It was only one year ago to the day, that Tonis Kasemets took his first laps in an
800 Horse Powered Lola Champ Car at Sebring International Raceway. The date:
December 14th, 2004; in one of Dale Coyne’s Lola Cosworth’s.
This Wednesday December 14th, Kasemets’ fires up another Lola Cosworth on the
Sebring short course once again, this time in one of the Mi-Jack Conquest Racing
Lola’s. Tonis sends his "thanks" to Eric Bachelart "who made this possible."
"We are looking forward to having Tonis test with us," said Mi-Jack Conquest Racing
co-owner Eric Bachelart. "He showed in Atlantics this season that he is a winner,
and he should be up to speed quickly in a Champ Car. Tonis has shown great maturity
and determination in his career, and it is good to have so many Atlantic drivers
getting to experience a Champ Car."
Tonis isn’t looking for just any ride in Champ Car, he wants to be with a top team.
Even with a couple of unexpected disappointments during the 2005 Atlantic Season,
he still managed to finish 2nd in the Championship. "I’m confident, I belong in
Champ Car. All I need is that one chance to prove to those who’ve always believed
in me... that I CAN finish up front. The fans support has become... totally amazing
and unexpected. Without those who attended every event early, to catch my Atlantic
races, I’d probably given up on my dreams by now... but those Champ Car fans have
literally kept me going on some days. When I see them shed a tear over a mishap
I’ve had, that touches me deeply. I must stay in this for them. This is not just
my ’dream’ any longer. It’s bigger than that now."
*inspired by:
http://www.champcarfanatics.com/article.php?cat=champ&id=93
For more about Sebring:
http://www.sebringraceway.com/
See you at Sebring!
Jill Savage/Team Tonis Media-PR
Although the Toyota Atlantic Championship (TAC)
wrapped up during the last weekend in August,
Tonis Kasemets and Team Tonis have been quite
busy with other affairs. Our original plans were
to hit the ground running right after Montreal,
to finalize a Champ Car (CC) ride for Tonis in
’06, then, tragedy began striking the Gulf
States. With Tonis’ blessings, “Media
Lady” (as he refers to yours truly), was
quickly enlisted to help with hurricane Katherine
relief efforts; resulting in fund raising through
a series of concerts in Indianapolis known as
“Gumbo Aid”. While we raised nearly
$20,000.00 to help the survivors, Tonis and his
wife Ilona did their own unexpected thing... a
trip to Parnu, Estonia. Tonis had not been back
to his home country in ten years. He says, “It
was déjà vu. Take away the new architecture
and it was just as I remembered it. It was good
to visit my family and see my friends again. We
literally slid in and out under the radar. When
Jill needed a ‘time out’, I turned
to my wife and said ‘pack a bag, we’re
going to Estonia.’ As we were leaving after
an awesome 10 day seaside vacation, a couple of
TV stations tried to catch up with me, but, we
really needed this break and some privacy. I must
say, it was very interesting to realize how popular
I’d become in my home country.” And
Tonis certainly earned those accolades.
In 2005, Kasemets was finally able to run the
entire TAC season. The previous year, due to circumstances
beyond our control, Team Tonis only made 6 TAC
appearances. Now, Tonis can add: 6 trips to the
podium (top 3) in 12 events. 8 top 5 finishes.
3 poles, 3 wins. Topping that off with taking
2nd in the overall 2005 TAC Championship Title.
Additionally, Kasemets, in the #6 Flexovit Abrasives
Products/MK Industries/TMI/Red Line Oil-Dan Cobb
Racing/Team Tonis entry, also scored a cash prize
with his 2nd place TAC Title including new Yokohama
tires and also earned the “Toyota Atlantic
Ohlins Shock Technician of the Year” award
for his excellence in handling the many chores
required on his own car. Team Tonis Engineer Alan
O’Leary snagged one of the highest honors
– “TAC Engineer of the Year”,
for his incredible engineering savvy which helped
Tonis stay up front all season long. Tonis was
2nd in the Championship by a mere 17 points to
the TAC Title winner Charles Zwolsman. Tonis “would
like to sincerely congratulate Charles for his
Title win and for being a true-gentleman racer.
He’s quite talented and it made for a very
exciting season.”
It’s widely known, Tonis Kasemets has his
eyes set on one thing: Champ Car.
His reaction to his future plans, “No comment.”
Next up for Tonis is a visit to the Las Vegas
CC race immediately following his annual pilgrimage
to the SCCA Run Off’s at Mid Ohio. Yes,
he’ll be driving, but not an open wheel
car. Rather, the Alfa Romeo #59 entry owned by
Flexovit’s Jay Iliohan. The Run Off’s
are always on Kasemets calendar, as he has a huge
history with SCCA, winning the Formula Atlantic
Championships on his rise up; in addition to many
victories also in Zetec/FF, multiple wins and
several track records at Mid Ohio, since he arrived
in the United States, finally making Illinois
his home in 1994.
Our thanks to all who made 2005 a possibility.
Some have likened our team to the “Old-timers
of Champ Car, who’d cook their own can of
beans on the manifold, to keep the team funded...
those who go without in their personal lives to
put the best product on the race course.”
Well, it’s not quite that bleak, but at
times, things were tense. But nothing got in the
way of Tonis’ tenacity to “make it
happen”. Our deepest thanks to all of our
sponsors, families and personal friends, who helped
us as much as possible. To the Media and Staff
of CC/TAC and many other publishers, who penned
some incredible stories about Team Tonis. Your
contributions will not be forgotten. And many
thanks to all who became Team Tonis VIP Club members.
The list grew quite large and we still have some
Team Tonis T-Shirts available. See the “Merch”
area to place an order.
Again, my own personal thanks to Tonis for allowing
me the time to help find lost loved-ones in the
Gulf States and quickly assist in fund raising
efforts for all involved in both hurricanes. The
Champ Car World Series features its own hurricane
relief fund raiser via an Auction; details at
www.champcarworldseries.com. And Tonis “encourages
everyone to make a donation to a charity of your
choice. This is America. We help others, and then
we help ourselves.”
Jill Savage/Team Tonis Media-PR
Tonis Kasemets started 2nd but led 4 of the
25 laps in Montreal today; it
was a close battle between he and eventual race
winner & Montreal home town
"
favorite" Antoine Bessette; who takes today's
win from Kasemets by only
.544 seconds in the 25 lap finale for the TAC
season.
Tonis also takes 2nd in the 2005 Toyota Atlantic
Championship, so that Title
has finally been decided, as Charles Zwolsman
wins the 2005 TAC Title by
17 points over Kasemets.
Our heartfelt congratulations to Tonis for making
it through a full season;
for fighting your heart out like the Champion
you are. 2nd overall today
in the race and 2nd in Points, not bad, as Tonis'
comments, "After Denver,
I was just hoping to stay in the Top 3 in points,
so, I did it. I am happy."
More soon from Montreal. The annual Toyota Atlantic
Banquet is tonight
in Quebec and we'll soon have many more images
and "quotes" from the Estonian
2nd Place Overall TAC Champion for 2005.
Congrats to ALL on Team Tonis ! Job well done
!
Jill Savage/Team Tonis Media-PR
Friday August 26, 2005
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
4:05pm ET
First on course again, just as he did this morning
in first practice, Kasemets is digging for gold,
as if this were the first race of his Pro career.
It’s the TAC season finale with only a
26 point spread between Tonis and the Championship.
He must overcome Charles Zwolsman, who was 5th
quick in this first qualifying session.
Most of this thirty minute session, Kasemets
found himself a mere hundredths of a second behind
David Martinez, who has come on strong the second
half of this season.
Lap 15 of 18 is Kasemets’ best in first
qualifying: 1:35.277 = 1:02.358, (only -.193
seconds behind Martinez), taking P2.
Tomorrow morning is the next outing for TAC:
Second practice is at 9:15am ET, second and final
qualifying is at 1:15pm ET.
