It was a busy week for Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing. After a pair of podium finishes in the opening rounds at Sebring last weekend, the team headed straight to its shop in St. Petersburg to prepare for Rounds 3 and 4 of the Cooper Tires Presents the USF2000 National Championship Powered by Mazda, March 26-27.
The three-car team is hoping to perform well in front of its hometown crowd. With the race part of the IZOD IndyCar Series Grand Prix of St. Petersburg weekend, there will be plenty on hand to cheer on the St. Petersburg-based team.
Petri Suvanto, driver of the No. 3 machine, finished second and third in the two opening races of the USF2000 at Sebring, and currently sits tied for second in the points standing, only three points back from leader Luke Ellery.
“Having my first race under my belt, I cannot wait to go to the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg with a bit more of a relaxed mindset,” the young Finnish driver said. “Since my team is based here in St. Petersburg, I feel like if it was my home race, and it definitely adds a little extra incentive to the weekend. The goal is to try to improve on certain areas and hopefully it will lead to even better results. I've only raced on the streets once before and that was on Valencia street course last year, and that track is definitely a lot different from a typical street course so there is still a lot to learn. I can't wait to get in between those walls.”
For Shannon McIntosh, driver of the No. 2 Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing entry, this is her home race. She resides in St. Petersburg and has been studying the track as much as possible.
“On Sunday morning, I actually got kicked off, or asked to leave, whichever you prefer, the course while running it. Oops! I have been running on the course as often as I can lately. I actually live only two streets over from it. I've been trying to gain some visuals and ideas of how I'm going to drive it. It's amazing the amount of elevation change and crests that a street course has. Although there is still quite a bit of construction going on, I think that being able to see the corners and details in the street 'at my leisure' will come in handy when we get on track the first time this weekend.”
Vincent Beltoise, of France, will complete the three-car assault in the No. 32 machine. The young Frenchman was not happy with his performance at Sebring, and hopes to rebound on the streets of St. Petersburg.
“I struggled to find the limits of the car at the beginning of the race week at Sebring, but I worked with Dominic and Nicholas (Cape), and I felt much better about the car,” Beltoise said. “Unfortunately, I had contact in the opening laps of the second race so I didn’t get to test it. However, I feel much more comfortable and confident I will find my marks and be much quicker in St. Pete.”
The Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing drivers will first be on the track Friday, March 25th for a 20-minute practice beginning at 8:55 a.m., followed by a second 20-minute practice at 12:45 p.m. Qualifying is scheduled for 4:20 p.m. that same afternoon.
The drivers will take the green flag for Race 1 on Saturday, March 26th at 5:20 p.m., with Race 2 schedule the next day, March 27th, at 3:30 p.m. For the official schedule and to view live timing and scoring, please visit www.usf2000.com. Also, follow the team on Twitter for updates (CMwWTR).
Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing was formed in 2010 as a partnership between two successful racing entities. With leadership from brothers Nicholas and Dominic Cape, and along with Wayne Taylor and his organization in Indianapolis, the team campaigns cars in the Cooper Tires Presents the USF2000 National Championship Powered by Mazda. For more information, please visit www.capemotorsports.com.
The Capes have fielded a team every year since the series’ inception in the early 1990’s, placing second in the 2010 USF2000 National Championship Series points’ battle, capturing six podium finishes and two race-wins.