The 2008 Atlantic Championship season was the thirty-fifth Atlantic Championship season. It began on April 20, 2008 and ended on October 4, 2008. Despite the merger of Champ Car's premier series with the Indy Racing League, the Champ Car owners continued to own and operate the Atlantic Championship under a new legal entity, Atlantic Racing Series, LLC. Champ Car continued to sanction the first two events of the season at Long Beach and Laguna Seca with the remainder of the season running under IMSA sanction. The Cooper Tires Presents the Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda Drivers' Champion was Markus Niemelä driving for Brooks Associates Racing.
Maps, Directions, and Place Reviews
Events
The original 12-race 2008 Atlantic Championship calendar, which featured many supporting runs during Champ Car World Series events, had to be scrapped as a result of the 2008 open-wheel reunification announcement. The Long Beach, Laguna Seca, Edmonton, Mont-Tremblant and Road America races, which had been part of the Champ Car schedule before reunification, remained in the calendar. The Road America races were changed, as the American Le Mans Series' Generac 500 weekend meet was changed from one to two races (a Saturday and Sunday race). The Edmonton race, now part of the IndyCar Series, also switched to a two-race format. The original races at Trois-Rivieres and Miller were not affected, since the Quebec race was part of the Grand Prix of Trois-Rivieres (which also features the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series), and the Utah race was conducted as part of the Rolex Sports Car Series Sunchaser 1000 weekend. On April 3 a revised post-reunification schedule was released featuring 11 races including the seven weekends that were kept (with two races at Edmonton and Road America), and two new races, one at New Jersey and a second Road Atlanta (as a support race to the Petit Le Mans).
Television
The 2008 series was televised at 5 PM ET on Sundays starting on November 9, 2008 on Speed TV.
- November 9 - Grand Prix of Long Beach
- November 16 - Laguna Seca and Race 1 of Edmonton
- December 14 - Race 2 of Edmonton and Race 1 of Road America
- December 21 - Race 2 of Road America and Trois Rivières
- December 28 - Miller Motorsports Park and Road Atlanta
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Drivers and Teams
The following teams and drivers competed in the 2008 Atlantic Championship season. All teams used the Swift 016.a chassis powered by a Mazda-Cosworth MZR 2.3 liter inline-4 engine and Cooper tires.
Full series results
Race summaries
Round 1: Imperial Capital Bank Atlantic Challenge of Long Beach
- Sunday April 20, 2008 - 1:30 p.m. EDT
- Streets of Long Beach - Long Beach, California (1.968 mile street circuit)
- Time: 50 minutes
- Distance: 38 laps / 74.784 miles
- Race weather: 60 °F, Sunny skies
- Television: Speed (November 9, 2008 - 5:00 p.m. EST)
- Pole position winner: #26 Jonathan Bomarito, 93.286 mph (150.125 km/h)
- Race Summary
Round 2: Monterey Festival of Speed Atlantic Championship
- Sunday May 18, 2008 - 4:00 p.m. EDT
- Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca - Monterey, California
- Time: 50 minutes
- Distance: 34 laps / 76.092 miles
- Race weather: 89 °F, sunny skies
- Television: Speed (November 16, 2008 - 5:00 p.m. EST)
- Pole position winner: #3 James Hinchcliffe, 1:16.189 (105.748 mph)
- Race Summary
Round 3: Sommet des Legends
- Sunday June 29, 2008 - 1:00 p.m. EDT
- Circuit Mont-Tremblant - Mont-Tremblant, Quebec (2.621 mile road circuit)
- Time: 50 minutes
- Distance: 30 laps / 78.630 miles
- Race weather: 75 °F, Partly cloudy skies
