2012 U.S. F2000 National Championship

The 2012 U.S. F2000 National Championship is a season of the U.S. F2000 National Championship, an open wheel auto racing series that is the first step in IndyCar's Road to Indy ladder. It is the third full season of the series since its revival in 2010. Rookie Australian/American driver Matthew Brabham, son of Geoff Brabham, captured the title over is Cape Motosports teammate, second-year American Spencer Pigot by seven points in the final pair of races at Virginia International Raceway. Even though Pigot won the final two races of the season, Brabham's lead was large enough and his finishes in the final two races were high enough to capture the championship. Brabham only won four races compared to Pigot's eight wins. However, Brabham only failed to finish in the top-10 once with a single DNF while Pigot finished outside the top-10 three times in what would ultimately decide the championship. The only other driver to capture a race win during the season was Belardi Auto Racing's Scott Anderson.

Norwegian Henrik Furuseth captured the National Class championship over American R. C. Enerson in the final race of the season when Enerson was involved in an incident in the first lap of the race after passing Furuseth. The crash dropped Enerson to third in points as Mark Eaton finished second in class in the race and edged out Enerson for second place in National Class by four points.

One notable driver to compete in the championship was Michael Johnson of Flint, Michigan who is a paraplegic, having lost use of his legs in a motorcycle racing accident.[1] Johnson finished 15th in points with a best finish of tenth at Road America.

Drivers and teams edit

Team No. Drivers Notes
  Cape Motorsports
w/ Wayne Taylor Racing
2   Spencer Pigot[3]
3   Trent Hindman[4]
13   Henrik Furuseth[5] National Class
83   Matthew Brabham[6]
  Belardi Auto Racing 4   Roman Lagudi[7]
9   Luca Forgeois[8] Skipped Baltimore and VIR
  Wayne Boyd Baltimore and VIR only
11   Colin Thompson[9]
14   Scott Anderson[10]
  Pabst Racing Services 5   Dalton Kellett[11]
6   J. R. Smart[11] National Class; skipped Sebring
18   Shannon McIntosh[12]
  Andretti Autosport 7   Thomas McGregor[13]
8   Shelby Blackstock[14]
  ZSports Midwest w/ Team E Racing 10   R. C. Enerson[15] National Class
  Robinson Motor Sports 12   Eric Filgueiras[16] National Class; Sebring only
25   Joel Janco National Class; skipped Sebring
92   Mark Eaton National Class
97   Paul Alspach[17] National Class; Sebring and Mid-Ohio only
  Genoa Racing/Primus Racing 13   Isaac Lyons Sebring only
  ArmsUp Motorsports 15   Luigi Biangardi[18]
16   James Dayson National Class; Road America, Baltimore and VIR
59   Bobby Kelley National Class; Sebring only
  Afterburner Autosport 17   Timmy Megenbier[19] Sebring through Indianapolis
  Brian Tomasi Mid-Ohio and Road America
21   Heamin Choi[20] Skipped Baltimore and VIR
  JDC Motorsports 19   Neil Alberico[21]
38   Scott Hargrove[22] Skipped Indianapolis and Mid-Ohio
54   Michael Johnson[23]
85   Chris Miller Sebring through Mid-Ohio
  Luca Forgeois VIR only
93   Zac Silver[24] Sebring and St. Pete only
  JAY Motorsports 23   Jason Wolfe[25]
91   Patrick Gallagher[26] National Class
65   Michael Geldart National Class; Sebring only
98   Jim Libecco National Class; skipped Road America
  AcceleRace Motorsports 28   Ardie Greenamyer National Class; St. Pete only
  Special Addition Racing 41   Wally Osinga National Class; Sebring and St. Pete only
  PRL Motorsports 48   Patryk Tararuj National Class; Baltimore only
  Patrick Linn National Class; skipped Baltimore
99 National Class; Baltimore only
  MDL Racing 56   Matthew Di Leo
  Alliance Autosport 71   Scott Rettich[27] National Class; Sebring, St. Pete and Mid-Ohio only
  One Formula Racing 77   Colette Davis National Class; Sebring and St. Pete only
  Cruzinc Racing 86   Eric Cruz National Class

