There will be two major talking points this weekend as the second season of USF Juniors Presented by Cooper Tires reaches toward its conclusion with a visit to Road America. The first is whether or not 18-year-old Nicolas Giaffone, from Sao Paulo, …
There will be two major talking points this weekend as the second season of USF Juniors Presented by Cooper Tires reaches toward its conclusion with a visit to Road America. The first is whether or not 18-year-old Nicolas Giaffone, from Sao Paulo, Brazil, can do enough to clinch the Discount Tire Driver Advancement Scholarship valued at $241,800 to advance to the next step on the USF Pro Championships ladder, USF2000 Presented by Cooper Tires, in 2024.
Interest also will be focused on the series debut of powerhouse junior open-wheel team Jay Howard Driver Development, which will enter a trio of newly acquired Tatuus JR-23 cars as the Brownsburg, Ind.-based organization expands on its portfolio with the ultimate aim of providing a direct path all the way from karting to the NTT IndyCar Series.
With 10 of 16 races this season already in the books, Giaffone, the son of former IndyCar racer Felipe Giaffone, has opened up a substantial lead in the points table, 270-204, over his nearest rival, 16-year-old DEForce Racing teammate Quinn Armstrong, from Australia. Armstrong won the opening race of the season at Sebring and added a second victory at the most recent race last month at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
Giaffone, who is contesting his first season of racing in North America after finishing fifth in last year’s Brazilian Formula 4 Championship, has won six races already, along with two additional podium finishes. Three races, each offering a total of 33 points, are on the docket this weekend. Giaffone could possibly clinch the title during the Cooper Tires Grand Prix of Road America, although more likely is that the outcome will be decided during the final tripleheader event at Circuit of The Americas on August 26-27.
The Exclusive Autosport pair of Joey Brienza and Jack Jeffers still retain hopes of prying the championship from Giaffone’s grasp. Each has one win to his credit during their rookie campaigns. Brienza, who claimed a checkered flag at Sebring, currently trails Armstrong by just a dozen points, with Jeffers, a winner at Virginia International Raceway in June, just four points further adrift.
Last year’s event at Road America was dominated by VRD Racing, which swept all three races with three different drivers. VRD will be back with a strong four-car lineup for Jimmie Lockhart, Max Taylor, Ethan Barker and Hudson Schwartz. All are still seeking their first win of the season, although Lockhart, Taylor and Schwartz have all finished on the podium and Barker has come close with a trio of top-six finishes.
As is customary with USF Juniors, the expanded field of 16 drivers will have plenty of time to become fully acquainted with the challenging and fast 4.014-mile Road America circuit, beginning on Friday with three half-hour test sessions.
An additional 30 minutes of official practice at 9:10am CT on Saturday will provide one more opportunity to find pace prior to the all-important single qualifying session at noon. The first of three races will start later in the afternoon at 4:20pm, followed by two more races on Sunday at 10:10am and 2:30pm.
Live streaming coverage can be found on the free USF Pro Championships App, YouTube channel and the usfjuniors.com website.
The four main American open-wheel training series are hitting the final stretch of their seasons, and there’s good news for IndyCar’s future because breakout talent has emerged across all three tiers of the USF Championships presented by Cooper …
The four main American open-wheel training series are hitting the final stretch of their seasons, and there’s good news for IndyCar’s future because breakout talent has emerged across all three tiers of the USF Championships presented by Cooper Tires.
USF Juniors, the new entry-level series created by Andersen Promotions in 2022, has seen a healthy year-to-year increase in car count and a strong statement being made by 18-year-old Nicolas Giaffone, son of former IndyCar driver Felipe Giaffone.
The Brazilian has taken four poles and six wins from 10 races and amassed a huge 66-point lead over his DEForce Racing teammate Quinn Armstrong from Australia. With two tripleheader events left to run, Giaffone is on pace to earn the champion’s prize that would take him straight to USF2000. A pair of young Americans in Joey Brienza and Jack Jeffers have also won for their Exclusive Autosport team and hold third and fourth in the standings.
Giaffone is making a statement in USF Juniors. Image via USF Pro Championships
Overall, DEForce and its eight-out-of-10 victory strike rate has Giaffone and Armstrong in an advantageous position over the rest of the field, and while it’s still possible for Armstrong to overhaul his teammate, Giaffone is the name making waves in USF Juniors.
USF2000 is another example of one driver and one team making the series its own. American Simon Sikes, who entered the year on financial fumes with Pabst Racing, has won, and won, and continued to win his way forward. Five victories and seven poles from 15 races has the 22-year-old almost within reach of the championship; there’s one weekend and three races left to go at Portland.
While Sikes has been the class of the field with 11 podiums from those 15 races, last year’s USF2000 season finale saw points leader Myles Rowe arrive with a healthy lead over Michael d’Orlando and hand that lead — and the title — over to his closest rival, so it would be premature for Sikes or the Pabst team to ease off the throttle and play it safe in Oregon.
