Andersen Racing Adds Formula BMW to Its Offerings
By competing in four different levels of the sport – karting, Formula BMW, Star Mazda and Firestone Indy Lights – Andersen Racing provides one central home and consistent, step-by-step training for up-and-coming open-wheel drivers.
Andersen Racing won the 2008 team championships in both the F2000 Championship Series presented by Hoosier Racing Tire and the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear. One of its Firestone Indy Lights drivers finished fifth in that series last year too. The team also has a professional karting team, as well as its own 1-mile road course test track at its headquarters in Palmetto, Fla.
The team, which is sponsored by Allied Building Products Corp., is the official development team Rahal-Letterman Racing (RLR), which competes in the IndyCar Series. RLR is also the BMW factory team in the American Le Mans Series team, and it will manage the Formula BMW Americas Series in 2009.
This will be Andersen Racing's first season in Formula BMW.
The team's new Formula BMW FB02 car should be a good one. Luis Nasr drove it to a fifth and a third-place finish at the 2008 Formula BMW Americas season finale Nov. 13-14 at the Interlagos circuit in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
"We like the Formula BMW Americas Series because its schedule offers great exposure; its hospitality services are excellent, and the competition attracts some of the best young drivers in North America," said team co-owner Dan Andersen. "We expect to run at least two cars in the Formula BMW Series this year out of our Palmetto, Fla. location. The track there is perfect for testing these cars.
"We're looking forward to a competitive season, and are already talking with quite a few drivers about the series. We hope to announce our first signing soon," Andersen added.
Both the Formula BMW Americas Series and the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear are sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Assn. (IMSA).