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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

gavin baker

PORTLAND, Ore. – Max Garcia finished the USF Pro 2000 Presented by Continental Tire season in the best possible way with a pair of victories for Pabst Racing in the Continental Tire Grand Prix of Portland doubleheader. After clinching the championship – and a scholarship to move up to INDY NXT in 2026 – last month in Toronto, the youngster from Coconut Grove, Fla., today equaled the record for the number of wins in a single season, nine, established by current NTT INDYCAR SERIES star Kyle Kirkwood in 2019.

Alessandro de Tullio, from Miami, Fla., finished second for Turn 3 Motorsport, with Garcia’s teammate Jacob Douglas, from Christchurch, New Zealand, eventually prevailing after a spirited scrap for third.

Results

Garcia was upset after the only qualifying session of the weekend on Friday, feeling that he had been impeded in the final stages which prevented him from improving upon his earlier lap times. That was a moot point so far as Race Two was concerned with the grid set according to each driver’s second-fastest lap. Garcia thus claimed his ninth Continental Tire Pole Award of the year, albeit by a mere 0.0428 of a second over Canadian Mac Clark (Exclusive Autosport).

Today’s race was little more than a demonstration run for Garcia. He took the lead at the start, and only really came under attack at restarts following a pair of brief full-course cautions during the middle stages. His eventual margin of victory was a comfortable 6.9480 seconds.

De Tullio vaulted from fourth on the grid to second at the first corner and maintained that position for the remainder of the 30-lap contest around the 1.964-mile Portland International Raceway road course. De Tullio put some pressure on his fellow Floridian following each of the two restarts, briefly obliging Garcia to make a couple of defensive moves, but aside from that he was never close enough to offer a serious challenge.

The battle for third was very different. Israel’s Ariel Elkin (TJ Speed Motorsports) managed to scrap his way from eighth on the grid to emerge from the first corner in third – even he had no clear explanation as to how – but thereafter he was always under siege.

Douglas led the chase initially, although he was usurped immediately after the first restart, with 11 laps completed, by VRD Racing’s Frankie Mossman, from Newport Beach, Calif. A couple of lapped cars also were firmly in the mix: Clark and Max Taylor (VRD Racing), from Hoboken, N.J., both of whom had to make early pit stops after sustaining damage in a variety of different skirmishes.

Elkin continued to hang onto third place until Lap 28, when Mossman took advantage of Elkin being pushed wide in Turn Seven by an aggressive Clark. Shortly afterward, Taylor, still a lap down to the leaders, overtook Clark in Turn One – with the battle for third place overall still raging all around.

Race Control then instructed Taylor to cede a place to Clark after being found guilty of blocking, which he did, briefly, in the Turn Nine/10 chicane. But he promptly regained the position with a late lunge under braking for Turn 11. It was fraught in the extreme. And thoroughly entertaining.

While all this was unfolding, Mossman’s fine run was upended with three laps remaining when his left-rear suspension abruptly broke. He did well to coax the car home a disappointed ninth.

Douglas, meanwhile, also snuck past Elkin to claim the final podium position. However, even fourth place was good enough – by a solitary point – to move Elkin up to second in the final championship standings.

Sebastian Manson, from Auckland, New Zealand, netted a career-best fifth aboard a second TJ Speed Motorsports entry. Not far behind, Exclusive Autosport’s Carson Etter, from Villa Park, Calif., also enjoyed a fine run to sixth after what was by far his strongest run to date. Etter also claimed the Tilton Hard Charger Award having lined up 15th on the starting grid..

The PFC Award once again was taken by Augie Pabst as the winning car owner.

The 2025 season will be officially wrapped up at the Andersen Promotions Championship Celebration on Monday evening at a location just a mile or so from the race track on the banks of the Columbia River. After that, preparations for the 2026 season will begin in earnest, and as usual the first on-track action is slated for the Fall Combine Test at the Indianapolis Grand Prix road course in Speedway, Ind., on October 25/26.

