CLIFF DEMPSEY RACING

18th February 2008
Peter Dempsey signs with Andersen Racing for 2008 Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear

Peter Dempsey from Ashbourne, Co Meath, Ireland, has signed with Andersen Racing for the 2008 Star Mazda season following a spectacular test at Sebring International Raceway in which the Irish driver was timed well under the current Star Mazda track record.

On the first day of the test in Sebring, Florida. on 28th January, the 21-year-old driver posted a lap that was 0.6 of a second under the current track record for the class. On the second day he remained fastest of the drivers participating in the test, beating his rivals by 1 second even though he was still on the Goodyear tyres he’d used the previous day.

Track records can only be set during actual competition, but the test bodes well for Dempsey's hopes at the season opener 13-14th March at Sebring.

“I’m over the moon with the test, and to be a second quicker on old tyres when everyone else was on new gives me a big advantage,” Dempsey said at the time. “The team, my engineer and my mechanic were brilliant. I had the best car on the track, and that made my job a lot easier. I really have to thank Dan Andersen, the team co-owner. He has a fantastic team.”

“There were about a dozen cars at the test, and Dempsey blew everyone away with times well under the track record,” Andersen said. “He was more than a full second ahead of the second-quickest driver. Peter did a 1:58.7 and no one else was lower than 2:00.0. If that continues, we should have fun this year!”

 

“I just can’t wait to get going,” Dempsey agreed. “It will be a new challenge for me in a different country and in a different car and with a different team. I really only have raced on my dad’s team, Cliff Dempsey Racing, up to this point.”

 

Dempsey’s addition to the Palmetto, Florida-based team’s Star Mazda squad brings its driver roster to four for that series, with one other driver announcement pending. Tom Gladdis, Juliana Gonzalez and Yannick Hofman are already signed.

 

Dempsey also tested at Andersen Racing’s test track, Andersen RacePark, on 16-17 December, which was the first time he drove a Star Mazda car.

 

He has an impressive record in British and Irish Formula Ford competition, however. He won the Leinster Trophy in 2007, along with the BRDC Golden Helmet, Martin Donnelly Trophy and the Walter Hayes Trophy. He was also a Dunlop/Motorsport Ireland Young Driver of the Year finalist last year.

 

Dempsey finished third in the British Formula Ford Duratec Championship in 2006. He won the British Formula Ford 1600 Championship in 2005, the year in which he won 33 out of 43 races and was named the Motorsport Ireland Young Driver of the Year.

 

Andersen Racing strives to provide the best training possible for future open-wheel superstars. It addition to Star Mazda, Andersen Racing fields multiple entries in the F2000 Championship presented by Hoosier Racing Tyre and the Indy Pro Series, the official development series of IndyCar. It is the official development team of Rahal Letterman Racing, which competes in both IndyCar and the ALMS. The team is sponsored by Allied Building Products Corp.

 

For more information on Peter Dempsey, see peterdempsey.com. For more information on Andersen Racing see andersenracingteam.com and andersenracepark.com. For more information on the Star Mazda series see starmazda.com. Should you require further information please contact Peter directly on +353 85 1439989

 

Dempsey has a 5-week break then he is due back for more testing before the first race at Sebring on 14th March.

 

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