Though some of you may have briefly caught Uri on the Versus coverage of the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg a few weeks ago, any news on a fulltime ride is still quiet (though I have hopes he may work a deal in time for Indy).
In the meantime, I found the next best thing to watch, believe it or not, in the form of “reality television.” Star Racer, airing Sunday evenings on Discovery HD Theater, follows a group of young, up-and-coming talent as they compete for a ride in the Formula Mazda Championship Series. The television series is recorded at the beautiful Circuit Mont-Tremblant in Canada, and while you would expect to see several karting hot-shots filling the grid, the series throws a wrench in the fan, inviting participants from the motocross field to compete for the coveted ride as well.
The contestants, broken into two teams (Team Castrol and Team Mazda) demonstrate their prowess in open-wheel cars as they learn vital skills such as braking, cornering and passing, and are judged on their abilities by some names from the motorsports world you just might recognize.
Race commentator and former racer Derek Daly, one-time Servia teammate Katherine Legge, and Mr. Chrome-Horn himself, Paul Tracy, offer contestants feedback before eliminating those who don’t measure up to their competition.
The program also covers some of the obstacles racers encounter both on and off the track, and is a good source for information on the technicalities of racing and operating an open-wheel vehicle.
Each week I want nothing more than to strap into the cockpit and race alongside (I mean in front of) these competitors as they take you through the twists and turns of one of the world’s most beautiful road courses. But don’t take my word for it -- check out additional information here.
Posted by Shelly Paul, Servia Squad Feature Writer