Multi-champion Lyonel Kent signs with ALARA Racing for 2009 MX-5 Cup series.
SONOMA, CA. April 20, 2009
ALARA Racing is proud to announce the signing of their newest team driver, Lyonel Kent of Powell, Tennessee. Lyonel brings a wealth of experience from 8 years of road racing in a variety of classes. He has achieved success in all of his previous race experiences, with wins and championships dotting his resume. His experience spans NASA, SCCA, and, most recently, the Skip Barber Mazdaspeed Championship in which he won or led almost every race he entered.
Lyonel Kent said of his signing "I am very grateful for eData Solutions giving me the opportunity to race in the 2009 Playboy MX-5 Cup series. I am thrilled to have a seat with ALARA Racing and look forward to working with my teammates and challenging for the championship in 2009."
Ara Malkhassian, team principal and driver, ALARA Racing added, "we look forward to having Lyonel joining the team and becoming one of the backbones of our championship effort for 2009. We see his experience in the Skip Barber series and his intimate knowledge of most of the tracks we will visit in 2009 as keys to success".
Lyonel`s season with ALARA Racing is sponsored by eData Solution, Inc. eData Solutions, located in Shawnee Mission, Kansas, provides fully integrated, cost-effective technologies to meet customer relationship needs for online consumer finance companies.
ALARA Racing is a premier provider of Mazda-based race cars and is located in Sonoma, California. For information, visit our web site or call at 707-337-7200.
JUSTIN PISCITELL WINS MAZDA MX-5 CUP SHOOTOUT SIGNS WITH ALARA RACING
March 19, 2009 (Sebring, Fla).
Justin Piscitell has one of the shortest resumes ever for someone who will be making the jump to professional motorsports in 2009. Justin has a total career of just 16 races, but from those 16 races he has seven wins and 15 podium finishes. How did he do it? He impressed a panel of judges and professional racers that he has the greatest potential to succeed as a professional driver. Justin will spend his 2009 racing season competing in the SCCA Pro Racing Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup. In the weeks following the December 2008 shootout, Justin talked with the leading MX-5 Cup teams before deciding upon ALARA Racing. Justin will
make his debut as a professional race driver the first weekend in May, at the Classic Motorsports Mitty `09 at Road Atlanta.
At Sebring this week, Justin is meeting his fellow MAZDASPEED ladder grads for the first time, and learning about the other rungs on that ladder. Justin is the third driver to win the Mazda MX-5 Cup shootout, following in the footsteps of Andrew Caddell, and Brad Rampelberg.
The eleven eligible Mazda powered 2008 champions were as follows:
Note: Eight drivers competed in the shootout. Eric Foss forfeited his invitation as he had already won the 2008 Playboy MX-5 Cup Championship to secure his Mazda factory-supported ride in the 2009 SPEED World Challenge with Tri-Point Motorsports. Rick Harris and Jesse Prather declined to compete.
The criteria: Given that each of the drivers had proven themselves on the track to win a championship, the criteria to move up needed to be more encompassing. To succeed on the professional level requires a balance of both on-track and off-track skills including the following:
- Driving ability - fast laps
- Driving ability - consistent laps
- Technical feedback - Understanding of vehicle dynamics and suspension
- Technical feedback - Ability to evaluate vehicle handling
- Technical feedback - Ability to analyze data
- Technical feedback - Ability to improve vehicle handling
- The business of motorsports - Sponsorship proposal
- The business of motorsports - Media interview
The judges: The judges brought a wealth of both on-track and off-track expertise.
- Brad Rampelberg - 2007 MX-5 Cup Shootout winner, 2008 MX-5 Cup race winner
- Sylvain Tremblay - Owner/Driver/Engineer, SpeedSource Engineering
- Jason Saini - 2007 MX-5 Cup Champion, 2008 SPEED World Challenge Rookie of the Year
- Charles Espenlaub - Professional Mazda racer, SPEED World Challenge/GrandAm GT
- Dan Edmunds - Editor, Edmunds.com, Club Racer
The tally: After a full day of driving and classroom activities, the five judges scored the eight competing drivers in eleven categories, resulting in 440 scores! When the numbers were tallied, and compared against the subjective gut-feel of the expert panelists, the answer was very, very close - so close that the judges debated for several hours before deciding in favor of Piscitell.
