Thomas Nepveu moves to DEForce Racing for second season in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship. The Road to Indy Program

Seventeen-year-old Thomas Nepveu is proud to announce today that he will continue to run in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship over the coming season after a productive and promising rookie season in that series in 2021, during which he was one of only two rookies who won a race, then finished 9^th in the season championship points and second in the Rookie-of-the-Year contest. Thomas Nepveu Motorsport has decided to move to the DEForce Racing team for the coming season.

"I am thrilled to join DEForce for the 2022 USF2000 series. Working with them for a few test sessions showed me their ability and I am ready to attack the coming season with nothing else than a hunger to win the Championship," declared the young driver. 

DEForce Racing

This Texas-based team was founded in 2016 by David and Ernesto Martinez. Family-run DEForce Racing has big dreams and goals justified by over 30 years of experience inside the family and a stellar record of successes such as the 2021 USF2000 title with Kiko Porto at the wheel. David and Ernesto Martinez joined forces in order to create the strongest driver development team in America. The goal is to become the benchmark team in all open-wheel feeding series in America.

"We are very excited to welcome Thomas into our program. He showed great potential and determination on his rookie campaign in 2021 and got his first win in a very competitive USF2000 season. We believe Thomas has the ability and experience to fight for a 2022 Championship. We will continue to work very hard over the winter, to make sure we remain on the top," share David and Ernesto Martinez, DeForce Racing.

2021 Season

Thomas Nepveu made rapid progress over the 2021 season according to Coy Arbour, his Sporting Manager, who has accompanied Thomas Nepveu in his development for over 8 years now, first in karts and now into single seaters as of 2021.

"We expected a lot from Thomas Nepveu for this first single seater season. The rookie kept a positive attitude throughout the 18 races, striving to attain and exceed the progressive goals that were set for him over the season, such as, successively: top-15, then top-10 and top-5 finishes which he delivered over the season. The team also scored a victory at Elkhart Lake, an important milestone in his development, and perhaps a balm that makes up for finishing second to a teammates in the Rookie of the Year competition. We know that Thomas needs to improve on his qualifying runs, as passing is difficult in the USF2000 cars, and better grid spots will put him in a much better position to finish regularly in the top-5 and on the podium." said Coy Arbour.

Breakfast Club of Canada

Thomas Nepveu is honoured to join to the Breakfast Club of Canada cause. He will add his name to a list of ambassadors dedicated to highlighting food insecurity among Canadian children and will participate in various fundraising events. 

To make a donation on Thomas Nepveu's page: https://give.breakfastclubcanada.org/thomas-nepveu-pilote-de-course-professionnel-et-ambassadeur-du-club

2022 Results - Cooper Tires USF2000 Series

Photo Credit: Raphael Fortin - Hexarts 

Cromwell
Cromwell is a private real-estate company active since 1986 in the multi-residential, office and commercial/ shopping centre segments.

Karting Excellence
A major reseller of sophisticated, up-to-date kart simulators, as well as offering driving courses for simulated racing, and kart track software development, based on liDAR technology.

Richelieu Hardware
Richelieu Hardware is the leading distributor of hardware products in North America, with over 80 points-of-sale across the continent.

Pétrole Bélanger
Transport, maintenance and delivery of petroleum and propane gas products to residential, commercial, and agriculture customers in the major Quebec regions for more than 65 years!

Home Hardware
With more than 1,000 independently owned outlets, Home Hardware is the most important distributor of renovation products in Canada.

Hamster
The largest Canadian-owned distributor of office products, which includes the Novexco commercial division. 

PL-100
PL-100 with anti-friction treatment is the best all-purpose penetrating lubricant on the market. Its action is faster, longer lasting and more efficient than that of its competitors. PL-100 is a product from Prolab, a family-owned Quebec company established in 1985. 

Evirum
A North American waste management broker offering a wide range of integrated environmental services to clients in the residential, commercial, industrial, institutional and event sectors.

Ionik
This Quebec-based maker of sports-oriented clothing places a special emphasis on respect for the environment.

Centre de Médecine sportive de Laval
The Centre de Médecine sportive de Laval uses over 100 health professionals to deliver personalized medical services of the highest order to athletes of all levels.

King Canada
Canada's leading distributor of woodworking, metalworking, automotive and material handling machinery, tools, equipment and accessories. 

Additional Information

Thomas Nepveu Career Path and Results
Born in Oka (Quebec), Thomas Nepveu has always shown a great interest in extreme sports, starting with small motorcycles on dirt tracks. He quickly moved on to karts first in the Montreal area, then on to provincial and national series in Canada, on to the United States, Europe and other continents. For more information: https://thomasnepveu.com 

DEForce Racing

This Texas-based team was founded in 2016 by David and Ernesto Martinez. Family-run DEForce Racing has big dreams and goals justified by over 30 years of experience inside the family and a stellar record of successes such as the 2021 USF2000 title with Kiko Porto at the wheel. David and Ernesto Martinez joined forces in order to create the strongest driver development team in America. The goal is to become the benchmark team in all open-wheel feeding series in America.

Statistics - DEForce Racing - 2021, best year so far: 

2021 USF2000 Championship

• 2021 USF2000 Driver Championship with Kiko Porto
• 2021 USF2000 Team Championship
• 2021 USF2000 Mechanic of the Year
• 18 races
• 4 wins
• 10 podiums
• 4 pole position
• 2 fastest race laps

2021 F4 US Championship

• 2021 F4US Driver Championship with Noel Leon
• 10 Podiums
• 4 Wins
• 5 Poles 

The Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship

Managed and promoted by Andersen Promotions, LCC, the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship is the first step in the Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires, and leads on to more advanced stages in quicker, more competitive series: the Indy Pro F2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires, the Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires and the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, including the Indianapolis 500 and the top level in single-seater car racing in America. The champions of the three lower series earn major scholarships each year to help fund their next season in the Road to Indy program. 

The Road to Indy Program

The Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires program offers an entry level series into professional racing, the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship. From there, drivers move on to the Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires, which uses a more refined and quicker version of the USF2000 car. The drivers then move on to the Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires Series, using a much more powerful, much quicker and more complex car to set up and drive, in preparation for their move to America's top single-seaters, the super-fast NTT INDYCAR SERIES.