Team logs three top-five finishes and gains valuable experience to begin new USF2000 season
ST. PETERSBURG, FL – Exclusive Autosport made their long-awaited debut in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda this past weekend at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg in southwestern Florida following a focused off-season testing program.
The team enjoyed a strong outing on the 1.8-mile, 14-turn temporary street circuit, recording three top-top finishes at the hands of veterans Parker Thompson and Luke Gabin. Series rookie Dev Gore accomplished his goal of running every race lap, avoiding the carnage that sent a dozen rookies back to the paddock with damaged race cars.
The highlights of the weekend were turned in by Thompson for Race #2, where he qualified on the pole. After a spirited battle, Thompson brought the team their first podium in Mazda Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires competition with an impressive third-place finish. Gabin added to the Race #2 success with a strong fourth-place effort.
“I am proud of the entire Exclusive Autosport team,” offered Michael Duncalfe, EA Team Owner. “Our staff worked tirelessly for months preparing for this event in St Pete. I feel our crew gave our drivers great cars and our drivers did a great job keeping their noses clean and finishing strong. To come away with one pole position, one podium and three top-fives is something to be proud of. That said, we are hungrier than ever for a win and to put all three of our drivers in the top five. I can't thank the entire EA team, our drivers, their parents and all of our supporters enough. We had a great opening weekend and we cannot wait to get to Barber Motorsports Park in April.”
After a Thursday afternoon practice session afforded the drivers with their first opportunity to get on-track in St. Petersburg, the team’s pilots headed into qualifying for Race #1 on Friday morning. The track was still very green, which made it tough to find grip and balance on the cars’ setups. Thompson led the way for Exclusive by laying down the sixth quickest time of the session to secure a position on the third row for the first race of the doubleheader. Gabin was just inside the top-10 in ninth, while Gore knocked almost three seconds of his practice time to begin the official weekend, improving greatly his pace to finish up 21st.
Both USF2000 races were held on Saturday, so the drivers needed to balance the aggression of racing for the win and making sure they avoid damage that could take them out of Race #2. In the opening race, Thompson battled in the lead group and eventually topped a spirited battle between three drivers to take fifth to begin the season. Gabin fought for a position inside the top-10 and ended up 11th while Gore took another step forward with his on-track pace to finish 17th.
Qualifying for the second race had taken place on Friday afternoon, and Thompson put it all together during the 30-minute session, earning Exclusive Autosport their first MRTI pole position. Gabin lost a bit of pace, getting caught in traffic on his sticker tire laps, and was 11th in the timed run. Gore dropped over a half-second from Qualifying #1 to Qualifying #2 and advanced up the order to 19th.
Thompson paced the field to the Race #2 green flag early Saturday afternoon where he led 10 out of the 21 race laps. At the midpoint upon a restart (after a long full-course caution), Parker misjudged the grip slightly and pushed past the apex of Turn 1, dropping to fifth in the running order.
The result was an early-race battle with Kaylen Frederick. Thompson was able to manage the competition and power to a third-place finish, giving the team their first podium in USF2000 action. The crew dialed in Gabin’s USF-17 as well, allowing him to storm from his 11th place starting position to fourth at the end of the 30-minute race. It was an impressive performance that will give the Aussie the momentum he needs heading to Alabama in April. Like Gabin, Gore saved his best for the final race of the weekend, finishing 16th.
The next event on the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda is set for the beautiful Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama on April 21-23.
Exclusive Autosport is thrilled to be able to partner with great companies, such as AERO™ Advanced Paint Technology (www.rethinkpaint.com), which is used on all their race cars.
DRIVER PERFORMANCE / QUOTES
COOPER TIRES USF2000 CHAMPIONSHIP POWERED BY MAZDA
ROUND #1 - MARCH 10-12, 2017
GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG – ST. PETERSBURG, FL
PARKER THOMPSON - USF2000 #90
Qualifying 1: 6th – 1:15.8117
Qualifying 2: 1st – 1:15.3708
Race 1: 5th
Race 2: 3rd
Driver Quote: “I can't express enough what an honor it is to be driving for Exclusive Autosport this year. The entire crew at EA is beyond dedicated to the program. In their very first race weekend in the USF2000 Series, they put a car on pole, and they put together a car capable of winning the race. I can't recall any new team on the Mazda Road to Indy taking a podium finish in their first race weekend. And if it wasn't for my miscalculation on the restart, these boys would have their first win in the bag. The Openhwy #90 was a rocket ship this week, taking a fifth place and a third place in the two races. Thank you to everyone who has been a part of making this season happen for me. Big or small, I'm so grateful to have another shot at taking home this Championship.”
LUKE GABIN – USF2000 #91
Qualifying 1: 9th – 1:16.0225
Qualifying 2: 11th – 1:16.3506
Race 1: 11th
Race 2: 4th
Driver Quote: “This past weekend was a very emotional roller coaster for me. I struggled a bit with the track during the first couple days and in qualifying as well, but I was very happy to have the car hooked up in Race 2 to bring home a fourth with the second fastest lap of the race. So I'm definitely thinking we'll be right at the top end for Barber in the coming weeks!"
DEV GORE - USF2000 #92
Qualifying 1: 21st - 1:19.5348
Qualifying 2: 19th – 1:18.9292
Race 1: 17th
Race 2: 16th
Driver Quote: “My weekend was frustrating to say the least. I wasn't able to deliver the results that the team deserved. However, we have proved that as a team we are fast and that we are here to win.”
EXCLUSIVE AUTOSPORT - SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS:
Website: www.exclusiveautosport.ca
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Exclusive-Autosport
Twitter: @ExclAutosport
Instagram: @ exclusiveautosport
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About Exclusive Autosport:
Exclusive Autosport (EA) is a professional racing team dedicated to the success of its drivers in open wheel formula car competition in North America. EA operate teams in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda in the United States and the Formula Tour 1600 series in Canada. Exclusive’s drivers have secured numerous race wins, podium finishes and pole positions, as well as Rookie of the Year championships, a Team USA Scholarship and nominations for Team Canada F1600. Exclusive’s drivers are on the podium in over 80% of the races they enter. Exclusive Management Inc., the team’s parent company, has enjoyed great success in both open wheel and sports car racing and has worked with standout drivers like Thomas McGregor, Jack Mitchell Jr., Shelby Blackstock, Gregory Liefooghe, Jayson Clunie, David Levine and Trenton Estep. EM Inc. drivers are highly sought after in the motorsports industry.