Miller just missed podium finish in series debut and was joined in top-10 by Piedrahita and Lagudi
MINNEAPOLIS, MN. – JDC MotorSports’ enjoyed yet another strong outing at its home track of Road America over the weekend (August 19-20), scoring five top-10 finishes during a Cooper Tires Presents the USF2000 National Championship powered by Mazda doubleheader. Series newcomer Chris Miller led the four-car effort in Round Nine, with the former pro F2000 champion just missing a podium finish in his series debut via a fourth place result. Rookie teammates Juan Piedrahita and Roman Lagudi added to the team points haul with sixth and eighth place finishes in race one, before Miller and Lagudi once again cracked the top-10 in race two by crossing the stripe in seventh and eighth. Rodin Younessi was also in action during the doubleheader finish fourth in the National class in both races.
Given only Miller had previously contested a pro F2000 race at Road America – albeit in a different series with a different engine package – it should come as no surprise that the JDC drivers and crew spent day one at the famed four-mile track working on car setups for the high-speed road course. That being said, the JDC racers still showed good speed, particularly Piedrahita and Miller, the duo going third and fourth fastest respectively in testing and practice.
While aware that qualifying positions are not as vital at the Wisconsin track as at certain other tracks - thanks to the multiple passing zones around the 14-corner road course - the JDC drivers still wanted to post a flyer in Friday morning qualifying. Miller in the end proved to be the best at that, securing a row three starting position with the fifth fastest time. Lagudi earned a place right behind his more experienced teammate with the seventh quickest time in the No. 10 High Performance Distributors/Red Line Oil/JDC MotorSports Van Diemen-Mazda, while Piedrahita made it three JDC racers in a line on the grid with the ninth fastest lap. Younessi ended the session fifth in the National class, which features cars utilizing the Ford Zetec engine package.
With just enough time to debrief and make any quick changes to the cars, JDC racers soon found themselves back behind the wheels ready for Round Nine. As expected, the caution-free race featured plenty of dicing for position throughout the field. With the draft allowing drivers to swap positions on a regular basis, all four JDC racers battled for places lap after lap. Miller’s No. 85 Miller Milling/Red Line Oil/JDC MotorSports Van Diemen-Mazda was part of the fight for top honors early on, before ultimately coming home in an impressive fourth place. Piedrahita’s No. 19 Petrosur/GFK Motors/Montopharma/Colombia es pasion/Red Line Oil/JDC MotorSports Van Diemen-Mazda was the next JDC car to the stripe, advancing up to sixth. Lagudi emerged from a multi-car fight in eighth, while Younessi worked his way up to fourth in class at the checkered flag.
When the JDC squad returned to Road America one day later, the threat of rain was in the air, with dark overcast skies looming above. The track was however dry when the green flag waved, allowing the JDC racers to immediately attack for position. With all three Championship class JDC drivers battling for positions within the top-10, things were looking good when the rain started to fall. While initially light enough to allow the racers to remain on dry weather slick tires, the intensity quickly intensified, resulting in the race being halted to allow all the teams to switch to rain tires. As a result of the move, the race resumed on lap six with a one-lap dash to the checkered flag. Not surprisingly, the final tour of the Road America road course proved to be an exciting one, with lots of cars slipping and sliding while dueling for positions. Miller, despite losing several places in the closing stages, once again led the JDC charge at the stripe, taking the checkered flag in seventh place. Lagudi, having battled through the mixed conditions in only his fifth formula car start, was next to the line in eighth, while Piedrahita, having gone off-course, came home in 15th. Younessi for a second consecutive race was fourth in the National class.
“It was another hard weekend for me at Road America,” stated Piedrahita. “We had the speed, but couldn’t get the job done as a result of multiples mistakes from me. The team was excellent as always, and we are now looking forward to turning things around in the last two races of the year.”
JDC MotorSports concludes its 2011 Cooper Tires Presents the USF2000 National Championship powered by Mazda campaign on September 3-4, with Rounds 11 and 12 on the streets of Baltimore. The Minnesota-based team enters the season-finale doubleheader currently fourth in the Team standings.
JDC MotorSports races with associate sponsorship from www.RedLineOil.com
Additional information on JDC MotorSports can be obtained from the team’s website @ www.jdcmotorsports.com For direct contact, please contact John Church @ 952-233-3075
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About JDC MotorSports:
Involved in formula car racing since its inception in 1994, JDC MotorSports has established itself as one of the leading junior open-wheel teams in North America. Initially making its mark in the F2000 class of club racing competition, JDC MotorSports was soon a team worth watching in the pro ranks. Competing in the Formula Ford 2000 Zetec Championship, the team not only won races, but also helped develop multiple young drivers. In 2005, JDC MotorSports expanded its efforts, entering the Star Mazda Championship. Quickly becoming one of the top teams in the series, JDC captured both the driver and team titles in 2007, as well as Rookie of the Year honors, with Dane Cameron scoring a series-high three wins. In 2008, JDC MotorSports was the runner-up in the Star Mazda Championship and finished fourth in its inaugural season of F2000 Championship Series competition. The Minnesota-based team won the Star Mazda Championship title with Rookie of the Year Adam Christodoulou, and the F2000 Championship Series title with Chris Miller in 2009. This past year, JDC continued its winning ways, earning the Rookie of the Year award in the Star Mazda Championship with Connor De Phillippi, and scoring a non-points win in the USF2000 National Championship. The Minneapolis-based squad will compete in the Star Mazda Championship, USF2000 National Championship and Prototype Lites Championship in 2011 via multi-car operations.