Justin`s prize package: The total prize package is valued at over $70,000, and is the largest prize in Club Racing. Justin will be receiving:
- $50,000 for the running of his car for the seaon
- $10,000 in parts support
- One Sparco driving suit and helmet
- Ten sets of tires, one per race
- Ten entry fee waivers (Courtesy of SCCA Pro Racing)
Justin Piscitell - "Winning the shootout has opened up the world to me. As a 19 year old boy from Patterson NY, who has only been racing for one year, I was elated to even have the opportunity to attend the MAZDASPEED shootout. Winning it is beyond comprehension. The greatest thing about the Mazda Ladder is that it gives a novice racer like me something to strive for and the opportunity for advancement. It provides an organized sequence and opportunity to advance a racing career. If I win the Playboy MX-5 Cup, I can automatically move up to the SPEED World Challenge Series with a factory supported ride from Mazda. Mazda has given me the chance to pursue my dream of racing in a Pro series. I selected ALARA as I see them as a team that is dedicated to winning the Playboy MX-5 Cup, and also in advancing my skills as a driver. It is a very competitive series and is going to take a lot of hard work and commitment, but it is what I have always wanted and I am dedicated to the challenge and opportunity that I now have. I couldn't imagine doing it any other way."
Steve Sanders - MAZDASPEED Competition Manager: "The feedback from the judges was great. They noted that the overall quality of the contestants was excellent. Many of these drivers have the potential to make it on a professional level. The key word of the shootout was `potential` and the judges saw a great deal of that in Justin. We look forward to working with him in 2009." Charles Espenlaub - Third year judge: " Wow! I am amazed more and more every year. Having been involved with the Mazda MX-5 Cup shootout since the beginning... The results speak volumes... The talent is deep. The MAZDASPEED Ladder system works. And it becomes more and more difficult to determine a winner every year.
What a great program, everyone should be proud of their efforts, what they learned from the experience and new friends made... I know I am! " Ara Malkhassian - Principal, ALARA Racing: "We are very excited that Justin has selected ALARA Racing as his team for the Playboy MX-5 Cup series. Justin quickly impressed us with his natural speed and smoothness in his first test with us. Under Ken Murillo`s tutelage, he continues to strengthen and mature as he goes through ALARA Racing`s pre-season development program. We expect him to be a strong contender for thechampionship this year".
Mazda is the brand of choice for road-racers across North America. More than 9,000 grassroots racers compete in various classes with the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) and the National Auto Sport Association (NASA). Racers who are years away from earning a driver`s license can now begin their professional motorsports careers in the Mazda family. A driver can begin in karts and progress through the Skip Barber series, Club Racing Formula Mazda, professional Star Mazda and finally to Formula Atlantic, all with Mazda. No other car company has ever connected the dots this way.
On any given weekend, there are more Mazdas on the road-race tracks of America than any other brand of vehicle. At the track, you`ll see MX-5 Miata, RX-8, MAZDA3, MAZDA6, RX-7 and other vintage Mazda models competing, because every Mazda has the Soul of a Sports Car. In fact, the largest road-racing class in the world is Spec Miata, with more than 1,500 first- and second-generation Miatas tearing up America`s racetracks, making it the most-raced production car in the world. Mazda`s involvement in motorsports extends to its relationship with Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, one of the world`s premier road-racing circuits, and the Skip Barber Schools for driving and racing.
Headquartered in Irvine, Calif., Mazda North American Operations oversees the sales, marketing, parts and customer service support of Mazda vehicles in the United States, Canada and Mexico through more than 850 dealers. Operations in Canada are managed by Mazda Canada, Inc., located in Ontario, Canada, and in Mexico by Mazda Motor de Mexico in Mexico City.
For more information on Mazda products, visit the online Mazda media center at www.MazdaUSAmedia.com
For more information on MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development, visit www.MAZDASPEEDMotorsports.com
For more information on the MX-5 Cup series, visit www.MX-5Cup.com
For more information on Justin Piscitell, visit www.justinpiscitellracing.com
ALARA Racing caps off the 2008 MX-5 Cup season with a win at Laguna Seca.
TOPEKA, Kan. November 14, 2008
Christian Franck won a hard-earned victory after an electrifying battle that saw several drivers vying for the win. Christian repeated his impressive show of speed at Road America by again winning the hot lap of the race AND setting a new track record.
