USF Pro Championships – Page 9

d’Orlando slithers to dramatic USF Pro 2000 victory in Toronto

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.

RESULTS

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

Armstrong tops USF Juniors at Mid-Ohio, moves to second in points

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 …

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.

RESULTS

Giaffone heads DEForce 1-2 in USF Juniors at Mid-Ohio

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 …

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.

RESULTS

Provisional championship points after 9 of 16 races:
1. Nicolas Giaffone, 263
2. Joey Brienza, 184
3. Quinn Armstrong, 174
4. Jack Jeffers, 169
5. Jimmie Lockhart, 150
6. Lucas Fecury, 137
7. Max Taylor, 127
8. Brady Golan, 117
9. Ethan Barker, 114
10. Erick Schotten, 113

Rowe bolsters USF Pro 2000 title prospects with Mid-Ohio win

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.

RESULTS

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

Redemption at Mid-Ohio for USF2000 points leader Sikes

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 …

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.

RESULTS

Provisional championship points after 13 of 18 races:
1. Simon Sikes, 311
2. Lochie Hughes, 271
3. Nikita Johnson, 271
4. Mac Clark, 246
5. Evagoras Papasavvas, 235
6. Chase Gardner, 176
7. Sam Corry, 164
8. Jorge Garciarce, 160
9. Max Garcia, 141
10. Max Dyszelski, 141

D’Orlando rockets back to USF Pro 2000 form with win at Mid-Ohio

After experiencing all manner of misfortune during the first half of the USF Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires season, Michael d’Orlando now has earned two victories in his three most recent starts for Turn 3 Motorsport. Last year’s USF2000 Presented by Cooper Tires champion led from flag to flag in Saturday’s opening leg of the Cooper Tires Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio, which included a red-flag stoppage due to a short, sharp rain shower, and finally took the checkered flag 1.5096s ahead of Pabst Racing’s Jace Denmark, from Scottsdale, Ariz.

Jack William Miller, from Carmel, Ind., completed the podium for Miller Vinatieri Motorsports.

D’Orlando, from Hartsdale, N.Y., continued his run of form by securing his third Cooper Tires Pole Award of the season during qualifying on Friday, and comfortably translated that into the lead at the start.

Brazilian Kiko Porto, who preceded d’Orlando as a USF2000 champion in 2021, started second for DEForce Racing, but maintained his position only as far as the exit of Turn 4 where he was unceremoniously bundled off the road and onto the grass by an aggressive Salvador de Alba (Exclusive Autosport), from Guadalajara, Mexico. Matters went from bad to worse for the unfortunate Porto as he inadvertently collected several other cars as he attempted to regain the racing surface at Turn 5. Cue a full-course caution.

D’Orlando once again displayed his superiority at the restart, while de Alba was obliged to serve a drive-through penalty for incident responsibility which relegated him to the back of the field.

Reece Ushijima (Jay Howard Driver Development) and fellow Scottsdale, Ariz., resident Denmark, who today celebrated his 19th birthday, led the chase at the restart, having vaulted, respectively, from sixth and eighth on the starting grid. But a three-wide tussle at the end of the back straightaway soon after the restart saw Ushijima shuffled back a couple of positions, which he maintained until catching the curb and spinning into the gravel trap at Turn Eight after 13 laps.

Rain began to fall during the ensuing caution period, and after two more laps the race was red-flagged and the entire field was instructed to fit wet-weather Cooper tires prior to the restart. With the 50-minute time slot closing rapidly, there was time for merely a two-lap dash to the finish. The storm clouds miraculously deposited only minimal precipitation, and on a damp track d’Orlando expertly negotiated the tricky conditions to cement his win.

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“The race was fun. Sometimes you have a battle with another driver and it’s super hectic but, to be fair, I was out front the whole time,” d’Orlando said. “I did get a bit anxious when the rain came. I went into Turn One with the new rain tires and didn’t know what to expect. I went in a tad too fast and corrected that but a real moment. It was a great race and the #1 Priority machine from Turn 3 Motorsport was absolutely insane. It has been fast all weekend and I am super proud to put it on top at Mid-Ohio. Huge thanks to all my supporters.”

The top five positions remained unchanged, with Miller just fending off Sweden’s Joel Granfors (Exclusive Autosport) for third and Bijoy Garg (DEForce Racing) from Atherton, Calif., claiming a season-best fifth-place finish.

German-based Albanian Lirim Zendeli (TJ Motorsport) made up a couple of positions in the closing laps to secure sixth ahead of Canada’s Louka St-Jean (Turn 3 Motorsport).

Championship leader Myles Rowe (Pabst Racing with Force Indy), from Brooklyn, N.Y., slipped from sixth to 11th, but still managed to maintain a healthy points advantage over Granfors.

Ricardo Escotto (Jay Howard Driver Development), from Mexico City, Mexico, picked up the Tilton Hard Charger Award by virtue of finishing ninth and advancing nine positions from the start.

Turn 3 Motorsport’s Peter Dempsey claimed the PFC Award as the winning car owner.

