LOVELAND, Ohio – The Month of May in Indianapolis is well underway. This past weekend the Indianapolis Motor Speedway saw its first bit of action this month for the annual GMR Grand Prix, and the USF Pro Championships Presented by Cooper Tires contenders put on an entertaining show for the Hoosier fans. With the famed Indianapolis 500 just a few weeks away, the excitement in the paddock was plentiful and the action on the track was second to none.
Among those up front fighting for the USF2000 Presented by Cooper Tires championship title is American/Cypriot driver Evagoras Papasavvas who had an unfortunate and unexpected start to his weekend. Approaching the weekend with a brand new, never raced engine, the 16-year-old had nothing but a podium on his mind. However, in the first few laps of race one, Papasavvas’s engine went south, taking him out of the race completely.
“After qualifying ninth we really should have been much further up the grid,” explained Evagoras. “With a drying track when the red flag came out and currently in third, every driver was given one push lap to better their time. Unfortunately, I had an issue and was forced to scrap the lap and fell back to ninth when the checkered flag flew. In race one, we just got unlucky with the engine and lost all power. It’s extremely frustrating when something like this happens after climbing a few positions but we’ll get back in it and hope for the best tomorrow in races two and three.”
Not be able to put down a fast lap in race one landed Papsavvas a 19th-place starting spot for race two, but he was on a mission to get to the podium. Slicing and dicing his way in and out of traffic, the multi-time podium winner worked his way up 12 positions into seventh before the checkered flag flew.
“I’m really happy with that drive,” added Evagoras after the race two. “I can’t thank the Jay Howard Driver Development team enough for their hard work turning the car around after race one yesterday. I’m going to continue to push it in race three later today and hopefully get that podium we came for.”
His impressive speed in race two placed him in third for the start of the third and final race of the weekend. After leading the race for a period in the beginning, Evagoras secured his best finish of the weekend in sixth place.
Evagoras added, “Leading a race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, despite the finishing result, is one of the best feelings in the world.”
“I’m really proud of him this weekend,” said team owner Jay Howard. “He took an unlucky situation and totally turned it around, not letting it get the best of him. I have no doubts he will get back up on the podium this season.”
Evagoras and the rest of the JHDD team will return next week to Indiana for the only oval race of the season at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park on May 25-26.