Chrisitan took his ALARA Racing, Select Painting-sponsored MX-5 Cup car to victory after starting in fifth place and steadily working past the rest of the field, leading by a healthy margin at the checker. Team owner, Ara Malkhassian showed promise earlier in the weekend, posting the fastest time in the official practice sessions. Qualifying saw Ara taking 7th on the grid. He lost several positions in first lap maneuvering. He then worked through the field from 12th to finish 6th, securing his hold on fifth overall in the championship. "It was a tough year with a couple of miscues early in the season that were difficult to recover from and challenge for the championship this year" said the series veteran. "We`re very happy for Christian, his family, and the whole ALARA Racing crew for ending the season on such a big positive note". Ara secured two podiums late in the season at Miller Motorsports Park and Trois Rivieres, while team-mates Brett Smrz and Christian Franck each climbed the steps once this season.
ALARA Racing would like to congratulate Harrison Williams for securing 10th overall in the 2008 Championship and also toast the great racing Tim Probert, Alison Malkhassian, Barry Fromberg, and Dr Carlos Tesler-Mabe had throughout the 2008 season.
ALARA Racing is proud to announce that the team will be campaigning the 2009 season of the MX-5 Cup series and has availability for qualified drivers. Please contact Ara Malkhassian at 707-337-7200 or ara@alararacing.com for details.
ALARA Racing returns from rounds four and five of the 2008 Playboy MX-5 Cup Racing series with strong performances.
Sonoma, CA August 18, 2008
At Road America, Ara Malkhassian qualified in the third position while Christian Franck qualified 6th and both were embroiled the length of the entire race in an extremely tight eight car fight for the win with the group endlessly swapping positions on each of the track`s three long straights. Both Malkhassian and Franck moved up and down in the pack as the breakaway group took advantage of the big, high speed drafts that Road America is famous for. Franck had an off late in the race and ended up in a tire barrier bringing out a double-yellow that ended the race. Team principal, Ara Malkhassian finished the race in the 7th position. Christian showed his talent by repeatedly breaking the track`s record, netting him the coveted Hot Lap award. He was unhurt by the incident. Harrison Williams had a good showing with a 13th place finish in spite of missing the test day.
At Trois Rivieres, Christian showed his natural talent by immediately setting a blazing pace. He was second on the lap charts for both official practice sessions, just hundredths of a second of the lead car. Malkhassian found his speed in the qualifying session and put his car on the front row, qualifying in the second position. Christian was only two tenths behind Malkhassian in times and started sixth. Team veterans Tim Probert and Harrison Williams both qualified in the mid-field and looked forward to strong races. Unfortunately, Both Probert and Williams experienced transmission failures in the race while they were having strong battles and were poised for top 10 finishes. Malkhassian put the pressure on early on Foss for the lead, but was not able to make a pass. Buras got by Malkhassian halfway through the race and was able to maintain the position. Malkhassian finished third, his first podium of the year, while Franck raced his ALARA Racing MX-5 Cup car to 4th, just inches off Malkhassian`s bumper at the finish after a double yellow bunched up the field.
Two ALARA Drivers in the Hunt
Sonoma, CA August 4, 2008
ALARA Racing came away from the third round of the Playboy MX-5 Cup racing series at Portland International Raceway with 2 drivers solidly in the top 10 in points for the season thus far. Christian Franck finished a respectable 6th after qualifying 3rd and leading the race in the early stages. Ara Malkhassian finished 11th after being taken out on the first lap and working his way back up the field. "I wish I had a chance for the win", Ara said after the race, "we worked through some handling issues in testing and practice and we got the ALARA Racing cars handling great. I'm glad Christian got a chance to contend for the win, but I lost too much ground to recover from the first lap punt". Harrison Williams worked his way up to 12th after starting 15th while Tim Probert worked his way up to 14th after starting 16th. Carlos Tesler-Mabe finished 16th after staring 18th and Alison Malkhassian finished where she started in 17th place. The team is looking forward to the next two rounds at Road America and Trois Riveres.
ALARA Racing is a premier motorsports company specializing in the build, service, and support of Mazda MX-5 CUP cars. They have a long history of success in motorsports, with a championship-winning staff boasting wins at all levels of road racing. Please contact ALARA Racing for all your racing needs. You can reach ALARA Racing at 707-337-7200 or sales@alararacing.com