Media Release
PALMETTO, Fla., Feb. 4 – Race car drivers need to have fast reaction timesboth on the track and when opportunity knocks during their careers.
Team owners like Dan and John Andersen of Andersen Racing have to be equally
fast when presented with a rookie driver who performs like a veteran. Tom
Gladdis did just that when the Palmetto, Fla.-based team tested him last week at
Sebring International Raceway in Sebring, Fla., and today Andersen Racing
announced it has signed the 16-year-old British driver for a full season in the
Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear.
Gladdis was born in the Isle of Wight, England, and resides in Gibraltar, a
British territory. He’s sponsored by Marrache & Co., the international law firm
of Gibraltar that has offices in London, Spain, Lisbon, Prague and Luxemburg.
Both Gladdis and Marrache will fit right in with the Star Mazda series, which
is sanctioned by IMSA and often serves as a support event for IMSA’s American
Le Mans Series with its tagline of world-class manufacturers, teams and
drivers.
Gladdis only has one year of racing under his belt, finishing sixth in the
rookie standings in the tough Formula BMW UK series last year. He sat in a Star
Mazda car for the first time over the Christmas holiday, but he was very fast
at the Sebring test.
Gladdis said he had planned to race in Asia this year, but he and Andersen
Racing just clicked at the test.
“I loved working with everyone on the team,” he said. “Everyone at Andersen
Racing made me feel welcome. They all worked very hard and put as much effort
in as they could. That’s the main reason I signed with the team. The car they
prepare is very good and fast.”
Dan Andersen originally planned to run three drivers in the Star Mazda series
this year. Juliana Gonzalez and Yannick Hofman are already on board and the
signing of two more drivers is imminent, but he still agreed to add Gladdis to
his stable.
“He is a very fine driver, and the whole team wants him,” Andersen said. “We
think he can win races, and possibly the championship.”
The relationship developed very quickly. “I read about Star Mazda at the
back of an AutoSport magazine in England, and I knew we were coming to America
over Christmas,” Gladdis disclosed. “I said to my dad that I would really like
to drive one of those cars, and that’s when he got me a test. Things
developed from there, we found Andersen Racing, and now I’m really anxious to get the
season started in America.”
The season opener is March 14 at Sebring, right before the Mobil 1 Twelve
Hours of Sebring ALMS race the following day.
Andersen Racing is the official development team of Rahal Letterman Racing,
which competes in both IndyCar and the ALMS. The team is sponsored by Allied
Building Products Corp.
It addition to Star Mazda, Andersen Racing fields multiple entries in the
F2000 Championship presented by Hoosier Racing Tire and the Indy Pro Series, the
official development series of IndyCar. The team strives to provide the best
training possible for future open-wheel superstars.
For more information on Andersen Racing see andersenracingteam.com and
andersenracepark.com. For more information on the Star Mazda series see
starmazda.com.