Provisional championship points after 18 of 18 rounds:

1. Max Garcia, 495

2. Ariel Elkin, 347

3. Mac Clark, 346

4. Alessandro de Tullio, 342

5. Jacob Douglas, 329

6. Max Taylor, 268

7. Michael Costello, 211

8. Frankie Mossman, 203

9. Cooper Becklin, 197

10. Nicholas Monteiro, 185.

Max Garcia (#18 Advance Auto Parts/USF Pro Championships/Bell/OMP-Pabst Racing Tatuus IP-22): “This feels great. We knew we had the pace. We knew we had the car. It’s just incredible that I could do it for the team. It feels great to end with a win and have more to celebrate in addition to the championship. It’s been a great year and thanks to everyone at Pabst.”

Alessandro de Tullio (#44 AstroPay/Sport Summa/DTI Group/InterMS-Turn 3 Motorsport Tatuus IP-22): “It was a good race. Obviously, we were lacking pace this week, but the team has worked really hard all year. We have had our ups and downs but came away with four wins.”

Jacob Douglas (#19 DouglasFay Group/Fleet Cost & Care-Pabst Racing Tatuus IP-22): “It was a crazy race. I wasn’t sure who was on what lap there at the end. A big thanks to the Pabst Racing crew. We managed to navigate our way through and finish the year on the podium. It was great.”

Champion Garcia Resumes His Winning Ways in Portland

Gavin Baker

PORTLAND, Ore. – Max Garcia qualified only third for today’s 17th round of the USF Pro 2000 Presented by Continental Tire championship at Portland International Raceway, but he took the lead in the first corner and never looked back en route to his eighth victory of the season for Pabst Racing.

The first of two races that will make up the Continental Tire Grand Prix of Portland saw Canada’s Mac Clark convert another strong performance with Exclusive Autosport into his 11th podium finish of the season. First-time polesitter Frankie Mossman, from Newport Beach, Calif., had to be content with third for VRD Racing.

Results

An exciting qualifying session on Friday saw Mossman post the fastest time in the dying moments to secure a long awaited maiden Continental Tire Pole Award. It was richly deserved after a strong performance in the most recent race on the streets of Toronto where he led virtually the entire race until being overtaken on the final corner.

Clark also pulled a rabbit out of the hat when it mattered in qualifying. Clark, from Milton, Ont., Canada, jumped to second place ahead of a disgruntled Garcia, from Coconut Grove, Fla., who had led the way for most of the 20-minute session until encountering traffic over his final couple of laps which prevented him from improving.

Garcia duly lined up third on the grid for this morning’s race, although that all changed at the first corner when Mossman went a little too deep on the brakes and caused several of his rivals to take evasive action. Unflustered, Garcia turned in behind the polesitter on the perfect line, then simply drove around the outside at the ensuing left-hand turn to vault from third to first. The race, effectively, was over.

After a brief early caution due to debuting Australian Miles Bromley (TJ Speed Motorsports) running off at the exit of Turn Two on the second lap, Garcia soon began to edge clear of the field. His eventual margin of victory was 3.7564 seconds.

Clark, having squeezed past Mossman at the first corner, maintained second place throughout the 30-lap race, while VRD teammates Mossman and Max Taylor, from Hoboken, N.J., followed in third and fourth.

A strong start saw Pabst Racing’s Michael Costello, from Sarasota, Fla., run fifth during the early stages, although he later slipped back to seventh behind teammate Jacob Douglas, from Christchurch, New Zealand, and Alessandro de Tullio (Turn 3 Motorsport), from Miami, Fla.

Israel’s Ariel Elkin finished a distant eighth for TJ Speed Motorsports, which wasn’t enough to prevent him from being overtaken for second place in the point standings by Clark with just one race remaining.

Elkin’s teammate Sebastian Manson, from Auckland, New Zealand, earned his second Tilton Hard Charger Award of the year, rising from 13th on the grid and fighting off a race-long challenge from Exclusive Autosport’s Joey Brienza, from Golden, Colo., to finish ninth..

