Tue, 20 Jul 2010 13:31:20 -0400

Some would argue that Infineon Raceway is one of the most difficult tracks in the world. Great news for me to hear having to go there for my first time.

Almost the entire day of Friday practice was spent figuring out the infinite nuances of the 11 turn circuit while my competitors worked to perfect their racecar. When Saturday morning rolled around, I knew I was going to have to step up in order to maintain a shot at the race win and qualify in the top 3. After a very congested and short qualifying session, I was going to start 2^nd for race 1. From the time the green flag dropped, to the time the checkered flag flew, I was under pressure. One of my teammates was able to slip by me a few times, only to be countered immediately after every move. After a strong second place finish on Saturday, I was confident that I could contend for the win on Sunday. The challenge was going to be slightly greater on Sunday as I would start from 3^rd for Sunday's race. I capitalized at the start and was able to slip by one car going into turns 1 and 2, where I would remain until a full course caution would bring the field together again. Again, I capitalized on the restart, taking the lead for about half of a lap before being held up by slower traffic and surrendering the lead. The rest of the race was spent weaving through traffic and I would bring the car home with another 2^nd place finish. After leaving Infineon Raceway with a pair of 2^nd place finishes, I was forced to do a reality check. I was forced to ask myself, "Did I really WIN at Laguna Seca? And to add I just got two 2^nds and Infineon?" The two events have been invaluable to the construction of my confidence in these cars and I am beyond anxious to race at Buttonwillow Raceway in September.

Fri, 09 Jul 2010 20:51:56 -0400

Coming off of his first win and a strong second place in last month’s Corsa Car Care Pacific F2000/USF2000 doubleheader with the American Le Mans Series at Laguna Seca, 16 year old Miles Maroney headed to Sonoma, Calif., on June 26-27 to tackle the vaunted Infineon Raceway circuit for Rounds Seven & Eight of the Pacific F2000 Series.

As with the prior rounds, series rookie Maroney was the only driver in the field with no previous experience on a track known for its challenging layout. By the end of Friday’s practice rounds, Maroney was a bit off the fast times and still coming to grips with the multiple elevation changes leading to off camber corners and blind “landing” spots on a track that demands a solid trust and feel to be quick. Friday night found Maroney pouring over data with his teammates and the PR1 Motorsports engineering brain trust to be ready for Saturday morning qualifying.

The team decided to skip the early Saturday morning warm up, as the Wine Country cold and fog may be good for grapes, but not for grip, so the first taste of the track was mid-day qualifying. The Pacific F2000 cars were combined at this event with the Pro and Formula Mazdas, meaning that over 30 were on track, and with lap times in all classes overlapping, chaos was expected. This proved to be true and costly, as an early red flag meant that Maroney got the green with four minutes remaining in the session to roll the dice on cold tires. After a frantic several laps with traffic everywhere, Maroney again came through and qualified second, earn a front-row starting position.

The green flag dropped in the blazing late afternoon sun for Round Seven as Maroney settled into second place, and for the first half of the race he paced the leader, with third place close behind. A missed shift coming out of the tight turn 11 onto the main straight dropped Maroney to third, then an immediate full-course yellow bunched everyone up for a long clean up.

When the race was restarted for a green-white-checker finish, Maroney engaged in what would turn out to be a weekend long battle with one of his teammates, last year’s Rookie of the Year and Fontana Round One race winner.

As the pack took the green, the leader was able to place a slower car between himself and Maroney, and the fight was on for second place. Maroney and his teammate passed each other no less than six times and ran side-by-side in places where it didn’t appear possible, with Maroney earning a hard fought second place podium finish in one of the most exciting races either driver had ever experienced. For Maroney, it was his third podium in a row, and he was looking forward to Sunday for another shot at victory.

Sunday morning the team decided again there was little to gain by heading out on a damp and slippery track for the warm up, so Maroney headed out for qualifying in the 90 degree heat with hopes the session would be a bit longer than Saturday’s to get a feel for the changes the team had made overnight. With no major flag or traffic issues in qualifying, he ended the session third, lining-up on the inside of the second row.