And don’t forget to tune into Speed TV
at 2:00pm ET for the “Kasemets Sweep of
Road America” tomorrow afternoon.
As Tonis said after San Jose, “If I can
just finish in the Top 3 this year, I’ll
be happy.” Then his luck turned for the
better last weekend at Road America which put
him back in contention for the overall Title/Championship
this weekend.
Full stats available at www.toyotaatlantic.com.
More soon from the 25th Molson Indy at Montreal.
Jill Savage/Team Tonis Media-PR
Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin
August 22, 2005
Tonis led all outings/sessions at Road America.
Landing his 3rd POLE of the
season, leading all 17 laps to earn his 3rd WIN
of the season. And recorded the fastest laps of
the
weekend; during 2nd qualifying / securing his pole
position with a sorching lap of 2:01.747 = 119.697
mph and fastest lap of the race: 2:02.799 = 118.692
mph.
More soon, as we prepare for our Toyota Atlantic
'05 Finale', this weekend at Montreal;
where Tonis has a chance again at winning the CHAMPIONSHIP
!
POINTS after Road America:
1 Charles Zwolsman (R) 287
2 TONIS KASEMETS 261
3 Katherine Legge (R) 244
The Road America "TAC Sweep" by Tonis
airs via tape delay on Speed TV this Saturday,
August 27th at 2:00pm ET.
Enjoy the new photos by TnT images, just link to
the Gallery.
Also, excellent ink by Toyota Atlantic Championship
Media Staff at:
http://www.toyotaatlantic.com/News/Article.asp?ID=1884
http://www.toyotaatlantic.com/News/Article.asp?ID=1871
http://www.toyotaatlantic.com/News/Article.asp?ID=1874
http://www.toyotaatlantic.com/News/Article.asp?ID=1878
http://www.toyotaatlantic.com/News/Article.asp?ID=1877
http://www.toyotaatlantic.com/News/Article.asp?ID=1880
and more within "news links" areas.
MORE FROM TONIS personally, SHORTLY...
Jill Savage/Team Tonis Media-PR
San Jose, CA / Indianapolis, IN USA
August 1, 2005
“The freakin’ handle snapped in half,
right in my hand!” as Tonis says with his
cheerful, “well, that’s racing”
personality. The day is over on lap 10 of 45 of
the inaugural Taylor Woodrow Grand Prix of San
Jose for Team Tonis on Sunday July 31st as he
was leading strongly from the start.
Over 200,000 hard core race fans attended the
3 day inaugural event on the streets of downtown
San Jose. 153,000 attended on Sunday, 59,000+
on Saturday. Actual totals for all 3 days, including
Friday, are still being calculated this morning.
The course underwent several adjustments, finally
equating to a 1.448 mile course. The constant
adjustments cost the Toyota Atlantic drivers all
they’d done on day one/Friday, of qualifying
one. After a 4 hour, 10 minute delay, the Atlantics
hit the course for practice 1, which started with
another yellow flag, quickly followed by a red.
Then Kasemets was leading the pace by nearly 2:00
minutes at one portion. Pitting several times
for adjustments, he found what he was looking
for. Kasemets grabbed the Provisional Pole, 3
and half hours later on Friday in first qualifying.
When second qualifying rolled around Saturday,
Tonis “pushed it WAY too hard”, finding
out too soon, how concrete feels as he slid the
#6 Flexovit Abrasive products/TMI/MK/Red Line
Oil – Dan Cobb Racing/Team Tonis entry hard
into the turn 4 concrete, just missing the tires.
Quite a bit of damage on the right side of the
car had to be repaired overnight, but his Provisional
Pole stood from Friday. Although he was 3rd quick
in the second qualifying outing Saturday, he just
missed the pole, starting 2nd , with Charles Zwolsman.
It’s the ‘Charles & Tonis Front
Row show’ for the sixth time in nine events
this season.
Rules stipulate, all times can be “null
and voided” by the series (which is the
case on Friday’s times), you can lose your
points, best time and bonus money, but “not
the provisional pole.” This is one thing
that did go our way.
Tonis quickly takes command of the San Jose Grand
Prix, taking the lead in a clean turn 1 maneuver
around Pole Sitter Zwolsman. Finding a comfortable
pace on a course Tonis “really likes!”
Then, the gremlins strike again. Not since Long
Beach in April has such strange things occurred.
We’re often tested, yes... but to have a
shifter handle simply break completely in half,
again, while leading... is a bitter pill to swallow.
Kasemets takes it like the Gentleman he is. “We
focus on Denver now”.
Having risked running late to San Jose, Team
Tonis made a last minute choice on Monday, to
do a detour seven hours north, to test at Fontana
on Wednesday. Not happy with the performance of
our #6 at Edmonton, we had to find what was missing.
After a full day of testing, Tonis explains “I’m
happy, we found about 90%”. Then an all-nighter
ensued, to get the team hauler to San Jose with
paddock completely set-up by 7am Thursday. Talk
about taking chances! Team Tonis certainly win
the Atlantic Warriors of the Year award, from
our standpoint! Our thanks to all of you who cooperated
with Tonis’ last minute risk-taking.
Kasemets starts 2nd, finishes 19th of 21 entries.
Tonis wants to thank his crew “for doing
a very good job fixing the car” after his
accident Saturday in second qualifying. “The
car was perfect”.
Kasemets is also “very grateful and surprised”
to continue to hold his 2nd place in the TAC points,
now at 210; 33 points behind Charles Zwolsman
who continues to lead with 243 points now. Katherine
Legge moves up to 3rd in points, only 2 behind
Tonis at 208.
We get a one week reprieve, and then it’s
on to the streets of Denver August 12th -14th.
The Taylor Woodrow Grand Prix of San Jose Toyota
Atlantic Series presented by Yokohama airs by
tape delay on Speed TV this Saturday August 6th
starting at 1:30pm Eastern Time.
Only three events remain on the Toyota Atlantic
Championship schedule:
Denver August 14th
Road America August 21st
Montreal August 28th
Roller Coaster Ride, is the best way to express
Team Tonis’ excursion since joining the
TAC series two years ago. Next stop is Champ Car.
Remember what Tonis always says when the chips
are down:
“If this were easy, everybody would be doing
it.”
Jill Savage / Team Tonis Media-PR
July 30, 2005
San Jose, CA USA
QUOTES from TAC Press Conferences:
Saturday morning PRACTICE 2: http://www.toyotaatlantic.com/News/Article.asp?ID=1831
TONIS KASEMETS : "The track is worse than
yesterday. Turn 1 is definitely worse. The speed
stays the same but the patches on the railroad
make things more dangerous. The cars are airborne
and it is really dangerous. I tried different things
every time I went by but nothing worked. The slow-down
chicane is okay. I think it is safer for everybody
but it will be bad for the start. It will increase
the risk of accidents. The concrete patches are
bumpier than before. But it is what it is, and
we'll do with it."
Saturday Qualifying 2 snafu / as Tonis hits
the wall in Turn 4 between laps 8 and 9, ending
his qualifying session early: http://www.toyotaatlantic.com/News/Article.asp?ID=1832
TONIS KASEMETS : "The car was absolutely
perfect. My driving was 99% fast and 1% error.
Everything was fantastic until I made my mistake.
We went for pole. We were hunting it down but
I made a mistake because I was pushing too hard
and I overdid it. But I will overcome my disappointment
and I'll be ready to go fast tomorrow. The car
will be fixed for tomorrow. It is a matter of
writing checks and buying parts (Joking). (On
the race) I feel comfortable sharing the front
row with Charles. It is going to be long race
and we'll see what happens. (On today's announcement
on the future of the Atlantic series) It is fantastic
but I want to be in Champ Car by next year. I
am getting to old for Atlantic (laughing)"
San Jose, CA USA
July 29, 2005
After a four hour and ten minute delay for Toyota
Atlantic Championship (TAC) practice one this
morning; which turned into an afternoon session,
Kasemets’ makes a STRONG come-back during
first qualifying.
