OKA, Quebec, Canada – Seventeen-year-old Thomas Nepveu is proud to announce today that he will continue to run in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship over the coming season after a productive and promising rookie season in that series in 2021, during which he was one of only two rookies who won a race, then finished ninth in the season championship points and second in the Rookie-of-the-Year contest. Thomas Nepveu Motorsport has decided to move to the DEForce Racing team for the coming season.
“I am thrilled to join DEForce for the 2022 USF2000 series. Working with them for a few test sessions showed me their ability and I am ready to attack the coming season with nothing else than a hunger to win the Championship,” declared the young driver.
DEForce Racing
This Texas-based team was founded in 2016 by David and Ernesto Martinez. Family-run DEForce Racing has big dreams and goals justified by over 30 years of experience inside the family and a stellar record of successes such as the 2021 USF2000 title with Kiko Porto at the wheel. David and Ernesto Martinez joined forces in order to create the strongest driver development team in America. The goal is to become the benchmark team in all open-wheel feeding series in America.
“We are very excited to welcome Thomas into our program. He showed great potential and determination on his rookie campaign in 2021 and got his first win in a very competitive USF2000 season. We believe Thomas has the ability and experience to fight for a 2022 Championship. We will continue to work very hard over the winter, to make sure we remain on the top,” share David and Ernesto Martinez, DeForce Racing.
2021 Season
Thomas Nepveu made rapid progress over the 2021 season according to Coy Arbour, his Sporting Manager, who has accompanied Thomas Nepveu in his development for over eight years now, first in karts and now into single seaters as of 2021.
“We expected a lot from Thomas Nepveu for this first single seater season. The rookie kept a positive attitude throughout the 18 races, striving to attain and exceed the progressive goals that were set for him over the season, such as, successively: top-15, then top-10 and top-five finishes which he delivered over the season. The team also scored a victory at Elkhart Lake, an important milestone in his development, and perhaps a balm that makes up for finishing second to a teammates in the Rookie of the Year competition. We know that Thomas needs to improve on his qualifying runs, as passing is difficult in the USF2000 cars, and better grid spots will put him in a much better position to finish regularly in the top-5 and on the podium.” said Coy Arbour.