Scott Andrews has shown impressive form in his USF2000 debut at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Driving a JDC Motorsports Van Diemen, the 22-year-old from Torquay, Victoria, Australia was among the pacesetters for rounds 11 and 12 of the series at the Monterey, Calif., circuit.
He topped the timesheets in one practice session, and recovered well from a problematic qualifying to finish sixth and ninth in the two races.
Overall, Andrews was satisfied with his first appearance in USF2000, which forms part of the Mazda Road to Indy driver development ladder.
“The competition level in USF2000 is incredible with the first prize of a fully funded scholarship to the next Mazda Road to Indy category, Pro Mazda," said Andrews. "To be honest I was surprised to be on the pace from the start of practice, never having driven a USF2000 car before, especially at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. The circuit is very fast with a big change in altitude as it runs up and down a mountainside – not unlike Mt Panorama. But I learned it pretty quickly in the first practice session, and felt confident in the car after being fastest in the second session and second fastest in the third and fourth sessions.
“Unfortunately in qualifying I spun and bogged in the gravel on my ‘out’ lap. That caused the session to be red-flagged, costing me my fastest time, and by the time I got back to the pits there were only a few minutes left in the session. Then the car lost power with a battery issue, which also stopped the timing transponder after one lap. Even so I qualified 10th, but it was disappointing considering I would have been on the front row otherwise.”
Andrews is keen to convert his Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca practice form into race podiums in the USF2000 Championship finale at Reliant Park in Houston, Texas on October 4-5.
“The most important lesson I learned this weekend was how important starting position is in these ‘wings and slicks’ cars," noted Andrews. “It’s nearly impossible to overtake during a race because the front wing loses so much downforce when you’re following another car. Unless you’re prepared to barge your way past, you have to wait for the driver in front to make a mistake.
"I came here to find out if I could be competitive in an international openwheeler championship, and now I know that’s definitely achievable. I don’t have a full budget for Houston yet, but I’ll be working flat-out between now and then to make it happen.”
JDC MotorSports’ owner and renowned talent-spotter John Church was highly impressed by Andrews’ performance.
“Scott did a stellar job to show up without any USF2000 experience and go P1 in only his second practice session,” he said. “Aside from a slight miscue in qualifying, he was poised for a podium result.”
RESULTS SUMMARY USF2000 CHAMPIONSHIP ROUNDS 11 & 12 – Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca (Monterey, California)
Test session 1: 5th (-0.613sec.)
Test session 2: 1st
Test session 3: 2nd (-0.074sec.)
Practice session 1: 2nd (-0.152sec.)
Qualifying: 10th (-1.188sec.)
Race 1 (16 laps): Started 10th; finished 6th.
Race 2 (12 laps): Started 11th; finished 9th.
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For more information, visit Scott Andrews’ website at www.andrewsmotorsport.com and JDC Motorsports website at www.jdcmotorsports.com