Multi-car effort in Florida to be headlined by American rising stars Gooden and Newey MINNEAPOLIS, MIN. – Afterburner Autosport begins its second full-season Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda action this coming week (March 14-15), when it takes to the historic Sebring International Raceway in Florida with a highly-talented multi-car line-up. American rising stars Wyatt Gooden and Brandon Newey will make their Mazda Road to Indy debuts with the Minnesota-based squad, poised to challenge for top honors right from the get go in Rounds One and Two of the highly-competitive series.
After a solid inaugural USF2000 Championship season last year, that featured four top-10s, Afterburner Autosport is focused on building on its winning junior formula car resume in 2013. With that goal in mind, the two-time SCCA Formula Continental National Champion was busy in the 'off-season' signing two rising talents, and showcasing the squads expertise in the pre-season Winterfest Series.
In Gooden and Newey, Afterburner Autosport has arguably one of the top driver tandems in the highly-competitive USF2000 championship. Gooden, who will pilot the No. 17 Ohio Center for Sport Psychology/Afterburner Autosport entry, enters the season-opening Sebring doubleheader having already captured the 2010 SCCA VW TDI Cup Rookie of the Year award, won all four races he contested in the 2011 F1600 Formula F Championship Series, and finished as the F2000 Championship Series runner-up last season with two wins. Newey, driver of the No. 98 Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb/Agajanian/Millers Oils/Calcium Pro/Afterburner Autosport car, travels to the central Florida twin bill opener with a third place finish in the 2011 Skip Barber National series via three wins, and as the runner-up finish in last year's F1600 Formula F Championship Series via four wins, already on his resume.
While the primary focus of the Afterburner Autosport drivers and crew during the opening three races of Winterfest series was car development, the squad further indicated its pace with a top-10 result in all three rounds at Sebring.
Given the talent both in and out of the cockpits, as well as Afterburner Autosport's proven track record, the stage is now set for potential visits to the post-race podium in the USF2000 Championship season-opening event.
"Everyone at Afterburner has collectively been working hard to ensure we are ready to improve upon what we learned in the Winterfest series," said Gooden. "We've got a great platform to start with, and I'm very prepared to do my part."
"I'm very excited to be a part of the Afterburner Autosport team this year," stated Newey. "Everyone has been working extremely hard thus far, and I know that will translate into great results on track. I'm looking forward to competing for the top step of the podium at Sebring."
The 2013 Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda season begins for Afterburner Autosport and its talented drivers on Tuesday (March 12), when a pair of promoter's test day sessions are contest as part of the 61st Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. The USF2000 Championship cars return to the 3.74-mile Sebring International Raceway road course one day later with two 30-minute practice sessions. Thursday (March 14) features the lone qualifying run, followed by Round One at 1:35 pm local time. The season-opening two-race affair concludes on Friday (March 15) with a morning warm-up outing, prior to Round Two at 10:40 am. Live timing and scoring is available at www.usf2000.com/Multimedia/Live.aspx.
Additional information on Afterburner Autosport is available from the team’s website @ www.afterburnerautosport.com. For direct contact, email afterburnerautosport@gmail.com or call 630-251-1709.
Keep up to date via Twitter @ ABautosport1 and Facebook page @ Afterburner-Autosport.
Learn more about Brandon Newey at BrandonNewey.com and keep up to date via Twitter @ BNEWEY and Facebook @ Brandon.Newey.
Learn more about Wyatt Gooden at WyattGooden.com and keep up to date via Twitter @ WyattGooden and Facebook @ WyattGoodenRacing.
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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 last year, made its USF2000 Championship debut in 2012, fielding multiple cars in the top Championship class. The squad returns to the first rung of the Mazda Road to Indy program with an expanded multi-car effort in 2013.