Brazilians Myasava and Franzoni ready for second street circuit race of 2014
SHAKOPEE, MINN. – The Afterburner Autosport team is prepared and excited for the next stop on the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda, which will take place this weekend (July 18-20) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The sixth weekend of the 2014 season will see teams and drivers battle at the Honda Toronto Indy, where rounds eight and nine are to be contested on a 1.755-mile long, 11-turn temporary course built on the streets of downtown Toronto. Trekking from their Shakopee headquarters, Afterburner Autosport will support a pair of drivers in the USF2000 races in Toronto. As rookies in the series, Brazilians Victor Franzoni and Gustavo Myasava will each make their first start on the famed Lakeshore Drive circuit. Afterburner Autosport is dedicated to developing its drivers, and the challenge of the street course in Toronto will accelerate the learning curve for the team’s two young competitors.
Seventeen-year old Brazilian Gustavo Myasava comes to the eighth and ninth rounds of the 2014 season sitting 20th in the drivers' standings after several weekends where he showed speed but just did not have luck on his side. Myasava’s 2014 campaign has been highlighted by a strong top-15 finish in the sixth round of the series back in May at the Grand Prix of Indianapolis at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Brazilian driver has been steadily improving and he will look to move up the point standings while gaining valuable street course experience this weekend.
The team’s second USF2000 driver is fellow Brazilian Victor Franzoni. Afterburner has guided Franzoni to a successful 2014 season thus far. Franzoni got things started back with a monumental win back in March at the opening round of the season in St. Petersburg, Florida. From the first weekend, Franzoni has constantly been in the mix for wins and podiums. Three trips to the podium – not counting his victory in Florida – have bolstered Franzoni to a strong fourth-place standing in the drivers title fight. Franzoni will try to keep his impressive street course record looking strong in Toronto, the second street course of the 2014 season.
Both Afterburner Autosport drivers took part in the USF2000 test session at Mid-Ohio back in early June. Myasava and Franzoni each constantly improved throughout the day, dropping time from session to session. Franzoni began the day by completing a lap around Mid-Ohio at 1:25.0. By the end of the day, Victor had dropped nearly three full seconds laying down a 1:22.4 in the final session. Myasava cut time throughout the day as well, going from a 1:26.2 lap to start the day, and ending with a time of 1:23.4 on the day’s last run.
Under the leadership of Owner Tim Walsh, and Team Manager Brian Tomasi, Afterburner Autosport is sure to have a successful weekend in Toronto, as the team and drivers will work together to pursue the goal of improving and pursuing race wins and podiums.
About Afterburner Autosport:
Afterburner Autosport was formed in 2010 with the sole purpose of leading the way in Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda competition. Under the guidance of F2000 racer and engineer Tim Walsh and two-time SCCA Formula Continental National Champion Brian Tomasi, the team has over 20 years of experience in open-wheel competition. The Minnesota-based squad, having captured two podium finishes in its inaugural pro racing season in 2011, has continually developed and grown since it joined the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda. In 2013, Afterburner Autosport scored its inaugural series wins with rookie Alex Baron. The highly regarded team returns to the first rung of the Mazda Road to Indy program in 2014 with a talented multi-car effort, and has already won this year with Victor Franzoni in St. Petersburg.