Sikes has been class of the field so far in USF2000. Image via USF Pro Championships
But even if Sikes does keep first place and secure the championship, he won’t be the only USF2000 driver to make headlines in 2023. Lochie Hughes from the Jay Howard Development Drivers team has been Sikes’ steadiest opponent, scoring four wins so far and eight podiums as a rookie.
Hughes needs 69 points to catch Sikes, which is a lot to ask, and behind him, Nikita Johnson is 79 points back; he’s got one win and a bunch of podiums as well. Mac Clark, the inaugural USF Juniors champion, is fourth, has won a pair of races and shown he’s got a ton of potential, and the same goes for fifth-place 15-year-old Cypriot Evagoras Papasavvas, who has a win and a wide-open future in the sport.
Like Giaffone in USF Juniors, USF2000 has been the Simon Sikes Show. But there’s a much deeper pool of talent in pursuit of the Georgian, and for junior open-wheel racing fans, Hughes, Johnson, Clark, and a few more USF2000 kids are worth following because they’ve got something special to refine and show in the coming years.
USF Pro 2000 has been a remarkable thing to follow, and it’s all because of the mounting rivalry between Myles Rowe (main image) and Michael d’Orlando.
Across the four tiers of the American open-wheel training ladder, Rowe’s become the main name and greatest standout among all the drivers. With five victories taken over 13 races, his winning percentage is unmatched in the Pabst Racing with Force Indy entry. And with his five USF2000 wins with Pabst from last year added in, he’s been victorious 10 times from 31 races since 2022.
Rowe’s big performances have created an 81-point lead in the championship – the most of any driver in the USF Championships and Indy NXT. There’s two weekends left to complete and five races spread across Circuit of The Americas and Portland, so like Sikes and like Giaffone, Rowe needs to keep his head down and keep producing points at a steady clip and the title should be resolved in his favor.
And what about d’Orlando? The American and his Turn 3 Motorsports team are giving Pabst the business this year with d’Orlando ranking second in the series with wins, but those three victories have come after the New Yorker got off to a terrible start.
Michael d’Orlando has the speed to cause problems for main rival Myles Rowe, but is needed to recover from a slow start to the season. Image via USF Pro Championships
On an epic rally, d’Orlando is up to fourth in points, 93 down from Rowe. Misfortune found d’Orlando again last weekend right as he was primed to jump to second in the championship on Sunday, but a drivetrain issue dropped him to the back of the field. Ahead of d’Orlando in third is Exclusive Autosport’s Saldavor de Alba from Mexico, who has one win, three podiums, and a 84-point deficit to the championship leader. He’s another one to watch. Highly talented Brazilian Kiko Porto is closest to Rowe with those 81 points to draw down, and he holds second in the standings on the strength of five podiums, but he’s yet to win for his DEForce Racing team.
A nice surprise has been Swedish newcomer Joel Granfors with Exclusive Autosport. Among the better finds of the season, fifth-place Granfors has a win and three podiums. Granfors arrived in Toronto in third place, but a clash on Sunday ended his race with broken suspension and a two-spot drop in the championship.
After Rowe, d’Orlando is the main USF Pro 2000 driver to consider, and regardless of where he places in this year’s standings, the reigning USF2000 champion has the goods to win more titles. If we’re fortunate, the Rowe vs d’Orlando rivalry will continue upwards and onto IndyCar, just as we had with Colton Herta and Pato O’Ward.
Indy NXT by Firestone also has a couple of potential stars brewing, but unlike the USF Championships, IndyCar’s top development category has no clear favorite to claim the title. From the opening half of the season, six drivers have won from seven races; only HMD Motorsports’ Nolan Siegel has won twice, which is making it quite hard to identify a standout in the group.
Last year, Linus Lundqvist put a beating on his rivals with four wins by the halfway point; there was the Swede, gone into the distance, and everybody else in one of the most lopsided seasons on record. The year before, it was a two-driver affair with champion Kyle Kirkwood and his four halfway wins, followed by longtime rival David Malukas, who had four as well and put up a great fight to finish second in the standings. And what about this year? The spotlight is empty.
That’s not to say NXT is lacking in seriously talented drivers, but it’s also fair to say that we aren’t staring at four or five Lundqvists locked in a battle for championship supremacy. It would be great to have a single Lundqvist or Kirkwood emerge from the herd.
There are no runaway favorites in Indy NXT this year, but Nolan Siegel has established himself as one of the standouts. James Black/Penske Entertainment
HMD’s Danial Frost won the first race but hasn’t been near a podium since St. Petersburg. HMD’s Christian Rasmussen won the second race and has been fast and consistent with two more podiums added to his tally. Juncos Hollinger Racing’s Matteo Nannini claimed the season’s third race, but it’s his only finish inside the top 10. HMD’s Reece Gold won the next race, and in a growing theme, it’s his only podium visit to date.
Siegel claimed the next two, and Andretti Autosport’s Louis Foster won the last race, which was long overdue for the reigning USF Pro 2000 champion. Andretti’s Hunter McElrea, a pre-season title favorite after winning two races as a rookie, has put his year of NXT experience to good use but hasn’t won, and again, only has one podium to his credit.
