ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing drivers Matthew Brabham and Henrik Furuseth helped the team to a clean sweep of the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda championships. After clinching the 2012 Team Championship at Baltimore, Brabham won the Championship and Furuseth won the National Class Championship during the season finale at Virginia International Raceway, September 13-15.
Brabham and teammate Spencer Pigot battled for the top spot for most of the 2012 season. Although Pigot won the last two rounds at VIR, he was not able to overtake Brabham for the Championship. Brabham finished only seven points ahead of Pigot.
With the USF2000 Championship, Brabham is the recipient of the Mazda scholarship prize, worth $375,000, which will enable him to move up to the Star Mazda Championship, the next rung on the Mazda Road to Indy ladder, in 2013.
"I am over the moon at how the whole year went,” Brabham said. “I didn't expect to come into the year and, within the first couple of races, be up to the front. My goals changed pretty quickly, and I was going for the Championship for the rest of the year. Spencer was really quick all year. We pushed each other so much, and I think we were in a class of our own the whole season. I am sure that he and I will be racing together for many years to come. It was definitely a good rivalry. The Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing team was just awesome, and I have to really, really thank them and my parents plus everyone that I have been staying with in the U.S. as I have been “gypsying” across the country. Also there a lot of people in Australia that have also helped make this year happen, so a big thanks to them. It's been a fantastic year, and I am just very happy."
With his two overall wins at VIR, Pigot finished the season with an impressive eight wins out of 14 races. He did everything he could to catch Brabham, but was unable to top his teammate.
“We had a perfect weekend, fastest in practice, qualifying and two wins so I couldn't be happier about that,” Pigot said. “That's what we needed to do, and to end the year like that is great. Unfortunately it wasn't enough to take the Championship, but I gave everything I had this weekend to give myself the best chance. If a few races hadn't gone so badly the past few weekends it might have ended differently, but that's racing, and Matt did a great job all year. I've had a blast with the guys this year, and I have to thank them all, especially my mechanic Will for all his hard work.”
Trent Hindman had his best race of the season in the final race. He captured his first podium with his third-place finish. He also moved to the fifth-place position in the point standings.
“Our last race of the season at VIR definitely had its ups and downs, but overall I am extremely happy,” Hindman said. “Race 2 was the highlight of our whole weekend. Starting on the front row and finishing on the podium was really a great way to end our season, and we will bring the momentum into 2013. I owe a huge thanks to Nicholas and Dominic for an awesome weekend and year. Also, I want to say a big thanks to my mechanic Cisco for absolutely working his tail off all year long. I really couldn't have done it without them and my parents. I'd just like to say congrats to Matt and Spencer on their great year and to Henrik for winning the National Class title. I'm really looking forward to next year.”
Furuseth saved the best for the last. After coming into the final weekend second in the points, the young driver dominated and claimed not only the National Class Driver Championship, but also both wins at VIR.
“The final race weekend at VIR was fantastic,” Furuseth said. “I came in to the weekend seven points behind RC Enerson, and I needed to score maximum points to win the Championship. The weekend did not start very good for me as my engine blew up on a test day. Luckily we were able to find another. I started in on pole in Race 1, and then went on to win both races, scoring the maximum points for the weekend. It was such a great feeling crossing the finish first and winning the Championship. The season has been excellent. I have won seven out of 13 races, and the team has worked really hard. I cannot thank them enough for all their hard work and great support.”
The team combined for some impressive stats in 2012.
Championship (Brabham, Pigot, Hindman)
• Topped 12 of 13 official practice sessions
• 11 of 14 pole positions along with sweeping the front row 10 times
• 12 of 14 race wins and finished 1-2 six times
• 24 podiums and 30 top-five finishes
• Led 208 laps out of a possible 227
National Class (Furuseth)
• Six of 13 poles
• Seven of 13 wins
• Nine podiums
• 10 top-five finishes
Winterfest (Brabham, Pigot, Hindman)
• Six poles along with sweeping the front row five times and 1-2-3 three times
• 1-2-3 starting spots
• Six wins, finished 1-2 six times and 1-2-3 four times
• 16 podiums
• 17 top-five finishes
• Led 92 laps out of a possible 92
“To win the team and both driver championships is just awesome,” said team owners Dominic and Nicholas Cape. “We are so proud of all of our drivers and our team members. We knew we had a talented group, but we couldn’t have had a better season. We owe a big thanks to all our team and drivers.”
Brabham’s Driver National Championship is the second in two years for Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing drivers. Star Mazda driver Petri Suvanto was the 2011 Champion.
For more information, please visit www.usf2000.com. You can also follow the team on Facebook and Twitter (CMwithWTR) for updates.
Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing was formed in 2010 as a partnership between two successful racing entities. With leadership from brothers Nicholas and Dominic Cape, and along with Wayne Taylor and his organization in Indianapolis, the team campaigns cars in the Cooper Tires Presents the USF2000 National Championship Powered by Mazda and the F1600 Formula F Championship Series. In 2011, the team helped Petri Suvanto claim the USF2000 driver championship. For more information, please visit www.capemotorsports.com.