Monterey, Calif. -- It is difficult to believe that it is already time to go back to racing for the last time this season in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda. With eight wins, plus five podiums and 11 pole positions, Frenchman Nico Jamin comes to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca with a 50-point advantage over his only challenger for the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda title, Jake Eidson.
Driving the No. 2 Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing SYNOVA Automotive Eco-Plastics/BRM Chronographes/All Road Academy/Racing for France/French Tuesdays/B+ Foundation F2000 Mazda race car, the 19-year-old from Rouen, France, made history at Mid-Ohio by becoming the first driver to sweep all three legs of a triple-header since the formation of the Mazda Road to Indy ladder in 2010.
Jamin has never raced at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, in Monterey, Calif., but he is full of confidence after all the training and experience he has accumulated during the season and the time he has spent learning the iconic 2.238-mile, 11-turn road course on a racing simulator. The championship leader recently spent time relaxing on the French island of Corsica to prepare for the two-round season finale.
“I am more than excited to compete in the big season finale at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca,” Jamin said. “We are heading there with huge momentum from Mid-Ohio and we are in a comfortable position for the championship, because I am 50 points clear on Jake Eidson. We'll have to stay focused more than ever, and make sure we don't make any mistakes. Of course, I'd love to win races for the last rounds of the season but my main goal is to secure the 2015 Cooper Tires USF2000 title. I can't wait to drive for the first time on this amazing California track. I've been testing on the simulator during the summer break and I worked a lot on my mental and physical condition to make sure I'll get there stronger than ever.”
Jamin‘s remarkable season is to be shared with his four-time defending championship-winning team, Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing, led by the Cape brothers, Dominic and Nicholas, who so far this season have won a total of nine USF2000 races out of 14. After winning the Cooper Tires USF2000 Winterfest title last February, the Cape brothers and their team have already clinched the 2015 Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda Team Championship but now they want to win a third title with Jamin -- the Driver Championship.
“It’s been a fantastic year so far, but we still have to bring our best performance as a team to the final rounds of the season,” said Dominic Cape, co-owner of Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing. “In the words of the great baseball player Babe Ruth, ‘It's hard to beat a team that will never give up.’ As a team, we will maximize our performance in every session and work as hard as possible until the last checker is waved.”
For this season finale, Jamin is proud to support The B+ (Be Positive) Foundation, one of the nation’s leading organizations fighting childhood cancer. Jamin will donate 100 percent of his Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca event prize money to The B+ Foundation.
September is national Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Pediatric cancer affects thousands of young Americans each year. 46 children are diagnosed with cancer every school day. 49 children will die this week from cancer. Only 4 percent of federal cancer-research funding is dedicated to childhood-cancer research. It is the leading cause of disease-related death for children, and this year more than 10,000 of our nation's youth will be diagnosed with this tragic disease. Every September, America honors all those who have been affected by this life-threatening illness: Young girls and boys whose childhoods have been cut short, the loved ones who know the pain pediatric cancer causes, and the communities across the country that rally to support their friends and neighbors during difficult times.
The Andrew McDonough B+ Foundation honors the life of Andrew McDonough. Andrew battled leukemia, septic shock and complications of childhood cancer for 167 days before passing away on July 14, 2007, at the age of 14. Andrew’s B+ blood type became his family’s and friends’ motto throughout his fight against childhood cancer — to “Be Positive”. The B+ Foundation is about Kids Helping Kids Fight Cancer — raising money through dance marathons, 5Ks, T-shirt sales and more, to provide financial and emotional support to families of children with cancer nationwide. The B+ Foundation also funds critical, cutting-edge, childhood-cancer research. To learn more, visit www.Bepositive.org.
Jamin will certainly have the Be Positive attitude throughout this week’s event at Mazda Raceway.
Jamin’s goal is to win the 2015 Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda, to make sure he continues racing in the United States next season. Thanks to the Mazda Road to Indy program – one of the most successful driver-development programs in the world - the USF2000 champion is awarded a unique scholarship that helps the driver to move up to his next racing challenge, one step closer to reaching the ultimate goal: Racing in the Verizon IndyCar Series and Indianapolis 500.
Last year's USF2000 champion won a $325,000 scholarship from Mazda for that victory to go up to the next step of the ladder. Jamin is looking to become the 2015 recipient of the Mazda scholarship.
The Cooper Tires USF2000 Powered by Mazda 2015 rounds 15 and 16 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca event starts on Thursday, Sept. 10, with two non-official practice sessions at 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. Following two official practice sessions at 8:55 a.m. and 1:20 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 11, USF2000 qualifying will also take place on Friday at 4:25 p.m. Race 1 of two is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 12 at 10:30 a.m. Race 2 is set for Sunday, Sept. 13, at 4 p.m. (all PDT times).
Stay tuned for live timing and scoring at www.usf2000.com. Follow Nico Jamin all season on his website: www.RacingforFrance.com, on Facebook at www.facebook/nicojamin.racing and on Twitter @Nico_Jamin.