At the drop of the flag, Maroney got a great run, passing for second and taking a look at the lead by turn two, but he again settled into second and before the first lap was completed another full-course yellow slowed the action. This also packed all of the slower cars in front of the F2000 cars, and Maroney used this to his advantage to attack on the restart to take the lead, but it was short lived, as another slower car locked up into the carousel, slowing Maroney's momentum, allowing another car to slip by. The race was now on for the win between all three PR1 cars. Throughout the critical moments after the restart, the traffic allowed the leader to get about a one second gap, and that is how things stayed for the majority of the race when again toward the end of the race slower traffic put Maroney back into a repeat of Saturday’s side-by-side action for second place. In a fight coming down to the final corner, Maroney was able to again earn the runner-up spot, and with his two strong second place podium finishes he now moves to a solid second in the Pacific F2000 Championship standings, and increases his lead in the Rookie of the Year battle as well.

“This is the most physically demanding and challenging circuit I have raced on without question” stated Maroney. “Finding the right feel and pace at this place so quickly without ever having been here to fight for the win against these guys was not easy! Add to this the traffic on basically every lap of qualifying and racing, the passing multiple times per lap, the restarts, crazy side-by-side battling all weekend, and this definitely was great for my racecraft and confidence. Although I want to win every time out, this was another great weekend for me and my teammates. All I can say is this is a great place to be getting my big car education. This Corsa Car Care Pacific F2000 Series, the PR1 team and my teammates are amazing and I am thankful to be here.”

“This weekend was again an amazing accomplishment for our whole team, our drivers have swept the podium in the last four races," added PR1 Motorsports Team Principal Bobby Oergel. "Again Miles is proving to be a real force to reckon with, finishing second both days is pretty tough to swallow when you can almost reach out and touch the guy that’s in first right in front of you. Miles starts and restarts are truly amazing, and he is showing his comfort more and more with his abilities to put the car and himself in a position to consistently be contesting for wins.”

The 2010 Corsa Car Care Pacific F2000 Series Championship continues on September 10-12, at Buttonwillow International Raceway in Buttonwillow, Calif.

Catch up with Miles Maroney at http://www.milesmaroney.com or Miles Maroney Fan Page on Facebook and the PR1 Motorsports and Pacific F2000 Series websites. For additional information, contact Miles at milesmaroney@earthlink.net or 818 312-6536.

Wed, 02 Jun 2010 00:37:36 -0400

In only his sixth F2000 start ever and his first at Laguna Seca, Miles Maroney broke through for his first win on the big stage during last week’s American LeMans Series event. In the first race of the combined Corsa Car Care Pacific F2000/USF2000 doubleheader weekend, Maroney, in his #23 Maroney Company/Alpinestars/PR1 Motorsports Van Diemen stormed to the front battling for the win into the final corner where after light contact he finished 2^ndin a drag race to the line. In the second race, Miles was not to be denied and after starting second, moved to the lead early and built as much as a 3 second gap before a safety car bunched the pack. A clean restart and a flawless handful of laps saw Maroney draw away again to take the checkered flag and the top step of the podium at the Historic circuit.

The weekend didn’t start well for the 16 year old former Karting star from Southern California, who just recently joined Bobby Oergel and his Championship winning PR1 Pacific F2000 team. Miles missed almost the entire 80 minutes of practice on the Thursday promoter test day after an early spin in the first session sidelined him and a mechanical glitch on lap one of the second put Miles about 100 miles of testing behind all of the other competitors. Friday, Miles was able to complete the two official practice sessions and gain some valuable experience on the circuit, as all of the top competitors had previous F2000 race experience at Laguna Seca. Saturday’s qualifying session saw Miles earn 3^rd place on the grid for Race 1 while the grid for Race 2 would be determined by the fast laps from race 1 with both races to run on Sunday. The win and second place finishes jump Miles to 3^rd in the Championship chase and leader of the Rookie of the Year points after six of 12 events to be run.

“I gave it everything I could to get the win in the first race today and came up a little short,” stated Maroney. “So in the second race, I didn’t hesitate to make the move for the lead right away. Once I got in front, the rest of the race felt pretty good. No troubles at all. Once I saw the white flag, I told myself not to do anything different, just bring it around one more time. I could still feel myself tensing up a little at first, but when you drive on the edge around a track like Laguna Seca, you need to focus. So that’s what I did. It feels absolutely incredible to get my first win, I’m freezing from my PR1 Motorsports teammates drenching me on the podium, and I look forward to getting back in the car for our next event.”

