2011 USF2000 Schedule Is Released
Continuing its mission to stage its races at high-profile events, the 2011 schedule has grown to 14 races at eight events, which is an increase of two races from 2010.
The 2011 season opener is on St. Patrick's Day in March when the series supports one of the world's most prestigious endurance sports car races, the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring at Sebring, Fla. It closes in September when it is part of the Labor Day extravaganza at the brand-new street course event at Baltimore's Inner Harbor.
The series will support IZOD IndyCar Series events four times. The series will also salute the past when it is part of the historic “Night Before the 500" show at O'Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis a few hours before the Indianapolis 500 is held a few miles east.
The USF2000 series will also appear on the card for races staged by the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patron four times. Two of those events will also feature the IZOD IndyCar Series.
The USF2000 series is committed to provide training on the three different types of tracks young drivers need to be proficient on before they reach the IZOD IndyCar Series, so the 2011 schedule consists of two oval-track races, four on temporary street circuits and eight on permanent road courses.
All of the events are doubleheaders except for the two oval-track races.
The races at Sebring and Baltimore as well as the events at the venerable Milwaukee Mile and the always-popular Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course are new venues for the series, which was revived in 2010 from the very popular USF2000 series of 1990 through 2006.
The top driver in the USF2000 seriesʼ Championship class earns a scholarship package from Mazda valued at $350,000 to help him or her advance to the Star Mazda series the following season. Andretti Autosport's Sage Karam of Nazareth, Pa. won that title in 2010.
The USF2000 seriesʼ National class is open to any car that meets the current SCCA Formula Continental regulations. The titlist in the National class receives a $20,000 awards package consisting of a new, race-ready Mazda MZR 2.0 engine and additional pieces that are needed to convert a Zetec Van Diemen to Mazda power. AcceleRace Motorsports' Ardie Greenamyer of Louisville, Ky. is the 2010 champion of the National class.
Drivers and teams wishing to test during the pre-season will be interested in the Cooper Tires Winterfest, a separate, two-event, five-race series that is being conducted at Sebring and Homestead, Fla. in January. That schedule, as well as much more information, is available on the seriesʼ Web site at USF2000.com.
2011 USF2000 Schedule*
| Race 1 Race 2 | March 17 March 18 | Sebring Int'l Raceway Sebring, Fla. | w/ALMS (12 Hours of Sebring) 3.7-mile road course |
| Race 3 Race 4 | March 26 March 27 | Streets of St. Petersburg St Petersburg, Fla. | w/IndyCar (St. Petersburg Grand Prix) 1.8-mile street course |
| Race 5 | May 28 | O’Reilly Raceway Park Indianapolis, Ind. | w/USAC Midgets (Night Before the 500)0.686-mile oval |
| Race 6 | June 18 | The Milwaukee Mile Milwaukee, Wis. | w/IndyCar 1-mile oval |
| Race 7 Race 8 | July 30 July 31 | Autobahn Country Club Joliet, Ill. | w/Star Mazda (Harrah's Grand Prix) 3.56-mile road course |
| Race 9 Race 10 | Aug. 5 Aug. 6 | Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course Lexington, Ohio | w/IndyCar/ALMS 2.258-mile road course |
| Race 11 Race 12 | Aug. 19 Aug. 20 | Road America Elkhart Lake, Wis. | w/ALMS (Time Warner Showcase) 4.048-mile road course |
| Race 13 Race 14 | Sept. 4 Sept. 4 | Streets of Baltimore Baltimore, Md. | w/IndyCar/ALMS (Baltimore Grand Prix) 2-mile street course |
* Subject to change