Augie Pabst earned another PFC Award as the winning car owner.

Both Garcia and Pabst Racing have already wrapped up their respective driver and team championships, but the battle for second between Clark, Elkin and de Tullio will be settled in the season finale which will see a green flag tomorrow, Sunday, August 10, at 2:50 p.m., immediately after the NTT INDYCAR SERIES headline event.

Provisional championship points after 17 of 18 rounds:

1. Max Garcia, 462

2. Mac Clark, 337

3. Ariel Elkin, 328

4. Alessandro de Tullio, 317

5. Jacob Douglas, 307

6. Max Taylor, 258

7. Michael Costello, 204

8. Frankie Mossman, 191

9. Cooper Becklin, 189

10. Nicholas Monteiro, 185

Max Garcia (#18 Advance Auto Parts/USF Pro Championships/Bell/OMP-Pabst Racing Tatuus IP-22): “We knew if we made it through Turn One, we had a good chance of advancing our position. Obviously, coming out into the lead was better than I could have hoped for. After that, I really just set sail. I knew we had the car. We made a few changes from yesterday, so we knew it was all about hitting the lap time and not burning the rears off.”

Mac Clark (#90 Corpay Cross-Border Solutions/Clubine Motorsports-Exclusive Autosport Tatuus IP-22): “It is nice to be on the podium again. This is like our 11th or 12th time this year. It is always great when you are a little bit disappointed with a P2. Max has been fast all year so we are going to work on chasing him hard tomorrow.”

Frankie Mossman (#84 Ethika/Jaxxon/Ivy Day Spa/Arai Americas-VRD Racing Tatuus IP-22): “I figured that since we would be going a lot slower into [Turn] One, I would bring my brake point a lot further forward than I actually could have. It was a big mistake by me but, luckily, we were able to keep it in third and battle a little bit with Mac at the start of the lap. We were kind of in a congo line the whole time. It is a bit difficult to pass around here; a lot more than I expected. But, we did the best we could and I am going to do a much better job in Race 2.”

Garcia, Jeffers and Escorpioni Claim Career Enhancement Scholarships

gavin baker

PORTLAND, Ore. – After wrapping up another successful season of competition on Sunday at Portland International Raceway, USF Pro Championships Presented by Continental Tire adjourned yesterday evening to a nearby location overlooking the Columbia River, with a majestic view of Mt. Hood, for its traditional Championship Celebration banquet.

A total of over $1.4M in scholarships and awards was distributed among all three series that comprise the widely acclaimed open-wheel driver development program – USF Pro 2000, USF2000 and USF Juniors. And for the second year running, all three series concluded their on-track action on the same weekend and in conjunction with the NTT INDYCAR SERIES.

The only title that had been wrapped up prior to the final weekend was in USF Pro 2000. Max Garcia, 16, from Coconut Grove, Fla., performed perhaps even more impressively then he did in 2024, when he won the USF2000 championship. Both titles were earned in conjunction with Pabst Racing.

Garcia set out his intent early, taking the points lead after the opening doubleheader event on the Streets of St. Petersburg, where he finished second in the first race and followed up with his maiden win. Victory number seven on the Streets of Toronto was enough to clinch the title with three races remaining. As if that wasn’t enough, Garcia went on to sweep this weekend’s Portland doubleheader to match the single-season record of nine race wins set by current NTT INDYCAR SERIES standout Kyle Kirkwood on his way to winning the crown in 2019.

Garcia last night picked up his champion’s scholarship check of $594,500 to assist in his progression to INDY NXT in 2026.

The USF2000 and USF Juniors series were both decided on Saturday when Exclusive Autosport’s Jack Jeffers and Zanella Racing’s Leonardo Escorpioni tied up their respective championships with one race to spare.

