# 2009 Atlantic Championship

The 2009 IMSA Cooper Tires Atlantic Championship season was the thirty-sixth Atlantic Championship season. It was the first full season of the Championship under the sanctioning of the International Motor Sports Association. After a three-way title battle into the final round at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, John Edwards became the series' youngest champion, beating Jonathan Summerton on a tie-breaker, after both drivers finished on 182 points. They also finished tied on four victories, but Edwards broke the tie with four second-place finishes compared to Summerton's three.

## Drivers and teams

The following teams and drivers competed in the 2009 Atlantic Championship. All teams are using the Swift 016.a chassis powered by a Mazda-Cosworth MZR 2.3-litre inline-4 engine and Cooper tires. C2 Class teams use the Swift 014.a chassis.
| Team | No | Drivers | Rounds |
| Newman Wachs Racing | 1 | Markus Niemelä | 1–4 |
| Newman Wachs Racing | 34 | Jonathan Summerton | 5–12 |
| Newman Wachs Racing | 36 | John Edwards | All |
| Jensen MotorSport | 1 | Markus Niemela | 6–12 |
| Jensen MotorSport | 2 | Matt Lee | 1 |
| Jensen MotorSport | 2 | James Winslow | 2 |
| Jensen MotorSport | 2 | David Garza | 3–4 |
| Jensen MotorSport | 2 | Barrett Mertins | 12 |
| Jensen MotorSport | 3 | Michael Nacol | 1–7 |
| Jensen MotorSport | 3 | Eric Jensen | 9–10 |
| Jensen MotorSport | 13 | Eric Jensen | 7 |
| Condor Motorsports | 6 | Borja García | 1–10 |
| Condor Motorsports | 6 | Frédéric Vervisch | 12 |
| Condor Motorsports | 7 | Max Lefèvre | All |
| Conquest Racing | 12 | James Winslow | 1 |
| Conquest Racing | 12 | Matt Lee | 5 |
| Conquest Racing | 21 | Harald Schlegelmilch | 1 |
| Genoa Racing | 17 | Frédéric Vervisch | All |
| Genoa Racing | 18 | Tõnis Kasemets | 2 |
| Genoa Racing | 18 | Robert Wickens | 10 |
| Genoa Racing | 18 | Greg Mansell | 11 |
| Genoa Racing | 18 | James Winslow | 3–4, 9–10 |
| Genoa Racing | 19 | James Winslow | 5–7, 11 |
| Genoa Racing | 19 | Jonathan Summerton | 1–4 |
| Mathiasen Motorsports | 26 | Jonathan Bomarito | 1 |
| Polestar Motor Racing | 35 | Tõnis Kasemets | 1, 3–12 |
| Polestar Motor Racing | 66 | Richard Zober | 3–5 |
| Paladin Motorsports | 45 | James Winslow | 12 |
| Team Stargate Worlds | 77 | Frankie Muniz | 1-9 |
| Team Stargate Worlds | 77 | Jonathan Bomarito | 11–12 |
| Team Stargate Worlds | 78 | Simona de Silvestro | All |
| C2 Class ||||
| Swan Racing | 29 | Ahsen Yelkin | 1 |
| Swan Racing | 68 | Chris Lee | 1 |
| Swan Racing | 71 | Michael Mällinen | 1–4, 8 |
| Swan Racing | 75 | Sadat Yelkin | 1 |
| Swan Racing | 80 | Hans Peter | 8 |
| Swan Racing | 88 | Mirl Swan | 1, 8 |

## Schedule

| Round | Race date | Race name | Circuit | City/Location |
| 1 | March 20 | Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring | Sebring International Raceway | Sebring, Florida |
| 2 | May 17 | Larry H. Miller Dealerships Utah Grand Prix | Miller Motorsports Park | Tooele, Utah |
| 3 | June 13 | Mazda Formula X | New Jersey Motorsports Park | Millville, New Jersey |
| 4 | June 14 | Mazda Formula X | New Jersey Motorsports Park | Millville, New Jersey |
| 5 | July 18 | Northeast Grand Prix | Lime Rock Park | Lakeville, Connecticut |
| 6 | July 25 | Autobahn Grand Prix | Autobahn Country Club | Joliet, Illinois |
| 7 | July 26 | Autobahn Grand Prix | Autobahn Country Club | Joliet, Illinois |
| 8 | August 8 | Acura Sports Car Challenge of Mid-Ohio | Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course | Lexington, Ohio |
| 9 | August 16 | Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières | Circuit Trois-Rivières | Trois-Rivières, Quebec |
| 10 | August 30 | Grand Prix of Mosport | Mosport International Raceway | Bowmanville, Ontario |
| 11 | September 26 | Petit Le Mans | Road Atlanta | Braselton, Georgia |
| 12 | October 11 | Monterey Sports Car Championships | Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca | Monterey, California |
Seven rounds are held jointly with the American Le Mans Series: Sebring, Miller, Lime Rock, Mid-Ohio, Mosport, Road Atlanta and Laguna Seca.
The series planned to open its season on a road course on Hutchinson Island in Savannah, Georgia, on March 15. The race was postponed until 2010, as further work on the track was required before it could be homologated for professional open wheel racing. A second race at New Jersey Motorsports Park and Autobahn Country Club were added instead.

