ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – With just one weekend and two rounds left in the USF2000 National Championship Powered by Mazda season, it all comes down to the Baltimore Grand Prix this Saturday and Sunday as Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing hopes to win the driver’s championship in the shadow of the Nation’s capital.
Competing for a championship is never easy. Add in an inaugural street race event where the drivers have not tested before, and it is not the ideal situation. However, Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing and its drivers are up for the challenge of the 2.4-mile temporary street circuit that incorporates the scenic Inner Harbor area and Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
Petri Suvanto, driver of the No. 3 Viseko Van Diemen-Mazda, has 39-point lead in the driver championship with his five wins. The 18-year-old from Finland must have a solid weekend to claim the crown.
“The goal for the weekend is to win the championship,” Suvanto said. “There are numerous ways to do it, and obviously the way I've planned it is to get the pole and win. The truth is that things don't quite go according to plans most of the time, and this is why we have to stay in present moment - keep on doing right decisions like we've been doing all year. I'm expecting a very enjoyable and action packed season finale.
“This season has been a great experience. I've had amazing times racing with Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing, and I feel like I owe a lot to these guys. They have been there for me when I've needed them - motivating me, teaching me and doing things to help me that you wouldn't expect from a racing team.”
Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing driver Shannon McIntosh, who pilots the No. 2 Glass Hammer Racing-sponsored machine, is also wrapping a successful, though sometimes frustrating season.
“My goals are to really show the long way that I've come in the last half of this season, on paper,” McIntosh said. “I need to finish these races with solid results and improve each and every time I'm on the track.
“This season has been the toughest of my career, and I'm relieved that I've made such improvements every time I've been on the track. Our goal was to use this as a learning year, and I am more confident than I have been all year with an understanding of the dynamics of this new style of car and racing. I'm very proud of the hard work that has been put in this year and looking forward to what lies ahead.”
Suvanto, McIntosh and the Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing team will first be on track on Friday, September 2nd for a 30-minute practice at 8 a.m. and a 30-minute qualifying session at 5:20 p.m.
The green flag waves for Race 1 on Saturday, September 3rd at 2:30 p.m., with Race 2 scheduled for next day, Sunday, September 4th at 5 p.m. Both are 35-minute races and ET. The IZOD IndyCar Series, ALMS and Star Mazda will be sharing the track for the weekend.
For updated and timing and scoring, please go to www.usf2000.com. You can follow the team on Facebook and Twitter for updates (CMwithWTR).
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. For more information, please visit www.capemotorsports.com.
The Capes have fielded a team every year since the series’ inception in the early 1990’s, placing second in the 2010 USF2000 National Championship Series points’ battle, capturing six podium finishes and two race-wins.