Details

Category: Road Racing

Indianapolis, Indiana – Given that rain had disrupted the Friday schedule, Thomas Nepveu and his #2 Cromwell | Karting Excellence | Home Hardware car prepared by Cape Motorsports took the start of the “Cooper Tire Freedom 75” this morning (Saturday) on the Lucas Oil Raceway. This was his first start on an oval track, as he started 16th and gave us one of his patented super starts to move up to 15th place, which he held until the 31st lap of the race. He then held on to that position until lap 60 when he moved up to 14th position, where he eventually finished.

Thursday (May 27) was an important day for Thomas Nepveu: he covered some 150 laps over the two practice sessions in order to build his confidence in himself and in his car's capabilities and worked with his team to fine-tune the set-up as his level of experience and confidence grew throughout the day.

“On Thursday, Thomas improved in every session and his best laps were in qualifying, I am sure he has more confidence for the race. On Saturday, Thomas approached the race with the correct attitude. He had a good start and fought tooth-and-nail for 75 laps. He matched his qualifying time in race trim. It was a very good performance for his first oval race.” declared Dominic Cape, the president of Cape Motorsports, after the race.

Thomas Nepveu Talks About His Experiences On The Track

"Our goal in Thursday's practice was to gain confidence on the oval and understand the potential of my #2 Cromwell | Karting Excellence | Home Hardware car. The team added downforce for the second practice session, and I felt more comfortable in that session and in qualifying.

"In the race, my confidence continued to grow as the car worked perfectly, with the same set-up as my teammate Michael D'Orlando who took the win. I was ready to attack towards the halfway point of the race, but the lack of caution periods didn't allow me to move up to the front in the relatively heavy traffic around me in the final third of the race.

"I worked hard on my driving precision and staying focused throughout the race in order not to make any mistakes. I've learned a lot and I can't wait to get back to an oval track and apply the experience I gained today," explained Thomas Nepveu, the sole Canadian driver in this series.

Oval racing is an integral part of IndyCar, the target series for Thomas Nepveu. It makes sense for a development series like the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship to visit such a track to prepare the young drivers for the high-speed oval tracks visited by the IndyCar Series, such as Indianapolis, Texas Motor Speedway and World Wide Technology Raceway.

Next event – June 17 to 20 – Road America (Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin)

Thomas Nepveu and Cape Motorsports will be back on track with the #2 Cromwell | Karting Excellence | Home Hardware car from June 17 to 20 for the Road America event.

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

Details

Category: Road Racing

ST Racing reinvigorated its championship assault in the 24H SERIES with another podium finish at the Hankook 12H HOCKENHEIMRING, despite a difficult end to the weekend in Germany.

Nick Wittmer kicked off ST Racing’s first race weekend at the Hockenheimring, a venue at which only one of the four drivers have competed previously, with a 1m 48.210s laptime in qualifying, securing the Canadian team’s fifth consecutive class pole position in the 24H SERIES in the process.

Problems for ST Racing’s immediate rival – the PROsport Racing Aston Martin Vantage – meant the #438 BMW M4 GT4 held a sizable four-lap gap after just one hour of racing on Saturday afternoon, an advantage Nick Wittmer, Jon Miller, Chandler Hull and team owner Samantha Tan had extended to six laps when the race went into its overnight hiatus five and a half hours later.

Ill fortune regrettably hit the #438 BMW hard when racing continued the following day. Jon Miller was forced to pit just 11 laps into his first stint when the M4’s left front rotor exploded on-track, although the former SRO America GT4 SprintX West Drivers’ champion skillfully managed to recover the BMW back to the pits with minimal damage. A superb effort from ST Racing’s experienced mechanics meant Jon was back out on-track just over 20 minutes later, and across the following stints, Jon, Samantha and Nick managed to more than halve the deficit to the PROsport Aston from five laps to two.

Unfortunately, a broken rear sub-frame meant the #438 BMW M4 GT4 was forced to retire from the event with less than two hours left to run. Having completed the requisite distance though to earn championship points, ST Racing was still classified 2nd at the end of the Hankook 12H HOCKENHEIMRING. This marks the fourth podium in five events for the Canadian team in the 24H SERIES this season, and also moves ST Racing up to fourth in the standings, just 11 points adrift from the top.

Kenneth Tan, team principal: “I have mixed emotions from this race. Although I cannot complain about finishing P2 and collecting valuable points, I am not satisfied with that result when we had done everything properly before and during the race: our mechanics prepped the car perfectly and our drivers executed as planned. We were in P1 until literally the 11th hour. In the end, a likely factory defect from the manufacturer of our brake rotors was to blame for the DNF. Both front rotors developed large cracks and broke into pieces. We have been using the same make of rotors and pads since we started endurance racing in 2019 so this was very strange. Nevertheless, our team continues to learn valuable lessons and these issues can only make us better going forward. I would like to thank BMW Motorsport for their continued support as well as Bas Koeten Racing for all their assistance in helping us get our M4 GT4 ready for Hockenheim in such a short period after the mishap at Paul Ricard. Now, we will be even stronger going into the 24H PORTIMAO. We cannot wait!”

