New Port Richey's RC Enerson wins USF2000 St. Petersburg race

RC Enerson of New Port Richey celebrates winning his first USF2000 race. It comes a day after finishing second and a month after winning two preseason races.
ST. PETERSBURG — The turnaround for New Port Richey's RC Enerson continued Sunday with a dominating run at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg that led to his first victory in the USF2000 championship class.


"To get that first win is big," Enerson said. "To do it here at what I consider my home track is even better."

Enerson turned Sunday's race into a game of follow the leader after blowing past Saturday's winner, Victor Franzoni, and avoiding leftover debris from an opening-lap collision that involved eight of the 18 cars in the field.

Enerson, 17, led all 21 laps and finished 1.4289 seconds ahead of Franzoni. Franzoni was disqualified after his car failed post-race inspections. Jake Eidson of St. Petersburg-based Cape Motorsports moved up to second after finishing the race third.

"We had a pretty flawless race," said Enerson, who attended Gulf High for two years. "I took the lead at the start and was able to hold my gap a bit. A full-course yellow came out, but I made a good restart."

This is Enerson's third year in the series and second in the championship class. In 2013, he stood on the podium for the top three just twice and finished ninth in points.

But he emerged as one of this year's favorites after a strong performance at February's Winterfest, where he won two of the six preseason races and had two other top-three finishes.

"This is a great start to the season," said Enerson, who finished second on Saturday. "Hopefully, it continues."

Veach victorious: Zach Veach broke through for his first Indy Lights victory in the season-opener. Veach, who finished seventh in last year's standings, took the lead from pole-sitter Gabby Chaves after Lap 6 and won by 5.461 seconds.

"Last year didn't go exactly how we wanted it to," Veach said. "But my engineer (Doug Zister) never stopped helping me. This winter, I spent a lot of time trying to get more physically strong because I felt that was my weakness and spent a lot of time doing mental things and came into the season with a whole new attitude.

"My engineer definitely was on me a lot about saving tires. I was thinking, 'Just don't mess up. Just hit my marks; have clean laps.' "

Powerful Pigot: Spencer Pigot completed a perfect weekend with a victory in the Pro Mazda race. Pigot, who started on the pole, led all 23 laps and finished in 1:12.295. He also led throughout Saturday's abbreviated 17-lap race.

"We topped every (practice) session and won both races, so you can't do anything more than that," Pigot said. "I'm from Orlando and had a lot of people here to support me. Things are going well, and it has been a flawless performance from the team."

Cape Motorsports teammates Scott Hargrove and Neil Alberico finished fifth and sixth, respectively.

World Challenge: Tomas Enge, a newcomer in the GT class, edged Andy Pilgrim. Enge took the lead on Lap 29 of the 32-lap race by passing Pilgrim. In the GTS class, three-time series champion Lawson Aschenbach beat Tampa native Jack Baldwin, who won both of last year's races.

Stadium Super Trucks: PJ Jones won by about a truck length over series founder Robby Gordon. Jones has won two of the past three series races.

Bob Putnam can be reached at putnam@tampabay.com.

USF2000: Enerson Wins Winterfest Title with Victory

The weather conditions turned decidedly cooler on Wednesday (February 26) at Barber Motorsports Park, perfectly mirroring the demeanor of young Florida racer RC Enerson. The 16 year-old from New Port Richey, Fla., made a perfect start from pole position and controlled the final round of the six-race Cooper Tires Winterfest for the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda to secure both the race win and the mini-series spoils for Team E Racing.

Englishman Michael Epps, who started second, needed to win the race and gain the bonus points for fastest race lap, and lead the most laps in order to wrest away the title from Enerson. Epps wasn't quite able to match his double race-winning form from day one, and came up just 0.003 shy of claiming the fastest lap point, which also went the way of Enerson, but still came away with yet another podium finish and second place in the final points tally. His efforts also ensured a comfortable Team Championship victory for Belardi Auto Racing.

Teammate Florian Latorre, from Libourne, France, held third place in the early stages before slipping back to fifth behind former F1600 Formula F Championship Series protagonists Aaron Telitz and Jake Eidson, who continued their battle. Once again it was Telitz (ArmsUp Motorsports), from Birchwood, Wis., who came out on top - by just 0.602 of a second on this occasion - to claim a well-deserved maiden podium finish. Fourth place, meanwhile, was enough for Eidson (Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing), from Lakewood, Colo., to clinch third place in the Cooper Tires Winterfest.