Siegel’s championship lead over Denmark’s Rasmussen is down to 16 points, and New Zealand’s McElrea is 39 points shy in third. Foster, who endured a luckless start to his NXT season, might be the readiest of all for IndyCar. The Briton is fourth with a 42-point margin to Siegel and hopes to keep carving into his championship lead. Kentucky’s Jacob Abel, in fifth with his family-run Abel Motorsports team, has shown immense growth in his second year of NXT, and has two podiums, but awaits his first win and has 48 points to find over the next seven races to catch California’s Siegel.
So who will end up owning the 2023 NXT championship?
Speak to IndyCar team owners, and they mention Siegel, Rasmussen, and Foster as the ones they’re currently tracking. But the honest ones will also tell you they’re largely apathetic to what they’ve seen this season in NXT. They’re always on the lookout for homerun hitters, and Giaffone, Sikes, and Rowe are knocking it out of the park in the USF Championships. But they aren’t ready for IndyCar in 2024.
Until someone starts swinging for the fences in NXT and places their stamp of authority on the series, Lundqvist’s successor will remain a mystery. The quest to identify NXT’s next star continues this weekend in Iowa.
USF Pro 2000 Presented by Cooper Tires championship leader Myles Rowe overcame a disappointing result on Saturday to take a clear victory for Pabst Racing with Force Indy in Sunday’s Cooper Tires Grand Prix of Toronto. A fifth win of the season for …
USF Pro 2000 Presented by Cooper Tires championship leader Myles Rowe overcame a disappointing result on Saturday to take a clear victory for Pabst Racing with Force Indy in Sunday’s Cooper Tires Grand Prix of Toronto. A fifth win of the season for the 22-year-old from Brooklyn, N.Y., stretches his advantage to a whopping 81 points as he chases a Discount Tire Driver Development Scholarship valued at $664,500 to graduate to INDY NXT in 2024.
Lirim Zendeli, from Bochum, Germany, finished second for TJ Speed Motorsports. Rowe’s Pabst Racing teammate Jordan Missig, from Channahon, Ill., matched his career-best result in third. Missig also set the fastest race lap for good measure.
Rowe paved the way for his triumph by starting at the head of the field after earning his fourth Cooper Tires Pole Award of the season and third in succession during qualifying on Saturday morning.
He took full advantage by leading from the start. Behind, a bold move around the outside of Turn One by teammate Jace Denmark netted the resident of Scottsdale, Ariz., second place after starting in fourth.
After an early caution following an incident in the midfield, Denmark tried to execute a similar move on Rowe under braking for Turn 3 at the end of the back straightaway. Unfortunately, Rowe slipped a little wide at the exit and made contact with Denmark’s front wing, which immediately became detached, forcing him into the pits and out of contention.
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Rowe continued unscathed, and instead soon came under pressure from Saturday’s winner – and the man who narrowly beat Rowe to last year’s USF2000 Presented by Cooper Tires championship crown – Michael d’Orlando, from Hartsdale, N.Y.
“First of all, the crowd here is amazing. I love Toronto. It is such a great city,” Rowe said. “It is such a tough race. The bumps are crazy. It is like New York City out there. I just have to give a huge thanks to God, my family, Force Indy, Pabst Racing, SimCraft, Sparco, Bell Helmets and the whole crew. They really put together such a package for us to have this kind of consistency this year. You need to have a certain kind of package to do really successful things at this level of motorsports. All these guys – Lirim, Jordan and the rest of the field – all of them are super competitive and super tough to beat. I just can’t ‘thank you’ enough to all of my partners.”
Gavin Baker Photography
The 25-lap race had started on a slightly damp track, but the pace gradually increased as the surface dried out completely. The two leaders remained in close contact until, quite suddenly, d’Orlando began to lose power shortly after the halfway mark. The Canadian-American soon slipped into the clutches of the pursuing pack, led by Zendeli who on lap 16 had found a way past d’Orlando’s Turn 3 Motorsport teammate Christian Brooks, from Santa Clarita, Calif., with a nice move at Turn 3.
The unfortunate d’Orlando eventually tumbled almost to the back of the field, cruelly ending his hopes of taking over second place in the points table.
Zendeli maintained second to the finish, some 4.4155s adrift of Rowe and narrowly ahead of Missig, who had started second and was the fastest man on track in the closing stages.
Indian-American Yuven Sundaramoorthy, from Delafield, Wis., (Exclusive Autosport) also displayed strong speed after a difficult season, claiming the Tilton Hard Charger Award after rising from 16th on the grid to eighth.
Rowe’s performance capped a tremendous day for team principal Augie Pabst, who took home another PFC Award as the winning car owner.
Five more races remain this season. A doubleheader event at Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas, on August 26-27 is next, followed just one week later by a trip to the West Coast for a tripleheader finale at Portland International Raceway in Portland, Ore., on September 2-3.
