February 15, 2003 - It’s official! Jonathan Macri has signed with Polestar Atlantic for the 2003 CART Toyota Atlantic Series Championship. Only weeks away from the start of the 12-leg Atlantic season, a perfect alignment of stars has evolved in this combination of team and driver. The 20-year-old racing ace brings talent and grit to the formation. The Gormley, Ontario, native captured the BBS Rising Star Award after placing 5th overall in his 2001 rookie season.
Macri continued to apply his high performance racing wares in 2002, capturing three podium-finishes – two second-place positions at Portland and Toronto and a third-place spot at Milwaukee. He clinched 7th overall in a field of drivers that redlined the competitive gauge in the Atlantic’s 29-year history.
Jonathan’s natural racing acumen is complimented by a mature racing style, nurtured in his two years of experience on the Atlantic circuit. The rising talent, backed by long-time sponsor NTN Bearings, seems to have found his star in Polestar Atlantic.
2003 marks Polestar Atlantic’s entry into the CART Toyota Atlantic Series. The team is new, but its members are veterans. Paul Kiebler, Polestar Atlantic owner, is a long time racing enthusiast and driver. Co-owner and race engineer Jim Griffith, team manager Pam Griffith, and engineer Bruce Potter, bring 45 years combined experience and success to the Polestar Atlantic effort. Jason Robb and Constantin Gheorghe will maintain the mechanical package.
Under the engineering helm of Jim Griffith; Patrick Carpentier and Alex Barron won the 1996 and 1997 Atlantic Championships, respectively. Also, in 2000, Jim Griffith led a new team to its first Atlantic Championship in only its first year of operation. Team manager, Pam Griffith, brings 20 years of experience to Polestar Atlantic and a Championship in 2000. Overseeing all electrical and computing functions and analyzing data, engineer Bruce Potter was integral to teams’ Championships in 1997 and 2000.
For Jonathan Macri, things just couldn’t be any better. “We were running it close to the wire, but it was worth the wait,” Jonathan said, referring to signing with Polestar Atlantic so close to the start of the season. “I couldn’t have dreamed of anything better than to work with people of this calibre and experience. I’m ecstatic at the outcome. 2003 will be just as competitive as last year. We’ll be racing against a strong, thick field, but I think I’ve found a winning team in Polestar Atlantic and will drive hard for the team and my long-time sponsor NTN Bearings. I’m really looking forward to 2003.”
And there you have it! Star driver comes together with star team. A match made in the heavens, it would seem. No doubt, tracking this star formation should be paramount on the minds of Atlantic aficionados in 2003. |
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