid racing background that he brings from British F3 and the World Series by Renault. Victor has been testing with the team since October of last year and continues to find more speed every time he gets behind the wheel. We are extremely impressed with his feedback. At TMR, we are very proud to have such a fine young man represent our race team. We feel he will certainly be a contender for the Championship in 2011."

"We are extremely pleased to have Victor join us at TMR. He has been testing with us in the off-season and is very fast. Victor learns the tracks quickly and is a fearless competitor. He has been fast in the car since the first test," added co-owner Tom Wood. "He and Gustavo will make great teammates. I think we will be the team to beat this year in the FIL series with two drivers that will be capable of winning at every track we visit. Following a 2nd and 6th place finish in the Championship last year, we at TMR have our sights set at the top," concluded Wood.

It is worth noting that Victor and Gustavo Yacaman, TMR driver of the #2 Xtreme Coil Drilling car, were teammates once before in Spanish Formula 3.

"Having worked with my teammate before (in 2008), I think it is going to improve my performance even more," said Garcia.

With the TMR driver line-up now complete for the upcoming season, Team Moore Racing will continue its scheduled off-season testing plan. The team will test Garcia and Yacaman next week at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida.

The race season begins Sunday, March 27th on the Streets of St. Petersburg in Florida.

 

 

Yacaman Signed to Pilot TMR Car in 2011

Pittsboro, Indiana December 1, 2010 - Team Moore Racing is excited to announce that it has signed Gustavo Yacaman for the 2011 season. The nineteen year-old Colombian will begin his third year in the Firestone Indy Lights Series.

"I believe with all that I learned last year, I am ready to take on the championship. Lee Dykstra will be a very important piece this year. We (both my dad and I) believe he is one of the best, if not the best engineer out there, in combination with Team Moore Racing being one of the neatest and most detailed teams in the field. I am looking forward to testing in January and to start working on a really good car to make it as close to perfect as we possibly can," said Yacaman.

Added Gustavo Yacaman, Sr.: "We made the decision of signing with Team Moore Racing because it's a team with a very good structure, advancement and we believe it is ready to achieve the 2011 Championship. Together, we believe to have the perfect combination between Lee and Gustavo's youth. I think they are going to be the "target to beat" for every other team in the series. We will talk again on October 16, 2011."

" After the great season we had last year at Team Moore Racing (finishing second in the championship with James Hinchcliffe), we are prepared to take on a number of new tracks on the 2011 schedule, which will level the playing field for all teams. TMR is well organized and ready. Having a car and driver capable of winning on both oval and street circuits is a bonus. Working with Gustavo is another opportunity to provide engineering for a maturing young driver. He has the ability to be a serious contender this year," commented Lee Dykstra.

Co-owner Tom Wood added: "We are very happy to sign Gustavo to our team. He has really matured as a racecar driver in the last couple of years in the Indy Lights Series. We feel this will be his year to be a contender for the championship."

"I believe Lee and Tom have already summed up our opinions and our goals for the coming season with Gustavo Yacaman and TMR. We have an extensive preseason testing program planned and we have a lot of hard work ahead of us before we compete on the streets of St. Pete in March. Having Gustavo on board and everyone in place this early with the same common goal is a huge advantage, which we plan to capitalize on throughout the 2011 Firestone Indy Lights season," concluded co-owner Mark Moore.

Team Moore's Gustavo Yacaman can be followed on Twitter at @Gustavo_Yacaman and TMR can be followed @sosMarketingLtd.

TMR TESTS JORGE GONCALVEZ AT PUTNAM

Pittsboro, IN October 19, 2010 - Team Moore Racing began its off-season testing on Thursday, October 14th at Putnam Park with Venezuelan Jorge Goncalvez. The nineteen year old finished fourth in the Star Mazda Series, part of the newly implemented ladder system of the Indycar Series.

The two day test involved having TMR's 2010 driver (who finished 2nd in the Championship) James Hinchcliffe, run some laps (on the second day) to set a baseline for the younger driver.

"There is a big difference between the Star Mazda cars and the Indy Lights cars. The bigger cars are much faster and I like that. I liked working with the team; the way they work. They all work very well together. It was good to have James Hinchcliffe come out on Friday. It was very helpful to me. My times were good. I was very happy with that," commented Gonclavez. "I was very impressed with the car and the team. I am very happy. I am looking forward to running in the Indy Lights Series," he concluded.

Louis D'Agostino, of Team Apex Racing, who ran Jorge for the past two years in the Star Mazda Series, commented "Naturally, the next step for Jorge is to move up to the Indy Lights cars. TMR, being a local team, was a natural choice for us to approach. We had a very successful two-day test. Jorge demonstrated the skills that he learned in Star Mazda have indeed transferred well to the bigger cars. By the second day of the test, he was able to get within a few tenths of James HInchcliffe's time. I think he also demonstrated that his fitness level is quite impressive. He did 222 miles on the first day and wasn't tired or sore. I think that our 45 minute races in Star Mazda may have contributed to that level of fitness."

Lou continued:"It was also fantastic that Jorge was able to work with two different engineers at changing set-ups and exchanging information. The team was great. They were very professional and organized. They gave Jorge a great first experience in the Indy Lights car."

"The two day test went smoothly for young Jorge. He never put a wheel wrong and had excellent feedback from the car. Having Hinchcliffe out in the morning on Friday really helped move the whole test in a very positive direction," added Mark Moore. "I also have to give credit to Team Apex and Star Mazda on preparing a young driver to this level. Jorge Goncalvez is well on his way to a very bright future in Indy Lights for 2011," said Moore.

TMR DRIVERS AWARDED HONORS AT SEASON FINALE

Team Moore Racing concluded the 2010 season at Homestead Miami Speedway on Saturday, October 2nd with drivers James Hinchcliffe and Adrian Campos, Jr. Hinch made his eighth visit to the podium with a second place finish and Campos rounded out his season with another solid fourth place finish.

The IZOD Indycar Series and the Firestone Indy Lights Series celebrated the season's end again this year at the posh W Hotel in South Beach. The teams and sponsors were treated to a beautiful poolside party while awards were handed out. Hinch received his trophy for placing second in the series championship, after victories in Long Beach, Edmonton, and Chicago. In addition, Hinch received the Lucas Oil Frequent Pole Sitter Award. If that weren't enough, Hinch was also honored with the prestigious Greg Moore Legacy Award.

The award, which is named in honor of James' fellow Canadian, the late Greg Moore, is given to the driver who best exemplifies Moore's legacy of outstanding talent on track, as well as, displaying a dynamic personality to the fans, the media, and the racing community. This award was particularly poignant for Hinch, as Greg was his childhood idol. "It's tough to put into words what that award means to me. Greg Moore was my hero growing up and still is today! He was such a good racecar driver, but on top of that he was an incredible person. To have my name attached to an award that bears his name is something that's very special. It's certainly something I'm very proud of," said Hinch.

Adrian Campos, Jr. concluded his rookie season in FIL with a sixth place spot in the final championship points. Campos was also honored with the Sunoco Most Improved Driver Award. This is a particularly impressive accomplishment considering Campos had only limited in-season testing and he was new to all of the tracks on the circuit. While returning briefly to Spain after the celebration, Campos plans to compete again next year in the FIL Series.

Team Moore Racing will continue to build on its success as they work on next year's driver line-up and off-season testing.