2009 Atlantic Championship

2009 Atlantic Championship season
2009 Atlantic Championship season
Cooper Tires Presents the Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda
Season
Races	12
Start date	March 20
End date	October 11
Awards
Drivers' champion	John Edwards
	← 2008 2010 (AC); 2010 (IL) →

Last updated November 15, 2023

The 2009 IMSA Cooper Tires Atlantic Championship season was the thirty-sixth Atlantic Championship season. It was the first full season of the Championship under the sanctioning of the International Motor Sports Association. After a three-way title battle into the final round at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, John Edwards became the series' youngest champion, beating Jonathan Summerton on a tie-breaker, after both drivers finished on 182 points. They also finished tied on four victories, but Edwards broke the tie with four second-place finishes compared to Summerton's three.

Schedule

Round	Race name	Circuit	City/Location	Race date
1	Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring ^[1]	Sebring International Raceway	Sebring, Florida	March 20
2	Larry H. Miller Dealerships Utah Grand Prix^[2]	Miller Motorsports Park	Tooele, Utah	May 17
3	Mazda Formula X – Race 1^[1]	New Jersey Motorsports Park	Millville, New Jersey	June 13
4	Mazda Formula X – Race 2^[1]	New Jersey Motorsports Park	Millville, New Jersey	June 14
5	Northeast Grand Prix	Lime Rock Park	Lakeville, Connecticut	July 18
6	Autobahn Grand Prix – Race 1^[1]	Autobahn Country Club	Joliet, Illinois	July 25
7	Autobahn Grand Prix – Race 2^[1]	Autobahn Country Club	Joliet, Illinois	July 26
8	Acura Sports Car Challenge of Mid-Ohio	Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course	Lexington, Ohio	August 8
9	Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières^[3]	Circuit Trois-Rivières	Trois-Rivières, Quebec	August 16
10	Grand Prix of Mosport^[1]	Mosport International Raceway	Bowmanville, Ontario	August 30
11	Petit Le Mans ^[1]	Road Atlanta	Braselton, Georgia	September 26
12	Monterey Sports Car Championships ^[4]	Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca	Monterey, California	October 11

Seven rounds are held jointly with the American Le Mans Series: Sebring, Miller, Lime Rock, Mid-Ohio, Mosport, Road Atlanta and Laguna Seca.

The series planned to open its season on a road course on Hutchinson Island in Savannah, Georgia, on March 15. The race was postponed until 2010, as further work on the track was required before it could be homologated for professional open wheel racing. A second race at New Jersey Motorsports Park and Autobahn Country Club were added instead.^[5]

Drivers and teams

The following teams and drivers competed in the 2009 Atlantic Championship. All teams are using the Swift 016.a chassis powered by a Mazda-Cosworth MZR 2.3-litre inline-4 engine and Cooper tires. C2 Class teams use the Swift 014.a chassis.

Team	No	Drivers	Rounds	Sponsor
Newman Wachs Racing	1	Markus Niemelä	1–4	Mr. Jones / Nuclear Clean Air Energy / Entergy
	34	Jonathan Summerton	5–12
	36	John Edwards	All	MAZDASPEED / Nuclear Clean Air Energy / Entergy
Jensen MotorSport	1	Markus Niemela	6–12
	2	Matt Lee	1
		James Winslow	2
		David Garza	3–4
		Barrett Mertins	12
	3	Michael Nacol	1–7
	3	Eric Jensen	9–10
	13	Eric Jensen	7
Condor Motorsports	6	Borja García	1–10	CJ Consulting
	6	Frédéric Vervisch	12
	7	Max Lefèvre	All	DOTMOBiL
Conquest Racing	12	James Winslow	1
	12	Matt Lee	5
	21	Harald Schlegelmilch	1
Genoa Racing	17	Frédéric Vervisch	All	Quartier / Isomo / Shinokki
	18	Tõnis Kasemets	2
		Robert Wickens	10
		Greg Mansell	11
		James Winslow	3–4, 9–10
	19	James Winslow	5–7, 11
	19	Jonathan Summerton	1–4
Mathiasen Motorsports	26	Jonathan Bomarito	1
Polestar Motor Racing	35	Tõnis Kasemets	1, 3–12
Polestar Motor Racing	66	Richard Zober	3–5
Paladin Motorsports	45	James Winslow	12
Team Stargate Worlds	77	Frankie Muniz	1-9	Stargate Worlds
	77	Jonathan Bomarito	11–12
	78	Simona de Silvestro	All
C2 Class
Swan Racing	29	Ahsen Yelkin	1	Everclear Specialty Lubricants
	68	Chris Lee	1	Everclear Specialty Lubricants
	71	Michael Mällinen	1–4, 8	Mallinen Properties
	75	Sadat Yelkin	1	Everclear Specialty Lubricants
	80	Hans Peter	8
	88	Mirl Swan	1, 8	Everclear Specialty Lubricants

