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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

Garcia Romps to USF Pro 2000 Double at Road America

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. – This weekend’s Elite Engines Grand Prix of Road America kicked off today with a pair of 15-lap races, both of which were dominated by USF Pro 2000 Presented by Continental Tire championship leader Max Garcia.

Garcia, 16, from Coconut Grove, Fla., the winner of last year’s USF2000 crown, claimed maximum points in both 15-lap races to open up a commanding 74-point lead heading into tomorrow’s 12th out of 18 races this season.

Exclusive Autosport’s Mac Clark, from Milton, Ont., Canada, and Garcia’s teammate Jacob Douglas, from Christchurch, New Zealand, shared the other two podium positions in both races.

Race 1 Results

Race 2 Results

Garcia cemented his status as the championship leader during the pair of qualifying sessions on Friday, posting the fastest time in both and securing another pair of Continental Tire Pole Awards.

Last year’s USF Juniors champion, Max Taylor, from Hoboken, N.J., qualified a strong second for this morning’s race for VRD Racing, only for his hopes to be blunted by a gearbox issue which immediately dropped him back into the pack.

Garcia established a handy advantage on the opening lap as teammate Douglas led the charge behind him. Clark also was tucked in underneath the New Zealander’s rear wing.

While Garcia was able to escape the draft and pull clear at the front, Douglas wasn’t so fortunate. On Lap Three, Clark used the additional straight line speed to his advantage by pulling alongside Douglas on the uphill front straightaway and then slotting into second place at Turn One.

Clark, however, had nothing for Garcia, who extended his lead with each lap before turning the fastest lap of the race at two-thirds distance to ensure a maximum score of 33 championship points.

A fine start saw English rookie Joseph Loake vault from seventh place to fourth on the opening lap before ceding the position to Turn 3 Motorsport teammate – and title contender – Alessandro de Tullio, from Miami, Fla.

Joey Brienza, from Golden, Colo., earned his best finish of the season thus far, sixth for Exclusive Autosport, while TJ Speed Motorsports’ Ariel Elkin, from Haifa, Israel, overcame some stubborn electrical gremlins in qualifying to rise from 17th on the grid to seventh. The performance earned Elkin the Tilton Hard Charger Award.

The ambient temperature had increased substantially prior to this afternoon’s race, which began with Garcia once again taking the Continental Tire Pole Award and Clark lining up alongside on the front row of the grid.

The fast Road America circuit generally produces plenty of overtaking excitement as the long straightaways provide a terrific slipstream effect, but there was no catching Garcia today.

Even a brief full-course caution when teammate Michael Costello, from Naples, Fla., ground to a halt in Turn Eight, failed to disrupt Garcia, who calmly held his ground at the restart and then cruised away to his second victory of the day and his fourth of the year.

Taylor led the pursuit of Garcia until the caution, but it was Douglas who profited at the restart, drafting from fourth to second at the first corner and then holding off Clark for the remainder of the race.

Elkin once again provided much of the excitement. Up from 16th on the grid to 10th on the opening lap, Elkin continued his rapid progress by jumping to fifth at the restart and then passing Taylor for fourth. Elkin stayed close to Douglas and Clark for much of the race before slipping back a little in the closing stages. Still, fourth was his reward, along with a second Tilton Hard Charger Award.

Augie Pabst, whose eponymous team is based in nearby Oconomowoc, Wis., pocketed the day’s pair of PFC Awards as the winning car owner.

The USF Pro 2000 contenders will be back in action bright and early tomorrow morning, Sunday, June 22, for a third 15-lap race which is slated to see a green flag at 7:55 a.m. CDT.

