2011 Star Mazda Championship
The 2011 Star Mazda Championship was the 13th Star Mazda Championship season, the second under the Mazda Road to Indy program, and the first under IndyCar sanctioning, after 12 years under the International Motor Sports Association unbrella. As part of the program's expansion, the series champion will be provided a scholarship to advance into Firestone Indy Lights for the 2012 season. The season will feature 11 races over 10 weekends, with four road courses, three street circuits and three ovals on the schedule.
The series consisted of a main championship as well as an Expert championship for drivers over 30 years of age, combining previous years' Expert and Masters championships.
JDC MotorSports' Tristan Vautier won four races on his way to the championship by a 25-point margin over Connor De Phillippi, who also won four races. Vautier finished in the top five in every race. Andretti Autosport rookie Sage Karam also won two oval races and captured Rookie of The Year honors. J. W. Roberts won the Expert Championship when closest rival Walt Bowlin did not enter the final race of the season. The team championship went to Team Pelfrey which fielded cars for De Phllippi and Nick Andries, who finished third in points.
Drivers and teams
Race calendar and results
The race schedule was announced on December 20, 2010.Rnd | Circuit | Location | Date | Pole position | Fastest lap | Winning driver | Winning team | Supporting |
1 | Streets of St. Petersburg | St. Petersburg, Florida | March 26 | Martin Scuncio | Connor De Phillippi | Connor De Phillippi | Team Pelfrey | IndyCar Series |
2 | Barber Motorsports Park | Birmingham, Alabama | April 10 | Tristan Vautier | Tristan Vautier | Tristan Vautier | JDC MotorSports | IndyCar Series |
3 | Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis | Clermont, Indiana | May 28 | Connor De Phillippi | Nick Andries | Connor De Phillippi | Team Pelfrey | USAC Midgets |
4 | Milwaukee Mile | West Allis, Wisconsin | June 19 | Nick Andries | Sage Karam | Sage Karam | Andretti Autosport | IndyCar Series |
5 | Iowa Speedway | Newton, Iowa | June 25 | Sage Karam | Sage Karam | Sage Karam | Andretti Autosport | IndyCar Series |
6 | Mosport International Raceway | Bowmanville, Ontario | July 24 | Sage Karam | Nick Andries | João Victor Horto | Juncos Racing | American Le Mans Series |
7 | Circuit Trois-Rivières | Trois-Rivières, Quebec | August 6 | Tristan Vautier | Tristan Vautier | Tristan Vautier | JDC MotorSports | Firestone Indy Lights |
8 | Circuit Trois-Rivières | Trois-Rivières, Quebec | August 7 | Tristan Vautier | Connor De Phillippi | Connor De Phillippi | Team Pelfrey | Firestone Indy Lights |
9 | Infineon Raceway | Sonoma, California | August 27 | Tristan Vautier | Tristan Vautier | Tristan Vautier | JDC MotorSports | IndyCar Series |
10 | Streets of Baltimore | Baltimore, Maryland | September 4 | Tristan Vautier | Tristan Vautier | Tristan Vautier | JDC MotorSports | IndyCar Series |
11 | Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca | Monterey, California | September 18 | Connor De Phillippi | Connor De Phillippi | Connor De Phillippi | Team Pelfrey | American Le Mans Series |
Championship standings
Drivers'
1Larry Pegram was not registered for the championship at St. Pete and not eligible for points.Position | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 |
Points | 44 | 40 | 37 | 34 | 32 | 30 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 21 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |