Cooper Tires Presents The 2009 Atlantic Championship!

Coming up to the last race of the 2009 Atlantic Championship, Max Lefevre is 10th with 8 top 10 finishes and hoping for a top 5 finish during the end of season event at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca!

So far the season has been a great experience for me, I got to race on some of the greatest tracks in North America such as Road Atlanta, Mosport and Sebring. The team and I worked very hard on getting a good race set-up, learning to work together and understand each other on what we wanted and how we wanted to get it done was one of the most important achievement for this season.

When Condor Motorsports and I decided to work together, we knew this year was about learning the tracks and the car and how to engineer it to be ready to fight for the championship in 2010. Now the times are getting good and we are on last part of the job where all the bits have to be connected in order to put together the required lap times.

Racing in North America is amazing, very different than what I have experienced in Europe. The level in the Atlantic Championship is very high, we are talking about drivers that have been competing in the top European classes such as GP2, World Series by Renault an Formula 3. It great for me to drive in such a Serie because I have learned more in this year than in my two previous seasons as a race car driver.

Now there is one race left and I am going to put together everything I have been working on these last months to get my number 7 Dotmobil, Induct Group race car in the top 5.

My first autograph session!

Here are some pics of my first ever autograph session, it was a great experience. I was in Utah at the Miller Motorsports Park for my first official race of the season. It was amazing, I even met a French couple that were there for the race. At first I was a bit worried because I had never signed autographs before so I wasn’t sure how it was going to turn out. The session lasted almost 45 minutes and was a lot of fun, so many people turned up from all different background but the most touching was to see all the kids coming up to us drivers. Once the session ended, we all went on the roof of a trailer to throw some goods (hats, bags etc…) at the crowd standing in the autograph area.

It was a great experience for me and this is all thanks to the fans!!!

Sharing my passion with my sponsors !

During the winter, between test days and meetings with my team, I take my sponsors to the race track in Ledenon (south of France) for a whole day of racing in a Formula Ford Kent. This car is excellent for someones first steps into racing. I had my debut in car racing in the Fomula Ford Kent French Championship which I won, becoming the first Rookie driver to win this series. This is why I enjoy sharing this experience with the ones who gave me the chance to express myself on the race tracks throughout the season.

This winter, Induct (research and development), Dotmobil (fleet management systems) and Fabrice Gueroux (expert in counterfeit vintage collection watches), my sponsors for the 2008 West European Formula Renault Challenger Cup and I celebrated my title by giving Induct and Dotmobil’s staff the oportunity to set foot in a real race car.

Because I want everyone to have fun and get as much track time as possible, I chose to bring everyone to the Team Palmyr which is also a driving school. I have done my first laps in a real race car and won two championships with this team. The day starts with a briefing on how a race car works, especially a Formula Ford. Every detail is covered such as the right lines to follow, double clutching, using all the track etc..

Once the guys are done, it is time to suit up and take a seat in a road car that will be used to take them around the track for a few laps in order for the lines, gears and braking points to be in their minds before getting behind the wheel.

It is now 10:00 am, the first four are set up and ready to hit the track. They will be going for 7 laps during which they will learn the track and start feeling confortable with the gear shifting, braking hard and heating up the tires. It is with a great smile that they come out of the car looking for someone to share their experience.

Once the staff has gone at least twice, it is time for the owner of Induct and Dotmobil to have fun. Du to his racing experience and after a few laps in the Formula Ford, I gave him the wheel of my the Formula Renault I won the 2008 West European Challenger Cup with. He came out with the usual smile and shared with me his thought about the car, the power etc…

The day is coming to an end , I take the time to take pictures with the staff and partners so they can use the footage for their PR and marketing. It is now 6:00 pm and I have to get to the TGV for a 3 hours ride to Paris where I live. This is a very exciting part of my job where I get to share what I do with the ones who believe in me and want me to make it to the top.

Max’s race car

Here is a video of my race car with some great shots from my Flip camera. Watch and enjoy! This was taken during a test day. The race videos will come as soon as the season starts. I hope you like it.

Buttonwillow test day with Condor Motorsports

Great on-board video at the wheel of a Formula Atlantic race car at the Buttonwillow race track about 50 miles from Bakersfield. The car is prepared by Condor Motorsports and driven by Max Lefevre.

Max Lefevre Joins Condor Motorsports for 2009 Cooper Tires present Atlantic Championship

French driver Max Lefevre, has joined Condor Motorsports and will compete for the team in the 2009 Cooper Tires Presents the Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda.

The Condor Motorsports team tested with Max at Buttonwillow, California. Over the three days of testing Max logged around 650 miles. The team took the opportunity to expose Max to numerous changes to the car with the purpose of getting him familiar with the different set ups and more important to evaluate his feedback. He was able to relate the behavior of the car with precise detail and worked well with the team’s engineers.

It was pleasure to work with Max, said Team Owner Carlos Bobeda. I was not only impressed by his driving ability but also by his professional approach. Not to mention, the fact that during the many laps logged, he never put a wheel wrong.

Lefevre has achieved good results in the European lower formulas so there was no doubt in my mind that he would do well in the test. However, his performance in the more powerful Atlantic car was far superior to the expectations I placed on him.

He adapted very quickly to the racetrack and the Atlantic car and was turning competitive times from the onset. The whole team is excited to have Max in our driver’s line up for 2009. Lefevre is definitely someone to watch in 2009. It was great fun to experience the power and downforce of the Atlantic car, said Max Lefevre. The team chose Buttonwillow Raceway for my first tests. It was a good place to start since it presents many challenges while remaining safe. I also appreciated very much the team’s approach with a new driver.

All the members of Condor Motorsports succeeded in making me feel at home and this helped me build confidence and adapt to the car within the first day. Working on car set ups at Condor’s level of professionalism was a real treat. The know how, and the way I was looked after during the whole three days of the test confirmed that Carlos Bobeda was the perfect person for me to make my first steps in American racing. I am very excited with the opportunity to compete in this high level series and look forward to the start of the Atlantic season.