Donato, Franzoni, Myasava, and Slagehekke lead skilled four-car effort into season-opening doubleheader

MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. – Afterburner Autosport is set to start its chase for race wins and a series title in the highly-regarded Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda this coming weekend (March 29-30), with the season-opening doubleheader in Florida. With the skilled foursome of Felipe Donato, Victor Franzoni, Gustavo Myasava, and Jeroen Slagehekke under the awning, the Minnesota-based squad is poised to immediately be part of the mix for top honors on the streets of St. Petersburg.

After an exciting and busy off-season, Afterburner Autosport is excited to begin the pursuit of race wins, and potentially a championship title in the 2014 edition of the USF2000 Championship. Confidence is high within the muliti-car squad entering the opening twin bill in downtown St. Petersburg. Afterburner Autosport has a driver line-up poised to repeatedly challenge for places on the podium, with the skilled mix of second-year racers Donato and Slaghekke, and up-and-coming rookies Franzoni and Myasava.

Donato and Slaghekke enter the season-opening races egger to build on their rookie experiences from one year ago, and further develop and showcase their racing talents. Dutch racer Slaghekke, having secured a top-10 finish after a multi-month hiatus in the Winterfest series, is determined to return to his European racing-winning form in Florida. The Brazilian Donato, who will pilot the No. 11 Top House Design/Inova Mkt/Squadra Kart entry, has his eyes set on bettering his two top-five finishes in 2013 when he joins forces with his new team.

The Brazilian duo of Franzoni and Myasava take to the 1.8-mile street circuit positioned to add to what has already been a strong North American debut. Franzoni has made in an immediate mark, driving the No. 17 Vhero/Aflex/E-QUAL/Novac Sports entry, winning in his Winterfest debut and adding a podium finish in the six-race championship. Myasava has additionally made a solid early transition to the USF2000 ranks with two Winterfest top-10 results.

"I'm very excited for St Pete," stated Franzoni. "We had a great start in the Winterfest series, so the goal now is to do it again in St. Pete. This will be my second street race, as I raced once in Pau, France, so I'm looking forward to getting on track. I've been training using a simulator, and I like the track, and can't wait to see what we can do."

Afterburner Autosport commences the 2014 USF2000 Championship charge not only with a Winterfest win already on its 2014 resume, as the well as the quickest lap from the year-end Chris Griffis Memorial Mazda Road to Indy Test, but also the added incentive of knowing what it takes to battle for race wins on the streets of St. Petersburg, coming home second in both races of the doubleheader last season.

Donato, Franzoni, Myasava, and Slaghekke will steer their Afterburner Autosport racing steeds on to the St. Petersburg street circuit for the first time on Friday (March 28) in two practice sessions. The sole qualifying run will take place on Saturday (March 29), prior to race one of the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda season at 4:40 pm local time. Race two of the opening doubleheader is scheduled for 8:50 am local time on Sunday, ahead of the Verizon IndyCar Series opener. Live timing and audio will be available at www.USF2000.com/results/live-timing.

Additional information on Afterburner Autosport is available from the team’s website at AfterburnerAutosport.com For direct contact, please email afterburnerautosport@gmail.com or call Brian Tomasi @ 630-251-1709 or Tim Walsh @ 612-581-2499.

Keep up to date via Twitter @ABautosport1 and Facebook page at Afterburner Autosport.

Learn more about Felipe Donato at FelipeDonato.com.br and keep up to date via Twitter @FelipeDonato51, Facebook  at Felipe Donato, and YouTube at Felipe Donato.

Learn more about Victor Franzoni at VictorFranzoni.com and keep up to date via Twitter @VictorFranzoni and Facebook at Victor Franzoni.

Keep up to date with Gustavo Myasava via Twitter @GustavoMyasava and Facebook at Gustavo Myasava.

Learn more about Jeroen Slaghekke at JeroenSlaghekke.com and keep up to date via Twitter @JeroenSlaghekke, Facebook at Jeroen Slaghekke Racing, and YouTube at Jeroen Slaghekke.
 
About Afterburner Autosport:
Afterburner Autosport was formed in 2010 with the sole purpose of leading the way in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda competition. Under the guidance of two-time SCCA Formula Continental National Champion Brian Tomasi and fellow F2000 racer and engineer Tim Walsh, the team has over 20 years of experience in open-wheel competition. The Minnesota, Min.-based squad, having captured two podium finishes in its inaugural pro racing season in 2011, has continually developed and grown as 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 via a talented multi-car effort.