Franzoni took the lead early in the 20-minute event and masterfully handled the challenging conditions to score his first win of the year.

Jamin earns his first career USF2000 victory at NOLA

Some dramatic weather caused a variety of disruptions when the Verizon IndyCar Series and two steps on the Mazda Road to Indy development ladder made their debut at NOLA Motorsports Park, but all four of Team Pelfrey’s charges in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda returned home with a top-10 finish to their names.

NEW ORLEANS, La. – The opening rounds of the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Presented by Mazda did not go quite as planned for Afterburner Autosport and their highly talented Brazilian driver Victor Franzoni. A communication miscue after qualifying sent them to the tail of the field for Race 1 at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, forcing Franzoni to knife his way through the pack to a stellar sixth-place finish after starting 17th. The team was focused on another big recovery for Race 2 on Sunday, but a coil failure ended Victor’s race on lap one after he had made a strong start to the event.

This weekend, Nico Jamin returns to New Orleans for Rounds 3 and 4 of the 2015 Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda. After two rounds at St. Petersburg, Florida two weeks ago where he scored two third-place finishes, Jamin is ranked third in the 2015 championship and is looking to improve on his qualifying so that he can start at the front of the pack and, hopefully, claim his first 2015 championship victory.