INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing returned to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course last week (May 11-14) for the fifth and sixth rounds of the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires, and their rookie drivers Nico Jamin and Jacob Eidson turned in solid performances to solidify their positions in the top six of the championship point standings.
Jamin, the reigning Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda series champion, posted a pair of top-five results that have moved him into fifth in points, while Eidson finished sixth and seventh in the doubleheader and now sits sixth overall in the title chase. The team improved its pace throughout the road course event and now has its sights set on the Carb Night Classic at Lucas Oil Raceway on May 27, the first of two oval events on the Pro Mazda schedule.
“We’re extremely pleased with our drivers, as we got another good solid performance from our guys,” offered Dominic and Nicholas Cape. “We'll just keep working as hard as we can to close the gap."
Cape’s Pro Mazda duo ran two one-hour sessions on the track’s 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course in an official Promoter’s Test on Wednesday and continued to make progress during both of Thursday’s 30-minute practice opportunities as well. On Friday, Jamin and Eidson began the day with qualifying in the cooler morning hours, warmed by sun and blue skies, and the speed’s reflected the ideal conditions. Jamin was seventh quickest in his #2 Soul Red Mazdaspeed Pro Mazda, while Eidson was eighth at the end of the half-hour timed session.
The opening race of the weekend went caution-free, and despite that fact that Jamin’s car had a little too much downforce to allow for maximum straightaway speed, he was still able to overtake two competitors to move from seventh to fifth at the end of the 40-minute race. Eidson was able to advance early and grab a couple of spots, and although he would give one up later in the race after a minor miscue in Turn 7, he was rewarded with a strong sixth place finish.
In the second main event, which was held early Saturday morning in chilly 45-degree temperatures, Jamin was able to hustle his car after dropping two spots at the green flag. After making adjustments to the aero levels on the car, Nico was happy with the added straight-line speed and was able adjust to the decreased grip to advance three positions back to fifth just past the midway point, setting up a battle with Juncos Racing’s Garett Grist. Jamin made a stunning last lap move on Grist to take over the position, and finished fourth. This was his sixth consecutive top-six finish and has advanced him to fifth in the championship standings, just four points out of third. Eidson was embroiled a thrilling battle for sixth, battling three-wide in a few corners, and at the checkered flag, he finished in the middle of the fight with two Juncos Racing drivers to take seventh.
The 2016 Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires will head back to Indianapolis on May 26-27 for the Carb Night Classic at the banked 5/8-mile Lucas Oil Raceway where Cape’s Pro Mazda drivers will compete in the annual Freedom 90 event.
DRIVER PERFORMANCE – ROUNDS 5/6
NICO JAMIN - #2
Qualifying: 7th – 1:23.961
Race #1: 5th
Race #2: 4th
Driver Quote: “It was great to be back in The Racing Capital of the World and have the chance to race at Indianapolis. I enjoyed every second of it, and we had a pretty good weekend overall with fifth and a fourth place finishes. It was big in terms of points for the championship and I am getting closer to the podium of the drivers’ standing. I am very excited to race on the oval at Lucas Oil Raceway during Carb Day before the 100th running of the Indy 500. We have high expectations, and I am definitely looking to get the first oval win of my career."
JACOB EIDSON - #3
Qualifying: 8th – 1:24.214
Race #1: 6th
Race #2: 7th
Driver Quote: “We battled a lot of obstacles at the Grand Prix of Indy last weekend. It was a very challenging few days of racing for both the team and myself, but we handled it very well and made great progress in Race 1 and Race 2. I also love being able to race at the legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway and can't wait for our first oval race at Lucas Oil Raceway.”
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.