The Ignite Autosport/Raceway Gives/Tierpoint sponsored #5 of Spike Kohlbecker (Cape Motorsports) during USF2000 spring training at Barber Motorsports Park – Photo credit: Gavin Baker Photography/Road to Indy
By Steve Wittich
The combination of limited weekend sets of Cooper Tires, and the recent five hours of spring training at the same track, meant that running during the first Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship test session at Barber Motorsports Park was relatively lightly subscribed.
Only 15 of the 26 drivers entered in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Grand Prix of Alabama made their way onto the 2.3-mile, 17-turn natural terrain road course, and only seven of them turned laps at speed.
The seven rookies that turned laps at speed were led by Cape Motorsports’ Spike Kohlbecker, with a lap time of 83.2333 seconds. Peter Vodanovich (Jay Howard Driver Development), Thomas Nepveu (Cape Motorsports), Evan Stamer (Cape Motorsports), Jackson Lee (Jay Howard Driver Development), Kent Vaccaro (Miller Vinatieri Motorsports), and Trey Burke (Joe Dooling Autosports) also turned laps at speed.
The field completed 121 laps, with Cape Motorsports rookie Nepveu completing 20 circuits, the most of any driver.
USF2000 test session #1 at Barber Motorsports Park – April 15, 2021
| RANK | CAR NO. | DRIVER | TEAM | QUICK LAP | DIFFERENCE | TOTAL LAPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Spike Kohlbecker | Cape Motorsports | 1:23.2333 | 0.000 | 19 |
| 2 | 9 | Peter Vodanovich | Jay Howard Driver Development | 1:23.3891 | 0.1558 | 10 |
| 3 | 2 | Thomas Nepveu | Cape Motorsports | 1:23.6429 | 0.4096 | 20 |
| 4 | 3 | Evan Stamer | Cape Motorsports | 1:24.1258 | 0.8925 | 18 |
| 5 | 8 | Jackson Lee | Jay Howard Driver Development | 1:24.2082 | 0.9749 | 9 |
| 6 | 16 | Kent Vaccaro | Miller Vinatieri Motorsports | 1:24.2882 | 1.0549 | 8 |
| 7 | 63 | Trey Burke | Joe Dooling Autosports | 1:25.0315 | 1.7982 | 11 |
| 8 | 12 | Kiko Porto | DEForce Racing | 1:28.5806 | 5.3473 | 3 |
| 9 | 10 | Nolan Siegel | DEForce Racing | 1:30.2222 | 6.9889 | 3 |
| 10 | 20 | Simon Sikes | Legacy Autosport | 1:30.5358 | 7.3025 | 5 |
| 11 | 1 | Ely Navarro | DEForce Racing | 1:33.3339 | 10.1006 | 3 |
| 12 | 19 | Andre Castro | Legacy Autosport | 1:33.4057 | 10.1724 | 5 |
| 13 | 99 | Myles Rowe | Force Indy | 1:37.9973 | 14.7640 | 1 |
| 14 | 11 | Prescott Campbell | DEForce Racing | 1:40.0659 | 16.8326 | 3 |
| 15 | 4 | Michael d’Orlando | Cape Motorsports | 1:45.7778 | 22.5445 | 3 |