The second half of this weekend’s Cooper Tires Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio is scheduled to go green Saturday at 5:25 p.m. EDT.

RESULTS

Clark takes USF2000 win at Mid-Ohio after Sikes and Hughes collide

Canada’s Mac Clark was perfectly positioned to take his second USF2000 Presented by Cooper Tires victory of the season this morning for DEForce Racing at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course after championship rivals Simon Sikes (Pabst Racing) and Lochie …

Hughes’ teammate Evagoras Papasavvas continued his banner weekend at his home track by finishing second. Sam Corry followed in third.

Sikes began the day in perfect style. After regaining the points lead yesterday in the first of three races that will comprise the Discount Tire Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio, Sikes started at the front of the field this morning by virtue of posting the second-fastest lap of all drivers during the lone qualifying session on Friday to secure his fifth Cooper Tires Pole Award of the season.

Sikes took off confidently in the lead and quickly built a seemingly unassailable advantage of more than seven seconds. Unfortunately, a midfield incident with seven laps remaining necessitated a full-course caution and slashed Sikes’ lead to nothing.

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At the ensuing restart, Hughes, running second, spotted what would likely have been his only opportunity to make a challenge for the lead as he lunged to the inside under braking for the Keyhole, Turn 2. Hughes caromed into Sikes’ right-rear wheel before cartwheeling spectacularly into the gravel trap and out of the race.

Sikes was able to continue in second place, minus his rear wing, but just as the race was about to be restarted for a one-lap dash to the checkered flag, race officials determined that the car was in an unsafe condition and Sikes was instructed to bring the car onto pit lane. He was eventually classified an unrepresentative 18th, his only consolation the fact he was able to claim the three bonus points for pole position, fastest race lap and leading most laps.

Meanwhile, Clark maintained his advantage on the final lap and crossed the line merely 0.2189s ahead of Corry, with VRD teammate Nikita Johnson and the two Pabst Racing entries of Max Garcia and Jacob Douglas hot on his heels.

“It was a crazy second race here at Mid-Ohio. That was insane,” said Clark. “We managed to take advantage on the second to last restart and just be smart, keep our nose clean and managed to come away with the win. It is really special on Canada Day weekend for me to get it done and just a really big thank you to the team. This is really good for us in terms of the point standings, so I am really excited

Thomas Schrage (Exclusive Autosport) claimed his second Tilton Hard Charger Award in as many days after rising from 21st on the grid to 11th.

David and Ernesto Martinez picked up the PFC Award as the winning car owners.

The final race of the weekend is scheduled for later Saturday afternoon at 4:30pm ET.

RESULTS

Provisional championship points after 12 of 18 races:
1. Simon Sikes, 277
2. Lochie Hughes, 270
3. Nikita Johnson, 246
4. Mac Clark, 224
5. Evagoras Papasavvas, 216
6. Chase Gardner, 147
7. Jorge Garciarce, 161
8. Sam Corry, 159
9. Jacob Douglas, 127
10 Max Garcia, 127

Papasavvas grabs first USF2000 win by narrowest of margins at Mid-Ohio

Evagoras Papasavvas scored a narrow USF2000 Presented by Cooper Tires victory for Jay Howard Driver Development following a thrilling climax to Friday afternoon’s opening leg of the Discount Tire Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio tripleheader. The 15-year-old from Loveland, Ohio, came under intense pressure from title contender Simon Sikes (Pabst Racing), from Augusta, Ga., and even lost his lead momentarily on the final lap before securing his first-ever car racing win by a third of a second.

Sikes’ eighth podium finish of the season allowed him to regain the championship lead from Papasavvas’ teammate, Lochie Hughes, from Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, who finished fourth behind Canadian Mac Clark (DEForce Racing).

It was Sikes who had set the pace during the pair of test sessions on Thursday as well as official practice earlier this morning. In the waning moments of the lone qualifying session, however, Papasavvas stepped up his game to edge Sikes and claim the first Cooper Tires Pole Award of his young career. That was the good news. The bad news was that Papasavvas inadvertently missed the checkered flag and completed an extra lap before returning to the pit lane. The error brought an automatic penalty of two grid positions and led to him lining up third in the starting order behind title contender Sikes and Ethan Ho, from Los Angeles, Calif., who recorded his best-ever qualifying result for DC Autosport.

A determined Papasavvas lost no time in regaining that ground. He scythed past Ho at the first corner, then raced wheel-to-wheel with Sikes through the Keyhole and along the length of the main straightaway before slipping through into the lead at Turn 4.

A couple of caution periods punctuated the first half of the 20-lap race, and Papasavvas had his work cut out to keep Sikes at bay following the final restart with nine laps in the books.

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Sikes poked his nose alongside Papasavvas a couple of times in the closing stages, and on the final lap he appeared to have turned the tables when he edged ahead at Turn 4. But Sikes slid a little wide at the exit which allowed Papasavvas one last chance to reclaim the advantage. Side by side they raced over the crest at Turn 5, whereupon it was Papasavvas who had the preferred line into the next right-hander at Turn 6, and he was back into the lead.

