Smart decisions in the Final race give Thomas Nepveu a well-deserved 6th place finish at Ocala

Thomas Nepveu's busy season continued this weekend with the second round of the ROK Cup USA Florida Winter Tour (ROK - in the Senior ROK class) championship series presented at the Ocala Gran Prix track. After improving his times throughout the weekend, Thomas Nepveu started in tenth position for the 20-lap Final race on Sunday. Moving up to fifth place on the first lap and fourth on the second lap, the kart performed well in the first half of the race. An unfortunate drop in efficiency occurred late in the race and dropped the young driver from Oka to a well-managed sixth-place finish.

Weekend Summary According to Thomas Nepveu (extracts)

Thomas Nepveu continued to display his highly effective racing skills throughout the weekend, now back in the Senior ROK class to replace another driver from the PSL Karting team unable to attend. This return to a traditional kart with a 2-stroke engine and fixed final drive brings him back to a class of machines he knows intimately.

Friday (February 19): "It rained all day, harder during the afternoon qualifying session for tomorrow's Pre-Final. The kart was working better and better during the morning practice laps on a mixed wet and dry track. I was pushing hard in qualifying and ended up second quickest, a half-second behind the pole sitter. That put me second place on the grid for Heat 1. Everything was going well in that 12-lap race and I was third at the beginning of the last lap. I tried to move up to 2nd but a slight mistake left me in 6th in the end. The kart is getting better and better, but it will be dry tomorrow, and I'm starting 2nd for Heat 2. Everything is good!" concluded a driver who wants more out of the rest of the weekend.

Aggressiveness is essential to successful racing drivers. Legendary team owner Roger Penske once said of a young Paul Tracy, who broke so much equipment at the beginning of his career, that he preferred "A driver I have to calm down rather than one I have to light up!" In today's qualifying session, Thomas Nepveu went from first to sixth, to third and then back to first. He responded to the best efforts of the others without ever giving up.  

Saturday (February 20): "The warm-up got the day off to a good start and I was able to take the lead in Heat 2 and keep that advantage until the end of the race. For the second qualifying race of the day (Heat 3), I started well and led the race until a hit at the rear forced me onto the dirty part of the track and I ended up in 4th place at the finish. In the qualifying session, the kart was working well enough to allow me to set the 3rd fastest time and helped me secure a better spot on the grid for this afternoon's Pre-Final race. I started 3rd for the Pre-Final and managed to finish 6th on the track, despite a slight lack of speed. We will work on the kart tonight to do better tomorrow," added the driver ready to go all-out on Sunday.

After three days of varying effectiveness from the kart, Thomas Nepveu demonstrated the extent of his talent during Sunday's race: his pure speed, his ability to anticipate the events around him, along with his smart management of his pace and of his tires in order to protect his position and maximize his final result. His consistently full-tilt attitude in the face of the kart's small but frustrating lack of speed, which significantly reduces his chances of winning, is a testament to his tenacity and to his total commitment to achieving his career goals.

Karting Championships

Participating in three championships over the summer adds up to 23 professional events over the season (13 in karts and 10 in USF2000 cars). Each weekend is composed of multiple practice/qualifying sessions, Pre-final and Final races depending on each series' rules. The considerable amount of racing time, plus the hours spent on simulators, will certainly accelerate Thomas Nepveu's learning process given the high level of competition in every series.

Driving Instructor

Thomas Nepveu's personality and technical knowledge also make him an ideal driving instructor, capable of transmitting his knowledge while making the student and the family comfortable during these important and often emotionally charged moments. Thomas Nepveu began working with novices in the spring of 2019, when he was only 14 years old, and continues to do so for the BCR (Ben Cooper Racing) race team. Last winter, with he even helped some PSL Karting drivers at a track in addition to taking care of his own machine (track walks, debrief meetings after each track session).

2021 Thomas Nepveu Karting Schedule

Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship

Thomas Nepveu's plans for the 2021 season call for him to participate for the first time in the eight (8) weekends of the USF2000 series (for a total of 18 races), the first of the four steps on the Road to Indy Program on the way to a career in IndyCar, the fastest and most prestigious single-seater series in North America.

