Wayside, N.J., August 9 – Trent Hindman’s renewed singular focus on the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda was rewarded almost immediately as the Wayside, N.J. driver enjoyed his best weekend to date in USF2000 competition, qualifying third and scoring a pair of top-four finishes, including his first podium finish, a third in Sunday’s rain shortened event.
After finishing the first practice session of the weekend in 28th, Hindman found his pace, posting the fifth-quickest time in the second session. Qualifying was a 1-2-3 sweep for Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing, with Matthew Brabham taking his fourth pole of the season with a 1:20.250 lap; .147 sec. ahead of Spencer Pigot and .821 sec. ahead of Hindman.
A tire control penalty meant that Brabham’s pole time was disallowed and he was relegated to the back of the grid, allowing Hindman to move up to the front row for the start. From the drop of the green flag, Pigot took the lead while Hindman tried to hold off first a charging Scott Anderson, and later Brabham, who put on a driving clinic, slicing his way through the field to recover all but two of the spots he lost due to the relegation. Hindman took a comfortable fourth place ahead of Roman Lagudi.
“We had a little too much wing on the car, which made it tough to defend on the long straights”, said Hindman from his New Jersey home. “Scott was quick all weekend and while I tried to hold off Matthew he was on a mission and there wasn’t a whole lot I was going to do to keep him behind me.”
A Sunday morning thunderstorm and an oil down during the World Challenge race immediately before the start meant a slick but drying track for Race 2. With the fourth-quickest race lap in Race 1, Hindman joined Anderson on the second row behind the front row of Pigot and Brabham. After a quick start, an intense battle between the front row duo allowed Anderson to slip by and stretch out a healthy lead before a full course caution tightened the field back up.
On the restart, the battle between the championship leaders came to a head, as the Cape Motorsports duo tangled again in Turn 6; the second time knocking Brabham out of the race and bringing out a second full-course caution. The second caution set up a one lap race to the finish, with Anderson taking his first USF2000 win. Matthew Di Leo squeaked by late on the last lap to take second place while Hindman settled for his first podium of the season in third.
“It was a crazy race. The conditions were difficult and changing, but the same for everyone. The battle with Matthew for second on the last lap was really good and I just wish I could have held on for second. Still, I haven’t been on a podium since Winterfest in February, so it feels good to be back there.”
The fourth and third-place finishes move Hindman up to sixth place in the championship standings, a good recovery from the season opener at Sebring - where he collected a total of two points – and a great momentum shift going into the busy part of the season.
Standings, 2012 Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda after 7 of 14 Rounds
1. Spencer Pigot, 181 points
2. Matthew Brabham -18
3. Roman Lagudi, -51
4. Scott Anderson, -63
5. Matthew DiLeo, -76
6. Trent Hindman, -85
Next up
The second half of the USF2000 schedule is busy and no event is busier than August 17-18, when Trent Hindman and the rest of the USF2000 field will participate in a tripleheader weekend at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis. as part of the American Le Mans Series Road Race Showcase. Follow the action with Live Timing and Scoring at www.usf2000.com/livetiming, and follow the action semi-live on Twitter by following @altemus_prime.
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Trent Hindman
Wayside, N.J. native Trent Hindman comes to the 2012 Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda off a diverse season of racing that includes winning the Ontario Formula Ford Championship, a runner-up finish in the BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National Presented by Mazda and selection to the prestigious Team USA Scholarship. Hindman will return to the U.K. in 2012 with Cliff Dempsey Racing to contest the Formula Renault BARC Championship. A former Skip Barber Karting Scholarship Shoot-out winner, Hindman’s goal is to progress through the “Mazda Road to Indy” program, culminating in a ride in the IZOD IndyCar Series. Hindman is racing with defending USF2000 champions Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing and would like to thank Sparco, Racelite Protection and Altemus Prime Communications for their support.
Away from the track, Hindman attends Ocean Township High School in Oakhurst, N.J. He resides in Wayside with his parents Doug and Kim and his sister Sloane.
Learn more about Trent Hindman at www.trenthindman.com.