Nico Christodoulou this weekend took a break from his regular season of contesting the GB3 Championship in the UK, returned home to his native Toronto for a one-off return to USF2000 Presented by Cooper Tires and claimed an impressive victory this …
Nico Christodoulou this weekend took a break from his regular season of contesting the GB3 Championship in the UK, returned home to his native Toronto for a one-off return to USF2000 Presented by Cooper Tires and claimed an impressive victory this morning for VRD Racing in the Cooper Tires Grand Prix of Toronto.
Christodoulou, 18, took the lead with five laps remaining on a damp track when polesitter and championship leader Simon Sikes (Pabst Racing) made a slight error under braking for Turn 3. Sikes held on for second, while Lochie Hughes profited from some last-lap shenanigans to complete the podium for Jay Howard Driver Development.
Overnight rain meant the 1.786-mile temporary circuit in Exhibition Place, just a few miles from downtown Toronto, was treacherously slippery as the 19 cars lined up for their race at a little after 8am ET. That was of no major concern for Sikes, who started as he finished yesterday’s race — at the front — after securing his seventh Cooper Tires Pole Award of the season during a dedicated qualifying session on Saturday morning.
A couple of single-car spins led the first three laps to be completed behind the pace car, after which Sikes took off confidently in the lead.
Sikes was helped when outside front row starter and Saturday polesitter Evagoras Papasavvas (Jay Howard Driver Development) made a mistake at Turn 1, although it wasn’t long before Christodoulou began to loom large in his mirrors. Christodoulou, who had lined up fifth on the grid, profited firstly when VRD teammate Nikita Johnson experienced a mechanical problem even before the start. He then took advantage of Papasavvas’ error before slipping past Sikes’ teammate Jacob Douglas on the first lap of green-flag racing.
The pace increased steadily as the 20-lap race unfolded and the track slowly began to dry, although Sikes seemed to have matters under control, despite the close attentions of both Christodoulou and fellow Toronto area native Mac Clark (DEForce Racing). But on lap 16, the leader left his braking a touch too late at Turn 3 and ran slightly wide. Christodoulou needed no second bidding. He ducked instinctively to the inside and slipped through into the lead.
One brief caution period due to a single-car incident at the back of the field was cleared in time for a one-lap dash to the checkered flag. Christodoulou, who had contested a handful of USF2000 races in 2020 before heading to Europe, was up to the challenge, clearing off to take the victory by just over 1.5 seconds.
“As I was coming here, I knew the track would be pretty wet. Racing in England, pretty much all you get is wet weather racing and I was excited to take advantage of that,” said Christodoulou. “In the race, I was maintaining second for most of it. Simon ended up making a mistake and I took the lead. We had a safety car restart and I kept the lead and just pulled away. I really loved racing this weekend. The team put a great car together for me and all the sponsors and my family were here, so it was a super good weekend.”
Clark had made a bid to overtake Sikes around the outside at Turn 1, but after running side by side almost the full length of Lake Shore Boulevard, he instead found himself under attack from Sikes’ teammate Max Garcia. Unfortunately, contact at Turn 3 sent Clark spinning. In the chaos that ensued, Hughes vaulted from fifth to third, ending his poor sequence of results, while Jorge Garciarce (DEForce Racing) picked up the Tilton Hard Charger Award after rising from 11th on the grid to fourth, equaling his best result of the season.
A delighted Dan Mitchell claimed the PFC Award as the winning car owner.
Second position for Sikes, his 11th podium finish of the season, means that he now holds a commanding 69-point lead over Hughes in his quest for a Discount Tire Driver Development Scholarship valued at $433,200 to ensure graduation onto the next step of the ladder, USF Pro 2000 Presented by Cooper Tires, in 2024.
In the team championship, a once clear advantage for Jay Howard Driver Development has now been trimmed to just a single point over Pabst Racing. The outcome of both titles will be decided in the tripleheader finale at Portland International Raceway on September 2-3.
Simon Sikes this afternoon padded his lead in the USF2000 Presented by Cooper Tires points table by virtue of a spectacular victory on the streets around Exhibition Place. But there is a lot more to the story than just that. While strategic calls …
Simon Sikes this afternoon padded his lead in the USF2000 Presented by Cooper Tires points table by virtue of a spectacular victory on the streets around Exhibition Place. But there is a lot more to the story than just that. While strategic calls and pit stops don’t usually play a significant role on the USF Pro Championships Presented by Cooper Tires driver development ladder, they certainly did today as the 20-lap race began on a damp track which quickly dried out.
Sikes was among the first to make a pit stop for dry-weather tires, called in at the completion of the second lap by his Pabst Racing team when the race was already under a full-course caution due to an incident on the opening lap.
Sikes, aided by another full-course caution, made his way expertly to the front with six laps remaining. Teammate Max Garcia emerged from the pack to finish second, with newcomer and former karter Logan Adams claiming an equally impressive third for Jay Howard Driver Development.
The race did not begin auspiciously for Sikes, who yesterday had qualified a disappointing sixth. Instead it was Evagoras Papasavvas (Jay Howard Driver Development) who started at the front after claiming his second career Cooper Tires Pole Award.
