Juncos Racing Heads Overseas to Formula Ford Festival in Search of Young Talent for 2010
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VERO BEACH, October 15, 2009: Team Owner Ricardo Juncos and Engineer Ernesto Gonella of Juncos Racing will head overseas tomorrow to attend this weekend's Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch in Kent, England. In its premier season with the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear, Juncos Racing proudly became vice champions with Irish driver Peter Dempsey this past weekend at the final race at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. The Florida-based team now looks to next year as they go to Europe in the hopes of finding up-and-coming young talent to compete with them for the 2010 racing season.
In 13 rounds of racing this season, the debut team of Juncos Racing achieved four wins, five poles, and 15 top-ten finishes among three different drivers. In their search for 2010 drivers, Ricardo Juncos and Ernesto Gonella will be scouting out young talent at the Formula Ford Festival this weekend, October 17 and 18, to test with and potentially join the team in 2010 for its second season of the Star Mazda Championship. Juncos Racing plans to begin testing new drivers in November and December of this year with the help of 2009 driver Peter Dempsey who will act as a driving instructor during the upcoming test sessions.
Dempsey, the 2nd Place Overall Champion of the 2009 Star Mazda Championship, will be participating in the Formula Ford Festival this week as well. Before coming to America to race in the Star Mazda Championship, Dempsey competed in Formula Ford series for several years and won multiple races with his father's team, Cliff Dempsey Racing.
The British Racing and Sports Car Club considers the Formula Ford Festival their "blue riband" event of the year because it attracts the best young Formula Ford drivers from around the world to compete in a series of "dog eat dog" style knockout races throughout the weekend. The last driver standing then wins the coveted Festival Crown and Champion Title. Former Champions include Johnny Herbert, Eddie Irvine, Mark Webber, Jenson Button & Anthony Davidson.
The Juncos Racing representatives will remain overseas until Tuesday, October 20, to conduct meetings and speak with potential drivers who are interested in competing in American racing next season. Ricardo Juncos can be contacted by cell phone at (786) 488-3520 or by email at ricardo@juncosracing.com.