For PR1 Motorsports Team Principal, Bobby Oergel, the weekend’s accomplishments are testaments to young Miles Maroney and the team’s technical abilities and professionalism. “This event has proved to be everything I believed in about Miles. After battling through a tough beginning on Thursday and getting only about 10 laps all day he really showed his abilities in looking at the big picture. Miles only had one day in the F2000 car ever (or any car for that matter) before his first event of the season, but from his feedback, ability to listen and to apply what is shown in the data to the track, I knew with a little time he would be winning races. This weekend he proved his ability to make the best out of any situation and to use all the tools available to him including his teammates to win even with the added pressure of a big American LeMans Series event. All three of our drivers put in a great effort, and for PR1 to walk away with a weekend sweep like this is a rare occasion. I really want to thank Miles for keeping his head up and helping make it possible for our program to have the success it is having this season.”

The 2010 Corsa Car Care Pacific F2000 Series Championship continues June 26-27, with NASA and Molecule Formula Mazda at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif.

Catch up with Miles Maroney at www.milesmaroney.com, Miles Maroney Fan Page on Facebook and the PR1 Motorsports and Pacific F2000 Series websites. For additional information, contact Miles at milesmaroney@earthlink.net or 818 312-6536.

Thu, 01 Apr 2010 01:55:32 -0400

After competing in karts since he was four years old, Miles Maroney of Topanga, CA, has made the transition to cars in a big way. With several karting championships and wins on his resume, Maroney decided early on that the Pacific F2000 Championship would be the ideal arena to continue his racing career. However, he had not yet raced a formula car until the first round of the 2010 season at California Speedway earlier this month.
To make matters more interesting, Maroney had to make his debut in the wet. After qualifying the #22 Maroney Company/Alpinestars/PR1 Motorsports Van Diemen RF05 Zetec in tenth, Maroney methodically worked his way up to the front while several of his competitors fell victim to the soggy conditions. A potential top-5 and possible podium finish looked attainable until another competitor hit the #22 from behind causing an unfortunate DNF.

For Maroney, his debut race was a thrilling first lesson in what he hopes to be a comprehensive open wheel education.

“I had only done about a day and a half of testing with PR1 Motorsports before the race, and that’s it,” Maroney said. “In some ways, I felt like I was starting from square one as I’ve never had to shift or use an H-Pattern in a race. Even leaving the pits with the clutch took a little practice to keep it from stalling.”

Sunday’s event started promising with a seventh place qualifying position. Once again, Maroney battled up to the front before a mistimed downshift relegated him to spend the rest of the day catching back up to the field. However, Maroney used the situation as an opportunity to learn the subtle nuances of his car.

“It was a rookie mistake, but from the beginning to the end of the weekend , I felt like a completely different driver,” Maroney explained. “I focused on getting comfortable shifting, learning the pace of the events, and really absorbing everything that comes with making the transition from karts to cars. By the end of the race, I felt much more comfortable.”

After years of watching Maroney’s career with interest, PR1 Motorsports Team Principal, Bobby Oergel, is excited to sign the young driver full time for the remainder of the 2010 season.

“Miles is someone we’ve kept an eye on for a while,” Oergel said. “We’ve had a relationship with him and his family for about 5 years now, and we expect him to be just as fast in cars as he was in karts. You could see that despite his age, he’s a veteran racer in a lot of aspects. His poise in the wet at Fontana gives us every indication that he has tremendous race craft and all the right tools to be quick in anything he straps himself into. He’s going to turn some heads, and we’re looking forward to helping him progress as a driver.”

Maroney is equally impressed with PR1 Motorsport’s extensive F2000 experience.

“I’ve been around PR1 Motorsports for a few years, and watching guys like Jonathan Bomarito and Patrick Barrett get their start with the team gives me a lot of confidence in them,” Maroney continued. “I really enjoy working with PR1. Their program is so professional that it can be humbling and confidence inspiring at the same time. So many people I respect have told me that F2000 is a great place to learn how to race a formula car. I understand that I have a huge learning curve in front of me, and the first two races at California Speedway really showed me that. But I know I’m with the right team to help me to at least contend for this year’s championship, and to go on an all out assault in 2011.”

