Brazilian rookie Perdigão shows good speed and skill in Florida off-season series
MINNEAPOLIS, MN. (January 19, 2010) – JDC MotorSports commenced its 2011 race season in fine fashion recently, winning the opening round and finishing fourth in the final standings of the inaugural Cooper Tires Winterfest series. With Brazilian rookie Vinicius Perdigão displaying good speed and racecraft in his car racing debut, the stage is now set for the highly-rated Minnesota-based squad to challenge for top honors when the Cooper Tires presents the USF2000 National Championship powered by Mazda season gets underway in mid-march.
With the primary objective of the newly created Winterfest series to give USF2000 National Championship drivers and teams a chance to prepare for the upcoming 2011 season via a competitive off-season championship, JDC MotorSports did just that, putting Brazilian karter Perdigão behind the wheel.
The teenager, despite having never raced a formula car previously, or driven the historic Sebring International Raceway road course, was immediately up to speed when the series-opening doubleheader got underway in central Florida. Perdigão, in what was the perfect way to start his car racing career, worked his way into the top-three by the end of lap one, before subsequently taking over the top spot when the lead duo suffered mechanical problems, giving him the win in his series debut. While unable to quite match the winning effort in Round Two, the Brazilian continued to impress on lookers by challenging for top honors, eventually taking home third place behind two racers with a good deal more experience.
Perdigão, thanks to his win and additional podium finish at Sebring, traveled to the series-ending tripleheader at the Homestead-Miami Speedway leading the Winterfest standings. Given his performance in the opening event, it came as little surprise that the former karting standout once again had the JDC name near the top of the timesheets entering Round Three in south Florida. In a repeat of the previous race, Perdigão was again part of the mix for the win when the green flag waved, eventually coming home in a hard fought fourth place that featured second through fourth running in close formation at the stripe.
Unfortunately this proved to be the highlight of Perdigão’s event. While it initially appeared the talented young JDC racer had added another podium finish to his racing resume in Round Four, via another entertaining duel for positions among the lead pack, he was subsequently penalized 30 seconds for blocking by series officials, sending him to fifth in the final order. Perdigão continued to show good speed in series-finale race, however contact with another racer while battling for second place ended his race prematurely. Despite finishing his inaugural championship on the sidelines, Perdigão showed he and JDC MotorSports have the speed and skill to be USF2000 National Championship front-runners this coming season.
JDC MotorSports now resumes its extensive off-season testing program prior to the 2011 Cooper Tires presents the USF2000 National Championship powered by Mazda season commencing on March 17-18, at Sebring international Raceway, as part of the famed 12 Hours of Sebring event. With seats still available under the JDC MotorSports awning, interested drivers are urged to contact team principal John Church about opportunities for the coming season.
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
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.