Today’s first practice found the #6 (Flexovit
Abrasives Products/TMI/MK/Red Line Oil – Dan
Cobb Racing/Team Tonis) entry in an unusual position;
with a shortened practice due to track re-configuration
for “safety issues” as *per officials
of the Champ Car World Series, then a red flag
due to an accident into the Turn 4 tires involving
Car #8 / Andreas Wirth, Kasemets has to settle
for 6th quick overall. Total Green Laps of the
usual thirty minute outing equaled only fifteen
minutes in the end. Tonis only put in 11 laps
total, but was running 1st quickest by a margin
of 2:00 seconds early in the shortened session.
Although first qualifying was just five minutes
short of a three hour delay, Tonis makes the
most of this pressure; landing the Provisional
Pole with his best lap of 1:00.339 seconds (86.392
mph) on lap 21 of 23, which is .369 seconds ahead
of 2nd quickest Charles Zwolsman, who is the
current TAC point’s leader. Kasemets’ Provisional
Pole also scores him one additional TAC point,
bringing him to within 14 marks of the the top
spot in the overall Championship run. This weekend
finds us into the final 4 events of the TAC season.
The new course is 9-turns / a 1.448-mile temporary
course on the streets of San José.
More details as we they unfold. And fun images
forthcoming from San Jose courtesy of many friends
in attendance and our usual TnT Images photographers,
soon.
*Official statement about our first scheduled
outing from www.toyotaatlantic.com: “The
session, originally scheduled for 9 a.m. PT Friday
morning, was delayed due to construction issues
on the new downtown street circuit. Course workers
spent several hours working on the track to make
sure it was in the best possible condition for
racing this weekend.”
Additional quotes soon from Tonis on the Front
Page of TAC.com following the Top 3 Press Conference.
Congrats TONIS!
Fast updates/images also located at: www.savagemedia.biz
Jill Savage/Team Tonis Media/PR
KASEMETS’ RACE
DAY REPORT
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Sunday July 17, 2005
Morning Warm-up/Practice 3 (Mostly Cloudy, 58F)
Tonis Kasemets wastes no time in getting the
#6 entry up to speed. Running third quick on lap1,
he’s second on laps 2 and 3, back to third
on lap 4. The Flexovit Abrasive Products/TMI Industries/MK/Red
Line Oil – Dan Cobb Racing/Team Tonis bright
yellow machine posts the fastest time on lap 5,
remaining third quickest behind Charles Zwolsman
and Antoine Bessette. At eight minutes into the
fifteen minute session, Kasemets pits. With four
minutes to go, Tonis returns to the course, steadily
holding the third quickest time on laps 7 and
8. Lap 9, he finds more speed and on lap 10 (of
10 total this morning), he’s even faster
with a 1:09.315 second (102.471 mph) lap. Only
-.655 behind leader Charles Zwolsman. The Top
3 of this session are Zwolsman, Legge and Kasemets.
90 minutes to go before round 8 of 12 as we’re
down to the last 5 events of the Toyota Atlantic
Championship (TAC) season.
The Napa Auto Parts Presents the Toyota Atlantic
Challenge of Edmonton (Partly Cloudy, 66F)
For the fourth time this season, Tonis Kasemets
is on the front row with Charles Zwolsman. This
time, Zwolsman has the pole, Kasemets in P2. It’s
been an unusual day; Live timing and scoring (T/S)
shows Tonis dropping to 4th on the first lap,
where he trails the leaders by as much as - 4.702
seconds by lap 7. Then the live feed crashes.
T/S returns briefly with 29 of 32 laps complete,
showing Kasemets in 5th. As Tonis explains, “Things
went good at the start, until turn 1. I was kissed
in the rear (by Katherine Legge) and fell back
to 4th. My car was very fast. But I couldn’t
get past the lapped traffic. Wirth and Bessette
had too much of a lead going, I just couldn’t
catch them. Katherine (Legge) visited my paddock
more than once this weekend to apologize for the
misunderstanding of blocking issues last weekend
in Toronto and she also asked me to ‘please’
forgive her for the ‘love tap’ today
at the start. She IS a Sweetheart. And she can
stop by my paddock anytime!
Actually, I’m very happy, as we’re
still holding at 2nd in points, miraculously.
I’m at 201, only 15 points behind Charles
(Zwolsman/216 points). Antoine (Bessette) is hovering
nearby in 3rd with 192. Overall it was a fun weekend,
but, ideally... I’d like to be in the front
at the end of the race.”
TV Note: North America's top open-wheel development
series (TAC) gets a ‘2-Fer’ on Speed
TV this Saturday July 23rd beginning at 2:00pm
ET. The first hour is the tape-delay broadcast
of today’s Edmonton Grand Prix; followed
by an encore of the Molson Indy at Toronto, beginning
at 3:00pm ET.
Next Event: SAN JOSE/Round 9 of 12 of the TAC
presented by Yokohama
The Inaugural San Jose Grand Prix weekend is July
29th – 31st; our 2nd visit this season to
beautiful California.
For more information: www.savagemedia.biz
Jill Savage / Team Tonis Media-PR
KASEMETS sets
course record and lands another Front Row start
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
July 16, 2005
The unmistakable, yellow #6 Flexovit Abrasive
Products/TMI Industries/MK/Red Line Oil –
Dan Cobb Racing/Team Tonis sophomore Atlantic
entry is... on a roll again. First, those of us
at Team Tonis would like to congratulate Tonis
on establishing the *first lap record of the first
Toyota Atlantic race at Edmonton’s Finning
International Speedway; during Friday’s
provisional qualifying session: 1:07.678 seconds
(104.950 mph). Today, that number was bested by
Charles Zwolsman, who snatched the pole from Kasemets
by 5-one-hundredths of a second (0.050). Another
front row start featuring Zwolsman and Kasemets.
It’s the ‘Cardiac Kids’ déjà
vu, part 4, as we lovingly refer to those two
front-runners within our paddock.
Under rainy skies, it felt like 48F early this
afternoon during the weekends second practice
session. Air temperature readings were at 55F,
with winds from the North West at 14 mph. Practice
was delayed by 15 minutes due to excessive water
on the course. The green finally fell at 12:45pm
local time. Immediately Tonis was 2nd quick, then
1st by lap 6. Times were very slow throughout
practice, as most chose to go out on ‘slicks’,
even in the wet conditions. Kasemets’ fast
time was 1:23.922 seconds (84.636 mph) on lap
6 of 10. As lap times continued to slow, Tonis
headed to the pits where he chose to wait out
more than half of the 30 minute session. Officially,
he was clocked as 8th quickest of 12 in today’s
first outing.
Conditions improved by 5:00pm when all 14 of
this weekends entrants took to the course for
the second and final qualifying session. Tonis’
advantage was strong at 1:07.678 seconds (the
*first course record / 104.950 mph), the provisional
pole time from first qualifying, yesterday. As
long as he runs 4th or higher, his combined results
would maintain that pole position. Until... Charles
Zwolsman busts-off a lap of 1:07.628 seconds (105.028
mph). Which is 0.050 second quicker than Kasemets’
best. Tonis continues the hunt for a millisecond
more, but to no avail. He lays down 20 solid laps,
making five pit stops for adjustments. Still,
no gain. Averaging 3rd and 4th fastest for the
entire 20 laps; Kasemets best time is on lap 15
- 1:09.436 seconds (102.293 mph). Combined qualifying
time is another front row start, P2, inside row
1.
Etcetera
Some changes on the 1.973-mile, 14-turn airport
road circuit have been made for safety reasons:
The pit road chicane has been removed. Extra tires
were added to barriers between turns 3 and 4,
as well as to the exit points of turns 9 and 13.