Clarke Toppe, from The Woodlands, Texas, who scored his first victory at NOLA Motorsports Park last Saturday, posted another fine performance for JDC MotorSports. The 16 year-old lost a place on the opening lap to fall back to 11th, but charged hard thereafter to rise all the way to sixth ahead of teammate Scott Andrews, from Torquay, Victoria, Australia, who also made good progress from ninth on the grid.

Austin Cindric ran well in sixth during the early stages for Pabst Racing, but slipped back to ninth at the finish, behind Peter Portante (ArmsUp Racing). Felipe Donato, from Sao Paulo, Brazil, completed the top-10 for JDC MotorSports after a protracted battle with Daniel Burkett (Belardi Auto Racing).

"It was a great race today," stated Enerson. "I made a good start and just held my own in the race. To win the championship is just amazing. I want to carry this with me into the season and, hopefully, use this momentum to good effect in St. Pete and try to go for the regular season championship. The team did a fantastic job to give me a great car. My coach, Jonatan Jorge, has been amazing and I wouldn't be where I am today without him. I want to thank him, my parents, the team and everyone who supports me."

The regular Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda season will kick off on the streets of St. Petersburg, Fla., on March 29-30, with a doubleheader event in support of the IZOD IndyCar Series.

USF2000: Enerson and Toppe Score Breakthrough Maiden Victories at NOLA Motorsports Park

 American teenagers RC Enerson, from New Port Richey, Fla., and Clark Toppe, from The Woodlands, Texas, scored emphatic victories as the first three races of the Cooper Tires Winterfest for the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda concluded on Saturday (February 22) at NOLA Motorsports Park.

The 17-car field enjoyed cool, clear conditions at the 16-turn, 2.75-mile road course situated just across the Mississippi River from downtown New Orleans. They certainly proved to the liking of 16 year-old Enerson, who started from the pole in Round Two, and quickly established his superiority over an extremely competitive field.

His advantage grew to as much as three seconds by lap 11, whereupon day one's winner, Brazilian Victor Franzoni (Afterburner Autosport) fully hit his stride and began to whittle away at the deficit. The gap was down to 1.4 seconds with just two laps remaining, but Franzoni's hopes of being able to mount a serious challenge were dashed by a full-course caution after the erstwhile third-placed car of Danilo Estrela (Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing) ground to a halt on the backside of the race track.

Enerson was therefore assured of a well-deserved first victory both for himself and Team E Racing. Franzoni had to settle for second, while Estrela's teammate, Jake Eidson, from Littleton, Colo., completed the podium finishers.

Scott Andrews (JDC MotorSports, from Torquay, Victoria, Australia, finished a strong fourth to complete a fine comeback following a disappointing first race, when he was involved in an accident on the first lap. Norway's Henrik Furuseth (JAY Motorsports) and Frenchman Florian Latorre (Belardi Auto Racing) ensured there were six different teams represented among the top-six.

"The race was pretty much a flawless race," stated Enerson. "I started from pole, took the lead at the start and then there was a full course yellow. I was able to hold the lead on the restart, managed a gap and held it as long as I could. It went yellow at the end with around a lap to go and that is how it finished. My first win feels great and I want to hold onto this feeling."

Aaron Telitz (ArmsUp Motorsports) started from the pole for the afternoon's final race by virtue of posting the fastest race lap in race two, whereupon a self confessed "lack of aggression" saw him relegated to seventh on the opening lap.

Toppe, 16, who started alongside on the front row, took full advantage, taking the lead at turn one and pulling inexorably away from his rivals to score an accomplished victory for JDC MotorSports.

Franzoni, from Sao Paulo, Brazil, continued his excellent form by running second in the early stages, only to make a mistake on lap six, which saw him off-course in turn six. Eidson, the winner of last year's F1600 Championship Series, took over in second and held off a race-long challenge from Englishman Michael Epps (Belardi Auto Racing), who became the weekend's sixth different podium finisher.

Andrews again ran fourth after a protracted battle with the recovering Telitz, who overtook Enerson on lap nine, but was unable to find a way past Epps.

"I couldn't ask for a better day," added Toppe. "The first race didn't go that well and this race was perfect. I got out in front and led every lap. The car was great. JDC MotorSports gave me a great car. Thank you so much to my parents and everyone supporting me to be here. It is unbelievable and definitely feels great."

Enerson, who finished third in Friday's mini-series opener and sixth in race three, holds a slim six-point advantage, 70-64 over Eidson, with Franzoni, 61, Toppe, 58, and Furuseth, 56, also in close contention as the action moves on to Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala., for three more races next Tuesday and Wednesday (February 25-26).

