Johnson, Oliveira, Rzadzinski, and Toppe exit Canadian doubleheader focused on looking ahead to upcoming triple bill in Ohio
MINNEAPOLIS, MN. – The Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda doubleheader over the weekend (July 13-14) in Toronto, Ont., proved to be a frustrating affair for junior formula car standout JDC MotorSports. While Michael Johnson, Arthur Oliveira, Stefan Rzadzinski, and Clark Toppe showcased their talents, multiple incidents on the demanding downtown street circuit prevented the results desired being achieved. The Minnesota-based team is now focused on rebounding with a strong run during the upcoming tripleheader in Ohio.
Given the USF2000 Championship had not taken to the fast and bumpy 1.755-mile street circuit within the Canadian National Exhibition grounds since 2006, the goal right from the get go for the JDC MotorSports racers was to get acclimated to the track and work on car setups. That being said, Rzadzinski entered the event with previous track experience, having contested the Star Mazda Championship race in Toronto last season. The No. 93 CanTorque/Christenson Developments/Red Line Oil/JDC MotorSports racer made full use of this experience, and despite an incident in the opening practice run, and not going after an overall fast lap in the second session, he ultimately cracked the top-five.
When the lone qualifying run took place later in the day, all four JDC drivers were poised to make their mark. Things, however, did not go exactly as expected, as the combination of traffic and incidents in the end prevented the foursome from posting their desired fast laps. Rzadzinski, once again led the charge with the seventh best lap, while Oliveira - returning to action after recovering from an injury sustained during the St. Petersburg doubleheader in March - Toppe, and Johnson posted the 18th, 20th, and 21st fastest laps.
Following an evening of analysis, discussion, and strategy, it was time to go racing on Saturday morning. As expected, given 29 cars were battling for positions, the start and opening few laps proved to be chaotic. Rzadzinski initially challenged for a place among the top-five, before being shuffled several positions down the order. Oliveira, piloting the No. 12 Hula Veiculos/Future Stars Development/JZ Concepts/Racelite Protection/Red Line Oil/JDC MotorSports racer, went the opposite direction, keeping his nose clean as he worked his way forward. Johnson likewise displayed good racecraft skills in his hand-operated No. 54 Universal Coating/SpeediCath/FlatOutNation.com/Red Line Oil/Bell Racing/Alpinestars/JDC MotorSports entry to advance up the scoring charts. Toppe was less fortunate, as an incident and subsequent damage ended his race 12 laps before the checkered flag waved. When the action did conclude, Rzadzinski was ninth, just up the road from Oliveira in 14th, and Johnson in 18th.
The JDC racers, having further gone over how to make the most of every opportunity in race two of the Toronto doubleheader, returned to the driver's seats on Sunday just prior to the lunch break. When the green flag waved, it immediately became apparent that Round Seven would be an incident-filled affair, with lots of aggressive moves and contact. Unfortunately, all but one of the JDC racers were subsequently involved. Rzadzinski was the first to have his race end early, when a fellow competitor forced the Canadian into one of the concrete retaining walls on the opening lap. Oliveira, having vaulted into the top-10, suffered the same fate on a lap six restart. Toppe's day ended on lap 12, when his No. 19 Toppe Motorsports/Red Line Oil/JDC MotorSports entry was damaged following contact. Johnson in the end was the lone JDC driver to receive the checkered flag, with the sole paralyzed racer in the Mazda Road to Indy program advancing up to 15th place at the line.
"I think this was by far the most trying event of my racing career thus far," stated Rzadzinski. "From the get go we just had bad luck plague us, and could never get away from it. The JDC MotorSports guys worked so hard through the misfortune, and I can't thank them enough for that. The support from them, and the people around me this weekend in Canada was very special, and I hope to come back with better results in the future."
"It was definitely a difficult weekend," commented Oliveira. "I was unable to get a good lap in qualifying, which forced me to start deeper in the field than I liked. I managed to avoid multiple incidents in race one, but know I could have finished higher up. Race two I got a great start, but it all went away when I was hit on a restart. We will now refocus on Mid-Ohio, where I'm confident of good results."
"I would say the race weekend in Toronto went pretty well," said Johnson. "I felt like I improved every session on track. I would have liked to finish better, but I managed to stay out of trouble in the races and had a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to Mid-Ohio in a few weeks and continuing what I'm working on."
"It was a tough weekend for me," added Toppe. "The patches on the track created low grip situations, and you had to take a different approach to the corners. We didn't have any luck in the two races, ending with two DNF's. I really wanted to see how the changes JDC MotorSports made in the car would do in the races and use the skills that Phil Lombardi from JJRD had coached me in. I'm hoping for better luck in Mid-Ohio."
The Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda action for JDC MotorSports continues on August 3-4, when Rounds Eight, Nine and Ten take place at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. The Minnesota-based team enters the lone series tripleheader in Ohio sitting seventh in the team standings.
JDC MotorSports races with associate sponsorship from RedLineOil.com.
Additional information on JDC MotorSports can be obtained from the team’s website @ www.jdcmotorsport.com For direct contact, please contact John Church @ 952-233-3075.
Learn more about Michael Johnson at MichaelJohnsonRacing.com and keep up to date via Twitter @ Racer54isCool and Facebook @ Michael Johnson Racing Videos also available on YouTube @ Michael Johnson Racing.
Learn more about Arthur Oliveira at ArthurOliveiraRacing.com and keep up to date via Twitter @ A_Oliveira02 and Facebook @ Arthur Oliveira Videos also available on YouTube @ Arthur Oliveira.
Learn more about Stefan Rzadzinski at RzadRacing.com and keep up to date via Twitter @ RzadRacingand Facebook @ Stefan Rzadzinski Videos also available on YouTube @ Stefan Rzadzinski.
Learn more about Clark Toppe at ClarkToppeRacing.com and keep up to date via Twitter @ ClarkToppe and Facebook @ Clark Toppe Racing Videos also available on YouTube @ Clark Toppe.
###
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.