- Television: TBA
- Pole position winner: #6 Junior Strous, 1:28.805 (106.251 mph)
- Race Summary
Round 4: Rexall Edmonton Indy Twin Races - Race 1
- Friday July 25, 2008 - 5:15 p.m. MDT
- Rexall Speedway - Edmonton, Alberta (1.973 mile temporary airport circuit)
- Time: 50 minutes
- Distance: 38 laps / 74.974 miles
- Race weather: 80 °F, Partly cloudy skies
- Television: Speed (November 16, 2008 - 5:30 p.m. EST)
- Pole position winner: #3 James Hinchcliffe, 1:05.910 (107.765 mph)
- Race Summary
Round 5: Rexall Edmonton Indy Twin Races - Race 2
- Saturday July 25, 2008 - 12:45 p.m. MDT
- Rexall Speedway - Edmonton, Alberta (1.973 mile temporary airport circuit)
- Time: 50 minutes
- Distance: 36 laps / 71.028 miles
- Race weather: 80 °F, Mostly cloudy skies
- Television: Speed (December 14, 2008 - 5:00 p.m. EST)
- Pole position winner: #14 Carl Skerlong, 1:05.455 (108.514 mph)
- Race Summary
Round 6: Road Race Showcase/Road America - Race 1
- Saturday August 8, 2008 - 1:00 p.m. CDT
- Road America - Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin (4.048 mile permanent road circuit)
- Time: 50 minutes
- Distance: 18 laps / 72.864 miles
- Race weather: 76 °F, Partly cloudy skies
- Television: Speed (December 14, 2008 - 5:30 p.m. EST)
- Pole position winner: #19 Dane Cameron, 1:59.190 (122.265 mph)
- Race Summary
Round 7: Road Race Showcase/Road America - Race 2
- Sunday August 9, 2008 - 1:30 p.m. CDT
- Road America - Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin (4.048 mile permanent road circuit)
- Time: 50 minutes
- Distance: 20 laps / 80.960 miles
- Race weather: 75 °F, Partly cloudy skies
- Television: Speed (December 21, 2008 - 5:00 p.m. EST)
- Pole position winner: #26 Jonathan Bomarito, 1:59.564 (121.883 mph)
- Race Summary
Round 8: Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières
- Sunday August 17, 2008 - 1:30 p.m. EDT
- Circuit Trois-Rivières - Trois-Rivières, Quebec (1.521 mile temporary street circuit)
- Time: 50 minutes
- Distance: 44 laps / 66.924 miles
- Race weather: 70 °F, Clear
- Television: Speed (December 21, 2008 - 5:30 p.m. EST)
- Pole position winner: #26 Jonathan Bomarito, 58.989 (92.824 mph)
- Race Summary
Round 9: Mazda Formula Zoom Zoom
- Sunday September 14, 2008 - 1:00 p.m. EDT
- New Jersey Motorsports Park - Millville, New Jersey (2.177 mile permanent road circuit)
- Time: 50 minutes
- Distance: 42 laps / 91.434 miles
- Race weather: 86 °F, Clear
- Television: TBA
- Pole position winner: #14 Carl Skerlong, 1:10.211 (111.624 mph)
- Race Summary
Round 10: SunRichGourmet.com 1000
- Sunday September 21, 2008 - 2:30 p.m. MDT
- Miller Motorsports Park - Tooele, Utah (4.486 mile permanent road circuit)
- Time: 50 minutes
- Distance: 20 laps / 89.720 miles
- Race weather: 71 °F, Mostly Cloudy
- Television: Speed (December 28, 2008 - 5:00 p.m. EST)
- Pole position winner: #8 Markus Niemelä, 2:28.915 (108.448 mph)
- Race Summary
Round 11: Atlanta Atlantic Challenge
- Friday October 3, 2008 - 2:10 p.m. EDT
- Road Atlanta - Braselton, Georgia (2.540 mile permanent road circuit)
- Time: 50 minutes
- Distance: 35 laps / 88.900 miles
- Race weather: 72 °F, Clear
- Television: Speed (December 28, 2008 - 5:30 p.m. EST)
- Pole position winner: #36 Jonathan Summerton, 1:14.137 (123.339 mph)
- Race Summary
Final driver results
Points system
Bonus Points
- 1 point to fastest driver in a qualification session.
- 1 point to driver who leads the most laps in the race.
- 1 point to driver who improves the most positions in the race.
Driver results and standings
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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