In USF2000, Jeffers, from San Antonio, Texas, played second fiddle to Jay Howard Driver Development’s Liam McNeilly, from London, England, in the early part of the 18-race campaign. But when McNeilly encountered visa issues and was unable to return Stateside after winning the first five races on the bounce, Jeffers became embroiled in a tight tussle with Ohio’s Thomas Schrage, of VRD Racing.

Jeffers broke the deadlock at Mid-Ohio, where he won twice, then doubled up also on the Streets of Toronto to take a healthy lead into this weekend’s tripleheader season finale. The 19-year-old’s win on Saturday evening represented his series high sixth of the season, ensuring him of a scholarship prize valued at $405,000 to advance to USF Pro 2000 next year.

Escorpioni, meanwhile, took the 16-round USF Juniors series by storm. He led the way in race wins (six), poles (six) and podium finishes (14). The 15-year-old Brazilian national, who is based in Windermere, Fla., also displayed true his class at Road America. After a poor qualifying session left him mired in the pack, Escorpioni fought his way from 17th to fourth in one of the three races and from 14th to second in another. He duly wrapped up the title in fine style at Portland, where he dominated the first two races. Escorpioni will graduate next year to USF2000 on the strength of a scholarship valued at $249,675.

“At the beginning of any new season, I wonder what the talent will be like, will we train up some great drivers, will the racing be exciting?” said Dan Andersen, Owner and CEO of Andersen Promotions. “This season we saw fantastic racing, and we know we have trained drivers who we will see in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES down the road. This is why we exist, and I am proud of what my team has done. This was a great year.”

Over 160 guests, including teams, drivers, sponsors and officials attended the Championship Celebration banquet on a hot summer’s evening. And while the equally intense racing action has been concluded, the focus of attention already has switched toward preparations for the 2026 season, which will reach fever pitch during the traditional Fall Combine Open Test at the Indianapolis Grand Prix road course on October 25/26.

USF Pro Championships Presented by Continental Tire Award Winners:

USF Pro 2000 Presented by Continental Tire

Champion – Max Garcia, Pabst Racing

Second Place – Ariel Elkin, TJ Speed Motorsports

Third Place – Mac Clark, Exclusive Autosport

Champion Team – Pabst Racing

Rookie of the Year – Max Garcia, Pabst Racing

Marelli Engineer of the Year – Tonis Kasemets, Pabst Racing

Makita Tools Mechanic of the Year – Tom Vasi, Pabst Racing

PRG Spirit Award – Carson Etter, Exclusive Autosport

Tilton Hard Charger Award – Nicholas Monteiro, Turn 3 Motorsport

YACademy Move of the Year – Jacob Douglas, Pabst Racing

Carl Haas Golden Wishbone – Turn 3 Motorsport

USF2000 Presented by Continental Tire

Champion – Jack Jeffers, Exclusive Autosport

Second Place – Teddy Musella, VRD Racing

Third Place – Thomas Schrage, VRD Racing

Champion Team – VRD Racing

Rookie of the Year – Jack Jeffers, Exclusive Autosport

Marelli Engineer of the Year – Louis D’Agostino, Exclusive Autosport

Makita Tools Mechanic of the Year – David Clubine, Exclusive Autosport

PRG Spirit Award – Eddie Beswick, Synergy Motorsport

Tilton Hard Charger Award – Eddie Beswick, Synergy Motorsport

YACademy Move of the Year – Eddie Beswick, Synergy Motorsport

Carl Haas Golden Wishbone – VRD Racing

USF Junior Presented by Continental Tire

Champion – Leonardo Escorpioni, Zanella Racing

Second Place – Liam Loiacono, Jay Howard Driver Development

Third Place – Joao Vergara, VRD Racing

Champion Team – Zanella Racing

Rookie of the Year – Liam Loiacono, Jay Howard Driver Development

Marelli Engineer of the Year – Ernie Gonella, Zanella Racing

Makita Tools Mechanic of the Year – Mimo Tomasello, Zanella Racing

PRG Spirit Award – Liam Loiacono, Jay Howard Driver Development

Tilton Hard Charger Award – Diego Guiot, Zanella Racing

YACademy Move of the Year – Patricio Gonzelez, DEForce Racing

Carl Haas Golden Wishbone – VRD Racing

Eight Races Comprise USF Pro Championships Finale at Portland

Garcia Takes a Victory Lap as USF2000 and USF Juniors Titles Remain Undecided

gavin baker

PALMETTO, Fla. – Another exciting USF Pro Championships Presented by Continental Tire season will reach its conclusion this week, August 8-10, at Portland International Raceway. The 1.964-mile road course situated just a few miles from downtown Portland, Ore., will feature races for all three levels of the highly acclaimed open-wheel driver development ladder, in addition to INDY NXT and the NTT INDYCAR SERIES.

And on Monday, August 11, Andersen Promotions will host its traditional Championship Celebration on the Columbia Riverfront, where scholarships and prizes worth almost $1.5 million will be shared among drivers seeking to progress along the three-step open-wheel development ladder in pursuit of a future in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES.

One of the three championships has already been decided. A few weeks ago on the streets surrounding Exhibition Place, some 2,500 miles to the east in Toronto, Ont., Canada, 16-year-old Max Garcia etched his name in the history books as the youngest ever USF Pro 2000 champion. The other two categories, USF2000 and USF Juniors, will be decided during their respective Continental Tire Grand Prix of Portland tripleheader events.

Garcia Still Chasing

Pabst Racing’s Garcia, from Coconut Grove, Fla., doesn’t have much to prove after securing the USF Pro 2000 title with two races remaining – his second successive championship after also sweeping to the USF2000 crown one year ago. However, with seven race wins to his credit this season, Garcia does have an opportunity during this weekend’s doubleheader finale to match the single-season record of nine set by current NTT INDYCAR SERIES star Kyle Kirkwood, who established the standard on his way to winning the championship in 2019.

Entry List

Attention also will be focused on a tight battle for second place in the points table. The position is currently held by Israel’s Ariel Elkin, who has won twice this season for TJ Speed Motorsports. But Mac Clark remains hot on his heels for Exclusive Autosport. The personable Canadian trails by only three points and is still seeking an elusive maiden USF Pro 2000 victory. He has fond memories of the Portland track after securing his maiden USF2000 win during an exploratory outing in 2022 having already clinched the inaugural USF Juniors crown.

Turn 3 Motorsport’s Alessandro de Tullio, from Miami, Fla., and Pabst Racing’s Jacob Douglas, from Christchurch, New Zealand, also remain in contention as second through fifth are currently bracketed by 25 points with a maximum score of 66 still on the table.

VRD Racing’s Max Taylor, from Hoboken, N.J., and Frankie Mossman, from Newport Beach, Calif., are looking to complete their seasons on a high note, too. Taylor, the 2024 USF Juniors champion, claimed his first win at Road America in June, while Mossman led the majority of the most recent race in Toronto before succumbing to a spectacular pass by de Tullio on the final lap. VRD Racing has won the last three races at Portland dating back to 2023.

Local driver Cooper Becklin also will have high expectations in his home event for Turn 3 Motorsport, while Australian Miles Bromley will make his USF Pro Championships debut with TJ Speed Motorsport. Bromley, a former champion karter, has spent the year working as a race mechanic for the TJ Speed team after previously competing in the Australian Formula Open (aka Formula 3) Championship.

The schedule will begin with a pair of 45-minute test sessions on Thursday afternoon, August 7, then continue on Friday with 30 minutes of official practice at 10:30 a.m. PDT and a single qualifying session later in the day at 4:10 p.m. Race One will see a green flag at 10:20 a.m. on Saturday with the season finale set for Sunday, immediately after the NTT INDYCAR SERIES headline event, at 2:50 p.m.