One more outing remains as the 2005 Toyota Atlantic
Championship Presented by Yokohama prepares for
round 8 of 12 tomorrow. An early morning warm-up
of fifteen minutes begins at 9:00 followed by
the “Napa Auto Parts Presents the Toyota
Atlantic Challenge” at 11:00am. Catch all
32 laps (63.136 miles) or 50 minutes of North
America's top open-wheel development series with
live Timing and Scoring on the TAC home page.
The Edmonton TAC race airs via tape delay on Speed
TV, Saturday July 23rd beginning at 2:00pm ET.
The race also airs in 133 Countries around the
world to U.S. service men and women through the
American Forces Radio and Television Service.
More: http://www.savagemedia.biz
Jill Savage / Team Tonis Media-PR
Toyota Atlantic Series presented by Yokohama
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Friday July 15, 2005
PRACTICE 1: (Cloudy, 61F)
Tonis Kasemets is a like a kid at Christmas.
While some drivers fear a new track, Tonis
looks forward to every new piece of pavement
he can get his wheels on. Today is no exception.
By lap 5, Kasemets tops the speed charts at
1:14.159 seconds; +2.425 seconds ahead of the
other 13 entrants. He jumps around in positions
2 and 3, and then chooses to make a pit stop
for adjustments to his set-up on lap 9. Now
he’s fallen to 6th. He makes another
pit stop during lap 10. Kasemets’ rejoins
the field and continues to hover around the
4th and 5th positions. On lap 14 Tonis finds
his best time of 17 laps logged: 1:12.937 seconds
(97.383 mph). The clock runs out at 30 minutes,
so Kasemets’ has to settle for 4th quick;
to Antoine Bessette’s fast time of 1:11.455
seconds (99.402 mph). 3 hours and 45 minutes
until 1st Qualifying...
QUALIFICATION 1: (Mostly Sunny, 66F)
On lap 2, Tonis is the leader. It’s only
his second outing at Edmonton’s 1.973-mile,
Finning International Speedway airport road circuit.
And he’s determined to master all 14 turns
like the aggressive and nearly extinct animal
(White Siberian Tiger) painted on the back of
his helmet. Kasemets bounces around from 1st
to 4th, to 5th, eventually running 6th fastest.
Then a steady 3rd place run comes around. But
Tonis wants more: so he takes another time out
of this 30 minute session to head to the pits
(on 4 separate occasions combined); his last
pit stop was on lap 17, where he remains firmly
in the top 3 with less than three minutes to
go. Not good enough. So he makes his fourth and
final pit stop. On lap 19, with barely enough
time to put in one more lap, he pulls out the
best numbers of the session: 1:07.678 seconds
(104.950 mph).
And TAKES THE PROVISIONAL POLE !
With a lead of +.168 seconds over 2nd place Katherine
Legge.
Photo by:
Quotes, notes and more at www.savagemedia.biz and www.toyotaatlantic.com
Practice and Qualifying 2nd sessions are tomorrow/Saturday.
Full details ASAP; log on and read more about
Tonis Kasemets Points Championship Chase !
Toyota Atlantic TV REMINDER: *TORONTO on SPEED
TV
Saturday July 16th, 2:00-3:00pm ET
*Saturday July 23rd, beginning at 1:00pm ET,
catch a repeat of Toronto followed by EDMONTON
at 2:00pm ET.
Jill Savage/Team Tonis Media-PR
Kasemets
at Toronto: A course in obstacles
Mundelein, IL / Indianapolis, IN USA
July 11, 2005
As Tonis Kasemets observes, after his first outing
ever at the annual Molson Indy Toronto, “You
have your ups and downs... and you have your downs
and ups. We’ll be back up again. Our points
are still holding at 2nd. That’s the good
news. So overall, I’m satisfied.”
The Molson Indy at Exhibition Place in scenic
downtown Toronto, Ontario was a literal ‘street
fight’ for Team Tonis on the 11-turn, 1.755-mile
temporary street course. Round 7 of 12 of the
2005 Toyota Atlantic Championship (TAC) presented
by Yokohama, presented it’s fair share of
challenges for the #6 Flexovit Abrasives Products/TMI
Industries/MK/Red Line Oil - Dan Cobb Racing/Team
Tonis second year TAC entry. It wasn’t until
day 3 on Sunday, that Kasemets “found the
right balance in the car” during the final
15 minute warm-up session, with only one hour
and 15 minutes before the race.
Team Tonis weekend synopsis:
Friday July 8
1st Practice: A yellow flag is shown immediately,
taking 5 minutes off of the clock for the welding
of a man-hole cover on the course. Then Kasemets
quickly finds the front of the 15 car field on
lap 2. Staying in the top 3 consistently; lap
16 of 20 logged is his best at 1:08.056 seconds
where he continues to lead with a margin of +.155
seconds. At the end of the session, he is 4th
quickest.
1st Qualifying: Kasemets is 2nd by lap 3. At lap
4, he heads to the pits; the first of several
pit stops in this session which was also marred
by a red flag for a car stopped on course. He
continues to hold his strong 2nd position of this
session; lap 8 of 17 is his best with a time of
1:07.820 seconds, only -.140 off of provisional
pole sitter Charles Zwolsman. A mechanical failure
stops Tonis on course, where he has to leave the
#6 as he is whisked away to the traditional post-qualifying
press conference for the top 3 provisional qualifiers.
Saturday July 9
2nd Practice: Leading by the lap 3, Tonis pits
on laps 4, 5, 7, 10 and 12. Still “finding
balance for the street course surface”,
he breaks back into the 1:07’s.
Lap 17 of 19 is his best at 1:07.732 seconds,
-.116 overall. Settling for 4th at the end of
this session.
2nd Qualifying: Kasemets is running 4th, 5th and
6th throughout. Still toying “with more
set-up ideas.” His best time is lap 14 of
20 on the books, another 1:07.975. End of session,
he has to settle for 5th fastest, -.640 seconds
away of the front.
Combined qualifying results place him inside
of row 3, starting 5th.
Sunday July 10
Warm-up: Tonis is 5th at the end of the 15 minute
session; lap 11 of 12 is his best with a 1:08.767.
RACE: Starting 5th, Kasemets is passed by Katherine
Legge, who starts 6th; he’s in 6th place
on lap 1, where he stays for 22 of the 35 laps.
Laps 18 through 20 are under yellow, for the #56
car of Chris Souliotis who hits the wall in turn
5. On the restart, Tonis continues to try to make
his move upwards. On lap 22 a black flag is issued
to Katherine Legge for blocking Kasemets; he then
moves up to 4th. On lap 26, Tonis is firmly in
3rd, but still minus 2.739 seconds from the front.
Lap 30 brings a shocker: Kasemets has to pit for
a loose wheel nut on the left rear. The stop is
63.111 seconds. He rejoins the field on lap 32
and is now 8th and for the first time in 13 TAC
starts, a lap down. At the checkers, he takes
the 8th finishing position.
Kasemets remains 2nd in points with 179 to Charles
Zwolsmans’ 186. With two wins, two poles,
two 2nd place finishes and a 4th in the previous
five TAC outings, Tonis is “quite happy
to be holding 2nd in points... it’s not
ideal, as this allows Bessette to get closer.”
Antoine Bessette is 3rd in points now with 169,
as he is the eventual winner of the Molson Indy
at Toronto.
Kasemets found Toronto to be, “One of the
most beautiful cities I’ve ever seen. The
architecture, the people... it’s all quite
European. Easily the best place I’ve visited
in 11 years since moving to North America from
Estonia. I’m very impressed.”
Tonis adds: “As for the race weekend? Well,
we have good days and we have bad days. That’s
that. I’m already in a mind-set for my first
ever event at Edmonton this upcoming weekend and
hoping for more good days.”
