 |
Jensen MotorSport is an auto racing team that competes in the Formula Regional Americas Championship. It formerly competed in the Firestone Indy Lights series, Champ Car Atlantic Championship, the Formula BMW Americas Championship, and fielded a car for one Champ Car World Series race. It is owned by former Atlantics competitor Eric Jensen.
The team ran in Indy Lights and Atlantic competition in the late 1990s with Eric Jensen driving with sponsorship from Columbia TriStar Films, Colgate-Palmolive, Sony PlayStation, Miller Brewing, and Starwood Hotels (Westin & Sheraton brands). In 1999, Eric Jensen formed Jensen MotorSport, Inc. and since 2003, the team has trained and operated race cars for more than 100 professional race car drivers. Jensen MotorSport also provides marketing services to corporate partners and hosts events at professional races worldwide.
In 2015, Jensen began operating race cars for drivers other than himself, entering two cars in the CART Toyota Atlantic championship for drivers Jensen and Phil Fayer. In 2004, the team expanded to also operate race cars in the first year Formula BMW USA championship. A Jensen MotorSport car driven by Gerardo Bonilla qualified 2nd for the first ever Formula BMW USA race. The team operated race cars for drivers in the 2004 season including Alan Sciuto, Daniel Herrington, Eric Jensen, Adam Pecorari. In 2005, Jensen MotorSport competed in its first Champ Car World Series event at the Long Beach Grand Prix with Italian driver Fabrizio del Monte. The team also competed in the Champ Car Atlantic championship with drivers Adam Pecorari, Eric Jensen, and Leonardo Maia. Jensen MotorSport also operated a four car team in the Formula BMW USA championship with drivers Daniel Herrington, Doug Boyer, John Zartarian, and Jules Duc.
In 2006, Jensen MotorSport competed in the Champ Car Atlantic championship with drivers Tim Bridgman and Steve Ott. Jensen MotorSport also operated a two car team in the Formula BMW USA championship for drivers Tom Sutherland and Frankie Muniz. Muniz was already a well known celebrity, having starred in the FOX television show Malcolm in the Middle , and contracted Jensen MotorSport for development as a professional race car driver over a 2-year term.
In 2007, Jensen MotorSport again competed in the Champ Car Atlantic series with 3 cars for Muniz, Tom Sutherland, and Dominick Muermans. Sutherland finished 21st in points with a best finish of 13th. Muniz finished 22nd with a best finish of ninth at Toronto. Muermans only competed in the first two rounds of the championship.
In 2008, the Champ Car World Series merged with the IndyCar Series. Jensen MotorSport continued in the Atlantic Championship with one car for Finnish driver Henri Karjalainen, who finished 17th in points with a best finish of 10th at Circuit Trois-Rivières.
In 2009, Jensen MotorSport operated two cars in the Atlantic Championship with drivers including 2008 series champion Markus Niemelä, Matt Lee, and Davíd Garza Pérez. Niemelä finished sixth in points, making seven starts with the team after driving in the first five races for Newman Wachs Racing. Jensen MotorSport returned to full-time competition in the Formula BMW Americas championship with American driver Barrett Mertens. The company also was contracted by Dipdive Network to shoot a series of videos with music group Black Eyed Peas. Team owner Eric Jensen was awarded the Team Owner of the Year award at the end of season Atlantic Championship banquet.
In 2010, Atlantic Championship ownership put the series on hiatus in March 2010.
Jensen MotorSport announced in November 2010 that it would enter multiple cars in the Firestone Indy Lights championship in 2011 with Canadian David Ostella driving one car in a partnership with Dipdive Network. Mexican Juan Pablo García was signed to drive the second car. Ostella finished ninth in points with a best finish of fourth in the season opener at St. Petersburg. García drove in the first four races of the season before leaving the team with a best finish of eighth. Team owner Eric Jensen attempted to drive in the Toronto race but was unable to run competitive practice speeds after several years out of the cockpit and did not start the race. British driver Oliver Webb made four starts later in the season for the team and finished on the podium in third in his first start at Edmonton. Webb finished 18th in points. Jensen MotorSport also announced Driver Development initiatives to train young race car drivers.
The team is based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada; with locations in Montreal, Quebec and Orlando, Florida, USA.
