BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – For over 20 years, Nicolas and Dominic Cape have been developing young drivers, winning races and championships along the way, competing in both the USF2000 and Pro Mazda programs. This year’s Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires squad features USF2000 grads Nico Jamin and Jake Eidson; the two talented pilots who battled toe-to-toe for the two-liter crown in 2015. This season, they’ve teamed up to run for Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing and they’re back at it again, facing off for top finishes in their rookie campaigns. This past weekend, the duo took another step forward at Barber Motorsports Park in the second event of the year, posting solid results as they work to advance up the grid to challenge the second-year ‘veterans’ of the series. At Barber, the pairing pushed hard to reach the podium but came up just short and logged three top-six finishes in the Alabama doubleheader. Jamin scored the best finish, taking fifth in Race 1, while Eidson recorded a top result of sixth in Race #2.
“Our Pro Mazda drivers and our crew members did a great job over the weekend,” commented the Capes. “We will continue to work very hard to improve our performance and we’re already focused on finding more speed and success at the Grand Prix of Indianapolis in May.”
Saturday morning qualifying presented unique conditions, as the timed session began just after a heavy rainstorm had rolled through the area, soaking the track and the grounds. The Barber Motorsports Park track crew did an excellent job getting the standing water cleared away, but the track was still wet at the start of the session and both Nico and Jake took the opportunity to get some track time on rain tires. The track dried partially late in the time period and both drivers would eventually go to slicks, pushing as hard as they could in slippery conditions. In the end, they were not able to find the pace they would need to start on the front two rows, as Eidson led the way for the team with a 1:23.499, slotting into sixth in the order. Jamin was a couple tenths back in seventh, turning a fast time of 1:23.683.
At the start of Race 1, Jamin made a great start and quickly jumped into the top-five, but he and Eidson made light contact in the Turn 5 hairpin on the opening lap. The two team pilots made synchronized spins at the corner apex, and both were dropped to the tail of the field as the field streamed by. Jamin, the reigning USF2000 champion, was able to storm back into the field and was rewarded with a strong sixth, turning the third quickest lap of the race, while Eidson took eighth in the final tally.
Starting on the outside of row two for the second race of the doubleheader, Jamin fought valiantly to hold off Will Owen for the position in the opening laps, but his car took a couple of circuits to build the necessary heat into the tires and he could not keep Owen at bay. Nico slipped to fifth in the running, posting his fourth straight top-sixth finish, which has put him into fourth overall in the championship standings. Eidson turned in his best run of the weekend on Sunday morning after starting eighth, working his way to sixth.
In the championship standings, Jamin’s consistent results have put him fourth overall heading to Indianapolis, while Eidson sits sixth, a mere six points behind his teammate having posted the squad’s best finish of the year with a third in the opening race of the season.
The 2016 Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires resumes over the May 12-14 weekend on the road course at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for rounds five and six of the series.
DRIVER PERFORMANCE – ROUNDS 3/4
NICO JAMIN - #2
Qualifying: 7th – 1:23.683
Race #1: 6th
Race #2: 5th
Driver Quote: “It was a tough weekend for the team, overall. It is a little bit frustrating to see everyone working so hard in the team and only get a top-five finish. Every member of this team has the winning spirit, and nobody is going to give up until we are back at the front and winning races. I am super exited heading into the month of May, and going back to IMS. I swept the weekend there last year in USF2000, and I definitely want to kiss the bricks again this year."
JAKE EIDSON - #3
Qualifying: 6th – 1:23.499
Race #1: 8th
Race #2: 6th
Driver Quote: “It was a very mentally challenging weekend at Barber Motorsports Park after struggling a bit in qualifying and starting Race 1 from the sixth position. I was able to get a pretty decent start and move up to fifth until making contact with my teammate in Turn 5 and finishing 8th. In Race 2, I had to start a bit further back in eighth position but made my way up to sixth, where I finished. We've had a lot of obstacles come our way this last week, but it's nothing we can’t handle and we'll grow from it.”
About Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing:
Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing was formed in 2010 as a partnership between two successful racing entities. With leadership from brothers Nicholas and Dominic Cape, and along with Wayne Taylor and his organization in Indianapolis, the team campaigns cars in the Cooper Tires Presents the USF2000 National Championship Powered by Mazda and the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires. The goal of Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing is to provide unmatched driver development both on and off the track. It is difficult for a young driver to jump into a professional series and win, regardless of talent. Through coaching and mentoring, Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing provides young drivers with as much knowledge of motorsports to become as successful as possible.