Megenbier finishes fifth and fourth at home race, earning two Hard Charger awards
MELROSE PARK, ILL. – Sick Tea Racing’s fine run of form in its inaugural season of Cooper Tires Presents the USF2000 National Championship Powered by Mazda competition continued over the weekend (August 19-20) with rookie standout Timmy Megenbier scoring two top-five finishes in front of numerous friends and supporters at Road America. The Illinois-based team has increasingly showed that it is not just content to gain experience in its first season in the Mazda Road to Indy series, but is instead always looking to challenge for top honors, as evidenced by a fifth place finish in Round Nine and a fourth place result in Round 10.
Road America is widely regarded as one of the premier road courses in North America and is always one of the highlights on the USF2000 National Championship calendar. For Sick Tea Racing, it is a key stop on the 12-race schedule. With the squad based in nearby Illinois, the Wisconsin track is the greatest opportunity to showcase itself to family, friends and sponsors. While the added pressure of performing in front of a large group of supporters might be daunting for some racers, it merely helps fuel Megenbier’s competitive edge.
Megenbier has enjoyed good success at his home track over the years, winning in a variety of racing classes, so confidence under the Sick Tea Racing awning was high when the action got underway via test and practice sessions on Thursday. As planned, Megenbier used the two on-track runs to work with his crew to fine tune his No. 17 Caputo Cheese/Rahal Foods backed Van Diemen-Mazda. Despite battling brake issues in the afternoon run, the squad still showed good speed, ending the day within the top-10.
Megenbier, being the lone driver under the team awning, entered qualifying on Friday morning aware that he did not have a guaranteed drafting partner when the green flag waved. Despite the disadvantage this would present on the multiple long straights at Road America, the former Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup champion showed great pace, earning a row four starting position for the afternoon Round Nine affair via the eighth best time of the session. Megenbier wasted little time showcasing his racecraft skills when the green flag waved for the opening race of the doubleheader, finding his way past several competitors. Dueling for positions all the way to the checkered flag, the Sick Tea racer crossed the stripe in fifth place, earning the Tilton Hard Charger Award.
With three straight top-five finishes now on his resume, Megenbier was confident that he could continue to impress in Round 10. Starting tenth in dry but threatening conditions, the talented racer did just that. As expected, Megenbier made some moves early on to advance up the scoring charts, but really came to the forefront when rain started falling around the four-mile track. Overcoming the slick conditions, Megenbier continued his charge forward, advancing into the top-five before the race was halted to allow the teams to switch to rain tires.
Megenbier continued to impress on the ensuing restart and one-lap dash to the checkered flag, displaying superb car control in front of his large group of supporters, scoring an impressive fourth place finish. The result not only further emphasized Sick Tea Racing’s commitment to success, but garnered Megenbier yet another Tilton Hard Charger Award.
“While I would have liked to have finished on the podium again, the weekend as a whole was a success,” stated Megenbier. “We struggled in practice with some brake issues, which didn’t allow us to really develop the set-up before qualifying. As a result, we were a little further down the order come race time. Fortunately, I was able to make some moves and work my way forward. In race two, the key was our pace in the wet. I was real close to passing for third on the last-lap dash, but didn’t want risk the car. Now it is on to the season-finale in Baltimore, where hopefully we can challenge for a place on the podium.”
Sick Tea Racing concludes its inaugural season in the Cooper Tires Presents the USF2000 National Championship Powered by Mazda on September 3-4, with a pair of races on the new Baltimore street circuit. The Illinois-based team enters Rounds 11 and 12 fifth in the Team standings as the top single-car squad, while Megenbier sits seventh in the title chase.