Colombian teenager joins Minnesota squad after limited Star Mazda run last year
MINNEAPOLIS, MN. (March 2, 2011) – JDC MotorSports is pleased to announce that Juan Piedrahita will be part of the squad’s multi-car assault on the upcoming 2011 Cooper Tires presents the USF2000 National Championship powered by Mazda title. The talented Colombian teenager joins the Minnesota-based team, having shown good speed and skill in his American junior formula car debut last year.
After a race-winning opening campaign in the revitalized USF2000 National Championship last season, JDC MotorSports has its sights set squarely on a championship run in 2011. With that goal in mind, the former F2000 Championship Series champion and two-time Star Mazda Championship winning team has begun assembling a talented driver line-up. Piedrahita is the latest addition, joining forces with JDC following a limited Star Mazda campaign in 2010, in which he scored one top-five and two top-10s as one of the series youngest competitors. Piedrahita, who will pilot the No. 19 Petrosur/GFK Motors/Montopharma/ Colombia es pasion/Red Line Oil/JDC MotorSports entry, will partner fellow series rookie star Luke Ellery under the JDC awning in the USF2000 paddock.
“We are very excited to have teamed up with Juan for the 2011 season.” said Church. “Juan is a very talented driver and did a great job when he tested with us. We feel Juan will definitely be a contender for the championship title.”
“I’m glad to be part of JDC this year,” stated Piedrahita. “It is such a great winning team with very experienced people. I’m sure I will be fighting for the championship. I want to thank Petrosur for making this possible and off course my family.”
A native of Colombia who currently resides in Mexico City, Mexico, Piedrahita enters the 2011 race season having already raced a variety of formula cars in his young career. First getting behind the wheel at the age of nine, Piedrahita won back-to-back Easykart Mexico titles and a Super Karts Cup Mexico Jr. ICA Jr. title before advancing to car competition in 2008. After a one-off outing in Formula VEE Mexico, the teenager raced a Formula Renault 2.0 car, earning two podium finishes. Advancing up the motorsports ladder last season, he contested two Molecule Formula Car Challenge races in the Pro Mazda class, before running eight races in the highly competitive Star Mazda Championship, taking home one top-five and two top-10 finishes.
JDC MotorSports commences its pursuit of top honors in the Cooper Tires presents the USF2000 National Championship powered by Mazda on March 17-18, with Rounds One and Two at Sebring International Raceway, as part of the historic Mobil 12 Hours of Sebring event in central Florida. Prior to the start of the 2011 season, JDC will continue its off-season testing program, with interested driers urged to contact the squad.
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.