Top US Rookie J.R. Hildebrand Storms Through Road America Field to Claim Seventh in Atlantic Championship

08.17.2007

After suffering an unusual mechanical problem in qualifying, J.R. Hildebrand stormed through the Road America Atlantic field from 21st on the grid to score another top ten finish for Newman Wachs Racing, clinching seventh overall in the 2007 Champ Car Atlantic Championship.

J.R. and the team were struggling to find speed in the car on Friday and Saturday, and it became clear in Saturday afternoon qualifying, as the performance of the car continued to deteriorate, that there was something seriously wrong with the performance of the Mazda powerplant. The team and the Cosworth engineers were having trouble identifying the cause, until the Cosworth engineer reviewed speed data and then asked if they had looked at the air cleaner. Upon inspection, it became clear that the inside of the filter had delaminated and was being sucked against the fuel injector intake trumpets, severely restricting airflow into the engine at high rpms.

"I thought the engine sounded a little different on Friday, but it didn't cause as severe an effect on performance until Saturday afternoon, when it fully delaminated in qualifying. I ended up showing the Cosworth engineer my data, which showed the car was slower by an average of 5 mph on the straightaways, which is a huge deficit at a track like Road America. We were pretty surprised, as we change the air cleaner more often than most teams do."

Going out in Sunday morning practice, J.R. was happy to feel all 300 hp back behind him down the straightaways. Starting in the 21st position, he knew that he was going to have to balance his aggressiveness with caution, as he would be in unfamiliar territory at the rear of the grid.

Hildebrand started his march to the front at the drop of the green flag, picking up six positions prior to the first yellow on lap 4. At the drop of the green, he resumed his march to the front, picking up 5 more spots and breaking into the top ten prior to the second yellow on lap 8. At the resumption of racing, he picked up three more spots to reach seventh, at which time contact with another car damaged his front wing, affecting the aero balance of the car.

"At that point, I was sure we were heading for a top five finish, but the car had gone from well balanced to pushing on the exit of the turns. That really hurts you at Road America entering the long straights, and I became a sitting duck to the last few cars I had passed. I continued to press 100%, and was satisfied bringing the NWR Swift home ninth."

J.R. ended up being the top US rookie in the series, and in finishing seventh, was the second US driver in the championship, behind the much more experienced Jonathan Bomarito.

"It turned out to be a fun and challenging race - if we could have started a little closer to the front, maybe I could have been on the podium. I'll take that thought into the off season and start getting prepared for making a real run at the championship next year."

"I just want everyone to know how much I appreciate Eddie Wachs and Paul Newman for making this year possible for me. Without their support, I'd probably have been watching this year from behind the pit wall. We had some ups and downs this year, but I learned a great deal both on and off the track, and that will pay dividends for all of us in the future."

"I also want to thank a few other people that continue to believe in and support me: Doug Mockett of Mockett.com, Peter Harvey and the rest of the gang at Formotion, and of course my family and friends."