ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing announced today it has signed 21-year-old USAC product Shannon McIntosh to drive in the 2011 Cooper Tires presents the USF2000 National Championship powered by Mazda. McIntosh will pilot the No. 2 Mazda for the 12 USF2000 race events.
“We are excited to have Shannon join the team,” team principle Dominic Cape said. “We knew when we tested with her she had the skills, maturity and passion to compete for the championship. We are looking forward to a great season and positive results from Shannon.”
McIntosh, a Miamisburg, OH native, tested with a host of teams including Juncos Racing and JDC Motorsports before deciding on Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing. The Cape brothers, Dominic and Nicholas, have won five championships, three rookie-of-the-year honors and amassed 54 wins and 68 pole positions in the USF2000, IMSA Lites and Cooper Series. The Capes have worked with many drivers including NASCAR driver Kasey Kahne, open-wheel standout JR Hildebrand and 2011 Rolex 24 At Daytona class winner Andy Lally.
They have also 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. McIntosh will team with Finland native Petri Suvanto who was announced to the team just last week.
With more than 100 race wins over the course of her 16-year racing career, St. Petersburg, FL-based McIntosh competed in the USAC Midget regional series in 2010 under the guidance of Bob East, capturing four top-10 finishes, which included two podium and three top-five results.
“I’m so honored to have the opportunity that Dominic Cape and Wayne Taylor are giving me,” said McIntosh. “We put a lot of thought into running either USF2000 or Star Mazda in 2011, and we felt I would benefit greatly from progressing through the entire Mazda Road to Indy program from the first step. I have to thank all of my partners, investors and especially the fans for all the support I have been given over the course of my career. I look forward to the road ahead.”
As a five-year-old, the brunette McIntosh began her quest to one day compete in the IZOD IndyCar Series and attempt to qualify for the famed Indianapolis 500. McIntosh must first complete a three-step developmental ladder system, designed to bring up-and-coming drivers to the forefront of American open-wheel racing. She’ll make her debut in the ‘Mazda Road to Indy’ program in 2011, which also includes the Star Mazda Championship and Firestone Indy Lights, as part of the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development driver program.
In preparation for the USF2000 season-opener on March 17 at Sebring International Raceway, McIntosh and Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing will continue a rigorous off-season testing platform. The schedule continues with 11 additional race-events held in conjunction with the IZOD IndyCar Series, American Le Mans and USAC.
Glass Hammer Racing (beatbyagirl.org) and the book Indy 500: An American Icon have teamed to support McIntosh’s No. 2 USF2000 Mazda entry for 2011 in addition to Arai Helmets.
For more information, please visit
www.ShannonMcintosh.com,
www.CapeMotorsports.com, or
www.USF2000.com.
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.