Piedrahita leads talented rookie trio into Rounds Seven and Eight in Ohio
JDC MotorSports’ chase for top honors in the Cooper Tires Presents the USF2000 National Championship powered by Mazda resumes this coming weekend (August 6-7), when the highly-competitive development series returns from its summer break via a pair of races at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Rookie standout Juan Piedrahita enters Round Seven and Eight as one of the drivers to watch, having stood on the podium in the previous to oval races, while fellow JDC rookies Roman Lagudi and Rodin Younessi make the journey to Ohio seeking to build on their series debuts over a month ago.
After a lengthy summer hiatus, the return of USF2000 National Championship action can’t come too soon for JDC MotorSports and it talented drivers. That is certainly the case for Piedrahita. The Colombian was just starting to hit his stride, earning back-to-back third place finishes at the Milwaukee Mile and Lucas Oil Raceway Park, when the championship chase was halted for close to two months. Now that the series is back in full swing, the goal for the No. 19 Petrosur/GFK Motors/Montopharma/Colombia es pasion/Red Line Oil/JDC MotorSports racer is to build on the momentum gained during the oval rounds, and convert that into road course success, ensuring a second half charge to the title.
“I’m very happy to be back racing on a road course,” stated Piedrahita. “Mid-Ohio is a great track, and I will be working hard with JDC to challenge for top honors. We have some great momentum going into the event, and we will try to keep it going.”
With only one USF2000 event on his fledgling racing resume, Lagudi enters the Mid-Ohio event focused on gaining speed and experience every time he gets behind the wheel. Piloting the No.10 High Performance Distributors/Red Line Oil/JDC MotorSports entry, the Australian showed good skills in his series debut in Round Five in Indiana. Given that fact, and that he is running with one of the premier junior formula car squads in North America, the stage is set for Lagudi to surprise both onlookers and fellow racers in Ohio.
Younessi also makes the trip to Mid-Ohio having only previously contested a single oval race in his USF2000 racing career. That being said, unlike his younger teammate, the Floridian has good deal of race experience, competing at the Club level for several years. As a result, the JDC newcomer will be seeking to build on those experiences when he goes after National class top honors in his No. 16 Younessi Racing/ Red Line Oil/JDC MotorSports entry during Rounds Seven and Eight.
The Cooper Tires Presents the USF2000 National Championship powered by Mazda doubleheader at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course gets underway on Thursday (August 4) with two promoter’s test day sessions. Friday (August 5) marks the first day of official series action for the JDC Motorsports trio and the rest of the field, with a pair of practice runs around the technical 2.25-mile road course. The lone qualifying session will take place early Saturday morning (August 6), followed by Round Seven just prior to the lunch break. Sunday (August 7) will feature a morning warm-up session, just prior to Round Eight. The Minnesota-based squad enters the Ohio doubleheader third in the Team standings.
Fans and supporters of JDC MotorSports can keep abreast of the action at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course via - http://livetiming.net/imsa/usf2000/html.asp - Live Timing.
JDC MotorSports races with associate sponsorship from www.RedLineOil.com
Additional information on JDC MotorSports can be obtained from the team’s website @ www.jdcmotorsports.com For direct contact, please contact John Church @ 952-233-3075.
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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. This past 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. The Minneapolis-based squad will compete in the Star Mazda Championship, USF2000 National Championship and Prototype Lites Championship in 2011 via multi-car operations.