Papareli tops SCCA Pro Formula Lites field at New Jersey Motorsports Park

It was hot and oppressively humid at the massive New Jersey Motorsports Park at the now-completed "Weekend of Thunder" races that featured the legendary SCCA Trans Am series for American V-8 muscle cars. The event line-up also included Porsche Club of America and NASA sports cars.

But the most surprising performance came not from an exotic, purpose-built Corvette, Mustang, Camero, BMW or Porsche. Rather, it was the new SCCA Pro Formula Lites series that stole the show.

If anything, the jam-packed weekend proved two conclusive facts. One was that series points leader Vinicius "Vini" Papareli and his Colorado-based JDX Racing team are breakout talents. The second was that the new Honda-powered Crawford FL-15 race cars were the fastest things on the racetrack.

LEFT: Young Brazilian racing talent Vini Papareli (center) celebrates his SCCA Pro Formula Lites victory in Round 3 of the inaugural 2015 series at New Jersey Motorsports Park. Papareli, who won from flag to flag, shares the podium with runner-up Nick Neri of Florida (left) and China's Jackie Ding. (Terry Hall Photography image)

The weekend's first SCCA Pro Formula Lites race took place after the track's lunch break and right in the midst of the day's hottest and most humid conditions. At the drop of the green flag polesitter Vini Papareli seized control immediately, going into NJMP Turn 1 ahead of Nick Neri. Coached by veteran open-wheel racer and Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona winner Raphael Matos and JDX Racing team co-owner Jeremy Dale, Papareli never put a wheel wrong in his #28 Bravar-sponsored Crawford/Honda FL-15 rolling on Pirelli tires. On his way to victory the young Brazilian also turned a 1:18.572 for the 2.25-mile circuit, earning him his third custom Oakley watch of the season for setting the race's fastest time.

"Today, I love this weather because it reminds me of Brazil. It was perfect!" he said standing on top of the winner's podium. "My father is here watching me, so this is very good. But, today's win belongs really to my whole JDX Racing team. They did an awesome job."

Hailing from Palmetto, Florida, Neri laid down fast and consecutive laps in his #17 Team BW Racing-supported car, taking second place just 7.175 ticks behind Papareli. Rounding out the podium was Jackie Ding of Shenzen, China, who took advantage of an early race off-course excursion by teammate Jose Armida to take a fine third.

Young Chinese driver Jackie Ding (TOP) enjoyed a great weekend in the #86 Group A Racing-prepared Crawford/Honda FL-15, earning a second- and third-place finish. Spencer Brockman, the youngest driver in the field at just 15-years-old, was elated with Sunday's third-place finish. (Clarus Studios image)

The heat continued throughout the day, with hundreds of laps being turned by SCCA Pro Trans Am, Porsche Club of America and NASA only adding rubber and liquid to an already baked NJMP circuit.

Ready for the final race of the day, the Formula Lites field took their warm-up lap, with the top four from the morning's race now inverted. This placed 15-year old Spencer Brockman on the pole, with Ding on the outside for the rush to Turn 1. This formation didn't last long, as Papareli and Neri split the group into a four-wide free-for-all going into the fast right-hander.

Neri emerged first taking an inside line, with Ding moving up to second, Brockman in 3rd and Paparelli 4th. The fast Brazilian made a pass on young Brockman going into Turn 5, then passed Ding in his #86 Group A Racing Crawford/Honda on Lap 5. It took Papareli several laps to catch the inspired Neri, winner of the very first Formula Lites race ever held two weeks ago in Connecticut.

Sadly, on the Lap 16 a mechanical issue forced Neri to retire his #17 Team BW Racing Crawford/Honda for the day, moving a rapidly improving Ding to 2nd and Brockman to 3rd.

In the final few laps Ding and Papareli went toe-to-toe for setting fast lap, first with Ding dipping into the one minute, 17 second range at 1:17.954 before the Brazilian countered with a 1:17:873 on Lap 20. At the checkered flag it was Vini Papareli victorious once again, taking the second victory of the day and a firm grip on his bid for the 2015 Formula Lites season title. A happy Ding settled for 2nd, content in knowing he had come within a few tenths of second for setting the race's fastest lap. Brockman and Armida battled for the final podium spot for several laps until the son of sports car racing legend Michael Brockman came home 3rd.

One look at the final time sheets shocked many as the trio's best times were faster in race trim than any of the Trans Am competitors, including the overall winner Amy Ruman, whose best time 1:18.547. With just 220 horsepower versus the brute force of over 800 on tap for the top Trans-Am cars, the light-weight, high-tech but cost-effective Formula Lites cars surprised almost everyone in the massive New Jersey Motorsports paddock.

Papareli's lighting fast time also earned him his fourth consecutive "Oakley Fastest Lap of the Race" custom watch. He proudly presented it to his father to commemorate the very special occasion.