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indypro 2000 series usf20000 series road to indyUSF JUNIORS

USF Pro 2000 Championship

USF Pro Championships Presented by Continental Tire is an evolution of the Road to Indy, one of the most successful driver development programs in the world. Comprised of USF Pro 2000 Presented by Continental Tire, USF2000 Presented by Continental Tire and USF Juniors Presented by Continental Tire

www.usfpro2000.com

USF Pro Championships Back with INDYCAR at Road America

gavin baker

PALMETTO, Fla. – Drivers on the highly acclaimed USF Pro Championships Presented by Continental Tire open-wheel driver development ladder will have a little more incentive to perform strongly this weekend, June 21-22, when the top two rungs, USF Pro 2000 and USF2000, compete at the classic Road America circuit in Elkhart Lake, Wis.

Last Sunday evening at World Wide Technology Raceway, a thrilling NTT INDY CAR SERIES event concluded under the lights with a pair of former USF Pro 2000 championship winners, Kyle Kirkwood (2019) and Christian Rasmussen (2021), sandwiching 2016 runner-up Pato O’Ward on the podium.

In addition, a little earlier in the day, the past two USF Pro 2000 champions, Lochie Hughes and Myles Rowe, finished first and second in the INDY NXT encounter.

All of the aforementioned gained enormous credibility and satisfaction from their seasons on the USF Pro Championships ladder while also earning valuable scholarships to continue their career progressions.

A long list of talented young drivers looking to follow in their footsteps will ply their trade this weekend at the ultra-fast 4.014-mile road course in rural Wisconsin in five rounds that will comprise the Elite Engines Grand Prix of Road America.

Garcia Leads in USF Pro 2000

Max Garcia, 16, from Coconut Grove, Fla., is the current USF Pro 2000 championship leader at the halfway stage with nine of 18 races completed. Garcia, who won last year’s USF2000 title, is looking to replicate both Kirkwood and Rasmussen, who secured back-to-back USF2000 and USF Pro 2000 championship crowns in 2018/2019 and 2020/2021.

Entry List

Garcia, who drives for locally based Pabst Racing, has won twice this season. He has also accumulated four additional podium finishes.

Israeli rookie Ariel Elkin has emerged as Garcia’s closest challenger, currently 41 points adrift, after winning three of the last four races for TJ Speed Motorsports.

Alessandro de Tullio, from Miami, Fla., won three of the first four races for Turn 3 Motorsport, but has slipped to third place in the standings – only seven adrift of Elkin – despite a strong second-place finish in the most recent race at the only oval event on the schedule at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.

De Tullio will be confident of bouncing back this weekend with the Turn 3 squad, which swept all three races last year at Road America while guiding Australia’s Lochie Hughes to the championship crown.

Other contenders will include 2024 USF Juniors champion Max Taylor (VRD Racing), from Hoboken, N.J., who was quickest during a recent test at Road America, New Zealander Jacob Douglas (Pabst Racing), who had been fastest on Day One, and Canadian Mac Clark, who has been knocking on the door of Victory Lane for Exclusive Autosport.

Joseph Loake, 20, from Macclesfield, England, who finished third in the 2023 GB3 Championship and won that year’s prestigious Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Award, will make his USF Pro 2000 debut with Turn 3 Motorsport.

The tripleheader for USF Pro 2000 will kick off with a pair of 45-minute test sessions on Thursday afternoon, June 19. Thirty minutes of official practice at 9:15 a.m. CDT on Friday will lead into qualifying sessions at 11:20 a.m. and 1:35 p.m. Two races will be held on Saturday at 8:00 a.m. and 4:25 p.m, with the finale set for 7:55 a.m. on Sunday, immediately prior to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES warmup.

Schrage, Jeffers Continue USF2000 Title Fight

A season high field of 24 cars are entered for a pair of USF2000 races on Saturday with VRD Racing’s Thomas Schrage and Exclusive Autosport’s Jack Jeffers having emerged as the top two protagonists.

Entry List

Schrage, from Bethel, Ohio, who overcame a debilitating shoulder surgery during the offseason, is riding a streak of six consecutive podium finishes which included a long overdue maiden victory at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course in May.

Jeffers, from San Antonio, Texas, also secured his maiden victory at Indianapolis.

Coincidentally, a recent test session at Road America saw both contenders narrowly eclipsed by their respective teammates. Teddy Musella (VRD Racing), from Orlando, Fla., posted the fastest unofficial lap overall at 2:07.0596, significantly quicker than the existing track record set in 2023 by Lochie Hughes, while Miami, Fla.-based Brazilian Lucas Fecury (Exclusive Autosport) set the best lap on Day One.

