SEBRING, FL - The Cooper Tires Presents the USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda season opener at Sebring International Raceway proved to be a successful start of the season for the four car effort of Belardi Auto Racing who came away with six top 10 finishes, including two podiums, after the double header weekend.
Sydney, Australia native Roman Lagudi, driver of the No. 4 car for Belardi Auto Racing, qualified a career-high third place, and was able to overtake competitor Spencer Pigot to finish in second place during the first race of the season. Based on fastest lap time from the first race, Lagudi began the second race in P4 and was quickly able to pass Andretti Autosport's Thomas McGregor. After a few cars stalled on-track and multiple cars making contact, Lagudi was able to cruise to the podium in third place.
"It was a great week, and I am really happy to pull off a second place finish the first day and third the second day for my team," said Lagudi. "I can't complain. Each time we were on track we continued to improve from the session before, and I am just really happy with how our time at Sebring went. I have to thank my dad, the whole team and everyone who helps me out. I have the best guys behind me, and I definitely wouldn't be where I am without them."
Plagued by long yellow flags, neither race allowed much time for drivers to improve from their starting positions. However, Philadelphia area resident Colin Thompson was able overtake five competitors during Race 1 and improve one position during Race 2 to complete the weekend with two top 10 finishes. "The weekend went well for me," said Thompson, driver of the No. 11. "Better results will come with experience and time. However, for the amount of yellow flags and other variables at play, I am very satisfied with my results and I look on to an even better weekend in St. Pete!"
MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development driver and Fort Collins, CO resident Scott Anderson, who drives the No. 14 car for Belardi, also finished the weekend with two top 10s. "Qualifying was a big improvement from the beginning of week, and I was able to qualify fourth and finish fifth for the first race," the 2011 Skip Barber National Champion said. "I was able to come out with an eighth place finish for Race 2 and overall a fifth in points. It's not exactly where I'd like to be for the beginning of the season, but we definitely have a much better idea of the direction we will be taking for next week in St. Pete."
Teammate Luca Forgeois, the New York native who drives the No. 9 machine, had an unfortunate weekend that was stunted by mechanical problems during Race 1 and contact with another car late in Race 2.
"Although we had quite a few mechanical issues, including ones that prompted an engine change, my team never stopped working, did their best and put everything they had into figuring out the problems that occurred," said the 2011 USF2000 National Champion. "Even with the limited amount of track time I had, I learned and grew a lot as a driver this week. You cannot control the problems that occur but you sure can control your attitude and response to it all. I'm looking forward to a new week at a new track and moving on from here."
The team will bring that positive attitude and determination to the streets of St. Petersburg, FL on March 24 and 25 with another double header weekend at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. Be sure to follow along through live timing & scoring here: http://usf2000.com/Multimedia/Live.aspx or Belardi Auto Racing's Twitter page - @BelardiRacing.
About Belardi Auto Racing
Belardi Auto Racing is a USF2000 and Indy Lights team based in Brownsburg, Indiana. The 2011 season saw two race wins, 10 podiums, 17 top-five finishes and 36 top-tens. Follow the team on Twitter, Facebook or their official website, www.BelardiAutoRacing.com.