News

Veach impressive in rainy pre-season test at Roebling Road, Ga.

CHILLICOTHE, Oh. (February 1, 2010) -- First year USF2000 Series open-wheel driver, Zach Veach, completed impressive and challenging pre-season test sessions this past weekend, encountering both wet and dry track conditions at Roebling Road Raceway, near Savannah, Ga.

Consistent heavy rain provided an ideal opportunity for the Stockdale, Ohio teenager to discover the limits of his ADS/Secur-IT Vault/Retail Pro- sponsored, Swift-chassied race car on the historic 2.02-mile road course. 

“During the season it is inevitable that we will have qualifying and race sessions in wet weather conditions," stated Jensen MotorSport team engineer, Adam Marchitto. "While it is preferable for driver and crew to test in warm, dry conditions, the consistent wet track on our first Savannah test day was ideal for teaching Zach what he needed to learn about how to remain quick in the Atlantic car.”

"The car generates a large amount of downforce with it’s tunnels and wings, so the biggest challenge to learn was how to take advantage of its braking potential," began Veach, who at 15 years of age becomes the youngest competitor in the 37-year history of the series in 2010.

"The team was telling me that, due to the downforce in wet conditions, I would have almost the same stopping power as the dry," Zach continued. "Funny enough, I was initially reluctant to try stopping late and hard in the brake zones, thinking their advice might have been a practical joke, since I am a rookie! 

"Sure enough, their advice was real, and I stopped for the tight, turn-one chicane, as late as I had previously in the dry,” he explained further.

Day two of the Savannah test was completed in cold but sunny conditions. The Savannah circuit features multiple 120-plus mph corners, so Zach was primarily working on a development agenda focussed upon increasing his corner entry speed to maximize aero load from turn-in to apex. 

"Zach is performing at a very high level, regardless if his bio says that he is a 15 year-old rookie driver," stated team owner and driving coach, Eric Jensen. "During his new tire run, Zach set a time within tenths-of-a-second of our 2007 Atlantic lead driver, Tom Sutherland, and our 2008 driver, Henri Karjalainen. 

"Both of those drivers had multiple seasons in professional racing before driving on our Atlantic Championship team, and enjoyed competitive seasons in the series," Jensen continued. "So, Zach’s times are a good indication that our development program is working well, and also that he is an impressive talent.”

The team will resume pre-season testing in February in preparation for the official Atlantic Championship point series opener at Sebring International Raceway (Sebring, Fla.) on March 19, 2010

Jensen MotorSport is a professional race team that has been competing in championships in North America including Champ Car, the USF2000 Series, and Formula BMW. Since 1998, more than 50 professional drivers have raced for the team, which has also advanced the careers of many others with its driver development programs. For information, please visit their official website at: www.jensenmotorsport.com, or contact via e-mail at: team@jensenmotorsport.com.

For additional information on Zach Veach, including corporate sponsor partnerships and beneficially creative marketing opportunities, please visit www.zachveach.com, or contact: Veach Racing, 33 North Plaza Boulevard, Chillicothe, OH 45601, by phone at 740-821-0483 or via email to: rveach@zachveach.com.