## Race results

| Rd | Race track | Pole Position | Fastest Lap | Most Laps Led | Race winner | Race winner |
| Rd | Race track | Pole Position | Fastest Lap | Most Laps Led | Driver | Team |
| 1 | Sebring International Raceway | Jonathan Summerton | John Edwards | John Edwards | John Edwards | Newman Wachs Racing |
| 2 | Miller Motorsports Park | Simona de Silvestro | Simona de Silvestro | Simona de Silvestro | Simona de Silvestro | Team Stargate Worlds |
| 3 | New Jersey Motorsports Park | Jonathan Summerton | Jonathan Summerton | Jonathan Summerton | Jonathan Summerton | Genoa Racing |
| 4 | New Jersey Motorsports Park | Simona de Silvestro | Markus Niemelä | Simona de Silvestro | Simona de Silvestro | Team Stargate Worlds |
| 5 | Lime Rock Park | Simona de Silvestro | John Edwards | Simona de Silvestro | Simona de Silvestro | Team Stargate Worlds |
| 6 | Autobahn Country Club | John Edwards | Jonathan Summerton | John Edwards | John Edwards | Newman Wachs Racing |
| 7 | Autobahn Country Club | John Edwards | John Edwards | John Edwards | John Edwards | Newman Wachs Racing |
| 8 | Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course | Jonathan Summerton | Jonathan Summerton | Jonathan Summerton | Jonathan Summerton | Newman Wachs Racing |
| 9 | Circuit Trois-Rivières | Simona de Silvestro | Jonathan Summerton | Simona de Silvestro | Simona de Silvestro | Team Stargate Worlds |
| 10 | Mosport International Raceway | Jonathan Summerton | John Edwards | Jonathan Summerton | Jonathan Summerton | Newman Wachs Racing |
| 11 | Road Atlanta | Jonathan Summerton | Jonathan Summerton | Jonathan Summerton | Jonathan Summerton | Newman Wachs Racing |
| 12 | Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca | John Edwards | Jonathan Summerton | John Edwards | John Edwards | Newman Wachs Racing |

## Championship Standings

The point system was modified from previous years for the 2009 season. Points are awarded as follows:
| Pos | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
| Points | 20 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
* Bonus points will also be awarded for the fastest driver in a qualifying session (10 races will have two sessions), and most places gained during the race.
* This means the maximum a driver can score is 21, as a driver cannot earn the most places gained point, if they've started from pole.
* Only the driver's best eleven scores will count towards the championship.

### Atlantic Class

| Pos | Driver | SEB | MIL | NJ1 | NJ2 | LRP | ACC1 | ACC2 | MID | CTR | MOS | ATL | LAG | Points |
| 1 | John Edwards | 1 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 182 |
| 2 | Jonathan Summerton | 3 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 11 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 182 |
| 3 | Simona de Silvestro | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 10 | 176 |
| 4 | Frédéric Vervisch | 2 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 131 |
| 5 | Tõnis Kasemets | 7 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 10 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 4 | 103 |
| 6 | Markus Niemelä | 12 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 98 |
| 7 | Borja García | 6 | DSQ | 3 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 11 | 7 | | | 88 |
| 8 | James Winslow | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 7 | | 7 | 7 | 72 |
| 9 | Frankie Muniz | 10 | 4 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 6 | | | | 62 |
| 10 | Max Lefèvre | DNS | 7 | 11 | 11 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 58 |
| 11 | Jonathan Bomarito | 13 | | | | | | | | | | 4 | 8 | 19 |
| 12 | Eric Jensen | | | | | | | 10 | | 8 | 9 | | | 16 |
| 13 | Harald Schlegelmilch | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | | 12 |
| 14 | Robert Wickens | | | | | | | | | | 4 | | | 12 |
| 15 | Michael Nacol | 11 | 10 | 13 | 13 | 12 | DNS | DNS | | | | | | 11 |
| 16 | Barrett Mertins | | | | | | | | | | | | 6 | 8 |
| 17 | David Garza | | | 10 | 10 | | | | | | | | | 8 |
| 18 | Richard Zober | | | 12 | 12 | 11 | | | | | | | | 7 |
| 19 | Matt Lee | 9 | | | | 13 | | | | | | | | 6 |
| 20 | Greg Mansell | | | | | | | | | | | 10 | | 4 |
| Pos | Driver | SEB | MIL | NJ1 | NJ2 | LRP | ACC1 | ACC2 | MID | CTR | MOS | ATL | LAG | Points |
| Color | Result |
| Gold | Winner |
| Silver | 2nd place |
| Bronze | 3rd place |
| Green | 4th & 5th place |
| Light Blue | 6th–10th place |
| Dark Blue | 11th place or lower |
| Purple | Did not finish |
| Red | Did not qualify (DNQ) |
| Brown | Withdrawn (Wth) |
| Black | Disqualified (DSQ) |
| White | Did not start (DNS) |
| Blank | Did not participate (DNP) |
| Blank | Driver replacement (Rpl) |
| Blank | Injured (Inj) |
| Blank | No race held (NH) |

### C2 Class

| Pos | Driver | SEB | MIL | NJ1 | NJ2 | LRP | ACC1 | ACC2 | MID | CTR | MOS | ATL | LAG | Points |
| 1 | Michael Mällinen | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | | | | 1 | | | | | 93 |
| 2 | Mirl Swan | 1 | | | | | | | DNQ | | | | | 21 |
| 3 | Hans Peter | | | | | | | | 2 | | | | | 17 |
| 4 | Sadat Yelkin | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | 16 |
| 5 | Ahsen Yelkin | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | | 14 |
| 6 | Chris Lee | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | | 12 |
| Pos | Driver | SEB | MIL | NJ1 | NJ2 | LRP | ACC1 | ACC2 | MID | CTR | MOS | ATL | LAG | Points |
* Polesitters are denoted in bold. Polesitters are determined by the fastest overall lap in qualifying, and one point is awarded at each round.
* Driver in italics has gained the most places in a round. One point is awarded at each round.