Anthony Martella, from Woodbridge, Ont., Canada, will arrive in Wisconsin on the crest of a wave after dominating the most recent race on the oval at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park for Jay Howard Driver Development. Teammate Brad Majman, from Melbourne, Australia, also shone at IRP with a third-place finish.

G3 Argyros, from Newport Beach, Calif., and Caleb Gafrarar, from Charlotte, N.C., will fly the flag for Pabst Racing, which has won at least one USF2000 race at Road America in five of the past eight years.

In addition to the usual contenders, JT Hoskins, from Sarasota, Fla., and Harley Keeble, from Grimsby, England, representing Jay Howard Driver Development, Thomas Nordquist (DEForce Racing), from Omaha, Neb., and Exclusive Autosport teammates Kaylee Countryman, from Chandler, Ariz., and Brenden Cooley, from Mokena, Ill., are set to step up from USF Juniors for their USF2000 debuts.

Two 45-minute USF2000 test sessions on Thursday afternoon will be followed by practice on Friday at 9:55 a.m. and then the crucial solitary qualifying session at 12:05 p.m. The pair of races on Saturday will see green flags at 11:25 a.m. and 5:20 p.m.

Full coverage, including timing and live streaming, can be found on the free USF Pro Championships App, YouTube channel and respective series’ websites, usfpro2000.com and usf2000.com.

USF JUNIORS

usfjuniors.com.

Loiacono Masters Mid-Ohio Rain for First USF Juniors Win

Gavin Baker

LEXINGTON, Ohio – Diabolical conditions greeted the USF Juniors Presented by Continental Tire field this morning, but Liam Loiacono was up for the challenge as he splashed to a fine maiden victory in the second leg of the PFC Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio. Loiacono, from Queensland, Australia, took the lead on the opening lap for the Jay Howard Driver Development team and withstood a strong challenge from VRD Racing’s Oliver Wheldon, from St. Petersburg, Fla., to secure maximum points.

Brazilian Leonardo Escorpioni, now based in Windermere, Fla., extended his championship lead for Zanella Racing by finishing third.

Race Results

Yesterday’s winner Joao Vergara (VRD Racing), from Miami, Fla., once again started at the front of the 22-car field, snagging his second Continental Tire Pole Award as the grid was set by a combination of each driver’s second quickest lap during the lone qualifying session on Friday or their best lap during yesterday’s race, whichever was faster.

Loiacono lined up second having established a new race lap record on Saturday afternoon, and the talented Aussie made full use of his previous wet weather experience, gained in Australian Formula Ford competition, by driving around the outside of Vergara in Turn One moments after the start.

Former karting star and JHDD teammate Harley Keeble, from Grimsby, England, also took advantage of the conditions by rising from seventh on the grid to second on the opening lap, only to undo all his good work when he left his braking a fraction too late at the Turn Two Keyhole. Cue the first of several full-course-cautions after Keeble speared off through the gravel trap and into the tire barriers.

The rain continued to fall heavily, contributing to a plethora of incidents around the undulating 2.258-mile Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, although Loiacono barely put a wheel wrong before taking the checkered flag shortly after the 40-minute time window had elapsed.

Having pushed Loiacono every step of the way, 14-year-old Wheldon maintained his record of having finished every race but one this year on the podium, vaulting him from fourth place to second in the points table at the halfway mark in the 16-race season.

Vergara ran third for much of the race before falling foul of the conditions and sliding off the road on Lap 13. He rejoined at the tail of the cars on the lead lap, following a pit stop to replace his car’s rear wing, and eventually finished 14th to salvage what could turn out to be some crucial championship points.

Vergara’s error elevated Escorpioni to the final step on the podium.

DEForce Racing’s Patricio Gonzalez, from Mexico City, Mexico, recorded his best ever finish in fourth, followed by teammate Vilho Aatola, from Turku, Finland, who rebounded from a disappointing result on Saturday after having qualified third fastest.

Connor Aspley, from O’Fallon, Mo., impressed for the Pole Position Motorsports team by finishing a solid sixth ahead of InterMS teammates Michael Suco, from Auburn, Ala., who earned the Tilton Hard Charger Award after climbing from 18th on the grid and Emma Scarbrough, from Senoia, Ga., who recorded her first-ever top-10 finish.

Jay Howard pocketed his first PFC Award of the season as the winning car owner.

USF Juniors Presented by Continental Tire will return to the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on the Fourth of July weekend for another pair of races which will be held in conjunction with the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and the two upper rungs on the USF Pro Championships ladder, USF Pro 2000 and USF2000.

