TORONTO – Winning in his home country has been a dream for Canadian Parker Thompson from the very first day he entered the Mazda Road to Indy, and the 18-year-old driver from Red Deer, Alberta accomplished his goal last Sunday (July 17) when he topped a talented field of drivers on the streets of Toronto. Thompson drove his #2 Weyburn Energy / Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing Van Diemen to the victory in the second race of Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda series and, as a result, he has taken a 20-point lead in the championship standings with just two events left on the schedule. Parker’s win on the temporary circuit of the Toronto Indy at Exhibition Place was his fourth of the season.
“Words can't describe what it meant to win on home soil at the Grand Prix of Toronto,” Parker Thompson enthused, having stepped to the top rung of the podium on Sunday. “It was easily the most hard-fought and emotional win I've had this season. I’m very proud I could be the one to get the deserving Canadian fans a Mazda Road to Indy win this weekend! I’m also very happy to get a win in front of my family, friends, and partners that were able to make it out to the race this weekend! Weyburn Energy picked an awesome race to come watch, and getting a win in front of them was incredible! Huge thanks to everyone who has supported me this far, and all of the new supporters I have gained this week in Toronto!”
After running a pair of practice sessions on Friday, Parker qualified third during the timed session on Saturday morning, which put him on the inside of the second row for the first race of the weekend. Thompson ran a steady race and brought home an important third place finish, which was even more crucial in light of the fact that his closest championship challenger crashed midway through the 30-minute event.
In the second race, held on Sunday, Parker quickly moved to the lead and then ran a flawless race to win in front of the fans who were filing into Exhibition Place for the running of the Verizon IndyCar Series main event. Thompson posted a 0.9177-second victory over his teammate Anthony Martin to stretch his championship lead to 20 points.
The entire event was a tremendous success for Parker, not only on the track but off it, as well. The media attention was significant, as Parker was interviewed on CP24 heading into the weekend, discussing the Mazda Road to Indy. Thompson attended the Toronto Argonauts football game at BMO Field on Wednesday and visited Mazda Canada on Thursday afternoon for a Q&A session with the staff. The weekend was packed with events, including an autograph session and another Q&A on Sunday at the Cooper Tires stage in Thunder Alley.
The final events of the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda will take place at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course next weekend and in early September at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. The upcoming race at Mid-Ohio will be a tripleheader, which will set the stage for the final championship fight at the ‘Soul Red Finale’ in Monterey, CA on September 9-11. Parker is gunning for the championship title, which includes a scholarship supplied by Mazda to race in the Pro Mazda Championship in 2017.
The on-track sessions from Mid-Ohio will be broadcast live on roadtoindy.tv and can be streamed through the Mazda Road to Indy app, which is available on iTunes and Google Play for Android devices. Parker Thompson fans can also find these shows available on Apple TV, Amazon Fire and Roku TV on the new Road to Indy channel.
Parker is thankful for the opportunities provided to him by his valued partners, including Weyburn Energy, Uber, Sylvan Lake RV, Bell Helmets, OMP Racing, Lapizta Watches, Openhwy, Mazda and Cooper Tires.
About Parker Thompson:
Parker was born and raised in Red Deer, Alberta and got behind the wheel of his first kart at the age of eight. He went from being a weekend warrior rolling a kart and toolbox in the back of a family half-ton in Calgary, to a championship-winning fixture in many of the world’s top karting events. In 2012, Parker was the first ever North American to make it to the podium in the Junior Rotax category at the Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals in Portimao, Portugal where he was awarded the third ranking in the world. At the age of 14, Thompson went on to live in Italy, leaving family and friends behind to race in Europe full-time with the Energy Corse Factory team. This move helped accelerate his dream of becoming a professional racecar driver. He had a record-breaking season for a Canadian, producing results yet to be seen by a North American competing at the world stage in Europe. Currently, the accomplished 18-year-old looks to make it one step closer to his dream of a professional racecar driver and make the jump to racing formula cars. After finishing fifth overall in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda last year, for 2016, Thompson has signed a deal with championship-winning Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing.