Silverstone, England – One of the things said to separate “elite” football quarterbacks from the rest is poor short-term memory; the ability to quickly put a bad play or mistake out of their mind and immediately return to playing at a high level. For a race car driver, the ability to quickly put a bad result behind you and drive at a high level is just as important. Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing driver Trent Hindman demonstrated that elite capability this past weekend at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg; bouncing back quickly from a pair of disappointing results the week prior at Sebring to score his first top five-finishes in USF2000 competition and showing the field that despite the early setbacks, you can’t keep “The Hitman” down for long.

Round 3

While his Cape Motorsports teammates Spencer Pigot and Matthew Brabham topped the time charts in both practice sessions, the Wayside, N.J. driver spent both sessions feeling out his car and learning the temporary street circuit. When qualifying rolled around, traffic and red flags limited opportunities for an open track, and when the checkered flag fell Hindman found himself ninth with a 1:14.155 lap, just under a second behind his teammates up on the front row.

With Sebring at least in the back of his mind Hindman drove a conservative race; staying out of trouble with the goal of finishing. Gaining positions as drivers ahead of him fell out of the running, Hindman moved up to fifth place, and at the finish he held off the Andretti Autosport duo of Shelby Blackstock and Thomas McGregor for his first top-five finish of the season.

“After Sebring, just finishing the race was huge,” said a relieved Hindman. “Passing opportunities were few and far between so to gain four positions from where I started in a field this competitive is good. That I gained those positions through attrition adds a touch of irony to the day.”

Round 4

Sunday morning broke damp, and while the morning warm up by the IZOD IndyCar Series did contribute to a dry racing line, conditions were still slick when the field took the green flag at 9:15 a.m. From seventh on the grid, Hindman passed Roman Lagudi and spent the early portion of the race fending off Shelby Blackstock for seventh as Neil Alberico worked his way through the field toward the front. 

Attrition again worked in Hindman’s favor as he moved up the standings as other drivers met with difficulties. On a late race restart, Hindman found himself on the gearbox of the lead pack of Pigot, Brabham and Matthew DiLeo. Although DiLeo and Hindman could both smell blood in the water when Brabham’s car suffered front damage wing late, neither were able to capitalize and while Pigot and Brabham collected their second one-two finish of the weekend, Hindman was content to take his second top five of the weekend, a season best fourth.

“The track was just damp enough that you couldn’t go even slightly off the racing line without risking losing grip. Passing was tough so it was impressive to see Neil come through the field the way he did. I’m also glad that I kept my nose clean for both races and that I was able to bring the car home in one piece for Dominic and Nick.”

With the fifth on Saturday and the fourth on Sunday, Hindman vaulted from 22nd to ninth in Championship Class points. There was little time to celebrate as Hindman quickly made his way to the airport in Tampa to catch a flight to Newark in order to make an overnight flight to London Heathrow for a Formula Renault BARC open test and media day at Silverstone.

Next up
With the exception of a couple open tests, the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda is on an extended Spring Break until The Night Before the 500 at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis on May 26, the lone oval race of the season. Between now and then, Trent Hindman will head back to the United Kingdom to compete in the Protyre Formula Renault BARC Championship with Cliff Dempsey Racing, with triple-header events April 7-8 at Snetterton and May 19-20 at Rockingham Motor Speedway. Live timing and scoring information will be forthcoming.

2012 Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda Schedule
7 Double Race Weekends (except where noted)
March 15-16, Sebring International Raceway, Fla.
March 24-25, Streets of St. Petersburg, Fla.
May 26, Lucas Oil Raceway, Clermont, Ind. SINGLE RACE
August 4-5, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio
August 17-18, Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wis. TRIPLE HEADER
September 1-2, Streets of Baltimore, Md.
September 14-15, Virginia International Raceway, Alton, Va.

2012 Protyre Formula Renault BARC Championship
6 Double Race Weekends (except where noted)
April 7-8, Snetterton 200 Circuit, Norfolk TRIPLE HEADER
May 19-20, Rockingham Motor Speedway, Northamptonshire TRIPLE HEADER
June 16-17,Thruxton Circuit, Hampshire
July 21-22, Croft Circuit, North Yorkshire
August 18-19, Donington Park National Circuit, Leicestershire
October 6-7, Silverstone National Circuit, Northamptonshire

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Trent Hindman
Wayside, N.J. native Trent Hindman comes to the 2012 Cooper Tires Presents the USF2000 National 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 MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development, Skip Barber Racing School, DFL Carpentry Inc., Zydro +, Team USA Scholarship, Sparco, Premier Woodcraft, 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.