BROWNSBURG, Ind. — It’s a blast from the past for Cape Motorsports this weekend in Nashville (Tenn.), as Matthew Brabham returns to the team that helped him earn his first open-wheel championship.
Brabham will drive the No. 47 Cape Brothers Speed Shop Dallara IL-15, with Enaam Ahmed unable to continue the season. Jagger Jones will be Brabham’s teammate.
“It is a real shame not to have Enaam racing for us,” said Nicholas and Dominic Cape. “Enaam was very popular within the team. Shami (Ahmed) and Enaam tried extremely hard to find the funding but unfortunately, like so many drivers, funding ran out. Motor racing is not like stick & ball sports: it requires lots of funding to compete. The team will miss him.
“We were able to put some things together over the last week, and we are ecstatic to have Matthew on our team in the 47 car for Nashville,” the brothers continued. “Matthew won a championship for us back in 2012 and he has done most of the development on our cars over the years. He has also been one of our mainstay driver coaches, so it will be an easy fit.
“Jagger has done really well on the street circuits this year, so we are hoping for that trend to continue in his development. We can’t wait to see Matthew and Jagger wield their cars around the streets of Nashville, it will be awesome. The team is going down a day early to sample some of the fantastic music on display in Nashville, and possibly sip on a couple of JD’s, see y’all there.”
For Brabham, it’s a return to very familiar surroundings.
“I’ve been with the Capes on and off since I drove for them in 2012,” said Brabham. “It’s been great working with them, whether it’s driving or coaching – or testing. I actually drove a test day with Jagger before his USF2000 season so we’re quite close.”
Since winning the USF2000 championship title in 2012 with Cape Motorsports, Brabham has earned success in a wide range of motorsports series, including Formula E, Stadium Super Trucks, Australian Supercars, Trans Am, sports cars and the NTT IndyCar Series.
Brabham returned to the Indy NXT series for a full season last year, capturing two wins to finish third in the championship standings. He also competed in the series two weeks ago on the Iowa Speedway oval, finishing fourth.
“I’m looking forward to the weekend,” Brabham said. “I was strong on the street courses last year including Nashville (finishing fourth) and I know the Capes were quick at Detroit earlier this year. Hopefully, we’re fast out of the gate and can build on the momentum I have from Iowa.
“I think Jagger will be coaching me a bit, since he has more recent experience in these cars and has the second-place finish at Detroit. I’ll lean on him a bit as I get up to speed in the series and on the Firestone tire, and hopefully I can use my experience to help him and the team.”