Fellow 15-year-old Nikita Johnson (VRD Racing) charged to the front on the first lap, which ended under caution due to an incident in Turn 4. With the track already nearly dry following an earlier rain shower, a couple of drivers immediately ducked into the pit lane for slick Cooper tires. Next time around, with the field still under yellow, six more cars pitted for dries, including Sikes and fellow title contender Mac Clark (DEForce Racing).
Sikes hadn’t yet closed up to the rear of the train of cars that had elected to stay on wet tires by the time the track went back to green, but it wasn’t long before he and Clark soon began to close that gap.
Johnson, meanwhile, continued to lead from Papasavvas, who lost second place just after the halfway point to debutant Nico Christodoulou. The Toronto native’s VRD Racing team had been the first to make the call to change tires.
Moments later, another incident involving teammate Gordon Scully ensured another caution. This time Papasavvas and, one lap later, Johnson, elected to change tires. They resumed eighth and 11th.
Christodoulou led at the restart, but Sikes, who had earlier been passed by Clark, was on a mission. Sikes firstly outbraked the first of the Canadians with a bold move around the outside at Turn 3 on lap 14 to take over second place. Next time around, he repeated the maneuver on Christodoulou and never looked back as he went on to claim his fifth win of the season and second in succession.
“I don’t even know where to start!” said Sykes. “It started in wet conditions. I played it a bit too safe in the first qually (qualifying session), so I started sixth and was just trying to work my way forward to a podium. That was my end goal for this race, but we got out there and we got under this first safety car period and the team called me in for slick tires. I was questioning it, I didn’t know if it would work, but ultimately that was the best call anyone could have made.
“(Race engineer) Burke Harrison did such a fantastic job. He and Augie Pabst, the whole Pabst organization made this one happen. They made the strategy call that ended up winning the race and gave me a perfect car to go execute, so huge thanks to them, and Doug Mockett for being an awesome supporter. Just really happy to take away a Pabst one-two to start off the races in Toronto.”
The battle for second looked likely to be settled between the two Canadians, Christodoulou and Clark, but Garcia had other ideas. Clark had followed Sikes past his countryman, taking second position at Turn 5, but after one final restart, with two laps remaining, Garcia left his braking for Turn Three extremely late and Clark had little option but to cede the position. Clark also lost out to a close-following Adams and Christodoulou, although he managed to repass his local rival on the final lap to regain fourth.
Adams, taking part in just his second USF2000 weekend, earned the Tilton Hard Charger Award after lining up 13th on the starting grid.
Augie Pabst took home another PFC Award as the winning car owner. His joy was compounded by the fact that Garcia’s second-place finish moved his team within eight points of Jay Howard Driver Development in the battle for the team championship.
Sikes’ glorious day leaves him with a commanding 56-point lead in the championship with only four races remaining. Lochie Hughes (Jay Howard Driver Development), who had previously taken the fight to Sikes, slipped to third in points after clipping a wall and retiring from the race. Sikes will have another opportunity to extend his advantage bright and early tomorrow at 8:10am ET having earned the pole positionfollowing a separate qualifying session earlier today.
Michael d’Orlando continued his recent charge in USF Pro 2000 Presented by Cooper Tires by claiming a dramatic victory this afternoon for Turn 3 Motorsport in the first of two races that will comprise the Cooper Tires Grand Prix of Toronto. After …
Michael d’Orlando continued his recent charge in USF Pro 2000 Presented by Cooper Tires by claiming a dramatic victory this afternoon for Turn 3 Motorsport in the first of two races that will comprise the Cooper Tires Grand Prix of Toronto. After the race was red-flagged following a brief shower to allow everyone to switch onto wet-weather Cooper tires, d’Orlando, who carries duel American and Canadian citizenship, took full advantage of a late error by Myles Rowe (Pabst Racing with Force Indy) before cementing his third win in the last five races.
Mexico’s Salvador de Alba finished second for Exclusive Autosport with Germany-based Albanian Lirim Zendeli taking third for TJ Speed Motorsports.
Rowe, the championship leader, continued his rich vein of form into qualifying on the unforgiving Toronto streets. Only fifth fastest in the lone 30-minute practice on Friday morning, Rowe upped the ante considerably when it mattered a little later in the day. His fastest time, more than a half-second clear of d’Orlando and the only sub-1m10s lap among the 19-car field, comfortably secured his third Cooper Tires Pole Award of the season.
Under an overcast sky but on a dry track, Rowe took off into the lead at the start, chased initially by de Alba, who found a way past outside front row qualifier d’Orlando on the opening lap.
d’Orlando redressed that balance with a nice move at Turn 3 on the fourth lap, then quickly negated the advantage of more than a second that Rowe had already created.
The top five continued to circulate in close company for the first half of the 25-lap race with Rowe remaining under pressure from d’Orlando, de Alba, Swedish Exclusive Autosport teammate Joel Granfors and Jace Denmark (Pabst Racing).