Provisional championship points after 11 of 18 rounds:

1. Max Garcia, 297

2. Ariel Elkin, 223

3. Mac Clark, 221

4. Alessandro de Tullio, 217

5. Jacob Douglas, 188

6. Max Taylor, 171

7. Michael Costello, 135

8. Nicholas Monteiro, 126

9. Cooper Becklin, 120

10. Jace Denmark, 118

Race One:

Max Garcia (#18 Advance Auto Parts/USF Pro Championships/Bell/OMP-Pabst Racing Tatuus IP-22): “It was pretty simple. I got off to a good lead at the start and then was just managing for a lot of the race and turned it up right at the end. I can’t thank Pabst Racing and (engineer) Tonis (Kasemets) enough. That car was just incredible. It was so easy to drive. I could put it anywhere. I can’t wait to get in it again twice more this weekend.”

Mac Clark (#90 Corpay Cross-Border Solutions/Clubine Motorsports-Exclusive Autosport Tatuus IP-22): “It was an awesome first race here at Road America. I think we really maximized the #90 Corpay Cross-Border Solutions Exclusive Autosport car. It was dialed in. I think we have a little bit more pace to find. The Pabst guys have been tough to chase all weekend, so we'll regroup for Races Two and Three. We are going to be starting on the first row [for the next race], and we'll work from there.”

Jacob Douglas (#19 DouglasFay Group/Fleet Cost & Care-Pabst Racing Tatuus IP-22): “I had a good start off of P3. I got into P2 on the first lap. Unfortunately, I made a mistake and went back to P3 and just stayed there the whole race really. I was trying my best to catch Mac and move forward into second and try and make a charge for the win but, unfortunately, I couldn't quite get there. The car felt really, really good so massive thanks to the whole Pabst Racing crew. The car is phenomenal and I'm looking forward to the next two races.”

Race Two:

Max Garcia (#18 Advance Auto Parts/USF Pro Championships/Bell/OMP-Pabst Racing Tatuus IP-22): “It was a super great race. Led start to finish again, which is absolutely amazing. It was just managing most of the race really, keeping track of where everyone else was on track. It was super awesome to cross the line first again for Pabst at their home track.”

Jacob Douglas (#19 DouglasFay Group/Fleet Cost & Care-Pabst Racing Tatuus IP-22): “It was a great Race Two here at Road America. We started P4, moved up to P2 on the start and then I was shuffled back a little bit to P4. On the restart, I made a great move around the outside challenging for the lead, but couldn't quite get it done and we came home second. Massive thanks to all the Pabst Racing guys. The car's been great all weekend.”

Mac Clark (#90 Corpay Cross-Border Solutions/Clubine Motorsports-Exclusive Autosport Tatuus IP-22): “It's always a good race when you finish on the podium. Starting P2, we were hoping for a little bit more, but not a bad way to end our first day here racing at Road America. Super thankful to the whole team. They gave me a fast race car today. We're starting, I think, P2 again tomorrow so that'll give us another good shot.”

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 2000 Championship

www.usf2000.com

Schrage, Musella Share Road America USF2000 Laurels for VRD

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. – VRD Racing teammates Thomas Schrage and Teddy Musella claimed a victory apiece during today’s hotly contested USF2000 Presented by Continental Tire doubleheader.

Schrage, from Bethel, Ohio, padded his championship points lead with a fine win this morning in his first ever race at the famed 4.014-mile road course set in the rural Kettle Moraine countryside near Elkhart Lake, Wis. Musella, from Orlando, Fla., came through for second ahead of Pabst Racing’s G3 Argyros, from Newport Beach, Calif.

Later in the day, Musella held off a concerted challenge from Exclusive Autosport’s Evan Cooley, from Mokena, Ill., for his long overdue maiden USF2000 victory. Harley Keeble, from Grimsby, England, capped a memorable debut by finishing third for Jay Howard Driver Development.

Race 1 Results

Race 2 Results

Regularly among the fastest cars during the recent series test at Road America, Exclusive Autosport carried on its good work when the Elite Engines Grand Prix began in earnest. Jack Jeffers, from San Antonio, Texas, snagged his first-ever Continental Tire Pole Award during qualifying on Friday, while teammate Cooley circulated only 0.0347 of a second slower to ensure a front row lockout for the Brownsburg, Ind.-based team.

