Wayside, N.J. – MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development driver Trent Hindman’s hot Summer continued into the Fall this past weekend at Mosport International Raceway, where he scored two wins from pole and secured the 2011 Ontario Formula Ford Championship and Rookie of the Year honors, despite missing the opening rounds of the season. Now all Hindman has to do is attempt to overcome a 15-point deficit in the last two races of the BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National Presented by Mazda this weekend at Lime Rock Park before heading over to England to race with Team USA Scholarship. And all while working to keep up with his studies during his Junior year in high school.
To say that Mosport was a successful weekend is not to say it was without its drama. After scoring the pole and the victory in Race 1 to clinch the championship, Hindman made a rare mistake midway through a wet Race 2 qualifying session.
“About five or six laps into the session, I missed a gear going into Turn 3”, said Hindman from his New Jersey home. “I got out into the grass and hit the wall, knocking the left front corner off the car. The BGR Team Grote crew was able to fix the car in time for the race and because I already had the pole by a good six seconds (!) it was like nothing even happened.”
The races themselves were competitive, with Dalton Kellett keeping Hindman honest most of the way.
“Dalton was able to keep close early in the first race before something happened with his car and I was able to build a gap. In the second race I was more comfortable in the rain so I was able to build the gap again.”
“I can’t thank Brian Graham and BGR-Team Grote enough for the incredible season. The results were beyond my wildest dreams.”
The next time Hindman will be in a Formula Ford will be a week from today, when he visits Cliff Dempsey Racing’s shop in Corby, Northamptonshire, England to have a seat poured before he and the team descend upon Brands Hatch for the 40th Annual Formula Ford Festival, where he will race in the Kent class for Team USA Scholarship the weekend of October 15-16.
“This is going to be a busy weekend. After we leave the Skip Barber banquet and head home, we only have a few hours before I head over to Newark for the overnight flight to England. I land Monday morning and head to the race shop for the seat fitting.”
Skip Barber National – By the numbers
Before Hindman can take his show to England, there is the small matter of settling the 2011 BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National Presented by Mazda. Heading into the season finale this weekend at Lime Rock Park, three drivers, Scott Anderson, Hindman and Brandon Newey, remain in contention for the championship.
1. Scott Anderson, 438 points
2. Trent Hindman, -10
3. Brandon Newey, -19
Points: 1st-35, 2nd-32, 3rd-30, 4th-28, 5th-26, 7th-25, 8th-24, 9th-23, 10th-22, etc. Pole-1 point
Of the three, Anderson’s path is the easiest, as third and fifth place finishes are all he needs to clinch the title. Both Hindman and Newey would need to sweep the weekend and have something happen to Anderson to have a shot. In four races at Lime Rock Park this season, Hindman has the best average starting position, starting on the front row for all four races, and has an average finish of second.
“It would be kind of neat to do what Sebastian Vettel did in Formula One last year and only lead the championship in the final standings. I know that I will need some help from Scott but I’m going to do everything I can to score as many points as possible. We’ll see what happens from there.”
The weekend kicks off with Qualifying on Thursday (time TBD). Follow the action live on your smart phone with Race Monitor, available at your phone’s app store, or semi-live at www.twitter.com by following either @SkipBarberNatl or @altemus_prime.
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