tanaka-joins-quantum-for-summit-point
Oklahoma City, OK (August 20, 2012) – Haruaki Tanaka will make the long journey from Tokyo, Japan to West Virginia this weekend as the 21-year-old karting graduate makes his F1600 Formula F Championship Series debut with Quantum Racing Services at Summit Point Raceway.
A native of Nakano, Tanaka will join Brazilian Roberto Lorena behind the wheel of Quantum’s Honda-powered Van Diemen F1600 machines as the Oklahoma City-based race team fields three cars for the first time this season.
In addition to the brace of F1600 entries, Quantum also runs F2000 Championship contender Wyatt Gooden in a Zetec Van Diemen, as the Ohio driver seeks to add to his two-race victory total this season.
Tanaka tested with Quantum earlier this year, and also has experience in the Asian Formula Renault Challenge Series in 2011 in addition to five years of kart racing in Japan.
“I am looking forward to taking the next step in my racing career, and to my first race in America,” Tanaka said. “Quantum has worked with me to make this a successful move, and I am looking forward to making a strong start to my F1600 career this weekend at Summit Point. I think it will be a very exciting race.”
Quantum is headed by racing veteran Wendell Miller, with more than 35 years in the sport and success at all levels from Club Racing to IndyCars.
“Haru showed a good turn of speed in his initial test with us,“ Miller said. "It has taken a great deal of commitment on his part to come all the way to America to race, and we appreciate the trust he has shown in our team. We look forward to assisting him in his US racing debut.,”
Last year, open-wheel rookie Wyatt Gooden piloted Quantum’s Van Diemen to a perfect four F1600 Series wins in four starts. He also qualified on the pole for three races, on the front row for all four, and set three fastest race laps.
In 2010, Quantum took rookie F2000 Championship Series driver Dan Erickson to two race wins, three second-place finishes and three poles in six races in the team’s Zetec-powered F2000 Van Diemen.
Quantum has been a leader in the development of the Honda Fit engine for F1600 competition, completing the first Van Diemen Honda package for SCCA Club Racing in 2010. In addition to its four pro series victories with Gooden in 2010, the team scored Honda’s first SCCA National Club Racing victory in a multi-car field last year at Motorsports Park Hastings in Nebraska.