Tonis would also like to thank the fans who turned
out Thursday night (July 7th) at the Victory Sports
Bar & Grill: “Thanks to all of the Champ
Car Fanatics. They are super nice people. I had
a very good time. I can’t drive that Racing
Challenge on an Xbox Video Game System worth a
crap though. Yeah, I was last in every race but
it was still a very good night out with our supporters
and my fellow competitors.” TAC drivers
who joined in the fun were Al Unser III, Katherine
Legge, Antoine Bessette, Charles Zwolsman and
Kasemets.
The Molson Indy at Toronto Atlantic race airs
(in the USA) on Speed TV, via tape-delay this
Saturday, July 16th at 2:00pm Eastern Time.
Round 8 of 12 is next at Edmonton, Alberta, Canada;
July 15th, 16th and 17th. Kasemets will tackle
the 1.96-mile temporary street course at Finning
International Speedway for the first time in his
career.
Jill Savage / Team Tonis Media-PR
*NOTE: For those needing faster event weekend
results: go to
www.savagemedia.biz
for breaking news & race weekend updates;
Thanks to Mr. Denith McNicolls of San Fernando,
Trinidad, West Indies for assisting us
as Team Tonis continues to grow. Savage Media,
Indianapolis, IN USA, has been the official, exclusive
source of Tonis Kasemets’ media since 2003.
PHOTO COURTESY OF MICHELE-MARIE BEER
TAC DRIVERS From L to R:
(standing) Al Unser III, Tonis Kasemets, Charles
Zwolsman
(sitting) Katherine Legge, Antoine Bessette
Kasemets’ Cleveland
Thoughts; Toronto Hopes
July 1, 2005
Mundelein, IL / Indianapolis, IN USA
In auto racing, ‘hype’ is
a good thing. Living up to it, is another.
Estonian born racer, Tonis Kasemets, lives for it. It’s everything he’s
dreamed of, immigrating to the USA between the years of 1992 and 1994. Mundelein,
Illinois has been his home for 11 years. And during those years, he has been
patient; waiting for this moment when his star would shine. The ‘if onlys’ are
behind him. Kasemets has the right car. The right crew. Finally, the right
people surrounding him, including the hardest part to cultivate: the sponsors.
Not quite banking a lifestyle many equate to Formula car racing yet, but that’s
one thing to continue working towards. Until then, he needs results. Tonis
has poured his heart and soul into every minute he’s earned, on every
outing. Rounds 2 through 6 have proven; this kid IS the ‘Total Package’.
Smart driving skills, natural talent, engineering savvy, personality and a
wicked sense of humor. His #1 trait: Perseverance. Nothing gets in his way.
As he often says, “No excuses.”
Going into rounds 5 and 6 at Cleveland,
Kasemets is finally living his American
dream with the TAC points lead as well;
since round 2 at Monterrey, the #6 Flexovit
Abrasive Products/MK Industries/TMI/Red
Line Oil Swift .014.a of Dan Cobb Racing/Team
Tonis, has qualified 4th or better and
has been on the podium nonstop. “When
you are hot, you are hot.” “Magical.” “On
a roll.” “Unstoppable.” Just
some of the headlines Tonis has grabbed,
especially after the twin wins at Portland
(PIR) in rounds 3 and 4, his first TAC
career 1st place finish topped with another
win the next day. And his first career
TAC career pole for PIR race 2, where he
was off like a rocket from the start and
no one came close to touching him throughout
the entire 35 laps.
Next stop was the second double within
one week: the BOSPoker.com TAC Grand Prix
of Cleveland, rounds 5 and 6. A fan and
driver favorite on the annual TAC presented
by Yokohama circuit, this year, race 2
of the weekend was a new addition; 10 exciting
turns on the 2.106-mile temporary road
course at Burke Lakefront Airport.
Tonis visits the podium for the fourth
consecutive time; in Race 1 at Cleveland,
he finishes 2nd. He takes a 4th place finish
in Race 2 after qualifying on pole for
the second time, another first of his TAC
career-2 poles in one week. He’s
now second in TAC points with 162, trailing
Charles Zwolsman who leads with 169. Third
is Antoine Bessette with 137 points.
-Continued-
Overall this season is going extremely
well, as Tonis explains:
“I had good feelings coming from Portland but I knew it would be hard to
repeat that. I’m very happy with the Pole and finishing 2nd and 4th place
at Cleveland. Things didn’t go bad, they went okay. I’m personally
quite happy with the result. Team did a fantastic job because of driver error
in warm-up (for race 2). We tried something in the car… couldn’t
get a good read on it, so I erred. Only 2 hours to fix the car before the race,
so everybody involved, including me, had to work fast. I couldn’t relax
myself before the race, as all rushed-up trying to do a car-fix. I finally got
myself back into rhythm again at about roughly ten laps in. At the time, I’d
made two mistakes. Luckily they were small ones and you get back in the groove.
They almost felt like a slap in the face. But I got back rhythm although I fell
to 7th place. The leaders had quite a lead but I was able to match (Charles)
Zwolsman’s lead times. I was able to match his speeds, so I pulled back
to 4th from 7th in the end.”
About Toronto, the next stop of the Toyota
Atlantic Championship trail:
“Obviously between Cleveland and the next event, there’s a lot of
work on the car. We used it up quite a lot, rough on it mechanically. So I’m
fixing the car and refreshing my brain after the double-double.
I’m looking forward to the Canadian
races. All the guys are talking about Canada
and the nightlife. Obviously, if we have
our brains screwed on straight, we’ll
have a good Toronto and Edmonton.
I must say thank you again to all of our
sponsors for sticking with me for the first
half of the season and now for the next
half. And thanks to the people who have
helped me behind the scenes, as we call
them, ‘Secret People’. And
thanks everybody for checking into my website
and for watching Portland and Cleveland
races. Watch for more news at the Toronto
Weekend.
Also, thanks to a new Team Tonis fan,
Paul Castro of San Jose, California. Yes
you’ll have your orange T-Shirt in
time for the first San Jose Grand Prix
and I thank you for your letter.”
Jill Savage/Team Tonis Media-PR
Cleveland, OH USA
June 26, 2005
RACE 1 Starts on Pole, finishes 2nd
RACE 2 Starts 2nd, finishes 4th
Toyota Atlantic Championship POINTS 2nd
/ 162
A very eventful weekend at the Champ Car
Grand Prix of Cleveland presented by U.S.
Bank is winding down.
After a break in the left rear suspension
during the morning warm up today, resulting
in a lot of work for Tonis and the crew
with only 2 hours to spare before Race
2, he manages to start the race with complete
faith in the freshly repaired #6. Tonis
takes the lead immediately, in turn 1 from
inside row 1, as he “tricked (himself)
out of the pole” yesterday in 2nd
qualifying. Then this day gets even more
interesting. Tonis makes a trip off course
in turn 6, rejoins the race quickly, but
falls to 7th. It was quite a noble effort
to fight back to 4th,where he finishes.
Race 1, yesterday, was also unusual; beginning
with a helicopter crash at the start of
the race here at Burke Lakefront Airport/road
course. Flying overhead to pick up the
signal from our in-car camera, the chopper
experienced a malfunction, sending it out
of control and down towards the cars and
the course. The Vietnam Veteran at the
controls was able to land it north of the
race in progress, just as the Atlantics
were going into the first lap at turn 1.
A valiant effort by the pilot; only the
tail of the aircraft was broken off as
he made the emergency landing. An absolute
disaster was diverted. The pilot is fine.
And the pilot of the #6, Kasemets, settled
into 2nd place at the start, where he finishes
and he visits the podium for the 4th time
in 4 events.
There is much to be thankful for this
weekend. We’ll give you all of the
details as soon as Tonis can catch his
breath. Just before today’s Champ
Car (CC) race on CBS, he was invited to
be in the CC Driver’s Parade. And
he gets camera time within the CBS CC broadcast;
as he spent Thursday afternoon with the
Cleveland Browns and other CC drivers.