Provisional championship points after eight of 16 races:

1. Leonardo Escorpioni, 188

2. Oliver Wheldon, 181

3. Ty Fisher, 169

4. Joao Vergara, 165

5 Liam Loiacono, 148

6. Vilho Aatola, 131

7 Rodrigo Gonzalez, 117

8. Diego Guiot, 89

9. Patricio Gonzalez, 82

10. Michael Suco, 82

Liam Loiacono (#6 Heli America Inc.-Jay Howard Driver Development Tatuus JR-23): “The race win is awesome, especially as it took a while to get there. We had some trouble at Barber (Motorsports Park) and couldn't quite maximize qualifying. Same sort of thing here. The practice pace was insane, and then we just couldn't quite get that car set up in qualifying. So, we started a bit further down than we'd like. We got the car set up right in the first race, but I made a mistake and dropped back. I managed to get a lap done in that race that moved me up to the front row. It was all about just judging it correctly today [with the conditions] especially in Turn Two. I didn't really know where I was braking. I was sort of just judging it by what I could see, what I could see in my mirrors and who's closing. I am just so stoked to finally get the win and so proud for the team.”

Oliver Wheldon (#98 Gainbridge/Big Machine Racing-VRD Racing Tatuus JR-23): “I started third and was able to get by Harley [Keeble] after he went off. I saw Liam in front and there was a full-course yellow, so I just wanted to get a good restart and try to get by him. I ended up going off but I kind of got saved by another full-course yellow. In the end, super close – almost there. I’m just waiting for my first win. It was a pretty good weekend.”

Leonardo Escorpioni (#55 Qwilt/Peer 1/Mensalize-Zanella Racing Tatuus JR-23): “It was a good race. It was all about staying on track. It was very difficult. My teammate Ty [Fisher] went off on the opening lap. The yellows helped a lot honestly, just in being calm and not spinning out and staying on track. The driver ahead of me, Joao [Vergara] made a mistake and I was able to get by and finish P3. It was honestly just about being calm, staying on track and not getting nervous about the conditions.”

Vergara Regains His USF Juniors Winning Form at Mid-Ohio

Gavin Baker

LEXINGTON, Ohio – Florida-based Brazilian Joao Vergara scored his second USF Juniors Presented by Continental Tire victory of the year this afternoon with a fine performance in the first of two races that comprise the PFC Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio.

Vergara held off a concerted attack from VRD Racing teammate Oliver Wheldon, from St. Petersburg, Fla., during the first half of the all-green 20-lap race around the challenging 2.258-mile Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. He then edged clear to claim his first win since the opening round at NOLA Motorsports Park in April.

Wheldon had to be content with second place – his sixth appearance on the podium in seven races – while Leonardo Escorpioni, from Windermere, Fla., narrowly regained the championship lead from Zanella Racing teammate Ty Fisher, from White Rock, B.C., Canada, whom he passed for third place on Lap 12.

Race Results

Vergara, from Miami, Fla., showed that his session leading lap times during a recent rain-affected test at Mid-Ohio were no fluke by topping the charts in qualifying yesterday afternoon to secure his first Continental Tire Pole Award. His best lap of 1:24.8641, an average speed of 95.786 mph, represented a new lap record as well as the first time he had started better than fourth.

Vergara maintained his advantage at the start, although remained under pressure for the first half of the race while steadily picking up the pace.

Wheldon overtook front row starter Fisher into Turn One on the second lap and remained tight on Vergara’s tail for the first 10 laps, with Fisher also in close contention.

Thereafter, Vergara continued to extract more pace from his VRD Racing Tatuus JR-23. He dipped underneath the existing race lap record, 1:26.1589, for the first time on Lap 11, as he finally broke clear of Wheldon, and went faster again in the later stages as he extended his margin to 1.4 seconds.

Fisher, running third, couldn’t match that pace and soon fell back into the clutches of teammate Escorpioni, who made his pass for position at Turn Four on Lap 12. Escorpioni quickly moved clear to reclaim the championship lead.

Fisher, 14, finished in a relatively lonely fourth ahead of Australian Liam Loiacono (Jay Howard Driver Development), who fought back impressively after running wide onto the grass at the exit of Turn One on the opening lap and slipping from seventh on the grid to 12th. Loiacono showed what might have been by establishing a new race lap record of 1:25.2939, an average speed of 95.303 mph, on Lap 14.

DEForce Racing’s Rodrigo Gonzalez, from Mexico City, Mexico, continued his streak of solid finishes in sixth ahead of JT Hoskins, from Sarasota, Fla., who earned the Tilton Hard Charger Award for Jay Howard Driver Development after moving up from 13th on the grid to a career-best seventh.