The 2010 Pacific F2000 Championship continues April 10-11 at Willow Springs Raceway in Rosamond, CA.

Drivers and partners interested in the PR1 Motorsports Pacific F2000 program can contact the team directly at pr1motorsports@aol.com or at (559) 277-1300.

In paddocks packed with excellent teams and quality drivers, PR1 Motorsports has established itself as one of the top driver development programs. Based in Fresno, CA, PR1 Motorsports occupies an expansive facility housing a stable of F2000 Zetec, GRAND-AM Rolex Series, and American Le Mans Series race cars. Team drivers enjoy the benefits of a completely professional program including engineering support, state-of-the art data acquisition, and a race winning experienced crew. PR1 Motorsports drivers, and partners, enjoy first-class trackside hospitality and comprehensive marketing support.

www.MilesMaroney.com
www.PR1Motorsports.com

For more information please contact Eric Wildt at (707) 480-7350 or eric@motorsportscg.com

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 23:49:50 -0500

I will be making my debut in cars this weekend in the Pacific F2000 Series, running for PR1 Motorsports. I am very excited that I am being presented with this opportunity, and can't wait to get things underway on Friday.

With only a few days of testing in the car, this first event will be a true test of my raw talent in a car. The weather forecast for the weekend is supposed to be rain, but that won't stop me. If it does rain, I'll be ready. As soon as the event is over I'll be sure to get an article up letting everyone know how it went.

-Miles Maroney

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 20:16:13 -0500

As the 2010 season is just around the corner, I am working feverishly in an attempt to get a program together for this year. At the moment, I know where I would like to be, the Pacific F2000 series, but I lack the finances to do so. I have recently been testing an F2000 car with PR1 Motorsports and I must say, it's a ton of fun! The learning curve to make the transition from karts to cars is quite steep, but I'm beginning to make huge gains toward mastering the car. Although I may be forced to miss the first couple of races, my goal for 2010 will continue to be the Pacific F2000 series and to compete in the National Series in 2011. As always, I continue my search for sponsorship. If you are interested in a possible backing of my journey, contact me (Miles Maroney) at milesmaroney@earthlink.net or 1(818)312.6536

More updates to come! Keep an eye out!

-Miles Maroney

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 18:14:00 -0400

Much was expected from Miles Maroney in his return to a CRG under the Cameron Motorsports tent and the young star didn’t disappoint. After going 2-4 in a pair of heats, Miles was on JICA pole for the Sunday afternoon finals. He held it at the start of the first main, and after leading the first pair, ran to lap fourteen in second position. The podium slipped from his grasp on the final lap as the top four crossed within a second, but Maroney made amends in the late start. Leading once again through the first lap, he was knocked to second and was as low as fourth before firmly establishing himself in third. It was a brilliant debut that promised more to come.

Thu, 15 May 2008 17:57:17 -0400

Miles Maroney heads back to CRG for the remainder of 2008. Effective immediately, Miles Maroney will return to the Italian CRG Kart marque that carried him to multiple Stars of Karting JICA victories in 2007, 3rd overall in the Stars of Karting Western Division championship and the National number 4 plate. Miles will team up with Cameron Motorsports beginning with the Snap On Stars of Karting Race of the Americas in New Castle, Indiana and run the remaining Eastern and Western Division events as well. Miles looks forward to placing his PITTS Performance/Josh Robertson powered, Alpinestars, Maroney Company CRG back on the podium and helping CRG get back to the top of the Constructor's Championship where they belong.

Fri, 21 Dec 2007 23:11:55 -0500

Brownsburg, Indiana – December 20, 2007 – First Kart North America, First Kart USA along with the FirstKart.com race team are pleased to announce the signing of multi-time Snap-on Stars of Karting race winner Miles Maroney. The talented Californian will compete in the Florida Winter Tour and the Snap-on Stars of Karting presented by IndyCar Series throughout the 2008 racing season.

“Miles will be a perfect fit under our tent and will be a threat for several championships in 2008,” stated FirstKart.com Team Principal Tony Ventresca. “Miles has always been fast and a threat at almost every event. We are happy to have him in our program and are looking forward to getting the season started.”

