Vancouver, Canada (November 04, 2008) – Taylor Hacquard’s rookie season in the 2008 Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear proved to be a highly accomplished one for the 18-year-old Canadian. Recording a top-ten finish in the points and earning ‘Top Canadian’ honours along the way, the World Speed Motorsports racer impressed many with his on-track maturity and his hunger to educate himself further in his first season racing cars.
With a fairly limited karting background and without the open-wheel racing experience already clocked by many of his on-track rivals, Hacquard’s run to tenth overall in the 2008 Driver Standings was encouraging and the Vancouver teenager is the first to admit that he exceed his expectations as he raced coast-to-coast across North America for the first time.
“To be honest we simply looked at 2008 in Star Mazda as a learning year,” stated Hacquard upon review of his season. “We knew that we’d have to learn a bunch of new tracks and experience all the highs and lows that come with a rookie open-wheel campaign. I knew there’d be a lot to learn so I wasn’t focusing on where I’d finish in the championship and at the start of the year I thought, given how competitive the series has been in the past, that if I finished in the top-15 I’d be doing well.
“I think it’s safe to say that finishing in the top-ten definitely exceeded all our expectations but it’s also something that gives me a great platform from which to build. The season really started off well and that helped. I finished ninth in the opening round at Sebring and followed that up with what I felt was my best race of the year in Round 2 at Miller Motorsports Park when I finished sixth. After those races I knew I was capable of being a top-ten runner but was also aware that I was still learning as I raced.”
After a strong start Taylor continued to progress behind the wheel of the #15 Wolfe Auto Group / World Speed Motorsports entry. July’s double-header meeting at Portland International Raceway saw the Canadian post his best finish of the year when he scored a fifth place effort in Round 5 – backed up the following day with a second top-ten finish, Taylor taking the checkered in tenth.
Hacquard’s consistency ensured he was locked into the top-ten in the Driver Standings throughout the season, sitting as high as sixth at one stage, and his record of eighth top-ten finishes in twelve starts kept him in the mix in what was a truly international and highly competitive field of talent.
“It was a much closer championship than I thought it would be,” Taylor remarked. “Considering this was my first ever season racing cars I was pleased to be competing regularly in the top-ten, not least as some of the front-runners had loads more track experience than me both in karting and in other open-wheel series such as Barber Dodge, Formula BMW and even the Atlantic Championship.
“It was a lot of fun and I’d have to say my two favorite tracks throughout the season were probably Miller Motorsports Park in Utah and Road Atlanta in Georgia. Miller had some pretty cool turns and the elevation changes were fun and I liked Road Atlanta as well, it was a great track to learn but then it was also a blast to see the American Le Mans Series cars racing there at night. Watkins Glen, no question, proved to be my bogey track this year but hopefully next season I’ll get another crack it and avoid some of the misfortune which struck me there.”
As Taylor pointed out, every season, regardless of experience, comes with its share of highs and lows. Unsurprisingly the Vancouver racer opted for his sixth place finish at Miller Motorsports Park as a high point, not least as it was only his second Star Mazda start and it resulted in his second straight top-ten finish.
While he finished fifth in Portland later in the season, Hacquard opted for Miller as his best race of the year as the front-runners remained in the race and he had to compete directly against them while Portland’s effort saw some of the pre-race favorites retire early in the proceedings with the Canadian gaining position.
A wayward ground-hog is just one reason why Round 3 at Watkins Glen in June is marked by Taylor as the low point of his 2008 season. Crashing into the said mammal in practice not only gave the rookie an unwelcome and sizeable crash into the tire barriers, it also robbed him of valuable track time as the team worked feverishly to repair his car – forcing Taylor to play catch-up for the remainder of the race weekend.
Through all the experiences though Taylor knows it’s an education that will serve him well for the future.
He commented, “There’s not really any one thing about the season that surprised me but there’s no doubt I learned a lot with regards to car set-up, engineering, coaching and driving styles and so on. I was obviously extremely happy to be competitive almost immediately and at Miller I ran as high as second for two consecutive track sessions which was a great feeling given it was only my second Star Mazda outing.
“Life might have been easier for me if I’d entered Star Mazda armed with a little more experience in karting or other open-wheel race cars, just to help learn some more of the basics, but I wanted to be on a par with other racers my age so that dictated jumping straight in at this level and it turned out to be a good move as I proved I was capable of both learning and racing at the same time.”
While it was America’s John Edwards who ultimately triumphed and claimed the 2008 Star Mazda Championship, Taylor Hacquard had the honour of racing for Canada and he finished the season as the highest ranked Canadian in the field – something the 18-year-old is extremely proud of.
“It’s definitely a cool thing to be the best placed Canadian in the field,’ Taylor reflected. “I think it helps get you noticed a bit more as opposed to being the fifth or sixth placed American driver in the field. On top of that I really enjoyed the opportunity to race here in Canada but it’s just too bad the races at Trois-Rivieres and Mosport in August didn’t end with stronger finishes for me. We were going through a little bit of a lull at that point of the season but to take a positive from it we decided to do things a bit differently from then on, both in terms of our set-up and my driving style, and we improved our form ending in a more competitive run through to the season finale at Laguna Seca.”
Looking to the future, Taylor knows that with all he learned on his way to his tenth place finish in the 2008 Driver Standings, a follow up season could lead to a shot at the 2009 Star Mazda title.
“Coming back for a second season would definitely see me with an advantage as I’d have track knowledge and seat time built up in the car. I’d like to return to the series and have a crack at the title; we’re working on a few things right now and hope to have my 2009 plans finalized as soon as possible! It’s a great series and Mazda really get behind it which is neat for all of us involved!”
ENDS – www.taylorhacquard.com / www.starmazda.com
Photo Credit: ‘Taylor Hacquard – driver of the #15 Wolfe Auto Group Star Mazda’ – Taylor Hacquard Motorsports
For further information or interview requests please contact Stuart Morrison Public Relations:
Tel: +1 514 684 2621 / Cell: +1 514 945 3253 / Email: stuart@sm-pr.com
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