It’s the halfway point and there is everything to play for in the Jim Russell Future Search program. I just received an update from the Press Room at Jim Russell Racing Drivers School and it is now down to 20 drivers who will fight for one of two fully-funded positions in the 2010 Jim Russell Championship. The program started with 40 drivers representing 10 different countries.
The final two days of the program will see Britain’s double Le Mans 24 Hour race winner, Allan McNish, and his fellow judging panel members choose two winners to compete in next years series with the winner to move on to a fully-funded seat in the Formula Two world series.
The drivers for the final two days are:
Bastien Graber (18), from Niddatal, GERMANY
James Kovacic (16), from Forresters Beach nr Gosford, AUSTRALIA
Brett van Blankers (22), New Westminster, British Columbia, CANADA
Xavier Coupal (19), Saint-Jean, Quebec, CANADA
Tyler Bennett (20), from Farmington, Utah, USA
Gregory Liefooghe (29), from San Francisco, California, USA
Yannick Mettler (20), from Kriens (Luzern), SWITZERLAND
Jordan Jadallah (17), from Hillsborough, California, USA
Mark Pombo (27), from Berkeley Lake, Georgia, USA
Jayson Clunie (40), from Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, CANADA
Gustavo Menezes (15), from Coto de Caza, California, USA
Justin Gald (18), from Fresno, California, USA
Felipe Polehtto [nee Poletto Bastos] (20), from Rio de Janeiro, BRAZIL
Logan Downing (17), from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, CANADA
Nikola Radosavljevich (18), from Los Gatos, California, USA
Gary Carlton (23), from Marysville, California, USA
Alex Ellis (18), from St Catharines, Ontario, CANADA
Javier Echeverria (22), from Mexico City, MEXICO
Cody Hodgson (18), from Escalon, California, USA
Jeffrey Westphal (23), from San Carlos, California, USA
The final two positions will be chosen on different criteria. The judges are looking for the best “all-rounder” driver for their first selection while the second recipient of the 2010 JRCS “seat†will be the driver who has set the outright fastest lap time in a Jim Russell Racing Drivers School FJR-50 single-seater on Tuesday – a day which will see just six drivers battling for this spectacular prize after Monday’s continuing selection process.
Things are heating up in Sonoma and we will keep you posted every step of the way.
