Junior Open Wheel Talent

Trent Hindman

2011 Team USA Scholarship Nominee

Trent Hindman, 15, Wayside, NJ

Current Season: Hindman has had a busy summer traveling throughout North America developing his racecraft (including a weekend trip nearing 2,000 miles). He is currently competing full-time in the Skip Barber National championship, while also making stops in the Formula Tour 1600 and Ontario Formula Ford Championship in Canada. He’s won in all three series, leads the OFFC point standings and is third overall in the Skip Barber National standings with four pole positions, two wins and 12 top-five finishes. Oh yeah, he’s actively karting too.

Previous Experience:

• Karting
• Skip Barber Karting Scholarship Shootout
• Formula Tour 1600
• Ontario Formula Ford Championship
• USF2000 WinterFest

Why he would be a good selection for the Team USA Scholarship: Hindman finished inside the top-five in 50-percent of his 2010 Skip Barber National race starts. In 2011, he’s bumped that number up to 100-percent. Perhaps more impressive is his performance in a Formula Ford machine where he’s logged five wins, five poles and six podiums in six races in the OFFC. In Formula Tour 1600, he has one win and two podiums in two starts. Hindman is only 15, but he’s incredibly patient and known for making smart decisions behind-the-wheel. His feedback is good — according to teams he’s worked with — which will come in extremely useful if he’s chosen to drive in an unfamiliar event in an unfamiliar country. He’s great on the brakes and has produced a couple of brilliant drives on a wet track this season. He’d make an excellent selection based on his all-around merit in-and-out of the car.

Related Reading: Team USA Scholarship: 2011 Nominees

Scott Anderson

2011 Team USA Scholarship Nominee

Scott Anderson, 22 — Fort Collins, Colo.

Current Season: Anderson is enjoying an outstanding season in the Skip Barber National Championship. He has four poles and five wins in twelve starts and leads the championship point standings by 12 points with four races remaining. He is currently two wins away from tying the record (7 wins) set by former Team USA Scholarship driver Connor De Phillippi.

Previous Experience:

• Karting
• Skip Barber Karting Scholarship Shootout
• Skip Barber Regional
• SCCA Spec Racer Ford
• NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill

Why he would be a good selection for the Team USA Scholarship: Anderson has taken his time developing his craft in the Skip Barber regional programs and it shows. He’s in the midst of a remarkable Skip Barber National campaign and has shown tremendous growth behind the wheel. Those close to him describe him as a quiet, focused, even methodical race driver. His in-car consistency and laid-back mindset out of the car will undoubtedly be extremely beneficial in the ultra-competitive, fierce environment presented at the Formula Ford Festival and Walter Hayes Trophy in Europe. Watch for a great performance regardless of conditions if Anderson is chosen.

Related Reading: Team USA Scholarship: 2011 Nominees

Wyatt Gooden

2011 Team USA Scholarship Nominee

Wyatt Gooden, 22, — Gates Mills, Ohio

Current Season: Gooden has only driven two races this season (so far), but he made the most of both sweeping the F1600 Championship Series competition at Mid-Ohio. Not only did he qualify on pole and win in his F1600 debut, the win also marked his first-ever open-wheel race. He plans to run the remainder of the championship, resuming action Sept. 16-17 at Lime Rock Park.

Previous Experience:

• Karting
• Skip Barber Racing School
• Skip Barber Karting Scholarship Shootout
• VW Jetta TDI Cup

Why he would be a good selection for the Team USA Scholarship: Gooden is just plain good. He showcased his abilities early on in go karts, but never really thought he’d have a chance to move into the car ranks. Enter simulation-racing. He took his craft to iRacing and won a fully-funded ride in the 2010 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup by virtue of winning the online sim-race championship. Once the opportunity to race cars presented itself, Gooden proved he belonged on the track — the real track. After earning four podium finishes and winning two races, he was named TDI Cup Rookie of the Year. This season, he topped the time charts during his very first F1600 practice at Mid-Ohio prior to Round 5 of the championship, besting 28 drivers. He is an extremely consistent driver, he hits his marks and adapts quickly to various cars. If Gooden is chosen, this will be an excellent experience for him and I’m confident he will put in an equally excellent performance.

Related Reading: Team USA Scholarship: 2011 Nominees

2011 Team USA Scholarship Nominee

Kyle Connery, 20, — Vero Beach, Fla.

Current Season: Connery is currently ranked third in the F2000 Championship Series point standings. He has four wins, four pole positions and five fast laps in 10 races this season. He is the top rookie and started from pole in his national debut at Virginia International Raceway.

