NEW ORLEANS, La. – Torrential rain and ever-changing track conditions challenged JDC Motorsports driver Parker Thompson during rounds three and four of the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda at NOLA Motorsports Park this past weekend (April 10-12), but the talented rookie rose to the occasion to put in a pair of impressive performances. The Canadian freshman finished seventh in the first race, run in dry conditions, and then conquered the limited visibility of the hard rain on Sunday to post his best result of the year, a career-best finish of fourth.
JDC MotorSports laid out a focused plan for the Thursday test day that was held ahead of the race weekend and Thompson delivered, as they developed a solid baseline set-up to begin the official sessions on Friday morning. Thompson, 17, continued his progression during the official practices on a dry track on Friday, remaining in the top-10 all day. During Saturday morning qualifying, he laid down a 1:39.143 to sit seventh, putting him on the inside of row four for the race that was held later that day. Thompson bettered his qualifying performance from St. Petersburg and decreased the gap to polesitter this time around. In the race, Parker stayed out of trouble and turned in a solid seventh place run.
It was in Sunday’s rain race where the young Canadian really stood out, masterfully handling the low visibility and challenging conditions. While others struggled, making race-ending mistakes, Thompson stayed consistent and paced himself to a career-best fourth place finish that vaulted him to seventh in the championship standings, just eight points out of fifth. After his Race 1 DNF in St. Petersburg, Thompson’s ability to rebound in New Orleans says a great deal about his maturity and the quality of the JDC MotorSports organization.
Thompson and his JDC MotorSports crew now look forward to the April 24-26 weekend when they return to the site of the second run of Cooper Tires Winterfest events – Barber Motorsports Park. Parker will be on-track on the morning of Friday, April 24 for the opening practice session of the weekend.
JDC MOTORSPORTS – DRIVER INFORMATION:
Parker Thompson - #80
Qualifying: 7th – 1:39.143 (+0.925 secs)
Race #1: 7th
Race #2: 4th
Driver Quote: “We all came together as a team this week at NOLA Motorsports Park and I can confidently say that things are starting to click. The conditions were very challenging, but we seemed to manage them with ease. We not only had great pace in the wet, but in dry conditions we were right there as well. I am very pleased with the end result, taking fourth place home, and I cannot wait for Barber Motorsports Park at the end of this month. Huge thanks to everyone at JDC Motorsports and the fans for sticking around this weekend in the rain!"
About JDC Motorsports:
Involved in formula car racing since its inception in 1994, JDC Motorsports has established itself as one of the leading junior open-wheel teams in North America. Initially making its mark in the F2000 class of club racing competition, JDC Motorsports was soon a team worth watching in the pro ranks. Competing in the Formula Ford 2000 Zetec Championship, the team not only won races, but also helped develop multiple young drivers. In 2005, JDC Motorsports expanded its efforts, entering the Star Mazda Championship. Quickly becoming one of the top teams in the series, JDC captured both the driver and team titles in 2007, as well as Rookie of the Year honors, with Dane Cameron scoring a series-high three wins. In 2008, JDC Motorsports was the runner-up in the Star Mazda Championship and finished fourth in its inaugural season of F2000 Championship Series competition. The Minnesota-based team won the Star Mazda Championship title with Rookie of the Year Adam Christodoulou, and the F2000 Championship Series title with Chris Miller in 2009. The following year, JDC continued its winning ways, earning the Rookie of the Year award in the Star Mazda Championship with Connor De Philippi, and scoring a non-points win in the USF2000 National Championship. In 2011, the Minneapolis-based squad captured its third Star Mazda Championship title with Tristan Vautier, scored a win in the USF2000 National Championship, and made its Prototype Lites Championship debut, earning five podium finishes. JDC Motorsports added to its Star Mazda Championship win tally, USF2000 Championship podium total, and finished as the Prototype Lites Championship runner-up in 2012. Last year, the squad continued its run of Pro Mazda and USF2000 podium finishes, and was third in the Prototype Lites title fight.