Timo Glock is a German professional racing driver, and BMW Motorsport works driver. He raced in Formula One for the Jordan, Toyota, Virgin Racing and Marussia F1 teams. He finished 10th in the Drivers' Championship in both 2008 and 2009, scoring three podium finishes.
The Atlantic Championship Series is an American open-wheel racing series with races throughout North America. It has previously been called Champ Car Atlantics, Toyota Atlantics, or just Atlantics.
Stephen Simpson is a South African-American professional racing driver currently competing in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and previously in the A1 Grand Prix, Champ Car Atlantic Championship and the Indy Pro Series, among others.
Richard Philippe was a French racecar driver who resided in Miami, Florida. He was the younger brother of Nelson Philippe.
Jan Heylen is a championship-winning Belgian racing driver, based out of Tampa, Florida.
Simon Pierre Michel Pagenaud is a French professional racing driver, who last drove the No. 60 Honda for Meyer Shank Racing in the NTT IndyCar Series. After a successful career in sports car racing that saw him taking the top class championship title in the 2010 American Le Mans Series, he moved to the Indycar Series where he became the 2016 IndyCar champion and the 2019 Indianapolis 500 winner, becoming the first driver born in France to win the Indianapolis 500 since Gaston Chevrolet in 1920 and the first polesitter to have won the race since Helio Castroneves in 2009.
Greg Nigel Mansell is a British racing driver and road cyclist, currently racing in cycling's Halfords Tour Series, having previously competed in motorsports Formula Renault 3.5 Series. He is the son of 1992 Formula One world champion and 1993 PPG Indy Car World Series champion, Nigel Mansell, and younger brother of fellow racing driver Leo Mansell.
Markus Niemelä is a Finnish former race car driver. He was the 2008 series champion after winning the final round at Road Atlanta. His international racing career has been volatile due to a number of injuries he has sustained during his career.
Jonathan Summerton is an American race car driver.
Roberto "Robbie" Pecorari is an American racing driver from Aston, Pennsylvania.
Henri Mikael Karjalainen is a Finnish racing driver. He raced in the GT Finnish Championship in 2010. Karjalainen is managed by Finnish Sport Management Agency SportElite.
Eric Jensen is a Canadian professional race team owner and a former professional race car driver from Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Esteban Manuel Gutiérrez Gutiérrez is a Mexican racing driver. His most recent races were the 2023 FIA World Endurance Championship for Glickenhaus Racing and the 2023 IMSA SportsCar Championship for CrowdStrike Racing by APR. He is also a development driver for Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team and the CEO-Founder of EDASI Drive, the official F1 merchandising distributor for Latin America.
Junior Strous is a Dutch racing driver, racing team owner, and entrepreneur from Wassenaar. He has competed at various levels and classes of formula racing starting his professional career in Formula Ford at Geva Racing in 2002, advancing into Formula BMW, Formula Renault, Champcar Atlantic and Indycar Lights.
Brooks Associates Racing is an American motorsport team based in Tucson, Arizona, which competes in the Indy Lights series. It previously competed in the Atlantic Championship where it won the 2008 season championship.
Oliver "Oli" James Webb is a British auto racing driver. He is a 2004 Karting Champion, 2007 Formula BMW Scholarship winner, 2010 Formula 3 competitor, 2014 European Le Mans series Champion, 2015 Dubai 24 Hour Champion, and W Motors Ambassador.
Zachary E. Veach is an American auto racing driver.
The 2011 Indy Lights season was a season of open wheel motor racing. It was the 26th season of the series and the tenth sanctioned by IndyCar, acting as the primary support series for the IZOD IndyCar Series. It began March 27, 2011 in St. Petersburg and ended on October 16 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway and featured thirteen events: six on ovals, one on a permanent road course, and six on temporary street courses. The series was won by American driver Josef Newgarden, driving for Sam Schmidt Motorsports. Newgarden won the title by 94 points over team mate and fellow rookie Esteban Guerrieri of Argentina.
David Ostella is a Canadian racing driver from Maple, Ontario.
Adam Pecorari is a former racing driver. Pecorari won races in the USF2000 and later competed in the Atlantic Championship, IMSA Lites and other series.