The PFC Award went to VRD Racing’s Dan Mitchell as the winning car owner.

Race Two will see a green flag bright and early tomorrow at 8 a.m. EDT.

Provisional championship points after seven of 16 races:

1. Leonardo Escorpioni, 166

2. Ty Fisher, 164

3. Joao Vergara, 157

4. Oliver Wheldon, 156

5 Liam Loiacono, 116

6. Vilho Aatola, 114

7 Rodrigo Gonzalez, 113

8. Diego Guiot, 77

9. JT Hoskins, 68

10. Michael Suco, 68

Joao Vergara (#10 Cross/Carecode/Son Boronat/Arai-VRD Racing Tatuus JR-23): “I am really happy with how the race went. We were fast all week long so it was all about managing the gap to the guys behind and we did that really well. We were able to get a good gap and go green to checkered. I am really happy with the result.”

Oliver Wheldon (#98 Gainbridge/Big Machine Racing-VRD Racing Tatuus JR-23): “I started fourth and got a pretty good start. I was able to get by Vilho (Aatola) and Ty was right ahead of me. After a few laps I was able to get by him and then I wanted to focus on saving tires. In the beginning, I think I used too much tire so, at the end, my tires were pretty bad and Joao was able to pull a little bit of a gap and get the win. In the end, it was pretty good. I think I start third tomorrow. It will definitely be a fun race.”

Leonardo Escorpioni (#55 Qwilt/Peer 1/Mensalize-Zanella Racing Tatuus JR-23): “The race was really good. I had an okay start and fell back down to sixth in the first corner but then I made my way back up to fifth and then fourth on the first lap. It was about being consistent. My teammate Ty was in third and made a little mistake, so I was able to get by him. After that, it was about managing the tires as me, Oliver and Joao were all a similar pace I feel. It was about keeping it there to see if they were going to make a mistake, but they didn’t and we ended up third. It was a good points haul and we will be back tomorrow looking for better.”

USF Juniors Set for Mid-Ohio Doubleheader with IMSA

gavin baker

PALMETTO, Fla. – The battle for this year’s USF Juniors Presented by Continental Tire championship will resume this weekend with the first of two events to be held at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio. A total of 22 talented young drivers will compete at the challenging 2.258-mile, 13-turn road course as the 16-race season reaches its halfway mark.

The pair of 20-lap PFC Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio races will be held in conjunction with a full slate of International Motor Sports Association action.

Entry List

A total of seven USF Juniors races have been held at Mid-Ohio since the category’s introduction in 2022. All have been won by different drivers, although in each of the three previous seasons, one of the Mid-Ohio winners has gone on to claim the championship.

Two tripleheader events earlier this year at NOLA Motorsports Park and Barber Motorsports Park have provided some tremendous competition. Three different winners and a total of seven drivers have shared the podium spoils, and the title-chase is finely poised.

Ty Fisher, from White Rock, B.C., Canada currently holds a slender one-point advantage over his Zanella Racing teammate, Florida-based Brazilian Leonardo Escorpioni.

The VRD Racing duo of Oliver Wheldon, from St. Petersburg, Fla., who is still seeking his first race victory, and another Brazilian, Joao Vergara, also are in the thick of the title chase.

Vergara has slipped to fourth in the points table after winning the opening race of the season, although he returned to prominence a few weeks ago after posting the fastest time during a two-day test at Mid-Ohio.

Second-fastest at the test represented an impressive result for 18-year-old European karting standout Harley Keeble, from Grimsby, England, who will make his race debut this weekend with Jay Howard Driver Development.

Other likely contenders will include Mexican brothers Rodrigo and Patricio Gonzalez, who along with Finland’s Vilho Aatola will drive for DEForce Racing, and Australian Liam Loiacono (Jay Howard Driver Development).

Drivers representing at least eight different nationalities will be on the starting grid. There will also be three young women striving to make a breakthrough: Emma Scarbrough (InterMS), from Senoia, Ga., Kaylee Countryman (Exclusive Autosport), from Chandler, Ariz., and local driver Maddie Colleran (Zanella Racing), Hunting Valley, Ohio. All have stepped up from the karting ranks.

A pair of 50-minute test sessions on Friday morning, June 6, will provide one more opportunity for the teams to hone their cars’ setups prior to 30 minutes of official practice later in the afternoon. A single qualifying session at 8:45 a.m. EDT on Saturday will help determine the starting positions for the two races at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday and 8:00 a.m. on Sunday.

Full coverage of the event, including timing and live streaming, can be found on the free USF Pro Championships App, YouTube channel and at usfjuniors.com.

USF Pro 2000 Championship

www.usf2000.com

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