Race calendar and results edit

The race schedule was announced on January 11, 2012. Fourteen races were announced, all at venues that hosted the series in 2011.[28] The final race weekend's location and date were announced on January 17, 2012.[29]

Rnd Circuit Location Date Pole position Fastest lap Most laps led Winning driver Winning team Supporting
1 Sebring International Raceway Sebring, Florida March 15   Luigi Biangardi   Matthew Brabham   Matthew Brabham   Matthew Brabham   Cape Motorsports ALMS
2 March 16   Matthew Brabham   Matthew Brabham   Spencer Pigot   Cape Motorsports
3 Streets of St. Petersburg St. Petersburg, Florida March 24   Spencer Pigot   Matthew Brabham   Spencer Pigot   Spencer Pigot   Cape Motorsports IndyCar Series
4 March 25   Matthew Brabham   Spencer Pigot   Spencer Pigot   Cape Motorsports
5 Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis Clermont, Indiana May 26   Matthew Brabham   Matthew Brabham   Spencer Pigot   Spencer Pigot   Cape Motorsports USAC Midgets
6 Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course Lexington, Ohio August 4   Matthew Brabham   Spencer Pigot   Spencer Pigot   Spencer Pigot   Cape Motorsports IndyCar Series
7 August 5   Roman Lagudi   Scott Anderson   Scott Anderson   Belardi Auto Racing
8 Road America Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin August 17   Scott Anderson   Matthew Brabham   Spencer Pigot
  Matthew Brabham
  Matthew Brabham   Cape Motorsports ALMS
9   Scott Anderson   Matthew Brabham   Matthew Brabham   Cape Motorsports
10 August 18   Spencer Pigot   Scott Anderson   Scott Anderson   Belardi Auto Racing
11 Streets of Baltimore Baltimore, Maryland September 1 Qualifying abandoned   Matthew Brabham   Spencer Pigot   Spencer Pigot   Cape Motorsports IndyCar Series
12 September 2   Matthew Brabham   Matthew Brabham   Matthew Brabham   Cape Motorsports
13 Virginia International Raceway Danville, Virginia September 14   Spencer Pigot   Spencer Pigot   Spencer Pigot   Spencer Pigot   Cape Motorsports ALMS
14 September 15   Spencer Pigot   Spencer Pigot   Spencer Pigot   Cape Motorsports

Championship standings edit

Championship Class edit

Pos Driver SEB STP LOR MOH RAM BAL VIR Points
1   Matthew Brabham 1* 2* 2 2 2 3 25 1* 1* 3 2 1* 4 8 339
2   Spencer Pigot 3 1 1* 1* 1* 1* 23 16* 3 2 1 24 1* 1* 332
3   Scott Anderson 5 8 28 10 4 2 1* 3 2 1* 5 2 26 6 256
4   Matthew Di Leo 12 4 18 3 8 7 2 2 4 5 3 6 7 21 220
5   Trent Hindman 36 30 5 4 5 4 3 4 6 8 25 12 8 3 189
6   Roman Lagudi 2 3 3 5 3 5 16 7 9 28 7 27 173
7   Neil Alberico 9 5 17 34 16 19 6 5 5 6 13 5 2 5 170
8   Shelby Blackstock 7 32 6 8 18 6 5 21 8 4 21 8 6 7 153
9   Thomas McGregor 4 7 7 7 12 27 10 23 28 21 9 9 9 9 134
10   Luigi Biangardi 35 9 4 33 11 29 4 6 7 7 4 27 24 22 129
11   Scott Hargrove 11 11 30 32 8 13 9 6 3 5 4 128
12   Colin Thompson 8 10 31 13 14 8 28 9 10 20 12 4 10 10 103
13   Jason Wolfe 14 34 19 9 10 12 29 26 14 23 10 10 25 13 84
14   Dalton Kellett 10 19 33 14 20 9 7 10 16 22 26 21 11 26 78
15   Michael Johnson 18 27 13 25 17 13 24 11 29 10 14 26 12 11 72
16   Luca Forgeois 33 26 26 6 6 10 22 24 12 27 23 12 66
17   Heamin Choi 16 18 10 12 15 26 15 12 27 12 55
18   Shannon McIntosh 15 23 11 24 13 21 18 25 21 14 24 15 16 20 54
19   Timmy Megenbier 6 6 32 11 9 53
20   Chris Miller 26 15 8 26 19 11 13 22 11 25 52
21   Zac Silver 13 12 34 19 20
22   Isaac Lyons 31 35 2
Guest entries
  Wayne Boyd 26 11 3 2
  R. C. Enerson 7
  Brian Tomasi 17 DNS 13 15 DNS
  J. R. Smart 21
Pos Driver SEB STP LOR MOH RAM BAL VIR Points
Color Result
Gold Winner
Silver 2nd place
Bronze 3rd place
Green 4th & 5th place
Light Blue 6th–10th place
Dark Blue Finished
(Outside Top 10)
Purple Did not finish
Red Did not qualify
(DNQ)
Brown Withdrawn
(Wth)
Black Disqualified
(DSQ)
White Did not start
(DNS)
Blank Did not
participate
In-line notation
Championship Class only
Bold Pole position
(1 point)
Italics Ran fastest race lap
(1 point)
* Led most race laps
(1 point)
Not awarded if more than
one driver leads most laps

