Exclusive POV race footage featuring Red Deer rockers Balaclava.

Parker Thompson has opened the 2017 season on a high note.  The Red Deer based Race Car Driver and his brand new all-Canadian team.. Exclusive Autosport..  powered to a couple of impressive finishes in a pair of races on opening weekend of the 2017 Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda.   The 8 race season opened at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg in southwestern Florida back in March.

After a Thursday afternoon practice session afforded the drivers with their first opportunity to get on-track in St. Petersburg, the team’s pilots headed into qualifying for Race #1 on Friday morning.  The track was still very green, which made it tough to find grip and balance on the cars’ setups. Thompson led the way for Exclusive by laying down the sixth quickest time of the session to secure a position on the third row for the first race of the doubleheader.

Both USF2000 races were held on Saturday, so the drivers needed to balance the aggression of racing for the win and making sure they avoid damage that could take them out of Race #2. In the opening race, Thompson battled in the lead group and eventually topped a spirited battle between three drivers to take fifth to begin the season.

Qualifying for the second race had taken place on Friday afternoon, and Thompson put it all together during the 30-minute session, earning Exclusive Autosport their first MRTI pole position.

Thompson paced the field to the Race #2 green flag early Saturday afternoon where he led 10 out of the 21 race laps. At the midpoint upon a restart (after a long full-course caution), Parker misjudged the grip slightly and pushed past the apex of turn 1, dropping to fifth in the running order. The result was an early-race battle with Kaylen Frederick. Thompson was able to manage the competition and power to a third place finish, giving the team their first podium in USF2000 action.

PARKER THOMPSON – USF2000 #90

Qualifying 1: 6th – 1:15.8117

Qualifying 2: 1st – 1:15.3708

Race 1: 5th

Race 2: 3rd

Here’s what Parker Thompson said at the end of the competition: “I can’t express enough what an honor it is to be driving for Exclusive Autosport this year. The entire crew at EA is beyond dedicated to the program. In their very first race weekend in the USF2000 Series, they put a car on pole, and they put together a car capable of winning the race. I can’t recall any new team on the Mazda Road to Indy taking a podium finish in their first race weekend. And if it wasn’t for my miscalculation on the restart, these boys would have their first win in the bag. The Openhwy #90 was a rocket ship this week, taking a fifth place and a third place in the two races. Thank you to everyone who has been a part of making this season happen for me. Big or small, I’m so grateful to have another shot at taking home this Championship.”

Enjoy a video recap of opening weekend from Parker’s Point Of View, featuring the hard rock of Balaclava. You can find them on iTunes. They absolutely rock this race.