May 27 and 28 – Race 8 – Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship

Oka, Quebec – Thomas Nepveu and his Cape Motorsports team will be at Lucas Oil Raceway (Near Indianapolis) on Thursday and Friday, where he will race his #2 Cromwell | Karting Excellence | Home Hardware single-seater for the first time on an oval. This presents the young driver with a whole new challenge, especially as this race offers a special points bonus towards the championship. The oval track is wider than the road courses he is used to, and Thomas Nepveu will certainly benefit from the day of testing held there a few weeks ago, as well as from the expertise of Cape Motorsports.

Thomas Nepveu and the Lucas Oil Raceway (0.685 mile, 1.1km - 12-degree banking in the turns)

Cape Motorsports and the rookie driver have paid particular attention to the preparation for this race. Dominic Cape, the team manager who is preparing Thomas Nepveu's car, told us that seat time is directly correlated to confidence and speed on an oval.

The test day held when everyone was in the area for the Indianapolis Grand Prix was particularly beneficial for the new driver: “We ran for a full day on the Lucas Oil Raceway oval, and I covered about 330 laps. It was my first time on an oval and I enjoyed the experience. The physical and mental challenge, the precision required to follow the correct lines and the concentration required in traffic during the 75 laps of the race will be a big challenge. There is no room for error, as the outside wall is very close, and I don't want to damage the car. Moreover, the race is important as 50% more points are awarded towards here towards the championship than at normal road race events. You must always be precise and avoid any sudden moves. A real challenge!” Thomas Nepveu told us in a telephone interview.

Daily Schedule (EDT)

· Thursday, May 27: Practice 1 – 11:00 to 11:45 AM | Practice 2 – 2:00 to 2:45 PM | Qualifying – 4:45 to 5:15 PM

· Friday, May 28: Practice – 4:05 to 4:20 PM | Race – 7:05 to 7:50 PM (75 laps – 45 min.)

Live Timing: Road to Indy TV application & Cooper Tires USF2000 Website

Breakfast Club of Canada

Thomas Nepveu is honoured to join to the Breakfast Club of Canada cause. He will add his name to a list of ambassadors dedicated to highlighting food insecurity among Canadian children and will participate in various fundraising events.

To make a donation on Thomas Nepveu's page: https://give.breakfastclubcanada.org/thomas-nepveu-pilote-de-course-professionnel-et-ambassadeur-du-club

Thomas Nepveu Partners

Cromwell

Cromwell is a private real-estate company active since 1986 in the multi-residential, office and commercial/ shopping centre segments.

Karting Excellence

A major reseller of sophisticated, up-to-date kart simulators, as well as offering driving courses for simulated racing, and kart track software development, based on liDAR technology.

Richelieu Hardware

Richelieu Hardware is the leading distributor of hardware products in North America, with over 80 points-of-sale across the continent.

Pétrole Bélanger

Transport, maintenance and delivery of petroleum and propane gas products to residential, commercial, and agriculture customers in the major Quebec regions for more than 65 years!

Home Hardware

With more than 1,000 independently owned outlets, Home Hardware is the most important distributor of renovation products in Canada.

Hamster

The largest Canadian-owned distributor of office products, which includes the Novexco commercial division.

PL-100

PL-100 with anti-friction treatment is the best all-purpose penetrating lubricant on the market. Its action is faster, longer lasting and more efficient than that of its competitors. PL-100 is a product from Prolab, a family-owned Quebec company established in 1985.

Ionik

This Quebec-based maker of sports-oriented clothing places a special emphasis on respect for the environment.

Centre de Médecine sportive de Laval

The Centre de Médecine sportive de Laval uses over 100 health professionals to deliver personalized medical services of the highest order to athletes of all levels.

King Canada

Canada’s leading distributor of woodworking, metalworking, automotive and material handling machinery, tools, equipment and accessories.

Festidrag Development

Under the leadership of Martin D’Anjou, this production and promotion house assist in the development of Canadian drivers’ careers, on as well as off the tracks.

The Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship

Managed and promoted by Andersen Promotions, LCC, the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship is the first step in the Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires, and leads on to more advanced stages in quicker, more competitive series: the Indy Pro F2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires, the Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires and the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, including the Indianapolis 500 and the top level in single-seater car racing in America. The champions of the three lower series earn major scholarships each year to help fund their next season in the Road to Indy program.

Cape Motorsports

Cape Motorsports prepares cars and provides trackside stewardship for drivers who rent one of their cars (Up to four) in the Cooper Tires USF2000 series. The team offers an unparalleled driver development program that includes training with simulators, as well as teaching driving techniques and race strategies. It is always difficult for a young driver to get into a professional series and make his mark, let alone win, no matter how talented he or she may be. With the coaching and mentoring provided by Cape Motorsports, new drivers acquire all the knowledge required to achieve maximum success quickly and efficiently.

The Road to Indy Program

The Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires program offers an entry level series into professional racing, the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship. From there, drivers move on to the Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires, which uses a more refined and quicker version of the USF2000 car. The drivers then move on to the Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires Series, using a much more powerful, much quicker and more complex car to set up and drive, in preparation for their move to America's top single-seaters, the super-fast NTT INDYCAR SERIES.

The Cooper Tires USF2000 Car

This series uses a standardized Tatuus USF-17 chassis which delivers an exciting level of performance and is a logical step up from the lower learner series to continue the development of young drivers.

The car features:

· A carbon fibre and aluminum honeycomb safety cell for the driver and the fuel tank, and carbon-fibre bodywork and wings

· A sealed two-litre (175 HP) engine and a six-speed sequential gearbox with steering-mounted paddle shifters

· Adjustable suspensions and front-rear brake bias

· Bespoke Cooper Tires

· A dry weight of 500 kg