An incident farther down the field on lap 15 necessitated a full-course caution, and light rain began to fall while the field circulated at reduced speed behind the pace car. Before long, race control called for the red flag and brought all cars onto the pit lane for the fitment of grooved-tread tires.
The track was fully wet by the time the race was unleashed for a four-lap dash to the checkered flag. Unfortunately, as the race leader, Rowe was the first driver to fully realize how wet the surface had become. A fraction too late onto the brakes at the end of Lake Shore Boulevard, Rowe skated wide and allowed d’Orlando to nip through into the lead.
Rowe was fortunate to be able to resume in seventh, mitigating the damage, but there was no stopping d’Orlando, who remained out front until the yellow lights came out again on the final lap after Irish teammate Jonathan Browne, who had been running ninth, found the tire barrier at Turn 8.
Former FIA Formula 2 competitor Zendeli showed his experience by rising from seventh to third after the restart, followed by Granfors and Brazilian Kiko Porto (DEForce Racing), who profited when the unfortunate Denmark went off course at Turn 3 just as the caution lights came on.
“It was a crazy race, and one of the most difficult that I have driven in a long time,” said d’Orlando. “Myles gave me quite a fight throughout the race. Then we had a rain red flag and it was really difficult. I know from Myles’ perspective, it is definitely a lot more challenging being the leading guy.
“It is amazing to be on the top step of the podium here in Toronto. I am proud to be a Canadian up here and an American down there. Turn 3 Motorsport did a fantastic job in making sure the car was extremely fast and capable of this win today.”
Christian Brooks, who had not raced since winning the opening race of the season on the streets of St. Petersburg, Fla., made an impressive return for Turn 3 Motorsport, rising from 13th on the grid to finish eighth and earn the Tilton Hard Charger Award. His team owner, Peter Dempsey, also capped an excellent day by earning his fourth PFC Award of the season.
Having been placed 11th in the season points table just a few races ago, d’Orlando has now vaulted to fourth, only five points out of second, with six races remaining in the season. Rowe continues to hold a comfortable lead and will have an opportunity to atone for his error when he starts on pole position for tomorrow morning’s race which will go green at 11:05am ET.
Provisional championship points after 12 of 18 rounds:
1. Myles Rowe, 268
2. Joel Granfors, 204
3. Kiko Porto, 204
4. Michael d’Orlando, 199
5. Salvador de Alba, 198
6. Francesco Pizzi, 186
7. Jace Denmark, 177
8. Lirim Zendeli, 164
9. Jonathan Browne, 158
10. Jack William Miller, 150
Australian Quinn Armstrong closed out an impressive run in the Cooper Tires Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio doubleheader with victory in Saturday’s final leg at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. It was the second win of the season for the 16-year-old DEForce …
Australian Quinn Armstrong closed out an impressive run in the Cooper Tires Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio doubleheader with victory in Saturday’s final leg at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. It was the second win of the season for the 16-year-old DEForce Racing driver in USF Juniors Presented by Cooper Tires competition.
Hudson Schwartz, of Arlington, Va., crossed the line second for VRD Racing followed by Ethan Ho, of Los Angeles, Calif., with DC Autosport – with both drivers posting their career-best results of the season.
Schwartz, 14, earned his first Cooper Tires Pole Award with an outstanding drive in a separate qualifying session held earlier in the day. Armstrong was alongside on the front row followed by Ho and Exclusive Autosport’s Jack Jeffers, of San Antonio, Texas, who finished third yesterday. Series points leader and race one winner Nicolas Giaffone lined up fifth on the grid with the top-five starters blanketed by just 0.266s.
With a thunderstorm looming, the green flag flew 20 minutes early to avoid the potential weather. Schwartz had no problem taking control of the field with a strong start and had built up a 1.3s lead before the first caution flew on lap two. Contact between Giaffone and Ethan Barker, of Houston, Texas, in a battle for fifth place sent Giaffone off track and out of the race.
Again, Schwartz had no problem controlling the lead on the lap five restart, which unfortunately saw contact between Joey Brienza, of Exclusive Autosport, and VRD Racing’s Max Taylor in Turn 5. It was the end of the day for Brienza, while Taylor was able to continue but was subsequently served a drive-through penalty for the incident.
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Schwartz again led the field to the restart on lap nine with Armstrong in pursuit. Armstrong was finally able to be close enough for a pass for the lead, which he accomplished heading into Turn 4 on lap 11.
The caution flags flew again on lap 12 for an incident involving Jimmie Lockhart of VRD Racing who had been running in seventh. The result was a five-lap shootout to the finish which Armstrong comfortably managed. Schwartz had to settle for second, and the consolation of setting the fastest lap of the race, with Ho in third followed by Jeffers and Barker.
“Definitely a crazy race with plenty of restarts to shake up the order,” Armstrong said. “It was not an easy race to get to first but we ended exactly where we wanted to be and I can’t thank DEForce enough.”
Despite the drive-through penalty, Taylor still managed to finish sixth and pick up the Tilton Hard Charger Award.
DEForce Racing’s David and Ernesto Martinez took home their eighth PFC Award as the winning car owners.
