Will Power waved the Australian flag and gave a shout out to the 131,000 residents of his native Toowoomba as he was presented the Astor Challenge Cup in Victory Circle at Auto Club Speedway.
Eleven days later, the Verizon IndyCar Series champion touched down in Australia with fanfare. Power will visit with friends and family (maybe even take in brother Damien’s comedy act in Sydney) and have some informal appearances over the next few weeks. He’ll be among the celebrities to help open the Brisbane West Wellcamp Airport near Toowoomba on Sept. 28.
The Confederation of Australian Motor Sport and the CAMS Foundation, which has supported elite young motorsports drivers including Power, passed along congratulatory messages.
“His persistence in and drive to win this championship has paid off and we congratulate Will for his success in winning the IndyCar championship,” CAMS president Andrew Papadopoulos said. “It’s fantastic for Australian motor sport and we are being represented extremely well in IndyCar racing by Will and Ryan Briscoe and Daniel Ricciardo in Formula One. Our representation at international level is enormous when compared to our population.”
Power’s title is the first major international championship by an Australian since Alan Jones won the Formula One title in 1980.
Added CAMS Foundation chairman Geoff Morgan: “The CAMS Foundation congratulates Will on achieving his goal of being IndyCar champion. It’s fantastic for him and his family. He has worked especially hard for this and thoroughly deserves it. We are very proud of Will and of all the people who have been supported by the program, but also proud that the results are there for all to see.”
USF2000 and Pro Mazda champion Matthew Brabham, who won one race and finished fourth in the Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires championship standings this season, also has been supported by the CAMS Foundation.
Candidates for Team USA and Team Canada Scholarships
Daniel Burkett of Winnipeg, Manitoba, who recorded four top-five finishes in 14 USF2000 races this season with Belardi Auto Racing, is among the six finalists for the Team Canada Scholarship.
He also won the East Coast-based Formula Atlantic Championship. One driver will be selected to represent Canada in the Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch and the Walter Hayes Trophy races at Silverstone this fall.
Two drivers will be selected among six finalists for the Team USA Scholarship. Aaron Telitz of Birchwood, Wis., who was Rookie of the Year and placed fourth in the USF2000 standings with one victory and six podiums, is among the contenders. Winners will be announced later this month.
Of note
The Mazda Road to Indy Chris Griffis Memorial Test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is open to the public from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Sept. 13-14. Spectators can watch the action of Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires, the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires and the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda on the road course from the Turn 2 mounds and South end bleachers.