National Class edit

Pos Driver SEB STP MOH RAM BAL VIR Points
1   Henrik Furuseth 21 13 12 23 16 8 27 17 11 8 23 13 14 205
2   Mark Eaton 17 14 29 16 30 14 15 19 15 15 7 15 15 191
3   RC Enerson 29 17 9 15 14 11 14 18 13 11 28 14 25 187
4   Jim Libecco 28 22 20 20 20 9 22 13 18 16 98
5   Patrick Gallagher 22 33 15 17 18 26 17 20 24 27 14 95
6   Patrick Linn 23 31 21 22 23 17 DNS 23 17 17 16 17 19 95
7   J. R. Smart 22 21 24 20 28 22 16 16 17 19 17 85
8   Scott Rettich 19 16 14 18 15 27 79
9   Eric Cruz 32 25 25 28 25 21 18 24 18 19 18 20 24 56
10   Joel Janco 23 27 28 19 19 26 26 18 22 22 23 42
11   James Dayson 20 19 21 18 24
12   Ardie Greenamyer 16 30 11
Guest drivers ineligible for points
  Paul Alspach 30 21 22 12
  James Dayson 20 25 19
  Bobby Kelley 20 20
  Patryk Tararuj 23 20
  Michael Geldart 25 24
  Collete Davis 24 29 27 31
  Wally Osinga 27 DNS 24 29
  Eric Filgueiras 34 28
Pos Driver SEB STP MOH RAM BAL VIR Points

Teams' edit

Pos Team Points
1   Cape Motorsports w/ Wayne Taylor Racing 491
2   Belardi Auto Racing 310
3   JDC Motorsports 165
4   Andretti Autosport 144
5   MDL Racing 135
6   ArmsUp Motorsports 77
7   Afterburner Autosport 41
8   Pabst Racing Services 40
9   JAY Motorsports 40
10   ZSports Midwest 26
11   PRL Motorsports 14
12   Alliance Autosport 6
13   AcceleRace Motorsports 2

