The 2014 U.S. F2000 National Championship was 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 was the fifth full season of the series since its revival in 2010. The National Class merged with the Championship class in 2014, resulting in just one class of competition.[1]
Frenchman Florian Latorre, driving for Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing, won the championship by winning the final race of the season over Team E's R. C. Enerson. Enerson started the season on a hot streak, winning three of the first four races, before a cold streak ensued. Meanwhile, Latorre had a steadily competitive season, only suffering one DNF in the penultimate race when he could have clinched the championship. Enerson won five races and finished on the podium in nine of the fourteen races. Meanwhile, Latorre only won three times and only scored eight podium finishes, his comparative lack of poor finishes gave him the championship. Latorre's championship gives him a Mazda Road to Indy scholarship to participate in the Pro Mazda Championship in 2015.
Latorre's teammate Jake Eidson finished third in the championship, ten points back from Enerson in a season where he scored two wins. ArmsUp Motorsports' Aaron Telitz scored a single win and finished in fourth place. Afterburner Autosport's Victor Franzoni of Brazil captured the season opener but struggled thereafter, and ultimately fell to fifth in points. The series' first trip to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course resulted in two drivers scoring their first and only wins of the season. Will Owen employed an aggressive tire strategy to win the first race on a drying racetrack after a rainstorm and JAY Motorsports' highly touted rookie Adrian Starrantino won the second race in what was otherwise a lackluster season.
Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing captured their third straight teams' championship, mainly in part, to the performances of Latorre and Eidson.
Drivers and teams
editAll teams were American-registered.
| Team | No. | Drivers | Rounds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afterburner Autosport | 15 |  Gustavo Myasava[2]
|
All |
| 17 | Victor Franzoni[2]
|
All | |
| 18 |  Jeroen Slaghekke[2]
|
1-7 | |
| ArmsUp Motorsports | 5 |  Aaron Telitz[2]
|
All |
| 16 |  James Dayson
|
8-14 | |
| 24 | Peter Portante[2]
|
All | |
| Belardi Auto Racing | 4 | Daniel Burkett[2]
|
All |
| 14 |  Florian Latorre[2]
|
1-7 | |
| 44 | Jeroen Slaghekke
|
8-14 | |
| 41 | Nico Jamin[2]
|
1-7 | |
| Pabst Racing Services | 21 | 8-14 | |
| 23 | Will Owen[2]
|
All | |
| 77 | Austin Cindric[2]
|
All | |
| Team E | 7 | R. C. Enerson[2]
|
All |
| Cape Motorsports w/ Wayne Taylor Racing |
2 | Jake Eidson[2]
|
All |
| 3 |  Keyvan Andres[2]
|
All | |
| 10 | Florian Latorre
|
8-14 | |
| D2D Motorsports | 61 | Andrew List[2]
|
All |
| GBI Racing | 12 | Tim Hollowell
|
5-6 |
| Kyle O'Gara
|
7 | ||
| JAY Motorsports | 91 | Adrian Starrantino[2]
|
All |
| 96 |  Henrik Furuseth[2]
|
All | |
| 98 | Colton Herta
|
3-14 | |
| JDC Motorsports | 93 | Garth Rickards
|
8-9 |
| 97 | Clark Toppe[2]
|
All | |
| John Cummiskey Racing | 33 | Nathan Blok
|
5-6, 8-9 |
| M2 Autosport | 13 |  Juan Maldonado[2]
|
All |
| 79 | Santiago Lozano[2]
|
All |
Team changes
edit- 2010 and 2011 team champions Andretti Autosport announced that they would not field U.S. F2000 entries in 2014.[3]
Race calendar and results
editThe series schedule, along with the other Road to Indy series, was announced on October 24, 2013. Unlike previous seasons, all races are in support of the IndyCar Series except the race at Lucas Oil Raceway. All road and street course race weekends are double-headers.[4] The series will race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Barber Motorsports Park, and Sonoma Raceway for the first time in its history. 2014 will be the first season since its revival that will not begin at Sebring Raceway.
Championship standings
editDrivers' Championship
edit
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Teams' Championship
edit| Pos | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cape Motorsports w/ Wayne Taylor Racing | 372 |
| 2 | ArmsUp Motorsports | 242 |
| 3 | Team E Racing | 232 |
| 4 | JAY Motorsports | 168 |
| 5 | Belardi Auto Racing | 141 |
| 6 | Afterburner Autosport | 135 |
| 7 | Pabst Racing | 115 |
| 8 | JDC Motorsports | 95 |
| 9 | D2D Motorsports | 56 |
| 10 | M2 Autosport | 37 |
| 11 | John Cummiskey Racing | 21 |
| 12 | GBI Racing | 12 |
References
edit- ^ Portante and Dayson to race with ArmsUp Motorsports in 2014, Motorsport.com, December 31, 2013, Retrieved 2014-1-1
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s "Peninsula Pipeline Grand Prix of St. Petersburg Entry List" (PDF). U.S. F2000 National Championship. IndyCar. March 25, 2014. Retrieved March 26, 2014.
- ^ DiZinno, Tony. Andretti Autosport reveals IndyCar liveries, full 2014 plans, NBC Sports, January 13, 2014, Retrieved 2014-1-31
- ^ Mazda Road to Indy 2014 Schedule Confirmed Archived 2013-11-04 at the Wayback Machine, Andsersen Promotions PR, October 24, 2013, Retrieved 2013-11-05