The USF2000 professional-level series uses technically advanced cars that are all identical, and feature a reinforced carbon fibre central tub, adjustable front and rear spoilers, a sealed 175 hp engine and a six-speed gearbox with paddle shifters on the steering wheel, driver-adjustable front-rear braking distribution, and adjustable suspensions. The complexity of the car's settings and the analysis of driving and track performance data allow young drivers to learn how to refine their driving skills and gain a deeper understanding of the technical aspects of such sophisticated machines.

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.

2020

• Single seater debut in the Mexican F4 series at the Autodromo de Querétaro, Mexico
• 1 victory and 2 podiums out of 3 F4 races
• Victory in the ROK Fest East series - Charlotte (NC) (ROK Senior class)
• 6^th out of 52 entries, one pole from 3 races in ROK Cup Florida Winter Tour
• 6^th and 1 podium (3^rd) out of 4 races in the SKUSA Winter Series
• 8^th and 2 poles out of 6 races in the SKUSA Pro Tour

2019

• Transition to Rotax Senior class
• Canadian Karting Champion
• Canadian Shifter Open Champion
• Two top-5 finishes in the SKUSA Pro Tour (Senior class)
• Qualified for the Final in the WSK Euro Series (Sarno, Italy)

2018

• US Open Champion
• 3^rd in the ROK Cup USA Florida Winter Tour series
• 4^th in the Max Challenge class at the Rotax Grand Final (Brazil)
• 15^th in the CIK-FIA World Championship OKJ (Sweden)
• 5^th in the ROK the Rio (Las Vegas)

2017

• Transition year to the Junior class (12 to 16)
• 1st in the Florida Winter Tour (2^nd round)
• 2^nd in the Eastern Canadian Karting Championship  

2016

• Debut with PSL Karting
• Youngest driver (11) on the Canadian Karting Team
• Champion in the Eastern Canadian Karting Championship with 7 victories in 7 races, a first in this event
• Champion at the Mini Swift Super Nationals
• Runner-up in the Mini Max world championship
• Team Canada finishes first of 54 countries in the Rotax World Championships with Thomas Nepveu the top Canadian finisher in the Mini-Max class

2015

• Transition year (11 to 13 age group)
• Quebec Cup runner-up
• 4^th in the Eastern Canada Championship
• 3^rd in the Canadian Championship

2014

• Quebec Cup champion
• Eastern Canada champion
• 3^rd in the Canadian Championship
• 3^rd in the Florida Winter Series (first podium for Thomas Nepveu in the United States)

2013

• Wins all Canadian championships in the 9-year-old class
• Quebec Cup champion
• Western Canada champion
• Eastern Canada champion
• 6^th in the Micro Max class at the Rotax Grand Finals in New Orleans, Louisiana

2012

• First year in racing, in the Micro Max class, in Quebec and Ontario
• 5^th in the Quebec Cup

About PSL Karting

PSL Karting is a company based in Trois-Rivières (Quebec), which specializes in the preparation and support of drivers in kart races, in addition to acting as a North American distributor and managing the official Birel ART racing team in America via a nationally ranked racing team whose objective is to develop young drivers and promote Birel ART products. Founded in 1999, PSL is recognized in the North American karting market with its advanced distribution system for selling chassis, accessories, components and equipment for kart and single-seater drivers.

Over the years, the team has grown from a simple store to a large warehouse/workshop with a full-time professional team. In addition to its distribution activity, the PSL racing team has won numerous national and regional karting championships over the last 10 years and offers preparation and track support services that have helped produce some of the best drivers in the world. In 2015, PSL partnered with Birel ART and All Road Management, a group responsible for the success of Formula 1 drivers such as Felipe Massa, Daniel Ricciardo, Pastor Maladonado and the late Jules Bianchi.

In the medium term, PSL is focused on growing Birel ART and the new Ricciardo Kart line in North America, creating a strong brand presence in all its markets and offering tailored services to customers at all levels of karting and motorsports.

Photo Credit: CKN - Cody Schindel