Jensen MotorSport is an auto racing team that competes in the Firestone Indy Lights series. It formerly competed in the Champ Car Atlantic Championship

Champ Car Atlantic Championship

The Cooper Tires presents the Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda was a formula race car series with races throughout North America. It is often colloquially referred to as the Atlantic Championship, Champ Car Atlantics , Toyota Atlantics , or just Atlantics or Formula...

, the Formula BMW

Formula BMW

Formula BMW is a junior racing formula for single seater cars. It is positioned at the bottom of the motorsport career ladder alongside the longer established Formula Ford category...

 Americas Championship, and fielded a car for one Champ Car World Series race. It is owned by former Atlantics competitor Eric Jensen

Eric Jensen (driver)

Eric Jensen is a Canadian former professional race car driver from Toronto who competed in the Champ Car Atlantic Series series and Indy Lights series from 1997 to 2005. During that time he made 40 Atlantics starts, usually on a part-time basis, making his most season starts in 2003 and finishing...

.

Early years

The team ran in Indy Lights and Atlantic competition in the late 1990s with Eric Jensen driving with sponsorship from Columbia TriStar Films, Colgate-Palmolive, Sony PlayStation, Miller Brewing, and Starwood Hotels (Westin & Sheraton brands). In 1999, Eric Jensen formed Jensen MotorSport, Inc. and since 2003, the team has trained and operated race cars for more than 100 professional race car drivrs. Jensen MotorSport also provides marketing services to corporate partners and hosts events at professional races worldwide.

2000's

In 2003, Jensen began operating race cars for drivers other than himself, entering two cars in the CART Toyota Atlantic championship for drivers Jensen and Phil Fayer. In 2004, the team expanded to also operate race cars in the first year Formula BMW USA championship. A Jensen MotorSport car driven by Gerardo Bonilla

Gerardo Bonilla

Gerardo Bonilla is a Puerto Rican-born professional race car driver. He competed in and won the IMSA Lites Championship in 2007, the Star Mazda Championship in 2006, and the Skip Barber National Championship in 2005...

 qualified 2nd for the first ever Formula BMW USA race. The team operated race cars for drivers in the 2004 season including Alan Sciuto, Daniel Herrington

Daniel Herrington

Daniel Herrington is an American racing driver from Baltimore, Maryland.Herrington began his professional racing career in Formula BMW USA in 2004 with a partial schedule. He competed full-time in 2005 for Jensen Motorsport and finished 12th in points. In 2006 he moved to the Star Mazda Series and...

, Eric Jensen, Adam Pecorari. In 2005, Jensen MotorSport competed in its first Champ Car World Series event at the Long Beach Grand Prix with Italian driver Fabrizio del Monte

Fabrizio del Monte

Fabrizio Del Monte is an Italian racing driver.He drove three seasons in European Formula 3000 before driving three Champ Car events in 2005, often on the strength of sponsorship. He said he had secured Midland's third driver seat for the 2006 San Marino Grand Prix, but this fell through when ...

. The team also competed in the Champ Car Atlantic championship with drivers Adam Pecorari, Eric Jensen, and Leonardo Maia

Leonardo Maia

Leonardo Maia is a Brazilian former racing driver. He began racing professionally in the Barber Dodge Pro Series in 2001 and he won the series championship in 2003. In 2004 he moved to the Infiniti Pro Series for Brian Stewart Racing and finished 5th in the championship with a pair of 3rd place...

. Jensen MotorSport also operated a four car team in the Formula BMW USA championship with drivers Daniel Herrington, Doug Boyer, John Zartarian, and Jules Duc.

In 2006, Jensen MotorSport competed in the Champ Car Atlantic championship with drivers Tim Bridgman

Tim Bridgman

Timothy James Bridgman is a British race car driver from England.Bridgman was born in Harlow and educated at Felsted School. He raced for Jensen Motorsport in the Champ Car Atlantic Championship in 2006, finishing the season ranked 16th overall. He was the 2004 Formula BMW UK champion, and...

 and Steve Ott. Jensen MotorSport also operated a two car team in the Formula BMW USA championship for drivers Tom Sutherland

Tom Sutherland

Tom Sutherland is a former competitive rifle shooter from New Zealand.At the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games he won the bronze medal in the men's fullbore rifle event.-References:...

 and Frankie Muniz

Frankie Muniz

Francisco "Frankie" Muniz IV is an American actor, musician, writer, producer, and racecar driver. He is known primarily as the star of the FOX television family sitcom Malcolm in the Middle. In 2003, he was considered "one of Hollywood's most bankable teens". In 2008, he put his acting career...

. Frankie Muniz was already a well known celebrity having starred in the FOX television show Malcolm in the Middle

Malcolm in the Middle

Malcolm in the Middle is an American television sitcom created by Linwood Boomer for the Fox Network. The series was first broadcast on January 9, 2000, and ended its six-and-a-half-year run on May 14, 2006, after seven seasons and 151 episodes...

, and contracted Jensen MotorSport for development as a professional race car driver over a 2 year term.

In 2007, Jensen MotorSport again competed in the Champ Car Atlantic series with 3 cars for Frankie Muniz, Tom Sutherland, and Dominick Muermans

Dominick Muermans

Dominick Muermans is a Dutch racing driver.Dominick raced full time in the Atlantic Championship in the 2008 season....

