The mission statement for the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship has always been to serve as a transition for young drivers moving from karting or other forms of motorsport into the open-wheel ranks. For 18-year-old Christian Bogle, driving for Jay Howard Driver Development, the Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires has become the chosen road to begin his racing career – even if that career had a rather different beginning.
Most racers begin their careers in the track karting ranks, but Bogle began in the dirt. His family lived on the north shore of New Orleans when he was born, where the off-road driving opportunities were endless.
“We’re 15 minutes from the closest town, which is Covington,” Bogle said. “We like to be out in the country, to have some room. I grew up on four-wheelers, ATVs, any sort of dirt-based vehicle. I loved anything I could drive. I was 2 or 3 when I got my first gas-powered four-wheeler. I drove that thing everywhere.”
Bogle kept driving as he got older, doing autocross and track days at NOLA Motorsports Park and autocross events in Baton Rouge. He became proficient at the timed competitions, which requires drivers navigate through a precise set of cones, judged both on time and the number of cones touched.
“I did five or six autocross events and enjoyed it,” he said. “It’s such a short period of time; you must make everything count. You have to hit every apex, nail every corner. I started in a 1994 Miata and moved to my dad’s Audi R8. I got confident using more power, so I moved to track days and super cars. I’ve fallen in love with that!”
With young Bogle increasingly interested in racing, his dad Kenneth discovered the junior formula car ranks, beginning with Formula 4 – and that’s when things began to get serious. They researched open wheel racing and decided on the best person they believed could answer questions about a young driver’s progression in racing: former INDYCAR driver-turned team owner Jay Howard.
“My dad and I thought about running our own team, but we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into,” he said. “We researched all kinds of teams, and Jay’s was the best. To have an ex-INDYCAR driver as driver coach is unbelievable. We couldn’t ask for anything more.”
Bogle competed in three F4 US Championship races in 2018 while committing to an extensive testing schedule. Deciding where to spend 2019, his first full season in open wheel racing, was influenced by several factors: the competitive field in the USF2000 series – and his 6’4” frame. The Tatuus USF-17 was a perfect fit.
“One of the reasons we went with the Road to Indy was the car,” he said. “At my size, it’s hard to fit in a car. The Road to Indy offered a good platform and a good number of races.
“We did a lot of testing at the end of 2018 and went with USF2000. Due to my late start, seat time in the car is vital. I’m extremely happy we made that decision; I’ve learned a lot of race craft in this competitive field. At times, the top 10 and top 15 can be separated by just a second. There are very good drivers and I’ve learned a lot about managing the situation around me, where the drivers are and what they’re going to do. It’s improved my skills in that regard, as well as how to set up a car. These are all things I’ll need to know as I climb the ladder.”
Bogle continues to compete on the F4 circuit when he can, matching his USF2000 best finish of 10th at Toronto with a 10th place finish in the recent F4 weekend at Mid-Ohio. Seeing the progression gives him that much more motivation to succeed, with two more USF2000 events remaining on the calendar.
Bogle credits his teammates – Christian Rasmussen and Matt Round-Garrido (though Round-Garrido moved mid-season to HMD Motorsports) – for a great deal of his racing progress this season, in addition to Howard, and team engineer, Lou D’Agostino. Rasmussen has seen his own development this season, converting early race pace into four consecutive podium finishes including two victories, and having Rasmussen to compare data with has added greatly to Bogle’s knowledge base.
“Jay really focuses on team chemistry,” Bogle said. “I love that our team works together and get along so well. I think we’re one of the best teams in that regard. Everyone knows each other, we hang out, we work at helping each other. We instantly bonded, and that helps the racing. Rasmussen is a great benchmark, so as we go over data, he gives me pointers and it’s very useful. It’s really helped my progression in the car to have that kind of teammate.”
As the season draws to a close, Bogle is pleased with his progress and is already looking forward to the 2020 season.
“I’m somewhat pleased with my progression, considering that my first ever official race event was a little over a year ago,” he said. “I say ‘somewhat’ because I’m my own toughest critic and always expect more from myself. We have been debating whether to do F4 to get more seat time, as I do have some goals for that series, but I do plan on being back in USF2000 in 2020.”