Hildebrand Sweeps the Streets of Toronto, Ties Record for Most Wins

07.11.2006

J.R. Hildebrand, a native of Sausalito, Calif., returned to the top step of the podium last weekend with two dominant wins in the Cooper Tires Formula Ford 2000 Championship as part of the Champ Car Grand Prix of Toronto. With those two wins, Hildebrand tied the single season record for most wins, previously set by Jay Howard at nine. With four races left in the season, J.R. will be looking to set a new mark in the coming months.

"It was an amazing weekend," said an elated Hildebrand. "Heading into this event, the team and I were really anticipating a great experience, and I think we all got more than we expected. The mark for most wins is definitely within our grasp, so we're going to work even harder for the next couple of months to be on top again at the next race."

Hildebrand set the pace from the beginning of the weekend, topping the charts in both practice sessions by substantial margins. He and his Cape Motorsports team worked hard to get the setup right, and in qualifying it paid off, as J.R. put it on the pole by just under a second.

"I felt untouchable," he related. "I felt like I could do anything with that car. I was driving it as hard as I possibly could, and it just kept getting better and better. It was unreal."

Hildebrand took the lead going into Turn One in the first race, and never looked back on his way to leading every lap and setting the fastest lap of the race, putting him on the pole for Race Two. Making few changes, J.R. knew that his competition would be getting closer as they had more time to figure out the track and setup. He wasn't intimidated, however, as he once again led every lap on his way to victory in the second race by 5.998 seconds.

"Consistency and calculated aggression were the keys to my success here in Toronto." stated Hildebrand, "After my mistake at Cleveland, I wanted to come back with a big win. I could set fast time by getting everything out of the car, but could also run within a couple of tenths of that time for the entire race. I got into a rhythm and drove it hard right to the checkered flag."

J.R. will go for the record for most wins in a season when the Cooper Tires FF2000 Series reconvenes at Mid Ohio on the 16th and 17th of September.