Well, we've made it to March and there was actually a decent number of driver announcements over the past week. The Skip Barber National Championship will hold their first event of the 2010 season this coming weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway.  So, the next time you see a Ladder Report ... the 2010 season will officially be underway. 

Here's a look back at some of the junior formula news from the last week.

Skip Barber National Championship

Skip Barber National Champion to Receive an Indy Lights Test with Bryan Herta Autosport: Bryan Herta Autosport announced a new partnership with the Skip Barber Racing School that will provide the 2010 Skip Barber National Champion with an Indy Lights test.  The affiliation will also allow the Skip Barber National competitors a chance to get a behind-the-scenes look at how an Indy Lights team operates during race weekends. 

Skip Barber Releases Entry List for Rounds 1 & 2: As noted above, the 2010 Skip Barber National Championship will get underway this weekend.  The entry list for this weekend's event at Homestead-Miami Speedway consists of 21 drivers (4 of which will be competing in the Skip Barber Cup- a new championship designed for drivers over the age of 26). 

Star Mazda

Tristan Vautier Signs with Andersen Racing: Tristan Vautier committed to running the 2010 Star Mazda Championship with Andersen Racing.  Vautier is a transplant from the Formula Palmer Audi series where he finished 4th in the overall standings.  He tested a Star Mazda car with Andersen Racing at Sebring International Raceway in January and impressed quite a few people with his overall speed. 

Indy Lights

Jean-Karl Vernay Signs with Sam Schmidt Motorsports:  Sam Schmidt signed J.K. Vernay for the 2010 season.  The 22-year-old Frenchman should be a real solid addition to Sam's squad.  Last season, Vernay competed in the Formula 3 Euro Series where he logged 2 wins, 5 podiums, and 13 top-ten finishes.  I fully expect to see Jean-Karl at or near the front of the pack this season.

Sebastian Saavedra Signs with Bryan Herta Autosport: Sebastian Saavedra, who was a front runner during the 2009 Indy Lights season, will return to the series in 2010 with Bryan Herta Autosport.  If Saavedra is able to make better race decisions in 2010, he could quite possibly be an early favorite for the overall title in 2010.

Gustavo Yacaman Signs with Cape Motorsports / Wayne Taylor Racing:  Gustavo Yacaman announced that he will return to Indy Lights competition this season with Cape Motorsports and Wayne Taylor Racing.  The return of the Cape brothers and the addition of Wayne Taylor Racing to the open-wheel world perked quite a few ears this week. 

Indy Lights: Barber Motorsports Park Test- Fourteen Indy Lights' drivers participated in a pre-season open test at Barber Motorsports Park last Friday.  Canadian James Hinchcliffe set the fastest overall time in both sessions and was the only driver to break into the 1:14's (lap time).  For complete results, make sure to outclick on the link above. 

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For much more on the junior open-wheel racing scene, be sure and visit JuniorOpenWheelTalent.com and follow JOWT on Twitter!

I was planning to write this edition last night, but I couldn't pass up watching the USA vs. Canada Olympic hockey game.  I know that Tony is a huge hockey fan as well, so I'm not too worried about the delay in posting this week's Ladder Report.

Without further ado, here is a quick recap from the junior formula world.

Lola Keeps Indy Lights in Mind: Last Monday, Lola introduced their 2012 IndyCar concept which featured a common chassis for the Indy Lights and IndyCar series.  I'm not necessarily a huge fan of the Lola design but I definitely like the idea of commonality between IndyCar and Indy Lights. I'm hopeful that this ideology--- if accepted--- will help bridge the gap for up-and-coming drivers looking to make the jump from Indy Lights to IndyCar.

Team Moore Releases Junior Strous:  Just over a month ago, Junior Strous signed with Team Moore Racing for the 2010 Indy Lights season.  Then, just last week he was released from his contract by Team Moore Racing.  The details of this event have been kept very quiet.

Team Moore Signs James Hinchcliffe: The same day that Team Moore released Junior Strous, news leaked that the team would be signing James Hinchcliffe for the 2010 Indy Lights season.  The official announcement came the next morning and stated that James would indeed fill the second seat at Team Moore Racing.  His teammate this season will be Adrian Campos Jr.

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If you missed the first edition of The Ladder Report... you can read it here.

For much more on the junior open-wheel racing scene, be sure and visit JuniorOpenWheelTalent.com and follow JOWT on Twitter!

First of all, I apologize for the delay in posting news.  The first part of last week was a little slow so I decided to hold off and post everything this weekend.  As it turns out, there has been a fair amount of junior formula news in the last few days, so I'll do my best to give you a recap of the week's happenings. 

Low Entry Numbers

• Who's Going to Step Up and Help Today's Drivers?- It's no surprise that the world economy is having an impact on today's racing drivers and teams.  Unfortunately, this is true in every form of racing today.  I remain hopeful that some of today's top up-and-coming drivers will find the necessary support to compete during these difficult times.  

Skip Barber National Championship

• Daniel Lloyd Commits to Skip Barber National- British sports car racer Daniel Lloyd has committed to running the 2010 Skip Barber National Championship.  The 17-year-old spent last season in the ELF Renault Clio Cup where he won the Winter Championship.