Samantha Tan, driver: “Another bittersweet race for us at the 12H HOCKENHEIMRING. This was everyone’s first time at the Hockenheimring, except Chandler, and we all got up to speed quickly once again. The team prepped an amazing car, and Nick, Jon, Chandler and I ran strong, consistent laps. After the first 6.5 hours, we were 14th overall and 1st in-class, and had high hopes for the next day, but shortly after the restart, the front left brake rotor exploded on Jon, which dropped us behind the PROsport Aston. With sheer determination, and aided by some exceptional pit stops, Jon, Nick, and I were able to recover five laps to put us back within striking range of the class win. However, it just wasn’t meant to be. With 1.5 hours to go, the rear left subframe failed, and Nick had to bring the car back into the garage. Each of these races have been a huge learning experience for us in our maiden endurance racing season, and although we’ve had some bad luck as of late, we always come back stronger and more knowledgeable. I have the utmost faith in my team and my co-drivers, and know that we’ll be on the top step together again very soon. As always, thank you to our sponsors and to BMW Motorsport for giving us trackside support.”

Jon Miller, driver: “The team and my co-drivers delivered as always and it was great to have Nick Wittmer back with us. During my opening stint on Sunday, the left front brake rotor exploded as I went to the brake pedal in turn eight. Thankfully, I was able to keep it out of the wall and gravel trap and got it back to pit lane pretty quickly. The crew nailed a quick fix that kept us in the race, but we were still concerned about the brakes for the rest of the day. We changed our driving style and approach to the race, and we were still able to claw back to within reach of the leader until another issue set us back. It’s frustrating to miss out on the results we know that we can achieve, but everyone is looking forward to the next race. Portimão will be a big challenge. Another new track for the team and drivers and I’m sure it will be hot! As always, thank you to Race For RP (Relapsing Polychondritis) for their continued support. It’s an honour to represent them on and off-track.”

Chandler Hull, driver: “This weekend started off great again. My co-drivers and I were up to speed quickly with another new track, and the car the crew gave us was fantastic. Everything looked to be on the up during the first half of the race. Unfortunately, the next day, brake issues meant we lost our comfortable lead. Things only continued to go downhill from there when the rear subframe broke, ending our day. Despite these issues I couldn’t be more proud to be a part of this team. Everyone is on the same page and when something does go wrong, there is never any panic, just devotion to fixing the problem as quickly as possible. We’re holding our heads high, and I’m looking forward to Portimão in July.”

Nick Wittmer, driver: “We had a great qualifying, putting the car on pole. The team did an amazing job setting the car up and we couldn't have done it without them. We had a perfect start to the race, with each driver having a great stint on day one. On day two, we maintained our lead until we ran into mechanical issues. We did the best we could but unfortunately we had to retire the car. But we're happy with our 2nd place and thankfully we still keep our points since we finished more than 60 per cent of the race.”

Samantha, Jon, Chandler and Nick will be back in action at the next round of the 24H SERIES on 16-17-18 July at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve in Portugal. The team’s GT4 America Series campaign meanwhile resumes in just two weeks time at the Virginia International Raceway on 4-6 June, where two ST Racing-prepared BMW M4 GT4s will compete for Pro/Am and Silver class honours as well as one BMW M2 CS Racing in TCX class.

Details

Category: Road Racing

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

Details

Category: Road Racing

Formal Training

Formula Bridgestone Academy 2018

IMSA Hot Lap (AMG Driving School) 2017

Durham College (Power Train Management) 2016

Ford Performance Driving Skills 2014-2015

Scholarships

Formula Team Canada Scholarship, 2019

Bob McCallum Scholarship, 2019

Race Teams

Mark Motors Porsche / Best Line Motorsports 2020 – Current

Brian Graham Racing 2019 – Current

Cliff Dempsey Racing 2019

Intrepid Kart North America 2016

Experience / Seasons Years of Racing Experience: 11

F1600 Ontario, Brian Graham Racing, Toyo Tire F1600 Series / Porsche GT3 Cup, Mark Motors / Porsche Lapping Days, M–Tech

2020

• Returned to Toyo Tires F1600 Championship with Brian Graham Racing

• Total of 14 podiums and 2 poles

• Set the new race lap time record of a 1:28:733

• Finished 3rd in the championship missing 3 races of championship

• Continued coaching from Zach Robichon

• Coaching from Marco Cirone and George Bourque

2019

• Full season of Toyo Tires Formula 1600 Championship & F1600 Super Series with Brian Graham Racing

• Total of 5 podiums, 2 poles, 3 fastest laps

• Finished 5th in the championship

• Received the Formula Ford Team Canada Scholarship

• Competed at the Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch, England

• Out of 80 competitors, finished in the top 20 with a DNF in the finale due to electrical issues

2017 - 2018

• Full testing days with Brian Graham Racing

• Track coaching with Zachary Robichon on test days

2016

• MIKA Karting Club Championship Rotax SR. / ECKC / Ron Fellows Karting Championship

• Returning season with new chassis manufacture under paid sponsorship

• Returning season with new engine under paid sponsorship

2015

• Ran both a full season of MIKA Club as well as ECKC Mosport and Goodwood

• Overall finish of 4th in MIKA championship

• Returned to Ford Performance Driving Skills

2013 - 2014

• Returning season as non-rookie driver in Rotax Senior

• Completed 5 out of 11 races on podium in 2014

• Finished 4th in the championship for Rotax Senior in 2014

• 1 day class with Ford Performance Driving Skills instructed by Tim Hauraney

• Started 2013 season in Rotax JR. finished the season in Rotax SR. being the youngest driver to ever move up in Rotax Sr. for MIKA

• Finished my First season 5th in the championship in 2013

2011 – 2012

• Total of 11 podiums through out the 2 seasons

• Championship finish 3rd overall 2012

• Championship finish of 4th overall 2011 rookie season

• 2011 took home 4 podium finishes in rookie year

2009 – 2010

• Got behind the wheel of a performance racing Kart for the first time (CRG)