Previous Experience:

• Karting
• SCCA Formula Continental

Why he would be a good selection for the Team USA Scholarship: Connery started racing go-karts on dirt tracks at age 13. He was a quick learner. Four years later, as a road-course rookie, he won the 125cc shifter kart championship in his home state of Florida. The next step — moving into cars — came fairly easy too. Connery jumped into SCCA regional competition, campaigning a family-owned Formula Continental race car before making the move to the F2000 Championship Series in 2011. He won four of his first five regional starts before winning in just his third F2000 start. Needless to say, he adapts to the car well. If he’s chosen for a scholarship, it won’t take him long to get up to speed in Europe.

Related Reading: Team USA Scholarship: 2011 Nominees

Neil Alberico Photo: Jakob Ebrey

2011 Team USA Scholarship Nominee

Neil Alberico, 18, — Los Gatos, Calif.

Current Season: Alberico took the big step this season: moving to Europe to pursue racing. He’s currently competing in the MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain as well as the Formula Ford EuroCup, and 2011 has been an up-and-down adventure. He proved his mettle in mid-June by scoring back-to-back fourth-place finishes in both series while driving for Cliff Dempsey Racing. With 16 top-ten finishes under his belt already, it won’t be long until he reaches the podium.

Previous Experience:

• Karting
• 2010 Team USA Nominee
• Bondurant Formula Mazda Regional Champion

Why he would be a good selection for the Team USA Scholarship:  Having been a nominee for the 2010 Team USA Scholarship, Alberico is likely competing for the chance to run in the Duratec class at the Formula Ford Festival rather than the traditional Kent Class opportunity. Based on his level of experience — especially European experience — it only makes sense for him to pursue that scholarship. Obviously this season has presented Alberico with a tremendous learning opportunity and he’s seized it. By now, he’s used to European Formula Ford racing and jumping into a car at the Festival won’t be an issue. He’s a very smooth driver and should be able to post solid results if given the opportunity.

Update: According to Jeremy Shaw, Alberico will be auditioning for the traditional Kent scholarship, not the Duratec ride as speculated.

Related Reading: Team USA Scholarship: 2011 Nominees

2011 Team USA Scholarship Nominee

Sam Beasley, 17, — Cleveland, Ohio

Current Season: Beasley, admirably, has continued his karting endeavors this season while making the transition to car racing; recently finishing second in the U.S. Rotax Max Challenge Grand Nationals. On the car side, he has showcased his speed in the F1600 Championship Series qualifying on pole in his debut. His best finish, to date, is 10th. Beasley has also added some seat time in a Formula Enterprise car, winning an SCCA National race at BeaveRun Motorsports Park in late July.

Previous Experience:

• Karting
• Skip Barber Karting Scholarship Shootout

Why he would be a good selection for the Team USA Scholarship: Beasley is a phenomenal karter — currently ranked No. 1 in the TaG class by EKN — who has done a superb job transitioning to cars in 2011. He has diversified his efforts behind-the-wheel and proven his speed. It’s clear that he’s still fine-tuning his abilities, but there is no question the talent is there. He is incredibly smooth and has plenty of wet-weather driving experience in karts which could prove beneficial in Europe. Watch for great results if he’s chosen to represent the USA in Europe this fall.

Related Reading: Team USA Scholarship: 2011 Nominees

Jeremy Shaw, founder of the Team USA Scholarship, announced today 14 drivers who have been named nominees for the 2011 scholarship.

As in years past, I’ll likely do a short post on each nominee and link to it from this post.

2011 Team USA Scholarship Candidates

• Neil Alberico
• Scott Anderson
• Sam Beasley
• Kyle Connery
• Wyatt Gooden
• Trent Hindman
• Michael Johnson
• Brandon Newey
• Austin Newmark
• Sebastian Ordonez
• Spencer Pigot
• Colin Thompson
• Dennis Trebing
• Zach Veach

To read past coverage of the Team USA coverage on JOWT, click here.

All good things must come to an end.

And when the checkered flag waved today at Silverstone in the Walter Hayes Trophy Grand Final, the European-racing adventure came to a conclusion for Team USA Scholarship drivers Spencer Pigot and Felix Serralles.

While neither driver concluded the weekend with the result they were hoping for, both did an incredible job behind the wheel and gained invaluable experience.

Serralles crossed the stripe in fourth, while Pigot concluded the race in seventh. Irishman Peter Dempsey won the 15-lap race for the third time in his illustrious career. Dempsey and Joey Foster are the only drivers to win the prestigious event more than twice.

In order to make the Grand Final drivers had to advance out of their heat race. With over 120 cars entered, this was no easy task. Pigot ran the first heat and finished runner-up to Matthew Parr. Serralles ran the sixth heat and held the fastest lap for the majority of the race — while running fourth — until eventual heat-winner Wayne Boyd bettered his time in the closing laps. Ultimately, Serralles finished third with a nice pass in the waning laps.