USF2000 National Championship

• Bryson Schutte and Taylor Gates Test with Andersen Racing- After a very successful season in the karting ranks Bryson Schutte, Taylor Gates, Dalton Kellet and Andrew Waring were awarded a USF2000 test at Andersen RacePark.

Star Mazda Championship

• Linares Racing to run 2010 Star Mazda Championship- Carlos Linares will run the 2010 Star Mazda Championship for Linares Racing which will be operated by his older brother Gustavo Linares.  The family-run team will be the first Venezuelan team in Star Mazda history.
• Star Mazda Champ To Receive Indy Lights Test- It was announced last week that the Star Mazda champion will receive a Indy Lights test as part of the Road to Indy.  The addition of a FIL test is great news but it has many wondering, "Is That All?".  

Atlantic Championship


• The Atlantic Championship Offers a Fixed-Budget- The Atlantic Championship has decided to offer drivers a fixed budget of $495,000 USD which includes eight test days.  It's probably a smart move considering that they only have one confirmed driver for the 2010 season.  The first race is just 32 days away.

Indy Lights

• Stefan Wilson Signs with Bryan Herta Autosport - Stefan Wilson, who is the younger brother of IndyCar driver Justin Wilson, has signed with Bryan Herta for the full 2010 Indy Lights season.  Last year, Stefan competed in six FIL events... all of which were road and street course events.  
• Indy Lights: Who's Testing With Who?- Sam Schmidt Motorsports, HVM/Team Stargate Worlds and Andretti Autosport took the opportunity to do some testing last week in Florida.  Notable un-signed drivers taking part were Yelmer Buurman, Esteban Guerrieri, Jean-Karl Vernay and Simona De Silvestro. 
• Team Moore Signs Adrian Campos Jr.-Team Moore signed 21-year-old Adrian Campos Jr. ---who is the son of former F1 driver and current team owner Adrian Campos Sr. --- to compete in the 2010 Indy Lights series.  He will be partnered with Dutch racer Junior Strous.
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If you missed the first edition of The Ladder Report... you can read it here.

For much more on the junior open-wheel racing scene, be sure and visit JuniorOpenWheelTalent.com and follow JOWT on Twitter!

It would probably be appropriate for me to start this out with a brief introduction.  I write the Junior Open Wheel Talent Blog and I was recently approached by Tony Johns to write about junior formula racing for PopOffValve.  When the opportunity presented itself, I wasn't sure how much time I would be able to commit but it was an honor to be approached by one of the greats... (Thank you for the opportunity, Tony).  I've always been impressed with SBNation and how they allow readers/fans to join in the discussion via Fanposts and Fanshots.  They have established a tremendous community surrounding their blogs and the idea of introducing that group to junior formula racing was simply too intriguing to turn down, so I agreed. 

I will try to post a weekly update or a weekly "Ladder Report" for anyone interested in junior formula racing.  My aim is to introduce you to today's up-and-coming open-wheel drivers. 

I hope you enjoy. 

For the first edition, I'll recap a few of the major signings and other news surrounding the junior formula world.

• Furfari Brothers Sign with AIM Autorsport -Michael and Anthony Furfari have both committed to the 'Road to Indy' development program by signing with AIM Autosport for the 2010 season.  Anthony will be competing in the USF2000 National Championship and Michael will be returning to the Star Mazda Championship for his sophomore season. 
• Joao Victor Horto Signs with Team Apex - Joao Victor Horto, who I named the 2009 Unsung Hero in FBMW-Americas, has signed with Team Apex for the 2010 Star Mazda Championship.  I expect he will be a driver to watch in 2010.
  
• Connor De Phillippi Signs with JDC Motorsports -One of the biggest announcements in the past few weeks was that Connor De Phillippi---who won the 2009 Skip Barber National Championship--- signed with JDC Motorsports for the 2010 Star Mazda Championship. 
  
• Interview with Court Vernon -I recently wrote a piece on aspiring Star Mazda competitor Court Vernon and had the opportunity to ask him a few questions.  Make sure to stop over and read it if you haven't already.  Court is a standout driver and will undoubtedly be a driver to watch in the coming years. 
  
• Junior Strous Signs with Team Moore -Junior Strous has decided to return to the Firestone Indy Lights in 2010 with Team Moore.  He swept the opening weekend last season at St. Pete but ended his season prematurely due to funding woes.  It will be great to see him back in a Lights car for 2010.
• Star Mazda Sebring Test: Weekend Recap - The Star Mazda Championship just completed their first official test of the 2010 season at Sebring International Raceway.  Anders Krohn and Conor Daly topped the time charts in five-out-of-the-six-sessions.
• Caio Lara Returns to JDC Motorsports - Following the Sebring test (mentioned above), Caio Lara has decided to return to JDC Motorsports for his third consecutive season in Star Mazda. 

For much more on the junior open-wheel racing scene, be sure and visit JuniorOpenWheelTalent.com and follow JOWT on Twitter!