Thomas Nepveu's busy season continued this weekend with the second round of the ROK Cup USA Florida Winter Tour (ROK - in the Senior ROK class) championship series presented at the Ocala Gran Prix track. After improving his times throughout the weekend, Thomas Nepveu started in tenth position for the 20-lap Final race on Sunday. Moving up to fifth place on the first lap and fourth on the second lap, the kart performed well in the first half of the race. An unfortunate drop in efficiency occurred late in the race and dropped the young driver from Oka to a well-managed sixth-place finish.

Weekend Summary According to Thomas Nepveu (extracts)

Thomas Nepveu continued to display his highly effective racing skills throughout the weekend, now back in the Senior ROK class to replace another driver from the PSL Karting team unable to attend. This return to a traditional kart with a 2-stroke engine and fixed final drive brings him back to a class of machines he knows intimately.

Friday (February 19): "It rained all day, harder during the afternoon qualifying session for tomorrow's Pre-Final. The kart was working better and better during the morning practice laps on a mixed wet and dry track. I was pushing hard in qualifying and ended up second quickest, a half-second behind the pole sitter. That put me second place on the grid for Heat 1. Everything was going well in that 12-lap race and I was third at the beginning of the last lap. I tried to move up to 2nd but a slight mistake left me in 6th in the end. The kart is getting better and better, but it will be dry tomorrow, and I'm starting 2nd for Heat 2. Everything is good!" concluded a driver who wants more out of the rest of the weekend.

Aggressiveness is essential to successful racing drivers. Legendary team owner Roger Penske once said of a young Paul Tracy, who broke so much equipment at the beginning of his career, that he preferred "A driver I have to calm down rather than one I have to light up!" In today's qualifying session, Thomas Nepveu went from first to sixth, to third and then back to first. He responded to the best efforts of the others without ever giving up. 

Saturday (February 20): "The warm-up got the day off to a good start and I was able to take the lead in Heat 2 and keep that advantage until the end of the race. For the second qualifying race of the day (Heat 3), I started well and led the race until a hit at the rear forced me onto the dirty part of the track and I ended up in 4th place at the finish. In the qualifying session, the kart was working well enough to allow me to set the 3rd fastest time and helped me secure a better spot on the grid for this afternoon's Pre-Final race. I started 3rd for the Pre-Final and managed to finish 6th on the track, despite a slight lack of speed. We will work on the kart tonight to do better tomorrow,” added the driver ready to go all-out on Sunday.

After three days of varying effectiveness from the kart, Thomas Nepveu demonstrated the extent of his talent during Sunday's race: his pure speed, his ability to anticipate the events around him, along with his smart management of his pace and of his tires in order to protect his position and maximize his final result. His consistently full-tilt attitude in the face of the kart's small but frustrating lack of speed, which significantly reduces his chances of winning, is a testament to his tenacity and to his total commitment to achieving his career goals.

Karting Championships

Participating in three championships over the summer adds up to 23 professional events over the season (13 in karts and 10 in USF2000 cars). Each weekend is composed of multiple practice/qualifying sessions, Pre-final and Final races depending on each series’ rules. The considerable amount of racing time, plus the hours spent on simulators, will certainly accelerate Thomas Nepveu’s learning process given the high level of competition in every series.

Driving Instructor

Thomas Nepveu's personality and technical knowledge also make him an ideal driving instructor, capable of transmitting his knowledge while making the student and the family comfortable during these important and often emotionally charged moments. Thomas Nepveu began working with novices in the spring of 2019, when he was only 14 years old, and continues to do so for the BCR (Ben Cooper Racing) race team. Last winter, with he even helped some PSL Karting drivers at a track in addition to taking care of his own machine (track walks, debrief meetings after each track session).

2021 Thomas Nepveu Karting Schedule

Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship

Thomas Nepveu's plans for the 2021 season call for him to participate for the first time in the eight (8) weekends of the USF2000 series (for a total of 18 races), the first of the four steps on the Road to Indy Program on the way to a career in IndyCar, the fastest and most prestigious single-seater series in North America.

The USF2000 professional-level series uses technically advanced cars that are all identical, and feature a reinforced carbon fibre central tub, adjustable front and rear spoilers, a sealed 175 hp engine and a six-speed gearbox with paddle shifters on the steering wheel, driver-adjustable front-rear braking distribution, and adjustable suspensions. The complexity of the car's settings and the analysis of driving and track performance data allow young drivers to learn how to refine their driving skills and gain a deeper understanding of the technical aspects of such sophisticated machines.