Jeffers is Top Dog in USF2000

Teenaged Texan Jack Jeffers is riding the crest of a wave. Jeffers, who recently celebrated his 19th birthday, has won four races in a row for the Exclusive Autosport team and now holds a commanding 51-point advantage in the USF2000 point standings with just three races remaining.

Entry List

A few weeks ago, the picture had looked entirely different. Jeffers and primary rival Thomas Schrage (VRD Racing), from Bethel, Ohio, were tied on points heading into a doubleheader event on the streets of Toronto. But a pair of wins for Jeffers, including a spectacular pass on Schrage in the opening race, combined with a pair of poor results for Schrage, turned the title chase on its head.

That scenario only goes to show how quickly things can change. It also explains why Jeffers will be taking no chances this weekend with a scholarship valued at more than $405,000 at stake to ensure progression to USF Pro 2000 in 2026.

Teddy Musella, from Orlando, Fla., also holds a legitimate title hope, only five points behind his VRD teammate, Schrage, following a streak of 10 top-six finishes.

G3 Argyros, from Newport Beach, Calif., who claimed a surprise maiden USF2000 victory during a chaotic race in Portland one year ago, also will be among the front runners, along with rookie Pabst Racing teammate Caleb Gafrarar, from Charlotte, N.C.

Additional contenders for race wins will include Jay Howard Driver Development stablemates Brad Majman, from Melbourne, Australia, and Anthony Martella, from Toronto, Ont., Canada, as well as a second Australian, Eddie Beswick, who claimed a breakthrough second-place finish last month in Toronto for Australian-owned Synergy Motorsport.

Two 45-minute test sessions on Thursday afternoon will provide a springboard for a busy day on Friday which will begin with 30 minutes of practice at 9:45 a.m. and continue with a crucial, single period of qualifying at 12:10 p.m. before concluding with the first of three 25-lap races at 5:50 p.m. Two more races will wrap up the weekend and the season at 3:25 p.m. on Saturday and 3:55 p.m. on Sunday.

Escorpioni Under Siege in USF Juniors

The USF Juniors crown also will be decided over three races. And as with USF2000, the championship took a major turn during the most recent event – a tripleheader at Road America, where yet another Australian, Liam Loiacono, swept the weekend for Jay Howard Driver Development to vault from fifth to second place in the point standings.

Loiacono now trails Florida-based Brazilian Leonardo Escorpioni by only 14 points with a maximum score of 99 still up for grabs. The ultimate winner will pocket a scholarship valued at almost $250,000 to ensure progression to USF2000 in 2026.

Entry List

Zanella Racing’s Escorpioni has held the points lead ever since winning the fifth round (out of 16) at Barber Motorsports Park in early May. Remarkably, he has failed to finish on the podium only twice this season. The first occasion was at NOLA Motorsports Park in April when he experienced a rare mechanical failure. The only other time was the opening race at Road America, where he rebounded brilliantly from a problem in qualifying, which restricted him to 17th on the grid, to finish a strong fourth.

Fifteen-year-old Escorpioni also displayed his class in the other two races at Road America, rising from seventh on the grid to second in Race Two and then a magnificent charge to second again – after starting 14th – in the finale.

By contrast, title rivals Joao Vergara and Oliver Wheldon, teammates at VRD Racing and both hailing from Florida, and Zanella Racing’s Ty Fisher, from White Rock, B.C., Canada, all experienced difficulties in Wisconsin. They now hold only a slim chance of overhauling Escorpioni and Loiacono.

Another Florida racer, Justin Di Lucia, is set to dip his toes in the water by making his debut for Exclusive Autosport.

As with the other two series, the USF Juniors field will take advantage of a pair of 45-minute test sessions on Thursday. A hectic Friday will include practice at 9:00 a.m., an all-important qualifying session later in the morning at 11:30 and then the first of three 15-lap races at 4:55 p.m. Their season will conclude on Saturday with two more races set to see the green flag at 2:30 p.m. and 6:20 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, usf2000.com and usfjuniors.com.

USF JUNIORS

usfjuniors.com.