INDIANAPOLIS, IND. – When JDC MotorSports headed into the 2014 Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires, it did so with a tent full of drivers who were new to the program.  The team’s focus was to develop these young drivers quickly, giving them ample opportunity to learn a new racecar, its performance and its mechanical dynamics. Over the first two events on the schedule, JDC drivers Ryan Booth, Kyle Connery and Michael Johnson did exactly that, scoring solid finishes while they came to grips with their Pro Mazda race cars. When the team left Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, they had watched their drivers step out from their focus on development to begin challenging the established teams and drivers. Booth and Connery had the most positive weekend, while Johnson still showed flashes of speed in between nagging electrical issues with the hand control set-up on his car.

The JDC trio hit the track running on Thursday for a pair of practice sessions, which put them right in the middle of the field to begin the weekend.  Booth was 11th in the opening session, and improved to ninth in the second run, while Connery was 10th in both the extended 45-minute morning run and standard 30-minute session in the afternoon. They each closed the gap on the leader’s pace in the second session, signaling that the team was moving in the right direction. Johnson was 12th and 14th in his two on-track practice sessions.

The qualifying session rolled out on Friday morning on a track that had seen rain earlier in the day, so the expected decrease in lap times did not occur.  Connery and Both flipped positions, running times similar to the second practice, and they once again closed the gap on the frontrunners.  Connery ended in ninth and Booth in 10th, to put them on the fifth row for the first race. Johnson turned his fastest lap of the weekend to sit 15th in the order.

Booth was the man on the move at the start of Race #1, jumping quickly into the top-five as he was able to reel in the top two drivers. The Charlotte, N.C. resident was advancing aggressively, and had the pace to take the lead. However, as Ryan made a move for second, he misjudged the braking point heading into the left-hand turn seven and spun the car heading to the apex, making contact with another car. The resultant damage put him out of the race, disappointingly, although the message had been sent that Booth will be a driver to watch for the remainder of the year. Connery fell into the field at the start and got caught up in the mid-pack chaos, eventually damaging his car when contacted by another driver. He would finish 14th after retiring early. Johnson ran a strong race and finished just outside the top-10 in 11th, albeit right on the gearbox of the 10th place competitor

The second race was held on Saturday morning, and once again, the JDC drivers were on their game. Booth got another great start from ninth, moving quickly into the top-five. He was able to move into fourth, that is until the drivers immediately in front of him tangled, and he had no where to go but get caught up in the incident, dropping back to ninth. Booth pushed hard to recover and eventually advanced back to sixth in the final tally. Ryan has finished in the top-10 in five of the six races this year, and a podium finish is surely just around the corner. Like Booth, Connery had a great start and moved into the top-five, but he was chopped by a fellow competitor, damaging his suspension. After receiving a drive-through penalty, he took advantage of a late-race yellow to storm back to 10th. The weekend ended on a disappointing note for Johnson, as problems with his electronic shifting mechanism put an early cap on his race, and he was officially classified in 15th.

“The weekend went good and bad,” admitted Booth. “We logged bad results, but great improvements were made in me and the car. We started towards the middle of the pack both days, but ended up in the top-five pretty early in the races. Unfortunately, in Race 1, I tried to overtake Scott Hargrove for P2 and ended up braking way too late. I made contact with P1 and took myself out of the race and almost ruined Neil Alberico's race as well. I saw a gap and I went for it. Unfortunately, it didn't work out like I would have liked it too!  Race 2 was going extremely well also, up until just past halfway. I was running P4 when two drivers in front of me made contact and caused an accident. I missed one, but unfortunately had nowhere to go and ran into the other. The accident caused us to drop back to ninth. I made it back up to sixth, which still gave us valuable points. It's unfortunate because the team worked so hard to get the car where it was and we had great pace. I can't thank JDC Motorsports, Wisko Racing and JJRD enough for all the hard work and support throughout the whole weekend. Now on to the oval!”

Like Booth, it was an up-and-down weekend for Connery. “Indy was another roller-coaster weekend for the No. 91 JDC Motorsports machine,” offered Kyle, who will take some time off to undergo ankle surgery. “We showed great pace during qualifying in an incredibly well-matched field. In Race 1, we struggled to get heat in the tires, which caused us to fall back around drivers we shouldn't have been involved with. In Race 2, I feel I made the best start of the season, fighting my way into the top-five before being squeezed to the inside curb, resulting in a bent wishbone. After repairs and a drive-through penalty, we fought our way back to 10th. I feel that this was a very solid result considering the damage to the suspension. However, despite all the drama we experienced, I had a ton of fun. The track and the event as a whole were very exciting and really hope it's on the schedule for next season. It's a challenging track with three or more possibilities to pass and actually take the position. The fans were incredible and hugely supportive of the series, teams, and drivers. That's worth going back to!"

Johnson continues to look at every outing as a necessary step in his development and his drive to get to the Verizon IndyCar Series. Despite the issue he was faced with, he remains upbeat. “This weekend on the IMS road course was a challenging weekend,” Michael admitted. “I liked the track a lot and it had very good flow. I was struggling to get the setup right since day one. Still having issues shifting, but we will get it figured out and be ready for Lucas Oil Raceway in two weeks!”

The Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires title fight returns to action at the annual ‘Night Before the 500’ event at the 5/8-mile oval at Lucas Oil Raceway on May 24.

About JDC MotorSports:
Involved in formula car racing since its inception in 1994, JDC MotorSports has established itself as one of the leading junior open-wheel teams in North America. Initially making its mark in the F2000 class of club racing competition, JDC MotorSports was soon a team worth watching in the pro ranks. Competing in the Formula Ford 2000 Zetec Championship, the team not only won races, but also helped develop multiple young drivers. In 2005, JDC MotorSports expanded its efforts, entering the Star Mazda Championship. Quickly becoming one of the top teams in the series, JDC captured both the driver and team titles in 2007, as well as Rookie of the Year honors, with Dane Cameron scoring a series-high three wins. In 2008, JDC MotorSports was the runner-up in the Star Mazda Championship and finished fourth in its inaugural season of F2000 Championship Series competition. The Minnesota-based team won the Star Mazda Championship title with Rookie of the Year Adam Christodoulou, and the F2000 Championship Series title with Chris Miller in 2009. The following year, JDC continued its winning ways, earning the Rookie of the Year award in the Star Mazda Championship with Connor De Phillippi, and scoring a non-points win in the USF2000 National Championship. In 2011, the Minneapolis-based squad captured its third Star Mazda Championship title with Tristan Vautier, scored a win in the USF2000 National Championship, and made its Prototype Lites Championship debut, earning five podium finishes. JDC MotorSports added to its Star Mazda Championship win tally, USF2000 Championship podium total, and finished as the Prototype Lites Championship runner-up in 2012. Last year, the squad continued its run of Pro Mazda and USF2000 podium finishes, and was third in the Prototype Lites title fight.