Top 10 INDY NXT finishes for Cape Motorsports to end the season
Jagger Jones captures two top 10s in the season finale at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, while Kiko Porto continued to impress in his second series race weekend
MONTEREY, Calif. (September 13, 2023) – Cape Motorsports completed its rookie INDY NXT by Firestone season with top 10 finishes in the doubleheader season finale at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
Jagger Jones (Scottsdale, Ariz.) and Kiko Porto (Recife, Brazil) fought hard through the dual 35-lap events on Laguna Seca’s newly repaved 11-turn, 2.238-mile road course. With ups and downs throughout the weekend, Jones brought home two top 10 finishes while Porto continued to add to his information database, in anticipation of a full season in the series in 2024.
"2023 in the books," said Dominic and Nicholas Cape. "We would really like to thank Reg Cape for all his hard work day in and day out, as well as Jeremy, Eli, Brendan, Jim - and last but not least (driver coach) Neil Alberico. Big thanks to our drivers Jagger Jones, Kiko Porto and Enaam Ahmed, and a big thanks to the Series and Firestone. Can’t wait for 2024."
The team fine-tuned setups through the 50-minute practice session early Friday afternoon, focusing on balance and traction as both drivers – each racing at Laguna Seca for the first time – worked to navigate the track's intricacies, learning the best line to post an optimum lap time.
Saturday morning qualifying was delayed for 30 minutes due to lightning in the area, but race control was able to give the field the full dual eight-minute sessions to decide the grid for both race one and race two. The Cape crew made several adjustments during the qualifying session, with Jones working through oversteer while Porto continued to look for traction under braking, especially in the high-speed corners. When the checkered flag flew, the starting positions were set: Jones would start 10th in race one and 15th in race two, with Porto 17th in race one and 15th in race two.
At the drop of the race one green, Porto took the measure of the cars around him as he gained three positions on the opening lap, then another on lap two. Unfortunately, Jones found himself heading in the opposite direction – battling hard through the first five corners before running wide in turn six, putting him back in 16th.
As the race settled in, Jones began regaining positions, up to 15th by lap six, with Porto into 12th but followed closely by Nolan Siegel, who was able to take the position on lap seven. Reece Gold was able to slide by Porto in turn two on Lap 12, leaving the two teammates to battle it out.
A caution flag flew on lap 20 for a car off into the turn six gravel. Going back to green on lap 23, Siegel ducked to the outside in turn 11, sending Porto sliding into the Turn 11 gravel. After four laps of yellow to retrieve the 47 car, the race went back to green with Jones in 11th. He wasted no time making moves through the Corkscrew, with a run on Ernie Francis, Jr. - until another yellow for debris stalled his progress.
With five laps to go, Jones again launched at the green, but couldn't find a way around Francis - and the battle brought Gold back into the picture, who got past Jones for position. Jones retook the spot and passed James Rowe as well, but was able to go no further, with an incident between two cars off the turn four gravel meant the race would end under caution, with Jones eighth and Porto 17th.
Clear and cool conditions greeted the field in the season finale. At the green, Jones and Porto found themselves bottled up behind a car that nearly lost control at the start, both losing positions. But in a repeat of yesterday's move, Jones slid to the inside in the Corkscrew and passed two cars to get back to 16th, with Porto just ahead – until turn two, when he was able to make it past his teammate.
A full course yellow for a car spun on lap six brought the field back together. On the restart, Jones and Porto made their moves, with Jones again using turn eight to take 11th, and Porto battling Nolan Siegel for 12th. Siegel was able to get around Jones, leaving the teammates to contest the position while also trying to chase down Yuven Sundaramoorthy just ahead.
The pack gained a spot when James Rowe spun with nine laps remaining, then another when Francesco Pizzi came in with a damaged front wing. At the checkered flag, it was Jones in 10th (for his fourth top 10 finish of the year) and Porto in 12th to close out the season.
QUOTEBOARD
JAGGER JONES – No. 98 Total Sim/Mecum Auctions Dallara
Race One: Start – 10th / Finish – 8th
Race Two: Start – 15th / Finish – 10th
“Race one didn’t start great, as I went off trying to defend in turn six – the track had really lost grip since qualifying and I just misjudged it. From there, it was just one pass at a time, trying to be smart and not make the same mistake – though a few drivers made some mistakes late in the race, when things got aggressive. I held the inside line as much as I could, since you literally could not run offline, with all the marbles and loss of grip in the corners. It was a good finish, good to get a top 10.
“It’s tough when drivers ahead check up but I was able to get those positions back. I flat spotted one of the tires, so I was just hanging on toward the end. But another top 10, that’s a solid last race weekend. I’m happy with how this year has gone – I think I’ve improved as a driver, especially my racecraft. In USF2000 last year, I raced near the front, so racing more in the eighth to 15th positions this year – it’s warfare and I’ve learned that type of racing so I have those skills now. We’ve figured out how to get to the track and get on with it, with not much practice and little testing. It’s been a learning experience.”
KIKO PORTO – No. 47 Banco Daycoval
Race One: Start – 17th / Finish – 17th
Race Two: Start – 13th / Finish – 11th
“The biggest challenge was getting used to the tire degradation, and how much the car changed over a fuel load. Every five laps, it was completely different, and I just need to get used to that on a track like this, with such high-speed corners. In race one, Nolan was in the middle of the track as the green came back out and just as I was moving to get a better angle on the outside, he moved to the outside and that put me off the track. But the pace was there, though I was still struggling with the brakes locking up.
“In race two, I had a good start and had passed a few cars but had to brake hard in turn two to avoid a car that nearly spun – and I lost all the positions that I’d gained. I knew I had to be aggressive to try and make passes in the early laps, but I still had problems in the braking zones, with the tires locking up. I couldn’t quite find the confidence there. But we had good pace so I’m happy about that. I’m finding the limits and understanding the car better, and that will be good for next year.”