The top-three will be posted following every session on the EFCN Facebook page, and EFCN Twitter page.


USF2000 Championship Cooper Tires Winterfest
Round 2 - Race Results
February 22, 2014
NOLA Motorsports Park - New Orleans, Louisiana

Pos.    Driver    Team    Diff.    Fast Time
1.    RC Enerson    Team E Racing    -    1:36.434
2.    Victor Franzoni    Afterburner Autosport    0.393    1:36.051
3.    Jake Eidson    Cape Motorsports/Wayne Taylor Racing    0.804    1:36.198
4.    Scott Andrews    JDC MotorSports    1.106    1:36.290
5.    Henrik Furuseth    JAY Motorsports    2.484    1:36.484
6.    Florian Latorre    Belardi Auto Racing    3.984    1:36.704
7.    Nico Jamin    Belardi Auto Racing    4.304    1:36.951
8.    Clark Toppe    JDC MotorSports    6.078    1:35.686
9.    Gustavo Myasava    Afterburner Autosport    6.845    1:38.254
10.    Santiago Lozano    M2 Autosports    7.188    1:39.302
11.    Juan Diego Maldonado    M2 Autosports    1:03.312    1:43.264
12.    Michael Epps    Belardi Auto Racing    1 Lap    1:36.194
13.    Jeroen Slaghekke    Afterburner Autosport    1 Lap    1:36.823
14.    Aaron Telitz    ArmsUp Motorsports    2 Laps    1:35.650
15.    Danilo Estrela    Cape Motorsports/Wayne Taylor Racing    2 Laps    1:36.920
16.    Will Owen    Pabst Racing Services    7 Laps    1:37.218
17.    Austin Cindric    Pabst Racing Services    12 Laps    1:43.938


USF2000 Championship Cooper Tires Winterfest
Round 3 - Race Results
February 22, 2014
NOLA Motorsports Park - New Orleans, Louisiana

Pos.    Driver    Team    Diff.    Fast Time
1.    Clark Toppe    JDC MotorSports    -    1:35.823
2.    Jake Eidson    Cape Motorsports/Wayne Taylor Racing    6.952    1:36.169
3.    Michael Epps    Belardi Auto Racing    7.736    1:36.150
4.    Scott Andrews    JDC MotorSports    9.747    1:36.200
5.    Aaron Telitz    ArmsUp Motorsports    10.191    1:36.062
6.    RC Enerson    Team E Racing    11.741    1:36.186
7.    Henrik Furuseth    JAY Motorsports    16.754    1:36.569
8.    Austin Cindric    Pabst Racing Services    16.755    1:36.333
9.    Will Owen    Pabst Racing Services    27.716    1:36.811
10.    Florian Latorre    Belardi Auto Racing    28.780    1:36.439
11.    Danilo Estrela    Cape Motorsports/Wayne Taylor Racing    29.415    1:36.769
12.    Jeroen Slaghekke    Afterburner Autosport    30.502    1:36.961
13.    Gustavo Myasava    Afterburner Autosport    53.873    1:38.842
14.    Santiago Lozano    M2 Autosports    1:03.394    1:38.748
15.    Juan Diego Maldonado    M2 Autosports    1 Lap    1:42.046
16.    Victor Franzoni    Afterburner Autosport    6 Laps    1:36.346
17.    Nico Jamin    Belardi Auto Racing    7 Laps    1:36.741

Eidson to Compete in USF2000

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (December 4, 2013) – Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing is pleased to announce that Jake Eidson will move up to the USF2000 Championship in 2014. The young driver claimed the 2013 F1600 Formula F Championship with sevens wins, the most in series history. 

“When we signed Jake for the F1600 Series, it was with the understanding he would move to USF2000 in 2014,” said team owners Dominic and Nicholas Cape. ”We had confidence in him as a young driver, and he proved us right by claiming the F1600 championship. We are looking forward to helping him grow as a driver as he moves up to USF2000.” 

In addition to his seven wins, Eidson had five poles and won the championship by 49 points. Following his championship run, he was selected as one of two Team USA Scholarship drivers. 

“My goals for the USF2000 Series is to use all the tools and knowledge I’ve gained last season from Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing team to be a top contender,” Eidson said. “I know the team is devoted to win, and I’m very excited to have the opportunity to work with Dominic and Nicholas again after already having a very successful year of racing that I hope to repeat next season.” 