One year after suffering a last-lap heartbreak, Thomas Merrill raced to redemption with a last-lap pass to win Sunday’s 2021 Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli TA2® season-opening race at Sebring International Raceway. The win capped a last-to-first charge by Merrill as he took the lead on the final lap in the final corner. 2019 TA2® champion Rafa Matos finished second, with 2020 TA2® champion Mike Skeen taking third.  Merrill led only the final few moments to win in the No. 81 HP Tuners/Mike Cope Race Cars Ford Mustang. 
 
Starting on the pole, Merrill went spinning off course in Turn 3 as a fierce fight for the lead saw several cars going side by side in the opening moments of the race. The off course trip saw Merrill fall to 23^rd in the 25-car field. He recovered and methodically worked his way up to second, but was running out of laps when a red flag set up a green-white-checker finish. 
 
The calculated last-lap push to the win earned Merrill the Chill Out Moment of the Race as well as a lot of satisfaction after having spun out of the lead in Turn 3 in the 2020 Sebring race. 
 
"It was a lot of fun going side by side with some of the best racers in the country," said Merrill of his late race battles with Matos and Skeen. "That's what you need in a series. If you're going to race that fast and that close with that little grip, you need someone you can trust and someone professional beside you. It was just a lot of fun today. I was pretty fired up after my early spin but this car is so easy to drive it made me look good all the way up through the field. Halfway through I stopped being angry and just started enjoying Trans Am racing!"
 
Matos dominated the race in his return to the No. 88 3-Dimensional Services Ford Mustang. He took the lead on the third lap and led up until the final lap, finishing 0.612-seconds behind. However, he lost power steering with 10 laps remaining, and was at a disadvantage on the last restart.
 
“It wasn’t our day,” Matos said. “I’m completely tired and my arms are very sore. Now, we’ll have to wait until Road Atlanta. We came here this weekend thinking about the points, we have to finish every race in order to win the championship, so it was a points weekend for us. I thought I had it covered. I had a great run, but had an unfortunate problem with the power steering which took away our chance for victory today. Congrats to Thomas. I am sure that I will be on the podium with these two guys (Thomas Merrill and Mike Skeen) throughout the season."
 
Skeen began his TA2® title defense by completing the podium in his new No. 1 Liqui-Moly/Turn 14 Distribution Chevrolet Camaro, running in the top three for the entire event. He was only 0.692-seconds behind at the checkered flag.
 
"It's been a tough weekend here with our new car," said Skeen. "The Liqui-Moly Stevens Miller Racing guys were doing a lot of work to get us up to speed. We missed it a little bit in qualifying and started a little bit back, but we are happy to be here on the podium. These two guys had cars we just couldn't touch. I tried to give them a run for their money on the restart and make it a little bit interesting. Congratulations to Thomas (Merrill) for such a great comeback, especially after last year."
 
Mike Self took fourth in the No. 7 Sinclair Oil Corporation Camaro, followed by Franklin Futrelle in the No. 58 Innoviv/BH/IGOR/SecurTech Mustang and Masters winner Doug Peterson in the No. 87 3-Dimensional Mustang.
 
The late drama came about after Connor Mosack had an off-course excursion in Bishop’s Bend on board the No. 28 Nic Taylor/FS M1-SLR Camaro on the 24^th of 27 laps, setting up the green-white-checker finish. 
 
Misha Goikhberg got off to a great start in the No. 10 BC Race Cars Chevrolet Camaro, going from third-place starting position to take the lead as the top four drivers jostled for position. Goikhberg led two laps before Matos took the lead and began to pull away.
 
A full-course caution waved on the third lap when Jim Gallaugher spun in Turn 7 and could not continue in the No. 16 Madison Development Group/MCR Ford Mustang. During the caution, Scott Lagasse Jr. pitted from fourth place and parked the No. 92 SLR Chevrolet Camaro with mechanical issues. The owner/driver hopped atop his pit box and began coaching teammate Mosack, who was running seventh in the No. 28 Nic Taylor/FS M1-SLR Camaro and worked his way up to third before his incident at Bishop’s Bend.
 
Goikhberg’s strong day ended when he parked the No. 10 Camaro with mechanical issues after nine laps as four laps later, Edward Savadjian’s day ended when he pulled off in the No. 8 Big Machine Vodka Camaro. He had been running fifth, challenging Merrill for fourth.
 
Other drivers to suffer late-race misfortune included Tyler Kicera, who lost fuel pressure while running sixth in the No. 5 Silver Hare Racing Mustang on lap 17, and TA2® debutante Adrian Wlostowski, who cut a tire in the No. 3 Hawk Performance F.A.S.T. Auto Camaro while battling for a top-10 finish after 20 laps.
 
Next up for the TA2® competitors will be the Atlanta Speed Tour, March 26-28 at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.
 
The race will be exclusively live streamed on the Trans Am by Pirelli Racing App. (Click to Download and Subscribe)

Chris Dyson passed Ernie Francis Jr. in Turn 1 on the final lap to complete a last-to-first victory in Sunday’s Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli 2021 season opener at Sebring International Raceway.
 
