Lexington, Ohio – Juncos Racing drivers José Gutiérrez and Spencer Pigot each took home top-five finishes in Rounds 10 and 11 of the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Juncos Racing remains in the lead for the championship with driver Spencer Pigot leading the driver’s championship with three races left to go this season.
Rookie José Gutiérrez, 17, driving the #5 Racing for Mexico/Juncos Racing car showed great consistency staying inside the top-five throughout the entire weekend. The young Mexican qualified third for Round 10 and finished fifth. Gutiérrez started Round 11 in fourth and finished just off the podium taking fourth.
“Mid-Ohio was a great race for me,” said Gutiérrez. “I had a decent start in Round 10 and finished fifth with a very tight battle between Scott (Hargrove) and Neil (Alberico). Round 11 I did my best to gain the most positions possible and finished fourth. I am going to work even harder at the next race in Milwaukee to get back on the podium. I want to thank all of the Juncos Racing crew for their hard work and dedication they have for each of us drivers.”
Spencer Pigot, 20, driving the #7 Doug Mockett & Company/Rising Star Racing/VitaminPro App/California Scents/Juncos Racing car finished just outside of the podium taking fourth in Round 10 after qualifying eighth. Pigot started fifth in Round 11 and finished sixth. The American holds a 14-point lead in the championship.
“Overall it wasn’t too bad of a weekend for us even though we always want more,” said Pigot. “We finished with a fourth and sixth which isn’t what we really wanted. We had some bad luck in qualifying and with little passing it was difficult to move up the field. A big thanks to the crew as they worked really hard this weekend. I’m looking forward to being back on track soon at Milwaukee.”
Kyle Kaiser, 18, driving the #18 InterVision/NetApp/JuniperNetworks/Riverbed/Juncos Racing car started the weekend off strong running first in practice and qualifying second for both rounds. Kaiser was running in second position during Round 10 when debris on the track hit the car with 10 laps to go causing him to fall back to finish in 12th position. Kaiser finished seventh in Round 11 after battling a loose car throughout the race.
“The weekend started off very strong,” said Kaiser. “In practice we showed great pace and we qualified just off the pole for the second time this season. In Round 10 we were running second when a piece of rubber flew up from the track with 10 laps to go and hit my kill switch causing me to fall back in the field. In Round 11 I struggled with a loose car and lost some positions throughout the race. The team did a great job this weekend putting together a fast car and I am excited heading into Milwaukee.”
Argentinean rookie Julia Ballario, 22, driving the #6 Pistas Argentinas/Argetina Art/Juncos Racing car had a tough Round 10 after colliding with another car before the green flag and then was bumped, spinning the car out on the final lap causing her to finish 15th. Ballario started Round 11 in 10th and finished just outside the top-10 in 11th position.
“It wasn’t the weekend we had planned for with everything going wrong,” said Ballario. “We started Round 10 in 12th and Round 11 in 10th. Not the positions we expected, but the times were very close in qualifying. Round 10 was a disaster from the start when I collided with another car before the green flag. From the back of the field I made my way up to 12th and on the last lap I was bumped coming out of Turn Four, turning the car around causing me to finish 15th. In Round 11 my start went a lot better than the day before. The field spread out quickly so all I could do was make my way with the rest of the field to finish 11th. Ending the weekend with these kinds of results is not what we were looking for. I hope that everything gets better for the last few races we have left this season. Thank you to my team Juncos Racing for working so hard this weekend working very late into the night on Saturday to get my car back in order for Sunday. Thank you Pistas Argentinas, Argentina Art, Argentina, and all of my followers for your support.”
Even though the weekend at Mid-Ohio did not provide the results the team was looking for, team owner Ricardo Juncos was pleased with each driver’s performance in a close field and the crew’s continued hard work as the end of the season draws closer.
“We had a tough weekend here at Mid-Ohio,” said Juncos. “We didn’t get the results we hoped for after a promising test and practice, but I am still happy with the overall performance of each driver. José (Gutiérrez) showed the most consistency never leaving the top five in practice, qualifying and each round. Spencer (Pigot) did a great job holding onto the points lead even after finishing outside the podium. Kyle (Kaiser) did an amazing job leading the field in practice and qualifying second for both races. Julia (Ballario) showed a lot of determination each race even when faced with difficult on track situations. Even though we are still leading the championship we will continue to keep our heads down and focused as we prepare for the last oval of the season. I want to thank my crew for working hard to give the drivers fast cars, the drivers, all of our amazing sponsors for their support, our fans all over the world, and my family.”
The 2014 Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires season continues to the final oval of the season August 12 for Round 12 at The Milwaukee Mile in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. For more information please visit juncosracing.com and promazdachampionship.com.