Jonathan Bomarito took a big step forward in his quest to be champion of the 2008 Atlantic Championship with a dominating victory in the Grand-Prix de Trois-Rivieres.
After starting from the pole position in his #26 Del Taco/Stone Brewing/Discount Tire/RLM Investments machine for Mathiasen Motorsports, Bomarito got away clean on the race's standing start and was never seriously challenged, leading every lap of the 44-lap race to score his third victory of the season and the fifth of his Atlantic career. He won by 1.590 seconds over American rookie Jonathan Summerton, who he now leads by 28 points, 191-163, in the championship standings with three races remaining.
Although Sunday's race was the first for Atlantic on the legendary 1.521-mile street circuit in Quebec since 2003, Bomarito became the 10th consecutive polesitter to win in Atlantic competition at Trois-Rivieres.
“First of all, I can't tell you how thankful I am and happy to keep that streak alive, that's for sure,” said Bomarito. “It was an amazing weekend. It was perfect for us, both qualifying sessions and the race. The guys were telling me on the radio my gaps and also where James (Hinchcliffe) and Markus (Niemela) were. James went out and then Markus went out a little bit later in the race. I think we were within seven or eight points before the race and now to be leading by 28 points is huge with only three races to go. It refocuses how we have to approach these last three races, but realistically, as long as we're quick and continue to do what we're doing, and the car keeps living like it is - the guys keep doing an amazing job - we'll be okay at the end of the championship.”
Summerton moved to second in the overall point standings and the Rookie of the Year points lead with his second-place performance. It was Summerton's third top-two result in his past four starts and was his sixth top-six result in eight races this season. He gained two spots in the point standings this weekend, and earned a bonus point for running the fastest lap in the race.
![Jonathan Bomarito - Mathiasen Motorsport [pic credit: Atlantic Championship/Phil Sedgwick]](http://pix.crash.net/thumbs/478054.jpg)
