Conor Daly Tests with World Speed Motorsports

Daly in the wet in his Star Mazda test

Conor Daly the 2008 Skip Barber champion and winner of the MAZDASPEED Motorsports scholarship continued his preparations for the 2009 season when he tested on the incredibly challenging Infineon Raceway course with World Speed Motorsports.

The beginning of the day allowed Daly to get accustomed to the track, before the rain started to fall. "We ran a little in the dry, and a ton on the wet," stated Team Owner Telo Stewart. "It all went very well; Conor drove hard and smart and never put a wheel wrong even as the conditions got treacherous."

World Speed Motorsports Team Manager John Olsen had this to add, "It was easy for us to see how Conor has won the Skip Barber championship and the Mazda scholarship; he is a true talent and will be immediately competitive in the '09 Star Mazda Series. Conor worked very well with the team, and he worked hard to keep improving his driving and his set-up throughout the day. We were very impressed with his ability to take feedback and immediately apply it."

16 year old Conor Daly has had a great season. First he won the BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National Presented by Mazda Championship, and then he was awarded the prestigious Team USA Scholarship. He then became the recipient of the 2008 World Speed Motorsports Rising Star Award. The WSM Rising Star award has been helping young racers move up the open wheel racing ladder for years. Some past Rising Star Award winners have included Scott Speed, Michael McDowell, Brad Coleman, Joey Hand, Cole Whitt, Alan Scuito, Joel Miller & Ryan Phinny. Many of these drivers have gone on to win in upper level open wheel, stock car, and sports car races all over the world. World Speed continues to train and develop future champions, and is hard at work testing in preparation for a full season in the 2009 Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear.