By Tony DiZinno
Augie Pabst’s Oconomowoc, Wis.-based team will have the top three starting positions for Sunday’s second Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship powered by Mazda race of the weekend, which will go green at 8 a.m.
Rasmus Lindh completed a Friday sweep of pole positions, with the Swede setting himself up nicely to carry on the Pabst Racing team’s streak of victories in USF2000 competition at Road America. Rinus VeeKay won both races last year for Pabst, which marked the talented Dutch teenager’s first Mazda Road to Indy presented by Cooper Tires wins.
The USF2000 series capped off a busy day of activity with qualifying for its second race late Friday night, starting at 5:35 p.m.
Competitors in the 26-car field experienced all kinds of track conditions during the day, with an 8 a.m. practice and 12:45 p.m. first qualifying.
The opening laps were in the 2:11 bracket before first Kory Enders and then Lindh dropped into the 2:10 bracket. That is still more than a second off Lindh’s rapid pace and qualifying record set earlier Friday.
Halfway through the 20-minute session, Lindh led from Alex Baron, Jose Sierra, Kory Enders and Mathias Soler-Obel. Kyle Kirkwood had not yet set a time.
Team Pelfrey’s Julian van der Watt posted a 2:10.2573 to briefly take the provisional pole away from Lindh. Igor Fraga then jumped into third behind van der Watt and Lindh.
Van der Watt improved a tenth to 2:10.1748, then Baron beat that at a 2:10.1425.
Kirkwood was first in the 2:09 bracket, at 2:09.6864. He was second this morning and tried to advance to pole for race two later. Keith Donegan then leapt up to 2:10.0400 in the BN Racing entry.
Frederick advanced into second place at 2:10.0219, ahead of Donegan.
Lindh got into the 2:09 bracket near the end of the session, at 2:09.8760, and that vaulted him up to second ahead of Pabst Racing teammates Frederick and Kohl.
Kohl and Lindh leapt past Kirkwood in the final minute, at 2:09.6850 and 2:09.6275.
Frederick jumped up to second right at the end of the session, at 2:09.5409.
So it’s Lindh, Frederick, Kohl, Kirkwood and van der Watt in the top five for race two.
Donegan is sixth, his best road or street course start this year. Michael d’Orlando continued his impressive weekend pace for Team BENIK, and will start seventh, ahead of Colin Kaminsky, Enders and Kyle Dupell.
Provisional Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda race #2 qualifying results
| P | No | Name | FTime | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 23 | Rasmus Lindh | 2:09.408 | –.—- |
| 2 | 24 | Kaylen Frederick | 2:09.541 | 0.1332 |
| 3 | 22 | Lucas Kohl | 2:09.685 | 0.2773 |
| 4 | 8 | Kyle Kirkwood | 2:09.686 | 0.2787 |
| 5 | 80 | Julian Van der Watt | 2:09.933 | 0.3055 |
| 6 | 28 | Keith Donegan | 2:10.040 | 0.6323 |
| 7 | 51 | Michael d’Orlando | 2:10.067 | 0.4400 |
| 8 | 27 | Colin Kaminsky | 2:10.078 | 0.6702 |
| 9 | 11 | Kory Enders | 2:10.093 | 0.6854 |
| 10 | 81 | Kyle Dupell | 2:10.125 | 0.4975 |
| 11 | 19 | Alex Baron | 2:10.137 | 0.7289 |
| 12 | 12 | Jose Sierra | 2:10.200 | 0.7925 |
| 13 | 91 | Igor Fraga | 2:10.349 | 0.7219 |
| 14 | 9 | Dakota Dickerson | 2:10.453 | 1.0456 |
| 15 | 21 | Calvin Ming | 2:10.494 | 1.0868 |
| 16 | 5 | Mathias Soler-Obel | 2:10.569 | 1.1610 |
| 17 | 79 | Jacob Abel | 2:10.652 | 1.0243 |
| 18 | 14 | Max Peichel | 2:11.209 | 1.8017 |
| 19 | 90 | Manuel Cabrera | 2:11.486 | 1.8585 |
| 20 | 29 | Russell McDonough | 2:11.491 | 2.0834 |
| 21 | 36 | Darren Keane | 2:11.508 | 2.1001 |
| 22 | 31 | Sabre Cook | 2:11.679 | 2.2709 |
| 23 | 37 | David Osborne | 2:11.713 | 2.0858 |
| 24 | 82 | Bruna Tomaselli | 2:11.961 | 2.5534 |
| 25 | 92 | Danial Frost | 2:12.306 | 2.6784 |
| 26 | 38 | Oscar DeLuzuriaga | 2:12.852 | 3.2241 |