Jeffers maintained his lead at the start but remained under intense pressure as a gaggle of cars squabbled in his wake. Musella immediately jumped into second place on the opening lap, followed by Pabst Racing’s Caleb Gafrarar, from Charlotte, N.C., Cooley and a third Exclusive Autosport entry driven by on-form Brazilian Lucas Fecury. Schrage, who experienced a suspension breakage in qualifying, and Ayrton Houk (Benchmark Autosport), from McCordsville, Ind., also were locked in combat.

Drafting always plays a significant role at the ultra-fast Road America venue, so it came as no surprise on Lap Four to see Musella vault his way into the lead as the pack jostled for position on the long front straightaway.

Unfortunately, while Jeffers clung gamely to the outside line at Turn One, contact with Musella at the exit of the corner sent the title contender’s car hard into the tire barriers and out of the race. Miraculously, no one else was involved as the pack ducked and dived in avoidance. Cue the first of two full-course cautions.

Schrage used the draft at the start to nip past teammate Musella on the approach to Turn One, with Gafrarar also following him through. Gafrarar then took his turn out in front before another incident a little further down the field resulted in the Honda Civic Type R Safety Car being scrambled again.

There was time for only one lap of racing once the track had been cleared, and poor Gafrarar was a sitting duck as the snarling pack raced toward Turn One for the final time. Schrage timed his run to perfection and moved clearly into the lead, followed by Fecury, but behind there was chaos as Gafrarar was tipped into a spin.

Schrage was free and clear as he romped away for his second win of the season. Musella fought past Fecury for second at Turn Six as Argyros, aboard the second Pabst Racing Tatuus, took advantage of the shuffling to complete the podium in third.

Christian Cameron, from Sonoma, Calif., the youngest driver in the field at age 15, completed a magnificent morning for VRD Racing by finishing a career-best fourth ahead of Fecury and Houk.

A little further back in 10th, South African rookie Wian Boshoff rebounded from a major accident during testing to claim the Tilton Hard Charger Award for the hard-working Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Development team after starting 19th.

Race Two this afternoon saw Jeffers once again starting at the front of the field with his second straight Continental Tire Pole Award by virtue of setting the best of every driver’s second-fastest laps during the sole qualifying session on Friday. That was the good news. The bad news was that he would be driving a different car – that of teammate Brenden Cooley (younger brother of Evan) – after his primary chassis had been badly damaged earlier in the day.

The change of car didn’t seem to faze Jeffers – at least in the early stages – as he maintained his lead at the start and, along with teammate Cooley, Gafrarar and Musella began to edge away from the rest of the field.

That luxury didn’t last for long as the race once again was interrupted by a couple of brief cautions due to various incidents among the extremely competitive 21-car field.

Following some remarkably swift work by the AMR INDYCAR Safety Team, the final restart came with a couple of laps remaining. Musella held the lead at this stage, and even though he immediately came under intense siege – due to the draft – at the restart, a brave late-braking maneuver on the inside line enabled him to somehow retain his slight edge at Turn One. He never looked back.

Cooley raced home close behind in second for his career-best result, while Keeble not only impressed, he also drew perhaps the biggest cheer of the day as he arrived at the podium celebrations.

Gafrarar had to be content with fourth, while series leader Schrage chose to play things safe, finishing in 13th after having been obliged to line up 15th on the grid following his qualifying woes.

Schrage’s main title rival, Jeffers, made a couple of mistakes in the closing laps, costing him valuable championship points as he slipped from third to eighth, although he was able to regain one of those positions on the final lap.

Colombia’s Sebastian Garzon earned the Tilton Hard Charger Award for DEForce Racing after rising from 16th on the grid to ninth.

VRD Racing’s Dan Mitchell claimed both PFC Awards as the winning car owner. Mitchell’s fruitful day also saw his team vault into the lead of the Teams Championship for the first time this year.