Highlights of that event are featured.
Enjoy the Saturday Podium images. More
photos and a recap of Team Tonis’ weekend
soon.
Jill Savage/Team Tonis
June 24, 2005
Cleveland, OH USA
First Practice 12:45 – 1:15pm ET
As Tonis Kasemets continues to “dig” for
that eventual overall Toyota Atlantic Championship
(TAC), which guarantees a run in a Champ
Car in Mexico City after the TAC season
ends; he heads into this recently added
twin race weekend at Burke Lakefront Airport
in great spirits, leading in points. He
and the team are extremely focused. No
one is taking any of last weekend’s
achievements at Portland International
Raceway for granted. One of Tonis’ PIR
podium rose bouquets hangs next to “yellow
magic” as he refers to his #6 car,
in the paddock.
Inspiration? Absolutely.
In the one practice session of the weekend
for Atlantics, Kasemets logs 19 laps, holding
onto the 2nd quickest position, 0.128 seconds
off of leader Antoine Bessette’s
pace. Lap 17 was Tonis’ best at 1:09.601
(108.929 mph).
It’s a beautiful day here in Cleveland;
not quite as hot as Monterrey MX, but a
close second. Temperatures during practice
hovered around 90F under sunny skies. Inside
of the Dan Cobb Racing/Team Tonis paddock,
the thermometer is at 99.9F at 3:00pm.
After he does meticulous work on his car
before first qualifying at 4:15pm, Tonis
heads off to a TAC driver’s autograph
session. Just another day at the office.
Immediately after qualifying, he’s
invited to the Champ Car driver’s
autograph session with another hot shoe
in TAC; Katherine Legge.
First Qualifying (for Race 1) 4:15-4:45p
POLE and an unplanned trip into the dirt at Turn 4
Kasemets and Team Tonis “chemistry” certainly
stays in synch so far this weekend, as
he snags his second consecutive TAC career
pole within a week. His fastest lap is
12 of 19 total = 1:07.932 (111.606 mph),
which is 0.393 faster than the 2nd spot
of Charles Zwolsman. They were both on
the front row at Monterrey, MX. This weekend,
they’ve switched starting positions.
This is one race to definitely watch via
live timing and scoring! (This weekends
TAC events are tape delayed on Speed July
9th).
On lap 19, Tonis goes off course in Turn
4, causing slight damage to the front left
suspension. As he explains, “The
car had under steer out there, but we’ll
keep working on it.” During the ‘Top
3’ press conference, he expresses “confidence” in
the car thanks to his Engineer, Alan O’Leary. “The
Chemistry is right now” as he says.
And he earns 1 extra TAC Point with this
pole, new total-110.
The most asked question of the afternoon, ‘Can
you win from the pole again?’ Tonis: “If
no one hits me from behind… yeah,
I can do it. “
Tomorrow morning at 8:15, it’s qualifying
round 2 for race 2, followed by race 1
at 12:45pm (35 laps or 50 minutes). Race
2 is new to the TAC/Cleveland Champ Car
weekend, replacing the deleted Milwaukee
outing.
Also, Speed TV’s broadcast of Tonis’ dual
wins at the Portland Double Header, begins
at 2:00pm ET Saturday June 25th.
Find additional good reads at www.toyotaatlantic.com .
More updates and images forthcoming from
the Paddock at the BOSPoker.com TAC Grand
Prix of Cleveland!
Jill Savage/Team Tonis
June 22, 2005
Mundelein, IL / Indianapolis, IN USA
After the most excellent performances
of Tonis Kasemets lengthy career on June
18th and 19th, sweeping the Portland Grand
Prix Double Header, Tonis makes it clear: “It’s
time to wind down the celebrations. I’m
looking forward to going to Cleveland!” Adding, “We’re
keeping our noses to the grindstone, we’re
gonna keep digging.
“And I want to say many thanks to
our sponsors; Flexovit Abrasive Products,
MK, TMI and Red Line Oil. To Dan Cobb for
everything he’s added this season,
and to my Team; I can’t say enough
thanks to all of those who’ve helped
make this Atlantics career a reality.”
Before we completely switch gears, are
there any more thoughts concerning those
historical moments and personal bests achieved
at Portland? “Sweeeet! A total Team
effort.”
It’s obvious to those within Team
Tonis; his mind is already on the events
at hand. Last year, the annual ‘Roar
by the Shore’ wasn’t too kind
to Kasemets; he started 7th only to go
backwards, finishing 9th but it was one
of three Top 10’s of his partial
season. This weekend, he goes in to Rounds
5 and 6, with a first time lead in the
TAC points.
When asked if he feels any pressure this
week to repeat his twin victories, pole
position and other accomplishments of Portland,
Kasemets quickly replies:
“No… we don’t count our chickens… before they are hatched.”
Weekend Schedule (follow along with free,
live Timing and Scoring at www.toyotaatlantic.com)
All times listed are local/Eastern:
Friday June 24: 12:45-1:15pm Practice
4:15-4:45pm Qualifying for Race 1
Saturday June 25: 8:15-8:45am Qualifying
for Race 2
12:45-1:45pm Atlantic **Race 1
Sunday June 26: 8:15-8:30am Warm-Up
11:45am-12:35pm Atlantic **Race 2
** Both races are 35 laps or 50 minutes
= 67.392 miles
Burke Lakefront Airport is a 10-turn, 2.106-mile temporary road course
This weekends events/ Feature Article and stats: http://www.toyotaatlantic.com/News/Article.asp?ID=1742
TAC on Speed TV U.S. schedule:
Saturday June 25: 2:00-4:00pm ET, the Portland Grand Prix Double Header
Saturday July 9: 2:00-4:00pm ET, the Grand Prix of Cleveland Double Header
Updates and images from the “BOSpoker.com Toyota Atlantic Grand Prix
of Cleveland” as the weekend unfolds!
Jill Savage/Team Tonis
June 20, 2005
Portland, OR / Indianapolis, IN USA
On Father’s Day weekend, ‘Super
Dad’ Tonis Kasemets makes personal
history; We have fought for the top of
the Podium in the Toyota Atlantic Championships
(TAC) for nearly 14 months in the yellow
#6 Flexovit Abrasive Products/MK/TMI/Red
Line Oil - Dan Cobb Racing/Team Tonis-
Swift .014a. Kasemets’ and team determination
pays off doubly well in the BOSPoker.com
Grand Prix of Portland, Oregon Double Header.
The weekend went mostly well
from the moment he hit the track in what
was only his second visit to Portland International
Raceway (PIR). Kasemets led the weekend’s
only practice session on Friday morning;
then landed a 4th place starting position
Friday afternoon in 1st qualifying for
Race 1. Followed by a scare in 2nd qualifying
Saturday morning; he goes off course in
turn 6, damaging the rear wing while hitting
the tires, but no yellow or red flag was
required. Tonis was 6th quickest at that
point; with a new wing and a one lap ‘Hail
Mary’ as the clock was running out,
he managed to push the car and himself
to the limit, grabbing the Pole for Race
2. Later in the day Saturday, Kasemets
nailed the 1st TAC win of his career in
Race 1 and trumped that with another win
in Race 2 on Sunday.
New additions to Kasemets
Resume:
1st TAC career VICTORY
2nd TAC career VICTORY
1st TAC career POLE
1st in TAC POINTS (109; with weekend combined results, previously 4th)
1st Speed TV in-car camera
1st Appearance on Speedfreaks
NEW TRACK RECORDS:
Race 1 - Kasemets winning
race time of 42:38.821 represents a new
course record on the *recently re-designed
Portland circuit.
Race 2 - Fastest Lap: On Lap 7 of 35, Kasemets posts a 1:07.977 (104.012 mph),
also setting a new record at the *track.
*The festival curves at PIR have been changed since last year; the new length
of the road course is 1.964 miles, previously at 1.969.
