The champion may already be decided, but Igor Fraga has no plans to give up the fight at this weekend’s Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship powered by Mazda season finale at Portland International Raceway.
The pilot of the No. 91 Mazda/Tatuus USF-17 for Exclusive Autosport has enjoyed a strong rookie campaign with two runner-up results and 10 top-10 finishes in 12 races. He sits third in the championship standings, six points behind Rasmus Lindh (Pabst Racing), with only the Portland doubleheader remaining on the 2018 schedule.
Kyle Kirkwood (Cape Motorsports) has already clinched the championship, so Fraga’s focus is squarely on claiming that elusive first USF2000 victory.
“I´m third in championship and still have a chance to move up for second place, but most importantly, I want to win a race here,” said Fraga, the 19-year-old Brazilian who was born in Japan. “As always, we will do our very best and see what´s going to happen.”
Fraga believes the experiences he has gained in his first USF2000 season since the green flag dropped on the season in March has made him a better driver. He has absorbed every facet to improve his game, from driving techniques to car development, with “overtaking” a key focal point.
“The level of the drivers in the USF2000 series is really high and it's not easy to pass at all,” he said. “So, I’m needing to be creative and surprise the other driver. At the same time, I can't make mistakes because that can cost some positions.”
Fraga is well traveled and came to the first rung of the Mazda Road to Indy development ladder with solid experience. During the 12 years he lived in Japan, he captured numerous karting championships before moving to formula cars in 2014. Last year, he won 10 of 16 races and claimed the title in Formula 3 Brazil Light title. He is also currently ranked first in the world in the FIA-sanctioned Gran Turismo Championship in the Nations Cup and Manufacturer Series.
The combination of budget, competition and opportunity is what led him to North America. Fraga views the Mazda Road to Indy, sanctioned by INDYCAR, as “the best in the world” when it comes to developing young drivers.
“I came from a humble family and I depend 100 percent on sponsors,” Fraga said. “Me and my family, after lot of conversations, we see that MRTI was the best option for me because of the scholarship money (available to champions at each level) and other incentives that they have here in U.S.
“The events themselves have a solid format, the level of the entire MRTI is high and I always get excited to compete at the same weekend and same tracks that the Indy cars run at.”
While the Portland weekend is the current focus, Fraga also has his eyes forward as he continues the quest to one day reach the Verizon IndyCar Series.
“Just like this last year, I believe that the next year will be full of opportunities,” he said. “I'm going to work really hard and try to show my potential here on the Road to Indy program (and) hopefully, achieving my dream in a near feature!”
USF2000 will have a test day Thursday at Portland with a pair of on-track sessions (11:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. ET) for the 20 drivers scheduled to compete. Race weekend officially begins Friday with one practice session (2:45 p.m.) and qualifying for Race 1 (7:15 p.m.). Saturday’s schedule consists of qualifying for the second race (12:15 p.m.) and the running of Race 1 (4:10 p.m.). Race 2 will close all track activities for the weekend at 6:20 p.m. Sunday.