With both Giaffone and Brienza out of the race, Armstrong earned valuable points to move into second in the standings.
USF Juniors will return to action on August 12-13 for a triple-header event at Road America.
Brazilian Nicolas Giaffone extended his already impressive advantage in the chase for the USF Juniors Presented by Cooper Tires championship by heading another DEForce Racing one-two today in the first of two races that will comprise the Cooper …
Brazilian Nicolas Giaffone extended his already impressive advantage in the chase for the USF Juniors Presented by Cooper Tires championship by heading another DEForce Racing one-two today in the first of two races that will comprise the Cooper Tires Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio.
Giaffone led from start to finish in the 20-lap race to notch his sixth victory, heading home teammate Quinn Armstrong for the third time this season in just nine races. Jack Jeffers finished third for Exclusive Autosport.
Third-generation racer Giaffone continued his series dominance earlier this morning by posting the fastest lap in qualifying to clinch his fourth Cooper Tires Pole Award.
Ethan Ho qualified a strong second for DC Autosport, matching his performance during last week’s USF2000 Presented by Cooper Tires event at the same Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course venue, only to experience a sudden loss of power on the opening lap of the race which caused his car to stop at Turn 2.
Ethan Barker, who started third, took up the chase of Giaffone before losing out to charging VRD Racing teammate Max Taylor up from sixth on the grid.
Unfortunately, Taylor fell to the back of the field when his car stuttered almost to a standstill just before the completion of lap 8. He quickly recovered five positions following a brief mid-race caution period, only for the same problem to rear its head with just four laps remaining.
The caution instantly negated Giaffone’s lead, which had grown to almost four seconds, and at the restart Barker saw an opportunity to challenge for the lead under braking for Turn 2 at the top of the hill. Giaffone staunchly defended his inside line, then braked a fraction too late which caused Barker to run wide into the gravel and slip all the way to the rear of the pack.
Giaffone narrowly maintained his lead, with teammate Armstrong slipping through into second place, while a major shuffling of positions saw Jeffers vault from sixth place to second ahead of Jimmie Lockhart (VRD Racing).
After that initial challenge, Giaffone was able to reassert his authority and ultimately take the checkered flag almost two seconds clear of Armstrong. Jeffers couldn’t match the leaders’ pace but did manage to hold off a spirited challenge from Lockhart for third.
“This isn’t a very easy track, to be honest, especially when you are new here. It’s always changing,” said Giaffone. “All the sessions, the track is going to feel different and you are going to be driving differently. I’m pretty happy with the results we have had. The race wasn’t at all easy. The two yellow flags really got things mixed up, but I think we fought it off with a lot of sportsmanship. I hope we can bring this effort and this performance again tomorrow.”
Hudson Schwartz (VRD Racing) finished fifth ahead of Joey Brienza (Exclusive Autosport) and Barker, who stormed back from 12th to seventh in the final five laps.
A little farther back, Carson Etter (DC Autosport) took ninth after starting in 13th to earn himself the Tilton Hard Charger Award. DEForce Racing’s David and Ernesto Martinez took home their seventh PFC Award as the winning car owners.
The doubleheader weekend in support of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series will continue with a second qualifying session at 9:00am ET tomorrow which will set the starting order for Race 1 at 11:30am.
Myles Rowe opened up a commanding early championship lead in USF Pro 2000 Presented by Cooper Tires with three wins from the first four races of the season. The New Yorker was frustrated in his bid to add to that victory tally over the course of the …
Myles Rowe opened up a commanding early championship lead in USF Pro 2000 Presented by Cooper Tires with three wins from the first four races of the season. The New Yorker was frustrated in his bid to add to that victory tally over the course of the next few events, but he put that behind him in emphatic style Saturday evening in the second and final race of the Cooper Tires Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio, which he led from start to finish for the Pabst Racing with Force Indy team.
Kiko Porto bounced back from an incident earlier in the day to finish a close second for DEForce Racing, while Michael d’Orlando capped a productive weekend for Turn 3 Motorsport by finishing third.
Rowe set the tone for his success by snaring his second Cooper Tires Pole Award of the season during an intense qualifying session on Friday, which, remarkably, was concluded with the top seven drivers all recording a lap time within one tenth of a second.
The 30-lap race proved to be just as close. Rowe never put a foot wrong in the lead, but he was never able to gain any kind of breathing space over Porto, who remained seemingly glued to his gearbox after sneaking past d’Orlando on the fourth lap.
“It wasn’t a great start to the morning in Race 1, so it was important for us to come back and fix up the points for the title fight down in Portland,” said Rowe. “This was a huge boost for the team. We can go into Toronto with huge momentum.
“Kiko made it tough for me. This was one of the toughest races that I have had in the USF Pro Championships, but this is what we want because we are trying to step up to IndyCar and this is the training ground to get there. I have learned all the skills I need to do what I need to do in IndyCar.”
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Porto posted the fastest lap of the race, but even that wasn’t enough and he had to settle for second. The result represented an impressive comeback after being pushed off the track during the opening race, and allowed Porto to reclaim second place in the point standings.
