GENERAL:
In its 35th season of competition in 2008, the Cooper Tires Presents The Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda is the longest-running development series in North America. The series is owned by Atlantic Racing Series, LLC based in Brownsburg, Indiana, and is sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA), which is based in Braselton, Georgia.

SERIES PRESIDENT:
Vicki O'Connor

FIRST EVENT:
May 26, 1974 at Westwood, Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada. The winner was Allan Lader driving a Chevron B27/Cosworth.

PRESENTING SPONSORS:
Cooper Tire, Mazda USA.

CARS:
Single-seat, open-wheel vehicles manufactured by Swift Engineering. The Swift 016.a, which made its debut in 2006, is the designated spec chassis for the championship this season.

ENGINES:
2.3-liter, four-cylinder, non-turbocharged, 16-valve, fuel-injected, Mazda MZR engines, capable of producing 300 horsepower at 8,000 rpm and speeds in excess of 175 mph. Engine development provided by Cosworth.

TIRES:
Purpose-built, high-performance Cooper Atlantic racing slicks and rain tires, manufactured by Cooper Tire.

TYPES OF VENUES:
Events are contested on temporary street circuits and permanent road courses. All races are sprint events between 60 and 100 miles in length and are subject to a 45- or 50-minute time limit.

2008 SCHEDULE:
Eleven events in two countries (United States and Canada). Events are run in conjuntion with the American Le Mans Series, Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series, Indy Racing League IndyCar Series and Champ Car World Series among others.

COST:
An Atlantic Championship team can run the full, 11-race schedule for approximately $750,000.

NOTEABLE SERIES GRADUATES:
A.J. Allmendinger, Michael Andretti, Geoff Brabham, Alex Barron, Patrick Carpentier, Price Cobb, Kevin Cogan, Ryan Dalziel, Mark Dismore, David Empringham, Alex Figge, Calvin Fish, Jon Fogarty, Elliott Forbes-Robinson, Memo Gidley, Tom Gloy, Scott Goodyear, Richie Hearn, Howdy Holmes, Sam Hornish Jr., Ryan Hunter-Reay, Anthony Lazzaro, Katherine Legge, Hiro Matsushita, Roberto Moreno, Johnny O’Connell, Simon Pagenaud, Danica Patrick, Bobby Rahal, Graham Rahal, Greg Ray, Buddy Rice, Keke Rosberg, Steve Saleen, Danny Sullivan, Alex Tagliani, Brian Till, Paul Tracy, Al Unser Jr., Michael Valiante, Jimmy Vasser, Gilles Villeneuve, Jacques Villeneuve (brother of Gilles), Jacques Villeneuve (son of Gilles) and Dan Wheldon.

CHAMPIONSHIP:
Top 20 finishers per race earn championship points (31-27-25-23-21-19-17-15-13-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1) with bonus points awarded for the fastest qualifier on each day of road and street course qualifying (1 each day), the driver who turns the fastest race lap (1), and the driver who improves the most from starting position to finishing position (1).

QUALIFYING:
For road and street circuit events, a total of two championship points may be available. On event weekends where there is a single Atlantic race scheduled, the driver who sets the fastest time in the first round of qualifying will be awarded one championship point, and will be guaranteed a front row starting position for the race. If the same driver also sets the fastest lap in the second round of qualifying, that driver will be awarded a second championship point and will start from the pole position. If a different driver is fastest in second-round qualifying, that driver will earn one championship point, and the front row of the starting grid will consist of the fastest first-round qualifier and the fastest second-round qualifier, with the driver who posted the fastest time starting from the pole position. The remainder of the starting grid will be established by each driver’s fastest lap out of the two qualifying sessions. On doubleheader race weekends, only one round of qualifying will be held for each race and one championship point will be available for the fastest qualifier.

More Atlantic 101:  Overview  |  Fast Facts  |  History  |  Driver Roster