Miami, Fla.-- Nico Jamin's week at Lucas Oil Raceway started Thursday with a promoter test day. The Frenchman and the competitors of the 2015 Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda had three test sessions to get acclimated to the 0.686-mile oval-track, located only five miles from the big "Speedway" in Indianapolis, where Jamin won his back-to-back victories two weeks ago. Throughout the three sessions, Jamin and his Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing teammate Aaron Telitz were always running in the top three.
Round 9 of the 2015 championship officially started with a free practice session, with all competitors running together on track. Jamin, who worked extensively with his engineers to find the best set-up for his car following Thursday's practice, ended the session in second place.
Every year for the USF2000 round at Lucas Oil Raceway, the qualifying order is determined by drawing, and Jamin went last in qualifying. His first lap was good enough to eclipse Eidson from the provisional pole. Jamin earned his sixth pole position of the season and his first-ever on an oval track. The pole gave Jamin a bonus point (207 points), which put him 20 points ahead of Eidson (187 points) after eight races.
Jamin was going for his fourth win in a row last Saturday, but came a little bit short.
After losing the lead on lap 1, Jamin driving the No. 2 Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing/Synova Eco Plastics/BRM Chronographes/All Road Academy USF2000 Mazda, was never in a position to take it back from race leader Eidson. At mid-race he came very close, but slow cars ahead of him did not help the Frenchman make the pass. Championship leader Jamin gave everything he had in the only oval race of the year but finished second in the Freedom 75, only 0.5834 of a second behind winner Eidson.
This race was really beneficial for Jamin who learned a lot, especially in traffic, and collected a ton of oval-track experience for his "Mazda Road to Indy" future.
"Eidson took a better start than me. I was very close all race long. I did my best but was not able to close at the end and win another race," Jamin said.
Jamin scored his eighth podium finish of the season and recorded the fastest lap of the race and grabbed another bonus point for the championship. After this race, Jamin keeps the lead in the 2015 Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship lead after nine rounds.
The next rounds 10 and 11 of the Cooper Tires USF2000 National Championship Powered by Mazda championship are scheduled for June 12-14 on a temporary street course, downtown Toronto, in Ontario, Canada.