JDC Inches Closer to F2000 Series Title

July 20, 2009

MINNEAPOLIS, MN. (July 20, 2009) – JDC MotorSports is now within striking distance of its first F2000 Championship Series title, following a successful doubleheader this past weekend (July 18-19) at Summit Point Motorsports Park in West Virginia. American Chris Miller once again challenged for the win in both races, before finishing second in Rounds Nine and 10, strengthening his position as the championship leader. Mexican Alejandro Munoz added his best results of the 2009 campaign, earning a 10th place finish in race one.

The fifth event on the F2000 Championship Series calendar may have featured a track the JDC MotorSports drivers didn’t know, but it certainly did show when the action got underway via Thursday testing. Miller was immediately among the pacesetters in the twilight session, turning the third fastest time, while Munoz posted the 12th quickest time.

That trend continued in the first official practice session on Friday morning, as both JDC drivers continued to find more speed on the 2.0-mile road course. Miller indicated he was ready to fight for the wins with a fast lap a half second under the lap record, and nearly a second quicker than his nearest pursuer. Munoz likewise was enjoying the West Virginia track, turning times within a couple tenths of the top-10. While heavy rain in the afternoon session prevented faster times from appearing on the timecharts, Miller displayed his versatility, turning the quickest time once again in the slick conditions.

When the F2000 cars returned to the track on Saturday morning for the opening qualifying session, a good deal of the attention was on the No. 85 Miller Milling/Red Line Oil/JDC MotorSports Van Diemen RF06/Zetec. Miller promptly justified the attention, earning his fourth pole position of the season via a new lap record. Further down the order, Munoz continued his strong run with the 13th quickest time in the session.

After a brief break, the JDC duo were back behind the wheels for race one of the weekend. Miller unfortunately did not get an ideal launch when the green flag waved, losing the lead in turn one, and immediately coming under attack from third place. With the championship title foremost in his thoughts, the Edina, MN, native elected to not risk an incident, slotting comfortably into third place. Thanks to an error by the leader late in the race, this improved to a runner-up finish when the checkered flag waved, giving Miller additional points in his pursuit of the series title. Not far behind his teammate, Munoz likewise ran a clean race, steadily advancing up the charts, eventually earning a career best result of 10th.

Sunday race day commenced in much the same way as the previous day, with Miller at the top of the timing monitors. The JDC driver further lowered the track record by another three tenths of a second in the morning qualifying session, earning yet another pole position, but perhaps more importantly three additional points. Munoz unfortunately battled traffic throughout the session, eventually posting the 17th quickest time in the No. 96 Black Lion Racing/Redline Oil/JDC MotorSports Van Diemen RF01/Zetec entry.

The repetition theme continued during the start of race two, as Miller once again relinquished the lead prior to the exit of turn one. As a result, the championship leader was soon engaged in a spirited multi-car fight for position. Continuing after an early race full-course caution, Miller only secured second place following brief contact with another competitor.

While Miller battled for yet another podium finish, Munoz continued to show his progression behind the wheel. Displaying both pace and car control, the Mexican rookie worked his way forward throughout the race, before taking the checkered flag in well deserved 12th place.

JDC MotorSports concludes its 2009 F2000 Championship Series campaign on August 15-16, with Rounds 11 and 12 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Miller enters the season-finale with a 34 point advantage, when taking the two drop rule into effect.

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