The 2012 U.S. F2000 National Championship is a season of the

U.S. F2000 National Championship The USF2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires is an American racing series using the American variation of the Formula Ford formula, "F2000", that resumed operation for the 2010 season. As of 2022, it is sanctioned by the United States Auto ...

, an

open wheel An open-wheel single-seater (often known as formula car) is a car with the wheels outside the car's main body, and usually having only one seat. Open-wheel cars contrast with street cars, sports cars, stock cars, and touring cars, which have thei ...

auto racing Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various sorts were organise ...

series that is the first step in

IndyCar INDYCAR, LLC, is an American-based auto racing sanctioning body for Indy car racing and other disciplines of open wheel car racing. The organization sanctions five racing series: the premier IndyCar Series with its centerpiece the Indianapolis ...

Road to Indy A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation. There are many types of ...

ladder. It is the third full season of the series since its revival in 2010. Rookie Australian/American driver

Matthew Brabham Matthew Chase Brabham (born 25 February 1994) is an Australian-American racing driver. He competes full-time in Indy Lights, driving the No. 83 for Andretti Autosport. From 2015 to 2021, he was a regular in the Stadium Super Trucks, where he is a ...

, son of

Geoff Brabham __NOTOC__ Geoff Brabham (born 20 March 1952) is an Australian racing driver. Brabham spent the majority of his racing career in the United States. Racing career CART He raced successfully in CART early in his career, finishing 8th in 1982, 1 ...

, captured the title over is Cape Motosports teammate, second-year American Spencer Pigot by seven points in the final pair of races at

Virginia International Raceway Virginia International Raceway (commonly known as "VIR") is a race track located in Alton, Virginia, near Danville. It is less than a half-mile from the North Carolina/Virginia border just outside Milton, North Carolina, on the banks of the Dan ...

. Even though Pigot won the final two races of the season, Brabham's lead was large enough and his finishes in the final two races were high enough to capture the championship. Brabham only won four races compared to Pigot's eight wins. However, Brabham only failed to finish in the top-10 once with a single DNF while Pigot finished outside the top-10 three times in what would ultimately decide the championship. The only other driver to capture a race win during the season was Belardi Auto Racing's Scott Anderson. Norwegian Henrik Furuseth captured the National Class championship over American R. C. Enerson in the final race of the season when Enerson was involved in an incident in the first lap of the race after passing Furuseth. The crash dropped Enerson to third in points as Mark Eaton finished second in class in the race and edged out Enerson for second place in National Class by four points. One notable driver to compete in the championship was Michael Johnson of

Flint, Michigan Flint is the largest city and seat of Genesee County, Michigan, United States. Located along the Flint River, northwest of Detroit, it is a principal city within the region known as Mid Michigan. At the 2020 census, Flint had a population of 8 ...

who is a

paraplegic Paraplegia, or paraparesis, is an impairment in motor or sensory function of the lower extremities. The word comes from Ionic Greek () "half-stricken". It is usually caused by spinal cord injury or a congenital condition that affects the neural ...

, having lost use of his legs in a motorcycle racing accident. Johnson finished 15th in points with a best finish of tenth at

Road America Road America is a motorsport road course located near Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, United States on Wisconsin Highway 67. It has hosted races since the 1950s and currently hosts races in the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series, WeatherTech SportsCar Champ ...

Drivers and teams

* In line with U.S. F2000 regulations, National Class cars were ineligible to compete at

Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park (formerly Indianapolis Raceway Park, O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis, and Lucas Oil Raceway) is an auto racing facility in Brownsburg, Indiana, United States, about northwest of downtown Indianapolis. It ...

Race calendar and results

The race schedule was announced on January 11, 2012. Fourteen races were announced, all at venues that hosted the series in 2011. The final race weekend's location and date were announced on January 17, 2012.USF2000 Completes 2012 Schedule with the Addition of VIR
, ''USF2000'', January 17, 2012, Retrieved 2012-01-17

Championship standings

Championship Class

National Class

Teams'

References

External links

U.S. F2000 National Championship official website
{{Road to Indy U.S. F2000 National Championship seasons