Race results

Round	Race Name	Pole Position	Fastest Lap	Most Laps Led	Winning Driver	Winning Team
1	Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring ^[1]	Jonathan Summerton	John Edwards	John Edwards	John Edwards	Newman Wachs Racing
2	Larry H. Miller Dealerships Utah Grand Prix^[2]	Simona de Silvestro	Simona de Silvestro	Simona de Silvestro	Simona de Silvestro	Team Stargate Worlds
3	Mazda Formula X – Race 1^[1]	Jonathan Summerton	Jonathan Summerton	Jonathan Summerton	Jonathan Summerton	Genoa Racing
4	Mazda Formula X – Race 2^[1]	Simona de Silvestro	Markus Niemelä	Simona de Silvestro	Simona de Silvestro	Team Stargate Worlds
5	Northeast Grand Prix	Simona de Silvestro	John Edwards	Simona de Silvestro	Simona de Silvestro	Team Stargate Worlds
6	Autobahn Grand Prix – Race 1^[1]	John Edwards	Jonathan Summerton	John Edwards	John Edwards	Newman Wachs Racing
7	Autobahn Grand Prix – Race 2^[1]	John Edwards	John Edwards	John Edwards	John Edwards	Newman Wachs Racing
8	Acura Sports Car Challenge of Mid-Ohio^[6]	Jonathan Summerton	Jonathan Summerton	Jonathan Summerton	Jonathan Summerton	Newman Wachs Racing
9	Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières^[3]	Simona de Silvestro	Jonathan Summerton	Simona de Silvestro	Simona de Silvestro	Team Stargate Worlds
10	Grand Prix of Mosport^[1]	Jonathan Summerton	John Edwards	Jonathan Summerton	Jonathan Summerton	Newman Wachs Racing
11	Petit Le Mans ^[1]	Jonathan Summerton	Jonathan Summerton	Jonathan Summerton	Jonathan Summerton	Newman Wachs Racing
12	Monterey Sports Car Championships ^[4]	John Edwards	Jonathan Summerton	John Edwards	John Edwards	Newman Wachs Racing

Championship Standings

The point system was modified from previous years for the 2009 season.^[7] Points are awarded as follows:

Pos	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13
Points	20	16	14	12	10	8	7	6	5	4	3	2	1

Bonus points will also be awarded for the fastest driver in a qualifying session (10 races will have two sessions), and most places gained during the race.
This means the maximum a driver can score is 21, as a driver cannot earn the most places gained point, if they've started from pole.
Only the driver's best eleven scores will count towards the championship.

Atlantic Class

Pos	Driver	SEB	MIL	NJ1	NJ2	LRP	ACC1	ACC2	MID	CTR	MOS	ATL	LAG	Points
1	John Edwards	1	2	5	6	2	1	1	9	2	2	3	1	182
2	Jonathan Summerton	3	6	1	2	4	2	11	1	3	1	1	2	182
3	Simona de Silvestro	5	1	2	1	1	3	2	2	1	10	2	10	176
4	Frédéric Vervisch	2	3	7	3	6	4	4	5	9	3	6	3	131
5	Tõnis Kasemets	7	5	6	7	5	5	3	10	4	6	9	4	103
6	Markus Niemelä	12	9	4	4	9	10	6	4	5	5	5	5	98
7	Borja García	6	DSQ	3	5	3	6	5	3	11	7			88
8	James Winslow	8	8	9	9	7	8	9	6	7		7	7	72
9	Frankie Muniz	10	4	8	8	10	7	7	8	6				62
10	Max Lefèvre	DNS	7	11	11	8	9	8	7	10	8	8	9	58
11	Jonathan Bomarito	13										4	8	19
12	Eric Jensen							10		8	9			16
13	Harald Schlegelmilch	4												12
14	Robert Wickens										4			12
15	Michael Nacol	11	10	13	13	12	DNS	DNS						11
16	Barrett Mertins												6	8
17	David Garza			10	10									8
18	Richard Zober			12	12	11								7
19	Matt Lee	9				13								6
20	Greg Mansell											10		4
Pos	Driver	SEB	MIL	NJ1	NJ2	LRP	ACC1	ACC2	MID	CTR	MOS	ATL	LAG	Points

