May 15, 2006

Kevin Lacroix earns first podium in Star Mazda

Kevin Lacroix didn't waste time getting familiar with his UniSélect #74 Star Mazda machine as he drove a near perfect race to second place in the second round of the series held as part of the Grand Prix of Houston Saturday afternoon. The 17 year-old Canadian rising star started the race in fifth place and was already in third by the first lap. For the rest of the 22 laps, he never put a wheel wrong, took first place at one point but had to back-up in third on account of a full-course yellow. In the last laps, he secured his position and took third in his maiden event in the series. He was later awarded second overall when the 2nd place car was found illegal.


“I’m so happy with this result, cheered Lacroix. The guys at JWR (Johnny Walko Racing) gave me a car that improved every time I took to the track. It was easy to pace my learning of this slippery concrete track with the handling of the UniSelect 74 car. My goal was to stay between the walls and get the most of my track time but the car was awesome and I moved to the front real quick. I went from 5th to 3rd within half a lap and tried to close the gap on the front runners. I missed a few restarts because I wasn’t around the last turn fast enough. I even had to hold my position when I passed them moments before another full-course yellow was displayed. I settled for third in the last laps because my tires were loosing a bit of traction. Finally, being second will give me a few more points in the standings.”

Improving from 18th to 5th
Lacroix started his weekend safely with an 18th place in the first practice session. “There was a lot of traffic, he said, many cars going of course and I was doing my homeworks.” In the second practice, he was up to 11th: “I was getting up to speed and the car was much better.” Finally in the qualifying session, he took 5th after holding second for a long time: “I wasn’t able to get a clean lap in the last five minutes of our session, but I knew I had some speed left in the car at that point.”

On to Mid-Ohio next week
The Star Mazda teams will head for the Lexington, Ohio racing facility this week where the third round of the season will be held. “We have tested there with Kevin for two days, closed Johnny Walko, and I know he will be a contender again.”


Named the Rising Star among kart drivers in 2004, Kevin Lacroix was a multiple kart champion and a 2005 Formula BMW USA scholar where he finished second in the 14-round championship. Lacroix enters the Star Mazda 2006 series with JWR with the support of sponsors that have trusted him over the years: Uni-Select automotive network, SKF MotorSports, Raybestos, Tenneco, Pennzoil, Auto Parts Plus and Lacroix Auto Parts.