The two Americans advanced to Semi-Final One where they nailed down consistent laps en route to a dual-podium finish. Pigot finished runner-up after starting fifth. Serralles finished just behind Pigot in third after starting seventh.

Thanks to their semi-final performance, Pigot and Serralles were able to start the 15-lap Grand Final at the sharp end of the 36-car field. Pigot lined up in row two with Serralles in row three.

Contact in two separate incidents ended Pigot’s bid for a WHT win. The second collision forced Pigot into unfamiliar territory; running outside the top-10. Meanwhile, Serralles was able to find a way through the mayhem, vaulting into the top-five. A few laps later, he made a nice pass on Michael Vergers for fourth and held the position for the remaining laps. Pigot was able to work his way up to seventh in the 15-lap race to keep both drivers inside the top-10. Up front, Dempsey cruised to the win, driving for his dad’s team Cliff Dempsey Racing — who also prepared the Team USA cars. The win marked CDR’s fifth consecutive Walter Hayes Trophy victory.

Serralles and Pigot performed admirably during the 2010 Formula Ford Festival and Walter Hayes Trophy, especially when you consider the adversity they faced on track. Both drivers should be extremely proud of their accomplishments, I know the rest of us are.

Related Reading: Previous Team USA Coverage

HARD CHARGER -- Spencer Pigot (No. 22) narrowly missed the podium in his Formula Ford Festival debut
(Photo: Jeff Bloxham)

It’s never easy to start a race from the back of the pack.

This is especially true at the highly-competitive Formula Ford Festival in Europe. While Team USA drivers Spencer Pigot and Felix Serralles were unable to come away with a win, both did a commendable job given the circumstances.

Both were  forced to start the semi-finals from the rear of the field after colliding in Saturday’s heat race.

In the first of two heat races, Serralles was able to improve 13 spots in two laps. Unfortunately a misfiring engine (due to a loose plug wire) relegated him to 14th at the checkered. The semi-final result sent him to the Last Chance Qualifier, which he won, easily.

Pigot’s luck was a little better. The 17-year-old piloted his Cliff Dempsey-prepared Ray GRS07/08 chassis to sixth after starting 22nd in the second semi-final.

Undeterred by their previous bad luck, both drivers successfully made the “Kent Class” final. Pigot lined up 11th, while Serralles was 25th. Their work was cut out.

Serralles’ bad luck continued, however, when he was knocked out of contention on the opening lap. With his teammate out, Pigot forged on picking up seven spots by the end of the race. Despite narrowly missing the podium, finishing fourth, Pigot set the fastest lap of the race and showcased his ability to work through adversity.

According to all reports, both drivers learned a lot this past weekend and sampled a taste of success: Pigot’s pole for the heat races and Serralles’ win in the LCQ, not to mention their ability to move through the field. Given the unfamiliar surroundings and the pressure associated with this opportunity, I’d say both did a remarkable job.

The drivers will begin preparations for the upcoming Walter Hayes Trophy, Nov. 6-7, at Silverstone.

It remains to be seen if their luck will change at the WHT, but one thing is certain: regardless of the cards dealt, neither driver will give up.

Click Here for a look at all JOWT’s Team USA Coverage.

Team USA Setback: Serralles and Pigot Collide in Saturday's Heat Race at the Formula Ford Festival (Photo: Jeff Bloxham)

Success at the Formula Ford Festival is typically determined by one’s ability to stay out of trouble.

Unfortunately for Team USA Scholarship drivers Spencer Pigot and Felix Serralles, trouble found them today during their heat race.

The day started on a high note, with Pigot earning the “Kent Class” pole position on the 1.2-mile Brands Hatch “Indy” circuit. The 17-year-old Floridian posted a 54.572 on a damp circuit; earning the pole by more than a half second. Serralles qualified a solid fifth with a 55.332. Both drivers are utilizing Cliff Dempsey Racing prepared Ray GRS07/08 chassis.

The day’s success would end there, however, as the two collided on Lap 11 of the 12-lap heat race while running fourth and fifth.

According to the latest press release, the damage to Serralles’ car is so severe that his weekend is likely done.  Pigot’s car sustained damage to the left-side suspension, but will be repaired in time for Sunday’s Semi-Final. The DNF will cause Pigot to start from the rear of the field.

Despite the bad luck, all hope for a Team USA victory at the Formula Ford Festival is not lost. A drive through the field is possible. Last season, 2009 Team USA recipient Brett Smrz drove from 27th to fourth in the final after a 17th to third charge in the last chance race. Pigot hopes for a similar performance tomorrow in the 2010 Formula Ford Festival.

Stay tuned for updates here or on Twitter; follow @JOWT. You can read the official Team USA press release here.