A thrilling 30-minute qualifying session for Round Three of the Cooper Tires Presents the USF2000 National Championship Powered by Mazda ended with 17-year-old MAZDASPEED Development driver Spencer Pigot turning a last-gasp lap at 1:13.955 (an average speed of 87.621 mph) to edge Colombian-born, Mexico City-based Juan Piedrahita by a scant 0.002 seconds.

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.

USF2000 rookie driver Shannon McIntosh won’t have to go far to make her first attempt in a street race where she is set to compete in downtown St. Petersburg just blocks from her residence.

Just one week after emerging victorious from a thrilling race at the famed Sebring International Raceway road course, young Australian Luke Ellery this weekend will defend his hard-earned lead in the Cooper Tires Presents the USF2000 National Championship Powered by Mazda on the tight and unforgiving 1.8-mile street circuit in St. Petersburg, Fla.

The 2011 edition of the Cooper Tires presents the USF2000 National Championship powered by Mazda commenced in superb fashion for JDC MotorSports this past week (March 17-18), as the Minnesota-based squad made a trip to victory lane and added two top-five finishes at Sebring International Raceway.