. Sutherland finished 21st in points with a best finish of 13th. Muniz finished 22nd with a best finish of ninth at Toronto. Muermans only competed in the first two rounds of the championship.

In 2008

2008 Atlantic Championship season

The 2008 Atlantic Championship season was the thirty-fifth Atlantic Championship season. It began on April 20, 2008 and ended on October 4, 2008. Despite the merger of Champ Car's premier series with the Indy Racing League, the Champ Car owners will continue to own and operate the series under a...

, the Champ Car World Series merged with the IndyCar Series

IndyCar Series

The IZOD IndyCar Series is the premier level of American open wheel racing. The current championship, founded by Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Tony George, began in 1996 as a competitor to CART known as the Indy Racing League . Citing CART's increasing reliance on expensive machinery and...

. Jensen MotorSport continued in the Atlantic Championship with one car for Finnish driver Henri Karjalainen

Henri Karjalainen

Henri Mikael Karjalainen is a Finnish racing driver. He will race in GT Finnish Championship in the year 2010. Henri's manager is Finnish Sport Management Agency SportElite.-Formula BMW:...

, who finished 17th in points with a best finish of 10th at Circuit Trois-Rivières

Circuit Trois-Rivières

The Circuit Trois-Rivières is a street circuit located in Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Canada. The circuit has hosted American Le Mans Series, Grand-Am Rolex Series, Trans-Am series and Formula Atlantic races in the past...

.

In 2009

2009 Atlantic Championship season

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...

, Jensen MotorSport operated two cars in the Atlantic Championship with drivers including 2008 series champion Markus Niemelä

Markus Niemelä

Markus Niemelä is a Finnish race car driver, currently in the Atlantic Championship series in North America. He is the 2008 series champion after winning the final round at Road Atlanta...

, Matt Lee, and Davíd Garza Pérez

Davíd Garza Pérez

David Garza Pérez is a Mexican racing driver. He has raced in the A1 Grand Prix and Champ Car Atlantic series.- Karting :* 2005 : 2nd in Shifter 125cc debut season* 2004 : Mexican Rotax Jr. Champion ; Champion in Rotax Jr...

. Niemelä finished sixth in points, making seven starts with the team after driving in the first five races for Newman Wachs Racing

Newman Wachs Racing

Newman Wachs Racing is an auto racing team owned by Eddie Wachs and, until his death, Paul Newman. NWR is based outside of Chicago in Mundelein, Illinois. Newman and Wachs met when they both competed in Can-Am series in the mid-1970s and over the years talked about joining forces to create a...

. Jensen MotorSport returned to full-time competition in the Formula BMW Americas championship with American driver Barrett Mertens. The company also was contracted by Dipdive Network to shoot a series of videos with music group Black Eyed Peas. Team owner Eric Jensen was awarded the Team Owner of the Year award at the end of season Atlantic Championship banquet.

In 2010

2010 Atlantic Championship season

The 2010 IMSA Cooper Tires Atlantic Championship season was due to be the 37th Atlantic Championship season, and the second one under the sanctioning of the International Motor Sports Association...

, Atlantic Championship ownership put the series on hiatus in March 2010.

Jensen MotorSport announced in November 2010 that it would enter multiple cars in the Firestone Indy Lights championship in 2011

2011 Indy Lights season

The 2011 Indy Lights season is a season of open wheel motor racing in which cars' drivers will compete against each other using cars which conform to the Indy Lights set of motor racing regulations. It is the 26th season of the Indy Lights series and the tenth sanctioned by IndyCar where the...

 with Canadian David Ostella

David Ostella

David Ostella is a Canadian racing driver from Maple, Ontario.After racing in various American and Canadian karting series, Ostella made his professional racing debut in Formula BMW Americas in 2008 for Eurointernational, finishing 9th in points. In 2009 he moved to the Star Mazda Series with AIM...

 driving one car in a partnership with Dipdive Network. Mexican Juan Pablo García

Juan Pablo Garcia (racing driver)

Juan Pablo Garcia is a Mexican racing driver.Garcia began his professional career in Formula Renault 2000 de America in 2006. He made two A1 Grand Prix starts for A1 Team Mexico that winter and then drove in the British Formula Three Championship National Class, finishing 7th...

 was signed to drive the second car. Ostella finished ninth in points with a best finish of fourth in the season opener at St. Petersburg

Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg

The Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg is an IndyCar Series race held in St. Petersburg, Florida.-History:Racing in the St. Petersburg area dates back to 1985. The SCCA Trans-Am Series held a race on a downtown waterfront circuit from 1985-1990. Local residents and businesses complained about...

. García drove in the first four races of the season before leaving the team with a best finish of eighth. Team owner Eric Jensen attempted to drive in the Toronto race but was unable to run competitive practice speeds after several years out of the cockpit and did not start the race. British driver Oliver Webb

Oliver Webb

Oliver "Oli" Webb is a British auto racing driver.-Karting:Webb began his career in karting at the age of nine, progressing up through the ranks in the Greater Manchester karting scene with the help of management from British Touring Car Championship driver Michael Bentwood...

 made four starts later in the season for the team and finished on the podium in third in his first start at Edmonton. Webb finished 18th in points. Jensen MotorSport also announced Driver Development initiatives to train young race car drivers.

The team is based in Toronto

Toronto

Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...

, Canada; with locations in Montreal

Montreal

Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...

 and Orlando, Florida

Orlando, Florida

Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...

, USA.