French rookie Latorre showcased good speed in Night Before the 500 event
PALMETTO, FLA. – The lone oval event on the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda calendar this past Saturday (May 25) at Lucas Oil Raceway was a successful learning affair for JAY Motorsports. With rising talent Florian Latorre behind the wheel, the Florida-based squad showed good speed and overcame an incident to exit the Night Before the 500 festivities with valuable experience and points.
Unlike many of its competitors, JAY Motorsports entered Round Five in Indiana with very limited experience around the banked 0.686-mile Lucas Oil Raceway. Given the 15-year-old Latorre had only seen an oval for the first time, let alone driven around one, two weeks earlier via an official series test, the plan all along was to use the Night Before the 500 event as a learning experience, and gather as many points as possible heading into the remainder of the USF2000 campaign.
First rolling on-course on Friday via three test runs, the skilled JAY Motorsports crew worked with Latorre to steadily fine tune his No. 91 13th Avenue/MASM-Cogny/Accent du Sud Ouest/JAY Motorsports entry. Showcasing the ability to meet new challenges head-on, each session featured the JAY Motorsports racer moving up the speedcharts, ultimately ending the final session impressively fifth fastest.
Given the results from the opening day's activities, spirits were high under the awning when race day commenced with two practice sessions. Unfortunately, things did not go as planned, as Latorre was unable to match his earlier pace in the first run, and subsequently spun and damaged his car in the second outing.
The talented JAY Motorsports crew promptly put their heads down and had the former French Formula 4 National Auto Sport Academy Championship Rookie of the Year's racing steed ready to go for single-car qualifying only a few hours later.
Giving it his all in the combined two-lap run, Latorre ended up earning a row eight starting position for the 70-lap race under lights via the 15th best time.
After a short break that featured discussion on additional setup changes and race strategy, it was time to go racing in front of an enthusiastic crowd. Getting away cleanly upon the green flag waving, Latorre settled into a spirited multi-car fight for positions. In what was an incident-free affair, the JAY Motorsports racer dueled fellow competitors all the way to the checkered flag, ultimately crossing the line in 15th, having gained significant experience, and valuable points.
JAY Motorsports' quest for Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda wins now takes a brief hiatus, with no race action until July 13-14, when Rounds Six and Seven are contested on the streets of downtown Toronto, Ont. Latorre travels to Canada with two top-fives already on his rookie resume.
Drivers interested in joining JAY Motorsports, are encouraged to contact team principal Jay Green.
Additional information on JAY Motorsports can be obtained from the team’s website @ www.jaymotorsports.com For direct contact, please contact Jay Green @ 304-610-5663 or jaymotorsports1@gmail.com and keep up to date via Twitter @ jaymtrsprt and on Facebook @ JAY Motorsports
Learn more about Florian Latorre at www.Florian-Latorre.com and keep up to date via Twitter @ FlorianLATORRE and Facebook @ Florian Latorre Pro.
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About JAY Motorsports:
JAY Motorsports, LLC is a family owned and operated racing organization based in Florida. Led by former racer Jay Green, the team became one of the highest rated customer service representatives within the SCCA's spec categories. With countless wins in SCCA Club and Pro competition, the team has become a mainstay in junior driver development over the years. By winning the 2009 and 2012 SCCA Formula Enterprises National Championships, they propelled their drivers to win spots on the prestigious MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development Team in 2009 and 2012. In addition to the 2009 and 2012 Runoffs gold medals, JAY Motorsports was the 2006 MARRS Spec Racer Ford champion, 2007 SCCA National Great Lakes Division Spec Racer Ford champion, 2008 SCCA National Great Lakes Division Spec Racer Ford and Formula Enterprises champion, 2008 SCCA Great Lakes/Central Division Formula Car Magazine Formula Enterprises champion, 2008 Carolina Cup Pro Series Spec Racer Ford champion, and 2009 SCCA Southeast Division ECR Spec Racer Ford champion. This past season, JAY Motorsports entered the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda full-time, contesting both the National and Championship classes.