References edit

  1. ^ Patterson, Doug. USF2000 – Former Supermoto rider Michael Johnson Joins JDC MotorSports, Open Paddock, February 6, 2012, Retrieved 2012-09-15
  2. ^ "USF2000 Heads to Indianapolis". U.S. F2000 National Championship. Andersen Promotions, LLC. May 21, 2012. Archived from the original on February 5, 2013. Retrieved May 26, 2012.
  3. ^ Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing Completes Driver Line-Up with Pigot Signing Archived 2012-05-06 at the Wayback Machine, eFormulaCarNews, December 19, 2011, Retrieved 2011-12-21
  4. ^ Trent Hindman to Drive for Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing in 2012 Archived 2012-05-07 at the Wayback Machine, US F2000, October 10, 2011, Retrieved 2011-10-29
  5. ^ Stringfield, Ryan. Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing inks Furuseth Archived 2015-09-21 at the Wayback Machine, Junior Open Wheel Talent, February 21, 2012, Retrieved 2012-02-21
  6. ^ Matthew Brabham to Drive the No. 83 for Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing in 2012 Archived 2012-01-14 at the Wayback Machine, Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing, December 17, 2011, Retrieved 2011-12-17
  7. ^ Belardi Auto Racing Announce second USF2000 Driver Archived 2012-05-07 at the Wayback Machine, US F2000, November 8, 2011, Retrieved 2011-11-08
  8. ^ Belardi Auto Racing adds Forgeois to USF2000 lineup[permanent dead link], IndyCar.com, November 5, 2011, Retrieved 2011-11-06
  9. ^ New Addition to Belardi Auto Racing Roster Archived 2012-05-07 at the Wayback Machine, Belardi Auto Racing, December 5, 2011, Retrieved 2011-12-05
  10. ^ Skip Barber National Champion Signs with Belardi Auto Racing, Belardi Auto Racing, December 8, 2011, Retrieved 2011-12-08
  11. ^ a b Dalton Kellett to Drive for Pabst Racing Services in 2012 Archived 2012-05-07 at the Wayback Machine, US F2000, December 24, 2011, Retrieved 2011-12-27
  12. ^ McIntosh and TrueCar Join Pabst Racing Services in 2012, eFormulaCarNews, February 16, 2012, Retrieved 2012-02-16
  13. ^ "Andretti Autosport Signs Thomas McGregor to Compete with USF2000 Team". US F2000. October 27, 2011. Archived from the original on May 7, 2012. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  14. ^ "Shelby Blackstock Joins Andretti Autosport for 2012 USF2000 Season". Andretti Autosport. January 3, 2012. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
  15. ^ ZSports Signs Enerson for National Class Title Effort in USF2000 Championship Archived 2012-07-27 at archive.today, US F2000, February 24, 2012, Retrieved 2012-02-24
  16. ^ USF2000: Robinson Motor Sports Signs Filgueiras for Sebring Opener, eFormulaCarNews, January 20, 2012, Retrieved 2012-01-20
  17. ^ Alspach Joins Robinson Motor Sports for Winterfest and National Championship Openers Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine, eFormulacarNews, January 31, 2012, Retrieved 2012-01-31
  18. ^ Luigi Biangardi first to join Championship Winning F2000 Team ArmsUp Motorsports for 2012 USF2000 Season Archived 2013-02-05 at archive.today, U.S. F2000, January 11, 2012, Retrieved 2012-01-11
  19. ^ Afterburner Autosport Adds Megenbier to Driver Line-Up Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine, eFormulaCarNews, March 6, 2012, Retrieved 2012-03-06
  20. ^ Afterburner Autosport Signs Choi for Inaugural Championship Campaign Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine, eFormulaCarNews, March 5, 2012, Retrieved 2012-03-06
  21. ^ Alberico Joins JDC MotorSports for Title Challenge Archived 2012-01-11 at the Wayback Machine, eFormulaCarNews, January 4, 2012, Retrieved 2012-01-04
  22. ^ Hargrove Joins JDC MotorSports for 2012 USF2000 National Championship Archived 2012-05-07 at the Wayback Machine, US F2000, October 27, 2011, Retrieved 2011-10-29
  23. ^ Drivers, JDC Motorsports, Retrieved 2012-01-04
  24. ^ JDC MotorSports Signs Silver for 2012 USF2000 National Championship Archived 2012-05-07 at the Wayback Machine, US F2000, October 27, 2011, Retrieved 2011-10-29
  25. ^ "Wolfe to Drive for JAY Motorsports in USF2000". US F2000. November 10, 2011. Archived from the original on May 7, 2012. Retrieved November 11, 2011.
  26. ^ Stringfield, Ryan. Patrick Gallagher signs with JAY Motorsports Archived 2015-09-11 at the Wayback Machine, Junior Open Wheel Talent, February 13, 2012, Retrieved 2012-02-13
  27. ^ Scott Rettich Enters USF2000 Series Archived 2012-07-15 at archive.today, US F2000, February 24, 2012, Retrieved 2012-02-24
  28. ^ USF2000 Announces 2012 Schedule and Expansion to 14 Races Archived 2012-07-18 at archive.today, USF2000, January 11, 2012, Retrieved 2012-01-11
  29. ^ USF2000 Completes 2012 Schedule with the Addition of VIR Archived 2012-07-18 at archive.today, USF2000, January 17, 2012, Retrieved 2012-01-17

External links edit