Electing to change Pirelli tires before the start, Dyson gave up his second-row grid position and started at the back of the 22-car grid. Undeterred, he charged through the field in the No. 20 Plaid Ford Mustang for his seventh-career TA victory in the caution-free event.
 
"Coming down and fighting with Ernie (Francis Jr.) is why we come here to race, he and I both come here and use each other as a benchmark.," Dyson said. "The good Lord was looking down on us today, I am so blessed to be here. I've been down here for a week trying to prepare. I miss my family and I’m just happy to bring a win home.
 
"We didn't have much of a choice after yesterday's qualifying other than to change the tires and start from the back," explained Dyson. “I was hoping for a yellow, but it never came, so I just had to drive my head off.”
 
Francis Jr. led nearly all the way in the No. 98 Future Star/Breathless Racing Ford Mustang to begin his quest for an eighth-consecutive Trans Am title. Francis Jr. held off relentless pressure from both Tomy Drissi and later Dyson before finishing second, 0.659-seconds back.
 
"It was a really hard-fought battle with Chris Dyson out there," said Francis Jr. "It's always disappointing coming in second after leading most of the race. I have to thank my Breathless Racing team. They gave me a great car all weekend and we barely had to do anything to the car between sessions, it was there and it was on point all weekend. A little mistake by me in the race allowed Chris to get by, and I just burned up the equipment during the race. I will have to work on that for the next one."
 
Adam Andretti finished third in the No. 43 ECC/Anchor Bolt & Screw Dodge Challenger, in the thick of the battle throughout the race before falling back with ignition box problems.
 
"We had a good starting spot, got right up behind Ernie (Francis Jr.) at the beginning, but made a few mistakes early on," said Andretti. "Through it all we ended up with an ignition box failure the entire race. The dashboard was going crazy the whole time with the lights, so we were really just nursing it home at that point.
 
"I had a great time coming out here and being with my Trans Am family," Andretti said on the podium. "Racing with these competitors, there's nothing like it. They are true professionals, true champions, it's really a blessing. We are always out there racing for my dad and my brother. I love those guys and really miss them.”
 
Francis pulled away at the start, but Drissi began trimming the lead in the No. 8 Lucas Oil Chevrolet Camaro. Drissi managed to briefly pull ahead at the start/finish line with 10 laps remaining, but Francis retook the lead in Turn 1. Two laps later, Drissi spun in Turn 5 – costing him two positions and 30 seconds.
 
“Sorry guys,” Drissi said on his radio. “Big picture. Big picture.”
 
Dyson had taken third from Andretti moments before the Drissi spin and was 4.275-seconds behind Francis Jr. He nosed ahead with three laps remaining but spun, putting Francis Jr. back out front. Dyson didn’t lose much ground and continued the charge, regaining the lead on the final lap.
 
Justin Marks took fifth in the No. 99 Ave Motorsports, followed by Amy Ruman in the No. 23 McNichols Co./Cornertech/CNC Solutions Corvette.
 
In SGT, Justin Oakes took his second victory in three races driving the No. 11 Droneworks Corvette.
 
"I had a blast out there," said Oakes. "The whole team came together to give me a beast of a car. We made a lot of changes to it going into this race. We didn't get any testing done because of the conditions in Texas (COTA), but we showed up and everything worked great. I want to thank my competitors. I came to this series basically to race with guys like Lee (Saunders) and Mike (Phillips) and everyone else, and had so much fun doing it."
 
Defending series champion Lee Saunders led the opening four laps in the No. 84 Landsearch LLC Dodge Viper. Oakes needed five laps to take the lead, going on to win by 20 seconds.
 
"It was awesome running with Justin (Oakes) today," Saunders said. "We had some really close battles and he raced me super clean, so I really have to thank him for that. It's going to be a really fun season." 
 
Phillips took third in his Trans Am debut, driving the No. 97 F.A.S.T. Auto Racing Corvette. Aaron Pierce was in position for a podium finish before losing oil pressure with nine laps remaining.
 
Fourth-place finisher Lou Gigliotti was the Masters winner in SGT. He blew the head gasket in his No. 28 LG Motorsports Corvette during qualifying. His participation was doubtful when his team could not find a spare part. Fortunately, a late-night search ended at a local junkyard where a Corvette was found and the needed part was procured.
 
Philip Di Pippo topped the podium for the GT class in the No. 94 Sasco Sports Ford Mustang.
 
Round 2 for the Trans Am competitors will be the Atlanta Speed Tour, March 26-28 at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. The race will be exclusively live streamed on the Trans Am by Pirelli Racing App. (Click to Download and Subscribe)