ELKHART LAKE, Wis. – ArmsUp Motorsports' Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda driver Luigi Biangardi drove to three top-10 results this weekend in USF2000's first ever triple-header event. Biangardi scored finishes of sixth, seventh and seventh on the famed Road America circuit in his No. 15 Inject-It/Gulfstream Properties/Slick Locks/Chicago Indoor Racing Van Diemen. The trio of finishes moved the Chicago driver up one spot to eighth in the points standings. Joining Biangardi under the ArmsUp Motorsports banner was National class driver James Dayson. Dayson had a very clean weekend finishing each race in the top 10 in class and gaining valuable experience as the Vancouver, British Columbia driver continues his development in the USF2000 undercard division.
After qualifying 12th for Race One, Biangardi set out to prove he was quicker than his starting position showed. After a fraught opening lap that led to a long full course yellow and a damaged nose on the No. 15 Van Diemen, the action was restarted in earnest. Biangardi, who had jumped up to the 10th spot, found himself engaged in a race long battle for the fifth position. After working his way through the group, at one point passing for ninth on the outside of the carousel, Biangardi found himself in seventh with one lap to go. The small gap was too much to overcome in the final lap to mount a challenge for sixth but a drive-through penalty to the third-place runner promoted Biangardi up one spot.
The grid for Race Two was set by the quickest time from race one. The 16-year-old driver would line up ninth after the battle from Race One didn't afford him a clean lap to set a time representative of his pace. Race Two would be a less aggressive affair. Shortly after the start Biangardi had settled into the seventh position from his ninth starting spot. A short battle ensued just past midway that saw Luigi lose seventh briefly. Biangardi was able to wrestle the position back with an out-braking maneuver in Turn Five and then held on to the checkered flag.
Biangardi posted the fifth quickest lap of Race Two which set his grid position for Saturday morning's Race Three. Another frantic USF2000 start saw Luigi drop back to the seventh spot early on. From the seventh spot Biangardi did a masterful job of withstanding massive pressure from several different challengers. Fighting an understeer for most of the race the Inject-It/Gulfstream Properties/Slick Locks/Chicago Indoor Racing backed driver was able to hold onto seventh as the checkered flag flew cementing a solid weekend for the ArmsUp Motorsports driver.
For James Dayson the Road America round marked his debut for ArmsUp Motorsports in the National class of the USF2000 Championship. Dayson, who participated in a summer long test program with the ArmsUp squad, ran a solid weekend scoring sixth, eighth and seventh-place finishes behind the wheel of his No.16 Dayhu Group of Companies/Me & Lewis Ideas Inc./Regal Beagle Bar & Grill Van Diemen.
"This was a really solid weekend for our team," Gregg Borland commented after the event. "It was good to get Luigi a batch of strong finishes. As a group we want to be closer to the front, but with the weekend to build on, I expect us to be right back at the sharp end of the grid in Baltimore. I was really happy with James progress this weekend, too. The goal was to get experience in race conditions and he kept his nose clean, finished each race which right now is exactly what he needs to do."
ArmsUp Motorsports' USF2000 squad will be back in action in two weeks time as the series joins the IZOD IndyCar Series and American Le Mans Series on the Streets of Baltimore. Biangardi, who finished fourth on the Baltimore street course last season, will be joined once again by Dayson as the two look to build on their results from Road America.
Formed in 1995, ArmsUp Motorsports is one of the premier SCCA Formula Continental race teams, winning the SCCA National Championship in 2011. Based in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin ArmsUp Motorsports is a full service prep shop for USF2000, Formula Continental, Formula Atlantic, and Vintage racing cars. For more information please visit the official ArmsUp website at www.ArmsUpMotorsports.com.