Top-5 and an incident for Thomas Nepveu at Utah Motorsports Campus. May 21 to 23, 2021 - Rounds 3 & 4 - SuperKarts! USA Springnationals

Thomas Nepveu returned to karting this weekend in the SuperKarts! USA Springnationals on the Utah Motorsports Campus track which has 19 corners over its 1.49 km, including a long straight. Thomas Nepveu finished third in the Pre-Final and fourth in the Final on Saturday. He then maintained his level on Sunday by finishing the Pre-Final in 5^th place. However, during the second Final of the weekend, while he was climbing towards the podium (on lap 19 out of 20), the young driver from Oka was hit hard in the back which pushed him off the track and put an end to his race. 

Saturday - Round 3

After five practice sessions on Friday and qualifying on Saturday, Thomas Nepveu started from 11^th place for the 12-lap Pre-Final which determined the starting grid for the 20-lap Final at the end of the afternoon.

Thomas Nepveu launched well from the sixth row for this first race of the weekend, and an incident on the first lap allowed him to climb to 8^th place by the end of lap1. Thomas Nepveu then began a systematic ascent to 3^rd position, which he reached on lap 10 and defended until the end, one of his best performances this season.

In the Final, Thomas Nepveu started from 3^rd place on the grid and moved from 4^th to 6^th over the race distance before crossing the finish line in 5^th, which turned into a 4^th place official result after a correction from the officials. "During the Saturday Final, I found myself 5^th on the 10^th lap, from where I fought hard to maintain the position to the end of the race. My team from PSL Karting and I have a few ideas on how to improve the kart for Sunday. I want to improve on my Top-5 and my podium finishes of today," said Thomas Nepveu.

Next race:

Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship: Race 8 - May 27 and 28, Lucas Oil Raceway

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.

Photo Credit: On Track Promotions

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.