Kasemets remains in Portland
today. Prepping his car for immediate transport
to Cleveland, where another Double Header
awaits this weekend, June 24th, 25th & 26th
at the Burke Lakefront Airport road circuit.
His enthusiasm hasn’t worn off one
ounce, commenting this morning: “I
feel like a million dollars!”
Catch both of Tonis’ WINS
on Speed TV this Saturday June 25th,
at 2:00pm ET. Each race is one hour in length, tape delayed.
The following are Kasemets’ quotes from www.toyotaatlantic.com and
Portland press conferences:
Friday practice: http://www.toyotaatlantic.com/News/Article.asp?ID=1726
"The track was intermediate. In the beginning it was real wet and then it
dried off. It is just the usual conditions in Portland. I am happy to be back
here.”
2nd Qualifying: http://www.toyotaatlantic.com/News/Article.asp?ID=1730
"I made a mistake in the first part of the session and damaged my rear wing.
It was luck to me that we could fix the car and go back out. My radio guy said
that I had only one lap, so I put it together. I did not have new tires for my
fastest lap. Actually I had the set that went into the grass when I had contact,
but I did not get any traffic and I went as hard as I could."
WIN #1: http://www.toyotaatlantic.com/News/Article.asp?ID=1732
and http://www.toyotaatlantic.com/News/Article.asp?ID=1733
"I am very happy with the result. It was a very consistent race though the
car was giving up at the end but I still had a great time. It is difficult to
pass even if you are faster. You have to choose the right moment. I did not mean
to hit Andreas in the straight away but it happened so fast...and I apologize.
It is incredible to win this race and I am kind of stunned right now."
WIN #2: http://www.toyotaatlantic.com/News/Article.asp?ID=1738
and http://www.toyotaatlantic.com/News/Article.asp?ID=1737
"We were very lucky to guess the right set up. Everybody in the team works
really hard and helps each other out so this is a great reward for our hard work.
The first key people are Flexovit that has been supporting me since 98 and then
we put the deal together with Dan Cobb. It takes a good chemistry to put all
the pieces of the puzzle together and to surround with good people in order to
be successful. It is great to be the points leader but my goal is to lead the
championship until the end of the season and I am going to keep working really
had until I achieve my goal."
More soon from inside of Team Tonis; further comment about the monumental weekend
at PIR forthcoming. Also, coverage of this weekends events at Cleveland, as
quickly as possible. Stay current with Live Timing and Scoring for all on track
events via the Toyota Atlantic home page.
Additionally: Our deepest gratitude goes to our awesome Webmaster-Ryan May.
Again, we push you to the limit! And Happy Fathers Day to you too Ryan!
Jill Savage/Team Tonis
Race 1 of Portland Double Header, Saturday June 18
and Happy Fathers Day too, Tonis !
Much love and pride from all of your Faithful friends at Team Tonis !!!
Additional weekend news:
Kasemets Saves Best for Last at Portland to Secure First Atlantic Pole for
Second Race of Rose City Doubleheader
http://www.toyotaatlantic.com/News/Article.asp?ID=1731
Also: www.toyotaatlantic.com (free
live timing & scoring also available here)
RACE 2 is Sunday June 19, 10:00am PT/1:00pm ET
Special thanks to Terri @ TnT Images for rushing the photos to us !
QUOTES & MORE asap from Portland.
Indianapolis, IN / Mundelein,
IL USA
June 14, 2005
Question: When the going
gets tough… the TOUGH:
Answer:
a) Go shopping.
b) Quit.
c) Come back for more; experience has advantages.
If you chose “c”,
then you know Tonis Kasemets. 2004 was
Kasemets’ first visit to Portland,
Oregon’s 1.969 permanent road course.
He spent more time asking questions than
getting results. And he does not want to
revisit that. The double-header last June
was full of black-flag penalties and misunderstandings.
One of those weekends that could easily
break the spirit of some. And that was
after sitting out Monterrey with costly
repairs resulting in “playing it
safe” at Long Beach during the Atlantic
season opener.
It’s a new year, a
new season and a new outlook on the upcoming
rounds, 3 and 4, from Kasemets: “We’re
making a run for the Championship. Taking
one day at a time… must be patient… it’s
a double race weekend. If things go well,
you get twice the good results. If things
go bad, things are twice as bad. I prefer
to be on top where the points go up. Do
badly ? Those points head down. I’m
currently 4th in TAC points. It’s
now a mental thing: very important to do
well at Portland, as there is no prep time
before the next events. I’ll prep
the car for shipment straight to Cleveland’s
double-header after this weekend.”
Coming off of his best finish
yet, 2nd at Monterrey, Kasemets is hoping
the momentum stays on the upswing, adding “I’m
still looking for the positives of Portland.
It’s always good to go to a track
where you’ve been before. But last
year, there were a lot of negatives. I’m
trying to learn from the experiences.”
For practice, qualifying
and all on track action of the Toyota Atlantic
Championship Series presented by Yokohama “Double
Header” at Portland; log onto www.toyotaatlantic.com.
Race 1 is Saturday June 18th, Race 2 Sunday June 19th.
Both tape delayed on Speed TV; Saturday June 25th.
Back to back coverage begins at 2:00 pm Eastern Time.
Indianapolis, IN / Mundelein,
IL USA
May 24, 2005
Two days after Tonis Kasemets
(#6 Flexovit Abrasives/MK Ind./TMI/Redline
Oil) made his first podium visit in Round
2 of the Toyota Atlantic Championship (TAC)
Presented by Yokohama, the excitement is
still fresh; as he relates, “This
feels unbelievable! So much hard work from
all involved. This is my way of paying
them back for all they’ve done.” For
the first time in 8 starts in TAC, Kasemets
tastes the champagne by scoring a 2nd place
finish at Fundidora Park in Monterrey,
Mexico at what was his first visit to the
2.104-mile permanent road course. Charles
Zwolsman (#11 Condor Motorsports) captured
top honors by a 1.232 second margin. Kasemets
battled hard with Zwolsman throughout every
portion of the 32 lap event and finished
just over 12 seconds ahead of 3rd place,
which went to David Martinez (#7 Roshfrans/Todito
Card/Roca Acero/Madisa/Koviva/Aviacsa).
It was also Kasemets’ best
start in his 2 Atlantic seasons; Front
Row, Position 2. On lap 17, Kasemets shined
brightest with the fastest lap of the race,
then topped it again on lap 25. In the
end though, it was Zwolsman who owned the
fast lap time, by only 4 one-thousandths
of a second.
Tonis comments on the winner: “Charles is a very good driver. I congratulated
him. He put up a very clean fight.”
The 3 day Champ Car/TAC event
officially drew an audience of over 190,000.
Emergency personnel treated 100 spectators
for sunburn and dehydration. The persistent
100+ degree air temperatures with 140+
degree track temps and full sun conditions
took it’s toll, although Kasemets “was
concerned… but it didn’t effect
me. We had to do our job. Every lap we
got faster and faster. It’s just
part of the deal.”
Dan Cobb Racing/Team Tonis
team Principal Dan Cobb (#9 Camelot Construction-C2),
finished 10th overall and leads the C2
category of TAC point standings. Kasemets
has praise: “Dan is a great team
mate. A big part of why I’m able
to race this year.” Kasemets is now
4th in TAC points, and adds, “I’m
very happy. Very satisfied. It’s
not a win… but very good results
for Championship. 10 more races to go.
I’m really looking forward to the
Double at Portland next month.”
The Tecate/Telmex Grand Prix
of Monterrey Presented by Roshfrans Atlantic
tape-delayed coverage begins at 2pm ET
this Saturday May 28th on Speed TV.
Team Tonis PR: jsavage@toniskasemets.com
Complete weekend recap with photos from TNT Images shortly.
It's been a great weekend.
More soon.