USF2000 Presented by Continental Tire will return to action in two weeks’ time, once again in support of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, on July 4-6.

Provisional championship points after 10 of 18 races:

1. Thomas Schrage, 228

2. Jack Jeffers, 201

3. Teddy Musella, 192

4. G3 Argyros, 175

5. Liam McNeilly, 163

6. Evan Cooley, 153

7. Caleb Gafrarar, 139

8. Anthony Martella, 129

9. Sebastian Garzon, 115

10. Ayrton Houk, 107.

Race 1:

Thomas Schrage (#2 Doug Mockett & Company/Airport Electric Service/Boys & Girls Clubs-VRD Racing Tatuus USF-22): “I don’t know if we truly had a car to win. The dirty air was really bad and I had a terrible start and that’s all on me. I just stayed cool and I knew I had a lot of laps left. I just picked them off one by one and then Jack was in that huge accident and I was sorry to see that. I was second on that last restart and put myself in a good position. Once I cleared him [Gafrarar], I had an easy run from there. I want to thank Doug Mockett first off – he is the reason why I can race – my dad, Girls and Boys Club of Greater Cincinnati, the Team USA Scholarship and everyone on the VRD team.”

Teddy Musella (#25 Triarsi Competizione/Don’t Sleep Energy Drink-VRD Racing Tatuus USF-22): “I had a really good start. I think we had the quickest car in the first half of the race. And then after the first Safety Car, I got P1. This track is so hard from restarts. I just got freight-trained on the main straight and fell back to fourth. After the second restart, I had a really good start and got through the first turn quite cleanly. Then going to Turn Six, was able to pass Lucas Fecury for second. From there on it was just about keeping the car on track and getting a nice finish for the team with a one-two.”

G3 Argyros (#23 Positive Energy/Elephant Cooperation-Pabst Racing Tatuus USF-22): “It was a real exciting race. We started pretty deep in the field in ninth and it was just hectic. I battled with some of the Jay Howard cars in a cat fight, and that lost us a bunch of time. That first restart was our saving grace. We moved up, moved back into contention – just a lot of really intense fighting and that's what Road America breeds. That's why I love it here. And then we were making places up, and I think we would have had a good shot at going forward. That final restart, I mean, I was sweating in the car. It's hot, and, restarts can bring restarts. I knew it was going be a hectic one and I just protected the car. So we went from seventh to third on the last lap and the last lap is the only one that matters.”

Race 2:

Teddy Musella (#25 Triarsi Competizione/Don’t Sleep Energy Drink-VRD Racing Tatuus USF-22): “It’s definitely hard starting on the outside of the front row at this track. I think I fell back to fifth or sixth, but I kept my head cool. I knew I had the pace, and I was getting through the field. And then we had the last restart and it was really hectic. Having to stay at the front at this track, it's just horrible – the draft is so much. We went three-wide into Turn One and I sent it deep on the brakes and kept moving on from there.”

Evan Cooley (#90 Brown Brothers Harriman-Exclusive Autosport Tatuus USF-22): “The race was pretty good, a good points haul. I got the lead pretty early on and me and my teammate ran first and second. Then the pace car came out and I fell back on the restart just because of the draft. Nothing I could really do; I got swallowed. But, I ground my way back up and just held P2 for the rest of the race. I just want to thank the whole team. They have done an amazing job this whole weekend.”

Harley Keeble (#7 JHDD/CSU One Cure/Lucas il Products-Jay Howard Driver Development Tatuus USF-22): “It was a great race. The start was a bit messy, like Turn One was a bit dirty. I'm inexperienced compared to these guys, so I've just been taking one corner at a time, hitting my marks, just doing the best as I can. I got a really good restart off that last restart, which created a gap and I was able to stay there in P3. Teddy and Evan did a really good job to stay out front. I was slowly coming, but not quite fast enough.”

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