Sheboygan, WI - Last weekend on the streets of downtown Toronto, ArmsUp Motorsports earned two top-ten finishes in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda. The results marked a season high for the Wisconsin-based team with drivers Felipe Donato, Timothy Paul and James Dayson. Between the three drivers, a total of thirty-six positions were gained during the double header event.
All three drivers pushed hard during both races, each facing obstacles with traffic or car contact with competitors, which is expected with thirty racers on a street course.
Felipe Donato led the AUM charge in both races, starting 17th in Race One to finish eighth. His performance in the first race awarded him a seven-place starting position for Race Two, where a fifth-place finish was almost in his grasp. Donato was contending for a fifth-place finish when a move by a competitor pushed him back to seventh with just one lap remaining. The finish resulted in the best result for Donato in 2013.
"I'm really happy for my result and need to say thanks to my team, because the car was perfect," said Donato. "The track is difficult for me because it's so different. I've never raced at a street course before this year, so there is still a lot to learn, but I am very happy."
Also new to the street course was New York native Tim Paul, who fought his way up from 23rd to race as high as 16th, but ultimately finished 19th in the first race. Race Two brought more caution laps than the previous day, and although Paul pitted mid-race for a nose replacement, he stayed on the lead lap and still gained seven positions from where he started, taking home a 16th-place finish.
"I think we've salvaged something at the end of the day," said Paul. "We had gremlins all weekend long and the second race was a war of attrition but I think we did good. The team did a great job."
Competing in the National class, Canadian James Dayson earned two podium finishes, and gained a total of sixteen positions during the weekend. In Race One, Dayson stayed clear of the street course drama to finish third in the National class. Both the ambient and track temperatures rose for the final race day, creating tire issues for Dayson. Heat under his front tires started to make the car loose with minutes left on the clock. The lack of grip coming out of the corners lessened his ability to get up to power and contend for the National class win.
"Overall I'm very happy with the race," said Dayson. "I wish we had a lot more laps under green. Without the loss of grip, I would have had a better shot battling for the National class win. I'm happy to finish the race. Thanks to all the sponsors, Corrective Kinetics, Ener-C, Standard Trade, Dayhu Group of Companies, and Me & Lewis Ideas Inc., and to the team for giving me a great car."
Next on the Series schedule, the team will head to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course for Rounds 8 & 9 of the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda August 3-4. Hopefully rejoining the team will be fourth ArmsUp Motorsports driver Andrew Hobbs, who was unable to participate in the event, but still supported his team via social media. To follow the team for the remainder on the season as they compete in the Mazda Road to Indy, follow them on twitter at @ArmsUpAieee.
About ArmsUp Motorsports
Based in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin ArmsUp Motorsports is a full service prep shop for Formula Continentals, Formula Atlantics, and Vintage racing cars. The team just celebrated their first Vintage race win of the season at Road America Road Course. For more information please visit the official ArmsUp website at www.ArmsUpMotorsports.com.
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