Jonathan Bomarito got his first season Victory in the fourth race of the 2008 Cooper Tires Presents The Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda season at the Rexall Edmonton Indy doubleheader on Friday evening.
Driving the No. 26 Discount Tire machine for Mathiasen Motorsports, Bomarito stalked polesitter James Hinchcliffe throughout the race before making his move in Turn 1 with eight laps remaining to take the lead. A late full-course caution set up a one-lap shootout, but Bomarito managed to hold off a charging Markus Niemela to take the victory by 0.691 seconds. So far this Atlantic season the Californian, one of the most popular American Racers, was quickest in the final pre-season test session (his first with Mathiasen team) at MSR Houston, started on Pole in Long Beach and got a Championship Point for most improved positions in Mont-Tremblant. It was Bomarito’s third career Atlantic race victory and moved him from seventh to fourth in the championship standing s. It was also the first Atlantic victory for Mathiasen Motorsports, coming in the team’s 36th series start.
“The race was very difficult, but smooth in the same sense,” Bomarito said. “I had a decent start and from there, I was just kind of hanging onto the coattails of James (Hinchcliffe), letting him tow me around the track a bit and let things pan out till I was able to get past him. That was a nail-biter right there at the end to see that full-course caution come out. I think I had a two-second lead with five minutes to go or something like that and it was gone just like that but we managed to hold on for the win. Big thanks to the Mathiasen Motorsports team and (owners) Ray and Leslie (Mathiasen). I’m excited for everybody. I’m looking forward to getting more Poles and Podiums as the season continues so we can put the Discount Tire car at the top of the Championship. And I also wanted to thank Charles Barrett of the Speed Pro Agency for bringing Discount Tire on board for the season.”
Photo by High Octane Marketing