The top four cars remained in extremely close formation from start to finish. D’Orlando once again displayed excellent pace while finishing third, which, allied to his second win of the season earlier in the day, enabled him to vault from 11th in the points table to sixth, only 18 points behind Porto, heading into the final seven races of the season.
Jace Denmark (Pabst Racing) ran in company with the leaders until slipping back just a little in the final few laps. He still finished fifth ahead of Reece Ushijima (Jay Howard Driver Development), Louka St-Jean (Turn 3 Motorsport), Bijoy Garg (DEForce Racing) and Joel Granfors (Exclusive Autosport).
Ushijima atoned for his error earlier in the day by claiming the Tilton Hard Charger Award after working his way from 12th on the grid to sixth.
The winning team owner, Augie Pabst, capped an excellent day by earning a second PFC Award to the trophy he won also in USF2000 Presented by Cooper Tires through the efforts of Simon Sikes.
Next on the docket for the USF Pro Championships is another double-header event, once again in conjunction with the NTT IndyCar Series, on the streets of Toronto on July 15-16.
Provisional championship points after 11 of 18 rounds:
1. Myles Rowe, 251
2. Kiko Porto, 187
3. Joel Granfors, 185
4. Salvador de Alba, 173
5. Francesco Pizzi, 171
6. Michael d’Orlando, 169
7. Jace Denmark, 166
8. Jonathan Browne, 152
9. Jack William Miller, 147
10. Lirim Zendeli, 142
Simon Sikes displayed impressive speed during this weekend’s Discount Tires Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio. And finally, Saturday evening on the challenging 2.258-mile Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Sikes, from Augusta, Ga., was able to parlay that pace into a …
Simon Sikes displayed impressive speed during this weekend’s Discount Tires Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio. And finally, Saturday evening on the challenging 2.258-mile Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Sikes, from Augusta, Ga., was able to parlay that pace into a dominant USF2000 Presented by Cooper Tires race win, his fourth of the season for Pabst Racing.
With Sikes long gone in the lead, the main interest in the concluding race of the weekend was focused on a thrilling battle for second place. Saturday morning race winner Mac Clark (DEForce Racing) held the position for almost the entire 20-lap distance, only to fall victim to an audacious pass in Turn 2 on the final lap by 15-year-old Nikita Johnson (VRD Racing).
Sikes once again started from the pole position, courtesy of having earned his series leading sixth Cooper Tires Pole Award of the season, and was never seriously challenged. The race once again was interrupted by a couple of early full-course cautions, but over the final 14 laps of green-flag racing, Sikes extended his advantage on each and every lap. His eventual winning margin was a whopping (by USF2000 standards) 10.311s.
“The Pabst car, like always, was perfect. Burke Harrison did a great job on the engineering, Augie Pabst runs such a great organization and the car is just fast,” said Sikes. “To come and show all the pace we had, it was unfortunate to not get it done yet but Race 3 proved to be our time and we were able to get that top spot by quite a margin. It felt really great for the team and it’s great points at the end of the day. Just a huge shoutout to Pabst and Doug Mockett for all the support this season.”
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Once the race settled down, Clark, who started second, found himself under constant pressure from Johnson, with Evagoras Papasavvas (Jay Howard Driver Development) and Sam Corry (VRD Racing) also in close attendance.
As the race entered its final phase, Clark, last year’s USF Juniors Presented by Cooper Tires champion, seemed to have weathered the storm. But Johnson, who also graduated this year from USF Juniors, had been biding his time. The young Floridian intensified his charge with a couple of laps remaining, then went for a bold outside pass at the notoriously tricky Keyhole corner. It worked to perfection.
Clark, to his credit, gave Johnson just enough room and the youngster took full advantage, nosing ahead on the exit of the corner and making second place his own. The results meant that Johnson became tied for second in the points table with Lochie Hughes, whose Jay Howard Driver Development team worked wonders to repair his badly damaged Tatuus USF-22 following a major accident earlier in the day, only for it to grind agonizingly to a halt on the pace lap.
Hughes’ teammate Papasavvas capped a breakthrough weekend with a fourth-place finish to add to his Friday win and second-place finish earlier on Saturday. Corry followed closely in fifth, just ahead of Chase Gardner (Exclusive Autosport) and Max Garcia (Pabst Racing).
A little farther back, Thomas Schrage (Exclusive Autosport), from Bethel, Ohio, capped his debut USF2000 weekend with another strong race. Schrage didn’t have the results he perhaps deserved after posting the second-fastest time during testing on Thursday, but he did earn his third successive Tilton Hard Charger Award after steering clear of trouble and rising from 19th on the grid to ninth.
The PFC Award for the winning car owner was claimed by Augie Pabst, whose delight was heightened by the fact that his title aspirant, Sikes, now holds a nice cushion of 40 points in the quest for a Discount Tire Driver Advancement Scholarship valued at $433,200 as the series heads next to the streets around Exhibition Place in Toronto for two races on July 15-16.