Maroney will compete in Rotax Junior and Junior Intercontinental A (JICA) at the Florida Winter Tour as well as the JICA class in the full Snap-on Stars of Karting presented by IndyCar Series. Utilizing a Josh Robertson/Pitts Performance powered First Kart VR32C, Maroney will team with First Kart USA’s Mike Maurini in the hunt for race wins and championships.

2007 was an exciting season for Maroney as he claimed two Stars of Karting victories en route to a third place finish in the West division title chase and a fourth place result in the overall national championship. Maroney is also an International Karting Federation Regional and Grand National champion, Snap-on Stars of Karting Cadet champion, World Karting Association Grand National champion and a two-time California State Champion.

2008 will provide a new team and a new look for Maroney as he will be traveling from coast-to-coast to compete against some of the nation’s best junior drivers. Teamed with the three-time defending JICA East division championship winning team, Maroney will look to continue that streak. While with the FirstKart.com race team, Miles Maroney will continue to receive support from Pitts Performance, Alpinestars, Maroney Company Precision Machining and Pacific Coast Motorsports.

First Kart North America is looking to expand the FirstKart.com race team with arrive and drive opportunities on both the East and West coast for the 2008 racing season. Arrive and Drive opportunities are available in most classes competing in the Stars of Karting, World Karting Association Manufactures Cup, Florida Winter Tour, Sunoco Ron Fellows Karting Championship and several special events throughout North America. Interested parties are asked to contact the First Kart offices toll free at 1.888.884.4851.

First Kart North America is also looking to expand its dealer network across the country. With the quality and craftsmanship in the First Kart product line and the support the dealers receive, First Kart North America is making the choice easy. For more information on First Kart North America, product sales, the FirstKart.com race team and exciting dealership opportunities including information on how to get into kart racing please contact First Kart President Tony Ventresca at 519.824.4343 or First Kart USA’s Director of Operations Mike Maurini at 317.858.3705 or visit them online at www.firstkart.com.

Tue, 18 Sep 2007 22:57:24 -0400

13 year old Stars of Karting, IKF, WKA and California State Karting Champion Miles Maroney, the youngest Champ Car development driver in history having been added to the Pacific Coast Motorsports Junior Team at Portland in June, wrapped up the final two Western Division rounds of the Snap-On Stars of Karting championship in dominating fashion by capturing both JICA victories at what many believe to be the Western United States finest and toughest Karting facility, the 1.1 mile Moran Raceway in Beaumont, California, to close the season with serious momentum leading to the Stars National Finale at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway October 18-21.

After a tight battle in Saturday’s event saw Miles inch out a close victory after a race long battle with two other competitors, Sunday’s final saw Miles come out of the first corner 4^th, working to the lead by lap 6 of the 18 lap event and never look back while opening a lead of close to three seconds before backing off and cruising to the victory to cap off a perfect weekend.

The two victories move Miles to a close 3^rd in the Snap -On Stars of Karting Western Division JICA Championship and place him squarely in contention for the Stars National Title next month at the series finale for both Eastern and Western Stars competitors.

Miles heads this weekend for the final round of the Gatorz Golden State Rotax Series just two points out of the Championship lead and looking for win number 4 out of the seven races comprising the series.

Fri, 20 Jul 2007 14:30:00 -0400

Just after PCM announced Miles Maroney to the PCM JR Team, Miles headed to Buttonwillow the following weekend of June 15 for the 6th round of the Gatorz Golden State Champ Car Rotax Challenge Series having won the last three rounds in a row to take the point lead into Buttonwillow ...Miles rolled from off pole for the final after finishing 2nd in the pre final, only to be taken out in a nasty crash in the first corner, bruising his shoulder and bending his kart for a DNF and dropping him to 3rd in points ... Miles was right back at Buttonwillow two days later for the International Karting Federation (IKF) Grand Nationals to run three different classes over four days of racing ...Day 1 saw Miles again roll from off pole in the final of Junior Super Sportsman Yamaha only to be the victim again of a wicked crash which saw another competitor parked on top of Miles and his kart with Miles pinned underneath ... many thought Miles had broken his arm, but other than being taken out of the event, he was fine to come back on day 2 to hit the podium in Junior HPV 2 after a strong run ... Day 3 saw Miles again run at the front of Junior Sportsman Yamaha ending up 2nd for another podium ...With little rest, Miles headed off to Utah for the first Western Division event for the Stars of Karting series at Miller Motorsports Park ...In the highly competitive JICA race, Miles ran into trouble in the pre final on Saturday and had to start the final 17th ...
Miles drove a great race and finished a strong 4th, the first three finishing where they started ... Sunday's final Miles had motor issues a still finished a strong 9th amongst the world's top JICA drivers to finish up a strong weekend ... Immediately, it was back this past weekend for the 7th round of the Gatorz Rotax series, a night race in Perris, CA ...Miles was again strong and came home 2nd in the final to regain his points lead after the DNF at Buttonwillow ...

