Overdrive Championship Series
Formula Overdrive | |
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Year Founded | 2008 |
Founder(s) | |
Executive(s) | Ben Aldívar |
Current Divisions | Imago Overdrive Championship Series |
Current Champion | Casey Lester |
Racing Series |
Formula Overdrive (currently branded as Imago Overdrive Championship Series) is an open-wheel racing series operating in North America. The first season was run in 2008, with Luke Warmwater winning the title. The series' sanctioning body went under after the 2008 season, leaving the series dormant until 2011, when ARLA revived the series with a nine race schedule, all on road courses. Kiriki Hetsuno won the championship.
The 2012 Formula Overdrive season is sanctioned by executives from series sponsor Hanmore, and has an even split between road courses and ovals. It is a cheaper alternative to the manufacturer-driven V8 Champ Car series, but manufacturer support for Overdrive has grown, leading to bigger purses and an increase in track attendance and TV viewership. Formula Overdrive is still seen as a feeder series to Champ Car, although Hanmore has made it known they would like to move the series closer to equal footing with Champ Car. However, Formula Overdrive had never had a stable big race before 2012, while V8 Champ Car sanctions the legendary Indianapolis 500. The 2012 Hanmore World Championships brought on the downfall to Hanmore's hopes, as the series was shocked and its growth stunted by the deaths of five competitors during that event. The end of the 2014 season saw Hanmore put the series up for sale, and with no buyer, the series sat dormant yet again for 2015 onwards. In 2018, the series will return under National Sports Car Club sanctioning.
Championship winners[edit | edit source]
Year | Driver | Team | |
2008 | ![]() |
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2009-10 | No seasons held | ||
2011 | ![]() |
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2012 | ![]() |
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2013 | ![]() |
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2014 | ![]() |
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2015-17 | No seasons held | ||
2018 | ![]() |
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