Catchfence

Milwaukee, Wis. – Zach Veach will start on pole position for tomorrow’s sixth round of the Cooper Tires Presents the USF2000 National Championship Powered by Mazda at the famed Milwaukee Mile.

Veach, 16, from Stockdale, Ohio, was fastest in each of the two practice sessions prior to qualifying with the #7 Zakosi Data Backup/Andretti Autosport Van Diemen-Mazda DP08. The youngster, who currently lies third in the championship standings, continued his dominant form this afternoon by posting two laps in a total of 58.114 seconds, a record average speed of 125.753 mph.

Former British Formula Ford Champion Wayne Boyd will start alongside on the front row in the #4 Belardi Auto Racing entry. Boyd, 20, from Belfast, Northern Ireland, produced his best qualifying run of the season thus far with a two-lap run of 58.295 seconds – just 0.181 slower than Veach.

Row two for tomorrow’s 55-lap race will comprise championship leader Petri Suvanto (#3 Viseko/Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing), from Finland, and Spencer Pigot, from Windermere, Fla., aboard the #8 MAZDASPEED/Skip Barber/Andretti Autosport Van Diemen-Mazda.

Luca Forgeois, 16, from New York, N.Y., was fastest of the National class runners and will line up eighth on the grid in the #5 Café Noir/Pabst Racing Services Van Diemen.

The USF2000 field will take the green flag at 10:00 am CT. Live timing and scoring as well as a dedicated live track audio feed can be found at www.USF2000.com.

Zach Veach, #7 Team Zakosi Data Backup: “It is really fun to be at Milwaukee. I have always been a fan of the ovals and I really enjoy the few we do each season. We have been very fortunate. Since the first practice session, we have been P1 in every session so all that is left is the race. I have a great team with me and the Zakosi Data Backup car is really working well and, hopefully, we can win tomorrow.”

Wayne Boyd, #4 Belardi Auto Racing: “It was a good run. I was a little too conservative on the first lap and I think we had a little bit more left in hand. Maybe not enough to get Zach, but it would have been close. I like this track. It is fast with more normal lines than what I am used to back home. I think it will be a close race tomorrow between Zach and I. Both of us have been close in practice times and my race pace seems to be quite similar. It will be a tough race and you will need to conserve your tires.”

About Mazda: On any given weekend, there are more Mazdas on the road-race tracks of America than any other brand of vehicle. At the track, you’ll see MX-5 Miata, RX-8, MAZDA3, MAZDA6, RX-7 and other vintage Mazda models competing, because every Mazda has the Soul of a Sports Car. In fact, the largest road-racing class in the world is Spec Miata, with more than 2,500 first- and second-generation Miatas tearing up America’s racetracks, making it the most-raced production car in the world. Mazda’s involvement in motorsports extends to its relationship with INDYCAR, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, one of the world’s premier road-racing circuits, and the Skip Barber Schools for driving and racing.

With over 40 years of experience in North America, Mazda North American Operations is headquartered in Irvine, Calif. It oversees the sales, marketing, parts business and customer service of Mazda vehicles in the United States, Canada and Mexico through nearly 900 dealers. Operations in Canada are managed by Mazda Canada, Inc., located in Ontario. Operations in Mexico are managed by Mazda Motor de Mexico in Mexico City.

About Cooper Tire & Rubber Company: Cooper Tire & Rubber Company is a global company with affiliates, subsidiaries and joint-ventures that specialize in the design, manufacture, marketing and sales of passenger car and light truck tires. The Company also has subsidiaries that specialize in medium truck, motorcycle and racing tires.

With headquarters in Findlay, Ohio, Cooper Tire has manufacturing, sales, distribution, technical and design facilities within its family of companies located in 10 countries around the world.

- USF2000, Press Release