Rookie Piedrahita advanced from last to third in Wisconsin, and was chased home by fellow rookie Ellery in fourth
MINNEAPOLIS, MN. (June 21, 2011) – JDC MotorSports further showcased its ability to give drivers the tools to challenge for top honors on Sunday (June 19), with a thrilling charge to the front in Round Six of the Cooper Tires Presents the USF2000 National Championship powered by Mazda at the Milwaukee Mile. Rookie star Juan Piedrahita advanced from the rear of the highly-talented field to score a third place podium finish at the historic Wisconsin oval, and was chased home by fellow first-year standout Luke Ellery, who crossed the stripe in fourth.
With an impressive result at the famed ‘Night Before the 500’ oval event – having led the majority of the race and earned a podium finish – already in the books, the JDC squad was looking forward to returning to circle track competition at the Milwaukee Mile. While the flat high-speed one-mile track features a much different layout than the Lucas Oil Raceway oval in Indiana, confidence was high entering the event.
As planned, the opening promoter’s test run on Thursday was utilized to get both Piedrahita and Ellery acclimated to the often treacherous oval, and beginning developing the always vital car setup. With the talented rookie racers continually working with the experienced and highly-rated JDC engineers and crew, both Piedrahita and Ellery steadily found more and more speed around the one-mile track. At the conclusion of the lone test run and the two practice sessions, the duo were fifth and sixth on the timecharts, mere tenths of a second behind the fastest overall time.
Single-car qualifying on Saturday afternoon unfortunately proved to be a mixed affair. Ellery found the track conditions not quite to his liking, ultimately earning a row three starting position in his No. 85 Melbourne IT/Luke-Ellery.com/Red Line Oil JDC MotorSports entry via the sixth best two-lap time. Piedrahita meanwhile appeared poised to potentially challenge for a front-row position in his No. 19 Petrosur/GFK Motors/Montopharma/Colombia es pasion/Red Line Oil/JDC MotorSports steed, before contact ended his two-lap run, sending to him to the rear of the field for the Round Six affair.
Thanks to some quality work by the JDC crew to repair Piedrahita’s car, both the Colombian and the Australian were ready to challenge for top honors when Sunday morning arrived. Mother Nature however had other ideas, with a rain shower delaying the proceedings. As a result of the wet track, and television coverage for the IZOD IndyCar Series, race six on the USF2000 National Championship calendar was pushed back to the end of the day.
When the cars finally rolled on-course, it was anyone’s guess as to how the rain shower and subsequent Indy Lights, IndyCar Series, and Star Mazda Championship races would alter the track conditions. That being said, when the green flag waved for the 50-lap race, it quickly became apparent that the JDC cars were the one’s to watch. Piedrahita, showing no ill effects from his qualifying crash, was on a charge right from the get go, rapidly working his way into the top-five. After battling a ‘loose’ car early on, Ellery followed suit, joining his teammate in the chase for a podium finish. In what proved to be one of the highlights of the race, the JDC twosome dueled for third place. Piedrahita in the end narrowly held off Ellery, earning a second consecutive podium finish. While Ellery ultimately just came up short in his pursuit of another visit to the podium, he set a new lap record of 29.418 in the process.
“First of all, I want to thank the JDC team for all of their effort,” said Piedrahita. “Yesterday, we had a really tough day. After being fast, I put the car in the wall during qualifying. I knew the car was really good. In the race, I gave all I had. The first couple of laps were really good. My car was great in traffic, and I was able to move up to P3. I was moving close to the front two, but in the end my car was getting loose, and I had to be delicate with the steering wheel. Third place is a good result, and I am really happy.”
“I had a very nervous and tail-happy car early-on,” commented Ellery. “Around the 10 lap mark the balance came to me and the car was pretty good. From that point forward I was really strong, particularly in traffic. I ran wheel-to-wheel with Juan to the finish line, and nearly stole third from him. All in all, I’m pretty satisfied with the race. The JDC guys did a great job at getting our weekend back on track, and we were ever so close to nailing the ultimate setup.”
JDC MotorSports now takes a break in the Cooper Tires Presents the USF2000 National Championship powered by Mazda action, with Rounds Seven and Eight slated for August 5-6, at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. The Minnesota-based squad enters the doubleheader third in the Team standings, while Ellery and Piedrahita are fifth and sixth in the title chase respectively.
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.