NEW ORLEANS - The early-season learning curve will be steep for JDC MotorSports’ rookie Parker Thompson as he tackles the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda, but the arrival of the second stop on the eight-weekend schedule provides a comforting measure of familiarity. The Red Deer, Alberta teen has already logged significant track time on the 2.74-mile, 13-turn road course at NOLA Motorsports Park in New Orleans, where the series will reconvene this coming weekend (April 10-12) to continue the chase for the championship. The 17-year-old participated in the pre-season Cooper Tires Winterfest program in February where he ran three races over two days, finishing all 56 race laps to post a trio of top-eight finishes, highlighted by a pair of seventh place runs in Race 2 and 3. Coming off an impressive sixth place finish in the season-opener series race at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg just over a week ago, the young Canadian will be focused on breaking into the top-five and standing on the podium as the series joins the Verizon IndyCar Series for this debut event.
“Parker’s mental toughness was put to the test in St. Petersburg after an incident on the opening lap of Race 1, but he bounced back like a pro for Race 2 and came home sixth,” commented John Church, JDC MotorSports Team Principal. “He was challenged and he responded, which is a great sign. His speed at NOLA during Winterfest gives us much optimism for this coming weekend, but our true focus will be on developing his skills and finding more speed. Good results are a positive, but we must remain dedicated to his development as a driver.”
The Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda will open up the action at the Grand Prix of Louisiana on Friday morning with their first practice session at 8:20am CDT. A second session will be run at 2:00pm. Qualifying is scheduled for 9:50am on Saturday morning, ahead of Race #1 at 3:30pm. The second race of the doubleheader is set for 10:15am on Sunday, April 12. JDC MotorSports and Parker Thompson followers can tune into live play-by-play and live timing by downloading the new ‘Road to Indy TV’ app in iTunes or the Google Play store.
JDC MOTORSPORTS – DRIVER INFORMATION:
Parker Thompson - #80
Age: 17
Hometown: Red Deer. Alberta
Sponsors: Bell Helmets, OMP, Parker Thompson: Drive to Stay Alive
2015 Record:
Point Standings: 9th
Best Finish: 6th – St. Petersburg – Race 2
Best Qualifying Position: 7th – St. Petersburg – Race 2
Driver Quote: “I feel really good coming into this race with JDC MotorSports. This is one of the two tracks that I will be going to this year that I actually tested on during Winterfest, so we have a baseline headed into the event. On top of that, the schedule gives USF2000 a ton of test time to dial things in and I think that will really benefit my program, as well. All in all, my team is hungry after St. Pete. We all know we have the pace, it's just a matter of proving it and NOLA feels like the place to show everyone what we can do."
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. The following year, JDC continued its winning ways, earning the Rookie of the Year award in the Star Mazda Championship with Connor De Philippi, and scoring a non-points win in the USF2000 National Championship. In 2011, the Minneapolis-based squad captured its third Star Mazda Championship title with Tristan Vautier, scored a win in the USF2000 National Championship, and made its Prototype Lites Championship debut, earning five podium finishes. JDC Motorsports added to its Star Mazda Championship win tally, USF2000 Championship podium total, and finished as the Prototype Lites Championship runner-up in 2012. Last year, the squad continued its run of Pro Mazda and USF2000 podium finishes, and was third in the Prototype Lites title fight