Color	Result
Gold	Winner
Silver	2nd place
Bronze	3rd place
Green	4th & 5th place
Light Blue	6th–10th place
Dark Blue	11th place or lower
Purple	Did not finish
Red	Did not qualify (DNQ)
Brown	Withdrawn (Wth)
Black	Disqualified (DSQ)
White	Did not start (DNS)
Blank	Did not participate (DNP)
	Driver replacement (Rpl)
	Injured (Inj)
	No race held (NH)

C2 Class

Pos	Driver	SEB	MIL	NJ1	NJ2	LRP	ACC1	ACC2	MID	CTR	MOS	ATL	LAG	Points
1	Michael Mällinen	5	1	1	1				1					93
2	Mirl Swan	1							DNQ					21
3	Hans Peter								2					17
4	Sadat Yelkin	2												16
5	Ahsen Yelkin	3												14
6	Chris Lee	4												12
Pos	Driver	SEB	MIL	NJ1	NJ2	LRP	ACC1	ACC2	MID	CTR	MOS	ATL	LAG	Points

Polesitters are denoted in bold. Polesitters are determined by the fastest overall lap in qualifying, and one point is awarded at each round.
Driver in italics has gained the most places in a round. One point is awarded at each round.

Notes

At round one, no hard charger point was awarded in the C2 Class as no drivers changed positions over the 19-lap duration.^[8] This also occurred at rounds two, three and four, but on these occasions due to only one car taking part.

Television and other video

For the 2009 season, a new Atlantic Championship high-definition television package was announced on HDNet, which features live coverage of certain events, and replays of others.^[9]

Web video of events has also historically been available on the series website, and the series also has its own official YouTube channel under the username "AtlanticRacingSeries."

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References

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 "Atlantic Championship Schedule Features New Look in 2009". 2008-11-06. Archived from the original on 13 November 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
1 2 "Miller Motorsports Park Announces 2009 Racing Schedule". millermotorsportspark.com. 2008-10-29. Retrieved 2008-10-31.^{[ permanent dead link ]}
1 2 "Star Mazda Announces 2009 Schedule" (PDF). starmazda.com. 2008-10-03. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-11-30. Retrieved 2008-10-05.
1 2 "Atlantic Series has new owner". montereyherald.com. 2008-11-05. Archived from the original on 2012-02-13. Retrieved 2008-11-05.
↑ "Atlantic: Team Owners Meeting Details Revealed". 3 February 2009. Archived from the original on 8 February 2009. Retrieved 3 February 2009.
↑ "Atlantic Championship 2009 Racing Schedule". atlantic-championship.com. 2008-07-29. Archived from the original on 2009-07-27. Retrieved 2008-07-29.
↑ "2009 Atlantic Championship Points Structure Reconfigured" (PDF). 2009-02-11. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-12-04. Retrieved 2009-03-20.
↑ Nate Siebens (2009-03-20). "2009 Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda, Round 1 – Sebring International Raceway Driver Performance Chart" (PDF). International Motor Sports Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-04-19. Retrieved 2009-03-21.
↑ "Title Unknown". Archived from the original on 2011-05-26. Retrieved 2009-06-07.

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[newlook-1] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 "Atlantic Championship Schedule Features New Look in 2009". 2008-11-06. Archived from the original on 13 November 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-08.

[millermotorsportspark.com-2] 1 2 "Miller Motorsports Park Announces 2009 Racing Schedule". millermotorsportspark.com. 2008-10-29. Retrieved 2008-10-31.^{[ permanent dead link ]}

[Star_Mazda_Announces_2009_Schedule-3] 1 2 "Star Mazda Announces 2009 Schedule" (PDF). starmazda.com. 2008-10-03. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-11-30. Retrieved 2008-10-05.

[Atlantic_Series_has_new_owner-4] 1 2 "Atlantic Series has new owner". montereyherald.com. 2008-11-05. Archived from the original on 2012-02-13. Retrieved 2008-11-05.

[5] "Atlantic: Team Owners Meeting Details Revealed". 3 February 2009. Archived from the original on 8 February 2009. Retrieved 3 February 2009.

[6] "Atlantic Championship 2009 Racing Schedule". atlantic-championship.com. 2008-07-29. Archived from the original on 2009-07-27. Retrieved 2008-07-29.

[7] "2009 Atlantic Championship Points Structure Reconfigured" (PDF). 2009-02-11. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-12-04. Retrieved 2009-03-20.

[8] Nate Siebens (2009-03-20). "2009 Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda, Round 1 – Sebring International Raceway Driver Performance Chart" (PDF). International Motor Sports Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-04-19. Retrieved 2009-03-21.

[9] "Title Unknown". Archived from the original on 2011-05-26. Retrieved 2009-06-07.

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