ELKHART LAKE, Wis. – The entire Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing squad turned in impressive performances last weekend (June 24-26) as the Mazda Road to Indy made its return to Road America. The team won both races in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda and returned to the podium in the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires. Australian talent Anthony Martin extended his USF2000 win streak to three with a sweep of the races on the iconic 4.018-mile, 14-turn circuit, pulling into a tie for the point lead with teammate Parker Thompson, who scored a pair of top-five finishes including a podium third in Race 2. Nikita Lastochkin added to the USF2000 results with two finishes inside the top-eight, while team newcomer Jordan Cane bounced back from a Race 1 incident to finish sixth in Race 2. Cape’s Pro Mazda star Nico Jamin rose to the occasion and challenged for the podium all weekend, finishing a stellar second in the second race of the doubleheader.
Mazda Scholarship-backed Nico Jamin continued to show the improved pace the team found at the official Mid-Ohio test earlier in the month, debuting near the very top of the speed charts on Thursday in the #2 Soul Red Mazdaspeed machine. The reigning USF2000 champion was quick from the get-go at Road America, qualifying third for the opening race. In the first 40-minute timed event on Saturday morning, Nico pushed hard through the opening corner and narrowly missed his braking marker and made unfortunate contact with Jake Parsons, sending Nico off track with wing damage. He needed to pit for a new front wing, and despite losing a lap and finishing 10th, he turned the fastest lap of the race to earn a valuable bonus point.
In the second race, held on Saturday afternoon, the Frenchman was on his game, pushing the eventual victor all race long. Nico ran a flawless race and finished second, his first podium finish of the 2016 Pro Mazda season.
The next round of the Pro Mazda Championship was originally scheduled for July 9-10 weekend at Iowa Speedway, but series officials elected to cancel the event at the 7/8 mile oval due to insufficient entry numbers. To replace the event, they will add a third race at the #SoulRedFinale at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in September. As a result, the team will now look forward to travelling north of the border to the Honda Indy Toronto, the popular street circuit event in the capital city of Ontario. The race will take place on July 15-17 and will see the participation of all three rungs of the Mazda Road to Indy.
DRIVER PERFORMANCE / QUOTES
ROAD AMERICA – ELKHART LAKE, IW
JUNE 24-26, 2016
NICO JAMIN – PRO MAZDA #2
Qualifying: 3rd – 2:05.921
Race 1: 10th
Race 2: 2nd
Driver Quote: “Overall, it was a very good weekend for me. It's great to see that we are back at the front, fighting for wins. We had a great test at Mid-Ohio where we were the fastest for two days. That gave us a great momentum heading into Road America. The track was amazing, it was one of the fastest circuits I've been to and I had a blast driving it. I'm very proud of the whole team, and it feels good to step back on the podium with a second place finish. ”
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.