LEXINGTON, Ohio – Pabst Racing entered Rounds 10 and 11 of the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Series season with unswerving determination and confidence following a tried and true outing on the Streets of Toronto. This was evident with the double podiums produced by Hunter McElrea’s victory and second place finish and Colin Kaminsky’s pair of third-place results at the 2.258-mile, 13-turn Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
It was a successful weekend for the organization as Bruna Tomaselli and Yuven Sundaramoorthy earned their career best finishes, respectively placing fifth and sixth.
McElrea made tremendous gains on the points leader, closing the gap to only nine markers with Kaminsky just eight points away from the third spot. Meanwhile, Tomaselli ranks only six points out of seventh while Sundaramoorthy is just six points outside of the top-10.
It was evident that McElrea, Sundaramoorthy, Kaminsky, and Tomaselli had fast cars, as they respectively posted the first, third, fourth, and eighth-fastest times in the sole practice session of the weekend.
The team’s quick start carried over for Round 10’s qualifying session as McElrea earned the pole with Sundaramoorthy (third), Tomaselli (fourth), and Kaminsky (fifth) making their presence known at the front of the starting grid.
Despite losing spots in the early going of Round 10, McElrea and Kaminsky recovered in the closing laps to score podium results (second and third) while Tomaselli and Sundaramoorthy finished fifth and sixth.
Lightning struck twice for McElrea as he earned the pole for Round 11. In like manner, Kaminsky (third), Sundaramoorthy (fourth), and Tomaselli (14th) were up for the task in their fast cars.
As the green flag unfurled for Round 11, McElrea was on a mission, putting together a virtually flawless performance. Leading from start-to-finish, the 19-year-old rookie scored his second win of the season.
Meanwhile, Kaminsky raced his way to another terrific third-place finish while Tomaselli placed 10th followed by Sundaramoorthy in 14th.
"Overall, it was a near perfect weekend for us,” McElrea said. “The Pabst Racing team gave us an incredible car. We were quickest in practice (and we had a) double pole. Unfortunately, we just missed out on the win (in Round 10), but we dominated Round 11.
I couldn't ask for anything more. It’s just a credit to the boys for their hard work. I can't thank Mazda Motorsports enough for the opportunity. All four of us were at the front and I hope we'll keep this momentum rolling at Portland. I just can't wait!"
Pabst Racing owner Augie Pabst reflected on the solid performance by the team.
“Our Mid Ohio results were exactly what we needed to stay in the championship fight,” Pabst said. “Our entire team put in an amazing effort throughout the entire weekend. I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
Following a brilliant weekend at Mid-Ohio, Pabst Racing and their rivals will prepare for Rounds 12 and 13 at the 1.964-mile, 12-turn Portland International Raceway on August 29-September 1, 2019.