The second round of the USF Juniors Championship was held this weekend at Carolina Motorsports Park, and the Toftlund driver showed speed and potential in the weekend’s three races.
The pace was high from the start, and in the opening practice sessions the only Dane in the field was right at the front. That changed in qualifying, where he had to settle for 10th best lap time and thus a starting position for the first race.
“The track changed over the weekend, partly because there was a drifting competition when we weren’t on the track, so the grip was very variable. We couldn’t solve that, so I had to work hard to keep up,” says Casper Nissen, who nevertheless fought his way to fourth and sixth place in the first two heats.
In the final heat, the Dane got off to a rough start, where he was involved in two situations in just a few laps.
“At the start, one of the other drivers made a change of direction on the track, and when I tried to drive around him, he spun directly into me. I got a penalty for that, even though I didn’t have a single chance to avoid it,” says Casper Nissen, who was sent flying later on the same lap:
“The competitor drove on the inside towards the corner to defend himself, and when I tried to drive around him on the outside, he pulled out into me, so I drove over his rear wheel and got a trip through the air and off the track”, says Casper, who fought back despite the harsh treatment:
“I was a full straightaway behind, but I managed to rejoin the field in three laps, and from there I drove myself from 22nd to 12th place, so it’s not because I lacked speed”, he says.
These days, Casper is still in the US, where he is attending school while waiting to test with the Jay Howard Driver Development team next week at the Mid-Ohio track. It’s going to be an important few days as the track will lay the tarmac for one of the upcoming rounds of the championship.
