2018 F4 US champions to join the series for its inaugural season
BROWNSBURG, Ind. (Date) – A familiar partnership will join the new USF Juniors Presented by Cooper Tires series, as DC Autosport with Cape Motorsports announced its intent to field three cars in 2022.
“After a hiatus of a couple of years the gang is back together,” said Nicholas and Dominic Cape. “Don has always been a close friend to Nicholas and me – like family really. We've won a lot of races as a group and USF Juniors seems to be the ideal place to make that happen again. We are really looking forward to a great 2022 season.”
Winners of 13 championship titles in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship, Cape Motorsports had established itself as one of the pre-eminent teams on the Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires ladder when brothers Nicholas and Dominic Cape decided to contest the 2017 F4 US Championship Powered by Honda. Cape Motorsports and longtime race engineer Don Conner won the championship title with Kyle Kirkwood in its first season in the series, and the following year, Conner stepped into the role of co-team owner to form DC Autosport with Cape Motorsports.
The team enjoyed immediate success in F4, winning the 2018 series championship with Dakota Dickerson, scoring four wins, 11 podiums and five pole positions in 17 races. They returned to the series in 2019 with Teddy Wilson, earning a victory in the season opener at Road Atlanta. Conner continued on his own in 2020 and 2021, but now, the re-formed team takes on a new challenge in the fledgling series.
USF Juniors was created to help young drivers transition from karting and prepare to enter the acclaimed Road to Indy, the first step toward a career in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. Sanctioned by USAC, USF Juniors will offer a scholarship package exceeding $200,000 to advance to the first rung of the Road to Indy ladder, the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship. The series will contest 16 races over the course of six event weekends, including as a precursor to the INDYCAR weekend at Barber Motorsports Park.
“I’m looking forward to working with the Capes again in this new series,” said Conner. “USF Juniors is at the same price point as F4 and we’ll be affiliated with the Road to Indy, which is very professionally run. The drivers will be held to a very high standard. Also, the scholarship program is very clear-cut, with continuity throughout the Road to Indy ladder.
“It’s great to be back under the Cape Motorsports umbrella,” Conner continued. “We’ll help each other in any way we can, as we all have strengths in different – and complementary – areas. We’ve won a lot of championships over the years so I’m looking forward to bringing that effort to USF Juniors. We are speaking with several top-notch drivers who are capable of running at the front, so I expect to be doing well straight away, since we know the car and all but one of the racetracks.”
DC Autosport with Cape Motorsports looks forward to announcing their 2022 USF Juniors driver lineup in the coming days. The inaugural race weekend will take place at Ozarks International Raceway April 23/24.