SCCA Pro Formula Lites: Papareli takes Carolina double-header

With two more rounds of racing now history for the inaugural Formula Lites season, the one question on everyone’s mind is simple. Can anyone slow down a talented young Brazilian with the last name of Papareli?
 
If this weekend’s twin races at Carolina Motorsports Park are any indication, the collective answer would be a resounding “no.”
 
Indeed, Vini Papareli and his JDX Racing team clawed their way back from a rough race weekend at Virginia International Raceway in late July, and a disappointing start to the Carolina weekend to reclaim their mastery of the SCCA Pro Formula Lites series.

Sixteen-year-old Vini Papareli had a perfect weekend at Carolina Motorsports Park, taking two victories, two Oakley "fastest lap" awards and a pole position despite mechanical challenges. At VIR, an off-course excursion and a contact-related flat tire slowed Papareli’s march toward the 2015 Formula Lites championship. The 16-year-old from Sao Paulo, Brazil, then suffered through mechanical issues during Friday’s open test session at Carolina Motorsports Park. This forced his hard-working JDX team to undergo extensive prep on their Bravar-sponsored FL-15 Honda/Pirelli chassis — including a complete replacement of the car’s wiring system.
 
Seemingly undeterred by the hardships and lack of seat time, Papareli claimed pole position for Sunday’s Round 7 race, and then used that performance to dominate the morning competition. His #28 FL-15 was clearly the class of the field, as the current points leader laid down a time of 1:31:01 on his second lap - faster than his pole position.   
 
As has been the case of late, Chinese driver Jackie Ding gave chase but to no avail. Taking advantage of several test days since VIR, Ding and teammate Jose Armida of Mexico City, Mexico, took their Group A Racing-prepared Crawford FL-15s to second and third, respectively.
 
For Papareli, it was his fourth race win of the year. He also continued his unbroken streak of setting seven fastest race laps – earning him another custom-made Oakley watch. As one of his JDX crew members quipped; “Oh great, now he (Papareli) has one for every day of the week.”

The top four finishers field were inverted for the second race, with Nick Neri from Palmetto, Florida, on the pole. Just after negotiating Carolina’s tricky Turn 1 cleanly, Neri’s lead was swallowed up by Ding and Armida, followed closely by Papareli. During the first half of the race Papareli slowly reeled in a flying Ding, with Armida third and 15-year-old American newcomer Cameron Das in fourth.  
 
It was on lap 11 that Turn 1 made its mark on the race. With Papareli in hot pursuit, Ding overcooked the braking zone, giving Papareli all the chance he needed to take the lead. As the laps wound down to the checkered flag, Papareli extended his lead and tightened his grasp on the championship.
 
Neri’s race ended on lap 6 with a mechanical failure, while Das made steady progress in trying to take third from Armida. On the penultimate lap, Das lost grip in the track’s high-speed kink, spinning several times on the grassy infield with no damage.
 
Once again it was Papareli, Ding and Armida in that order. It was also another race, and another Oakley Watch for setting the fast lap of the race. 

“We really had our doubts, after the first day, if we even belonged here,” joked JDX team co-owner Jeremy Dale after watching his star pupil go two for two at Carolina. “But this is such a hard-working group of guys and Vini drove so well, but I think it came down to our crew coming up with a setup that would last all race long, not just set some fast laps and fall off. This is a really tough track. I am very proud of everyone.”
 
Jackie Ding (below), Jose Armida and the rest of the Formula Lites field will have another chance to try and topple Papareli from the top of the podium in just two weeks. The series is heading west to Pikes Peak International Raceway for another two rounds of racing on Labor Day weekend, Sept. 3-5.
 
Designed and manufactured to the latest F3 FIA safety specs, the new Crawford FL-15 monocoque incorporates a 2.4-liter, 16-valve Honda engine and a six-speed sequential gearbox featuring pneumatic paddle shifters. The series' high-tech approach to open-wheel racing has attracted support and technical partnerships with Pirelli, Honda/HPD, PFC Brakes, Oakley, Eibach Springs, Bosch, Fikse Wheels, Impact Race Products and Bruce High Performance Transporters. 

Updates and news on the Formula Lites series can be found at www.formulalites.com.