The team will be on track December 9-10 for the Chris Griffis Memorial Mazda Road to Indy Open Test at Barber Motorsports Park. 

About Cape Motorsports: Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing was formed in 2010 as a partnership between two successful racing entities. With leadership from brothers Nicholas and Dominic Cape, and along with Wayne Taylor and his organization in Indianapolis, the team campaigns cars in the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires, the Cooper Tires Presents the USF2000 National Championship Powered by Mazda and the F1600 Formula F Championship Series. For more information, please visitwww.capemotorsports.com. You can follow the team on Facebook and Twitter (CMwithWTR) for updates. 

About USF2000: The Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda debuted in 2010 and is a revival of the highly regarded USF2000 series, which ran from 1990 through 2006, launching the careers of many of today’s top drivers. Sanctioned by INDYCAR, the series is the first official step on the Mazda Road to Indy – a clearly defined path to reach the top echelons of the sport. In addition to providing a vital training ground for rising stars, the series champion will earn a scholarship package from Mazda to advance to the Pro Mazda Championship, the next step on the ladder system. The series is also part of the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development program, which assists young drivers in advancing from the Skip Barber Racing School to USF2000.

Performance Tech Finishes Third in Class At Rolex 24 At Daytona

Performance Tech Finishes Third in Class At Rolex 24 At Daytona

International Speedway.DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 26, 2014)- finished on the podium in its debut, rallying late to place third in the Prototype Challenge class Jan. 25-26 atPerformance Tech MotorsportsRolex 24 At Daytona

Raphael Matos drove the team's No. 38 ORECA-FLM 09 from fourth to third with less than two hours remaining in the 24-hour race. Matos shared the car in the inaugural TUDOR United SportsCar Championship event with Julio Campos, Gabriel Casagrande, Tomy Drissi and David Ostella.

"The 24 was rough, and we had a couple of problems leading up to the race, and our drivers didn't get a lot of seat time," said Brent O'Neill, Performance Tech team principal. "But they were all tough. They did an awesome job. All our mechanics, they never gave up. That's what it takes."

Performance Tech's drivers and crew throughout the race overcame a variety of challenges common to endurance racing on and off the track - handling problems, overheating caused by a water leak, a headlight failure, chassis vibration, a collision, pit penalty and negotiating slower traffic on track.

Handling problems and a light collision with the tire barrier dropped the No. 38 to eighth in the first third of the twice-around-the-clock endurance classic. But the team continued to fight on track and in the pits, using smooth, consistent laps from its drivers and opportunistic wave-arounds during multiple caution periods to regain lost laps.

Ostella drove the car to sixth place within four hours after the start of the race as nightfall descended upon the 3.56-mile circuit. Casagrande pulled the team to within four laps of the leader on his next stint.

Campos lifted the car just three laps off the lead on his next stint, but that deficit grew to five laps when he was forced to serve a penalty in the pits. But the car's persistent understeer problem vanished shortly before sunrise, with Ostella driving the car to third.

"I had a fantastic time," Ostella said. "I can't complain. Finishing on the podium was definitely the cherry on top for this weekend. Getting woken up to go drive a race car is definitely something I'm not used to, but it was a great challenge.

"I've got to thank Performance Tech for that because they did an awesome job here in Daytona. I didn't get much track time until the night practice before the race but Rafa (Matos) was a great co-driver to learn from. He did a fantastic job keeping the car on track and not making any mistakes."

A slow pit stop caused by the car failing to start in the pits after a driver change dropped the No. 38 Performance Tech car to fourth in the early morning hours. But Matos climbed into the car with three hours remaining and used will and skill to put the team on the podium.

"The car was hard during my first stint," Matos said. "It just wasn't reacting the way I wanted. But the entire Performance Tech team never gave up, and the car was very good during my final stint. I'm really happy we finished on the podium here in Daytona. It's such an honor."

Performance Tech will race next at the 62nd Annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida on March 15 at Sebring International Raceway in Sebring, Fla. It's the second round of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship.


CHECKERED FLAG FAST FACTS:

Race: Rolex 24 At Daytona

Date: Jan. 25-26

Track: Daytona International Speedway (12 turns, 3.56 miles)

Results: No. 38 Performance Tech Motorsports ORECA-FLM 09 (Julio Campos, Gabriel Casagrande, Tomy Drissi, Raphael Matos, David Ostella), third in Prototype Challenge class.

Next: 62nd Annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida, March 15, Sebring, Fla.

Twitter: @perf_tech

Facebook: Performance Tech Motorsports