Miles strong karting summer continues as he is currently leading the Gatorz Eyewear Golden State Rotax Karting Series with one round left in September ...Miles also currently sits in the top 3 in both classes being run in the IKF with two rounds remaining in the season and a legitimate shot for titles in both and in Stars completion, after his strong run in Utah, Miles sits 8th in points and looks to his home track of Moran Raceway in So Cal in September to make a significant move to the top of the Stars points ...

Next up for Miles is the Rotax National finals in Denver August 11-18 where he will go against the strongest Rotax competition from across the US and Canada to determine a true National Champion, then it's off to Dubai in the Arab Emirates for the World Finals in November. After that, September finds Miles with events in Rotax, IKF and Stars all in the Southern California area looking to finish the season strong and begin to test in the full size formula cars for the remainder of the season ... Miles has been invited to run the final two Formula BMW races later in the year and has committed to those events, so it's off to cars soon ...

Fri, 08 Jun 2007 18:06:00 -0400

Portland, OR (June 8, 2007) - Pacific Coast Motorsports is pleased to announce the inception of the PCM Jr Team, a driver and team development program, designed to create a tangible link from karts to the pinnacle of North American open wheel racing, the Champ Car World Series.

As announced today in a press conference at Portland International Raceway, the US RaceTronics Atlantic team and its drivers, Carl Skerlong and David Garza, along with karting standout, 13 year old Miles Maroney have been named as the PCM Jr Team.

"Pacific Coast Motorsports began as a competitor in the Champ Car Atlantic Series.We had two very successful seasons, which included the championship with Jon Fogarty in 2004 and it has always been my goal to give back to the ladder system in some fashion," said PCM team director, Tyler Tadevic.

"We took a long, hard look at the current teams in the Atlantic championship and feel that Shane Seneviratne's program at US RaceTronics is an outstanding racing organization. Both Carl and David are proving they are stars of the future and we are confident they will be great representatives of PCM."

Miles Maroney has multiple race wins and championships in the International Karting Federation, the Snap-On Stars of Karting and the Champ Car Rotax Gartorz Karting Cup series. "Miles has been racing half of his life already. In addition to his success in the karting series, his dedication and professionalism is what led us to this decision," said Tadevic.

The PCM Jr Team program includes driver involvement in the Champ Car team engineering meetings, tests for the Jr team members and inclusion in media and marketing opportunities throughout the remainder of the 2007 season and beyond. PCM plans to include additional open wheel ladder programs to bridge the gap from karts to the Atlantic cars; programs are currently being considered. For more information on the Jr Team and its members, visit www.pcmracing.com.

About Pacific Coast Motorsports:
Formed in 2002 and based in Oxnard, California, Pacific Coast Motorsports are champions on the track and in the marketplace. The 2004 Toyota Atlantic Champions have competed in a diverse array of motorsports challenges, from open wheel to sports car racing and succeeded in every discipline. In 2007 the challenge comes full circle as PCM makes their debut with a two-car effort in the highest level of open wheel motorsports in the United States, The Champ Car World Series. Off the track, PCM has represented some of the countries most recognizable names, from Menards to Playboy, Vonage to Uniden establishing successful, high-profile marketing platforms that deliver meaningful exposure and a quantifiable return on investment. PCM is dedicated to success in the Champ Car World Series and committed to go beyond the traditional means to deliver value and exceed the expectations of our partners. Follow our Champ Car debut at www.PCMracing.com.