Team Tonis
Monterrey MX 5-22-05
From www.paddocktalk.com
TONIS KASEMETS (Flexovit Abrasive Prods/MK/TMI/Red Line Oil - Dan Cobb Racing/Team
Tonis): "We (winner Zwolsman) had a clean start since we had decided
before the race to leave each other room. Charles ran an excellent race.
The whole race we had an unbelievable battle, but unfortunately I could not
make any move on him. I could have taken a chance when Charles had to slow
down because of lapped cars but my goal today was to score points and not
to take too much risk."
From Toyota Altantic Home Page:
Charles Zwolsman Fights off Tonis Kasemets in Monterrey, Mexico for First
Atlantic Series Victory
May 22, 2005
MONTERREY, MEXICO (May 22, 2005) - Victory certainly didn't come easily for
Dutchman Charles Zwolsman (#11 Condor Motorsports) Sunday in Round 2 of the
Toyota Atlantic Championship Presented by Yokohama, but the 25-year-old racer
fought off numerous challenges, led all 32 laps (67.328 miles) and captured
the checkered flag for his first series victory in only his second Atlantic
start.
The rookie Zwolsman led the
13-car field to a clean green-flag start
at the challenging 2.104-mile Fundidora
Park road circuit and he faced pressure
from Tonis Kasemets (#6 Flexovit Abrasives/MK
Ind./TMI/Redline Oil), who started second,
from the outset. Kasemets, the only Atlantic
non-rookie competing in Monterrey this
weekend, tried several times to overtake
the speedy Zwolsman only to be turned away.
Even late in the race, when both Zwolsman
and Kasemets had to fight through lapped
traffic, the determined Dutch racer was
able to find the speed to shut the door.
He held on for a 1.232-second win over
Kasemets, earning his maiden series victory
in the Tecate/Telmex Grand Prix of Monterrey
Presented by Roshfrans Atlantic event (tape-delayed
broadcast on SPEED Channel - Saturday,
May 28 at 2 p.m. ET).
Kasemets, competing for Dan
Cobb Racing/Team Tonis, earned his top
series finish and first podium result in
his eighth career start in the 90-degree
heat in Monterrey. The Estonian-born racer,
who currently resides in Mundelein, Illinois,
led Friday's qualifying session and made
the most of his starting position and a
fast race car.
more @ www.toyotaatlantic.com
Team Tonis checks in from
the Tecate/Telmex Monterrey Grand Prix
presented by Roshfrans
Friday May 20, 2005
Monterrey, Mexico
ROUND 2 of the Toyota Atlantic Championships
Kasemets’ first laps
of his North American career, on the 2.104
permanent road course in Monterrey “went
exceptionally well” he says. The
#6 Flexovit Abrasives/MK Ind./TMI/Redline
Oil Swift .014a of Dan Cobb Racing/Team
Tonis, remains on top of the speed charts
in practice and qualifying; “where
we left off at Long Beach” Kasemets
comments. “Except this time, I don’t
plan on a bad outing in second qualifying.
No more starting sixth.”
This mornings first practice
session was delayed due to oil on the course,
left over from the previous practice session
of Clio Cup. Kasemets had no difficulties;
instead of fretting, he finds this track “pretty
cool!” Adding: “You have to
hit your marks. Be patient. Get the most
out of your car. I’d like to add
a personal thanks to Sebastian Bordais
for giving me tips about how to get around
this track. Those were very helpful.”
“The ‘Legend’ Stuart
Moore is in this weekend working with the
team. In addition to Stuart, I have so
many to thank; First and foremost our sponsors
Flexovit Abrasives, MK Industries, TMI
and Redline Oil. Thanks to Dan Cobb and
the team, and to Augie Pabst III, they
are all great. And a big thanks to the ‘secret
people’ who have helped me also.”
When asked about how it feels
to be fastest again in both sessions, which
is so far, a repeat of Round One at Long
Beach, Kasemets replies: “It’s
just gelling. Nice and smooth out there.
The car is very good so far. We’re
doing a little fine tuning, that’s
all. Looking forward to tomorrows practice
and final qualifying.” Barring anything
severe, Tonis will start on the front row,
no lower than 2nd with today’s consistent
fast times; combined with another “fast
session, hopefully” tomorrow at 1:15pm
CDT. His Provisional Pole position was
secured with a .531 advantage, in his 16th
and final lap today. Kasemets gets the
customary trip to the Media Center for
the post qualifying press conference again
this weekend: “It really feels good
to take that trip to the Media Center podium
right after climbing out of the car. That
was one of my missions here, to be first
in qualifying and on the front row.”
Monterrey, Mexico is quite
warm this weekend; High’s in the
low 90’s and mostly sunny is the
forecast for the entire weekend. First
practice at 9:30am CDT was greeted by 83%
humidity, cloudy skies and 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
First qualifying at 1:15pm CDT, the temperature
had climbed to 82 degrees Fahrenheit, with
the heat index, it felt like 86 degrees
with humidity at 66%. When quizzed about
whether or not the heat affects him, Kasemets
replies: “It’s Mexico. I believe
it’s supposed to be hot here? Nothing
that drinking a lot of water won’t
take care of.” And on that note,
he runs off in his fire suit to a 5:00pm
Atlantic driver autograph session.
Team Tonis PR / Jill Savage
Additional quote from www.toyotaatlantic.com
/ Friday morning pit notes:
TONIS KASEMETS (#6 Flexovit Abrasives/MK Ind./TMI/Redline Oil): "We
were just learning the track and it is good to be back in the saddle again.
The track is very slippery. You have to try as hard you can, and I was just
lucky to come out fastest of the session."
And an excellent article: http://www.toyotaatlantic.com/News/Article.asp?ID=1690
Fresh Ink: ATLANTIC
PIT STOP WITH DAVE COFFIN: TONIS KASEMETS
STEPS IT UP
http://www.toyotaatlantic.com/News/Article.asp?ID=1677
Toyota Atlantic Championships / ROUND 2:
Fundidora Park
2.1 mile street circuit
Live Timing & Scoring on front page of www.toyotaatlantic.com
*all times listed are Eastern Daylight Savings Time (one hour ahead of Monterrey – CDT
- local time)
Friday May 20th:
Practice 10:30am – 11:00am
1st Qualifying 2:15pm – 2:45pm
Saturday May 21st:
Practice 9:05am – 9:35am
2nd Qualifying 2:15pm – 2:45pm
Sunday May 22nd
Warm-up 9:45am – 10:00am
Grid 1:00pm
ATLANTIC RACE 1:15pm – 2:15pm (32 laps or 50 minutes)
Speed TV tape delayed broadcast:
Saturday May 29th 3:00pm EST/12:00pm PDT
More updates forthcoming
from Team Tonis.
From the opening minutes
of Tonis’ 2nd season in Toyota Atlantics
to the 2nd qualifying round, it was clear;
there wasn’t one thing he could do
wrong. The Estonian was flat-out hooked-up.
His new team; Dan Cobb Racing/Team Tonis,
hit the ground running. They are focused
and have incredible chemistry.
All seasoned racers and his best friends.
Then… the Gremlins enter.
Kasemets’ was on top
of the speed charts in every outing. Only
0.020 off of the pole after qualifying
round 1. As high as 1.000 ahead of 2nd
fastest, throughout the entire weekend.
Tonis reflects about Saturday’s 2nd
round of qualifying, on why he was out
early: “A small glitch, error or
weakness at the workshop… it’s
totally my fault. I prepped the car. Parts
need replaced after a certain amount of
miles. Parts not replaced, they wear out… so
I had a suspension failure, NOT ‘contact
with another driver’ as reported
in other media. I was completely on my
own on the straightaway going into a breaking
zone, no spin involved either. I just had
to park it.”
Tonis sacrifices, what appeared
to be, no less than a 2nd place start/front
row position, to a 6th spot on the following
mornings