There was no further recourse available to Sikes, who had to be content with second. Clark and Hughes also were in close attendance at the checkered flag, while one of the drives of the race was produced by another 15-year-old, Nikita Johnson (VRD Racing), from Gulfport, Fla., who slipped from sixth to 18th in the early skirmishes before scything through to an impressive fifth at the finish.

“I don’t have any words,” Papasavvas said. “The entire race, I was on it. I couldn’t make a mistake every single lap and that is what I love about racing. You have to be on the limit absolutely every lap. It is such a way to win and against competition like this, it is really something else. And at a level like this, with IndyCar here and all the fans, it’s great. I am really thankful for God and everyone who supports me and helps me and works as hard as I do.”

Ho followed in sixth, well clear of Sam Corry (VRD Racing), from Cornelius, N.C., and Jorge Garciarce (DEForce Racing), from Guadalajara, Mexico.

Former F1600 champion Thomas Schrage, from Bethel, Ohio, showed excellent speed in testing on his USF2000 debut with Exclusive Autosport, only to be forced to start at the tail of the field following an alternator failure in qualifying. Schrage vaulted from 22nd to 15th on the opening lap and eventually crossed the line in 13th to claim the Tilton Hard Charger Award.

Papasavvas’s victory secured a fifth PFC Award of the season for Jay Howard as the winning car owner.

Two more races will complete the event Saturday with the green flags set for 11:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. EDT.

RESULTS

Zendeli and TJ Speed team claim first wins in USF Pro 2000

German-based Albanian rookie Lirim Zendeli scored his first USF Pro 2000 Presented by Cooper Tires victory for himself and his team, TJ Speed Motorsports, in this morning’s dramatic second leg of the L&W Supply Grand Prix of Road America. Brazil’s …

Brazil’s Kiko Porto fought his way impressively through the field from 13th on the grid to finish second for DEForce Racing, while Ireland’s Jonathan Browne further exhibited the global appeal of the USF Pro Championships by rounding out the podium for Turn 3 Motorsport.

Remarkably, there wasn’t a repeat podium finisher in either of this weekend’s two races apiece for USF Pro 2000 and the junior open-wheel development series, USF2000 Presented by Cooper Tires.

TJ Speed Motorsports is new to USF Pro 2000, but has gained success in every other series it has contested in recent years. This morning, the Pittsboro, Ind.-based team’s trio of rookie drivers all enjoyed a taste of success. In addition to Zendeli’s victory, America’s Christian Weir claimed the Cooper Tires Pole Award — the eighth different driver in nine races to secure a pole this season — while the third member of the team, Francesco Pizzi, from Italy, posted the fastest lap of the race.

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Unfortunately, Weir’s hopes of a maiden win were dashed even before the green flag when he and fellow front row starter — and yesterday’s winner — Michael d’Orlando (Turn 3 Motorsport) came together at the apex of Turn 14 on the parade lap. Weir continued a lap in arrears after repairs were made to his car, but d’Orlando played no further part in the proceedings.

Zendeli, who qualified third, instead took control from the start and led virtually throughout the 15-lap race. He eventually took the checkered flag a comfortable 3.5879s clear of the rest. But there was much more to the story than that. Following a brief full-course caution due to a multi-car incident in the midfield, Zendeli and Pizzi, who charged from sixth to second on the first lap, came under intense pressure from behind, with Browne and championship points leader Myles Rowe (Pabst Racing with Force Indy) snapping at their heels.

Pizzi briefly found his way into the lead at Turn 5, only to slide a little wide at the exit which allowed Zendeli to draw alongside as the leaders headed up the hill toward Turn Six. Zendeli late-braked his way back to the front, and while Pizzi set the fastest lap in pursuit of his quarry, he was unable to shake off Browne, who continued to pile on the pressure.

The battle between Pizzi and Browne enabled Zendeli to make his escape over the final few laps, although behind him, Porto, too, had worked his way steadily into contention.

“The race was really tough. It was confusing at the beginning because my teammate had contact with Michael [d’Orlando], so I was the leader from third already on the first corner,” related Zendeli. “I had a great first lap so I could settle myself and see how things were going, but then the slipstream effect was just too huge and I couldn’t escape. I tried to do everything I could in case my teammate behind me made a mistake so I could at least get away so there is no slipstream effect anymore. But the whole race he was behind me and he was really fast. I did perfect laps with no mistakes, but still it was not enough to escape. At the end finally he did a mistake and from there the last few laps were a bit easier for me. I am really happy.”

With one lap remaining, Porto first managed to sneak past Pizzi at Turn 3. Then at the end of the ensuing straightaway, at Turn 5, he out-braked Browne for second place, where he would remain. The 2022 USF2000 champion’s performance comfortably earned him the Tilton Hard Charger Award.

Rowe fought his way back to fourth, ahead of a fading Pizzi, after being shuffled down the order to sixth at the mid-race restart, which enabled him to further stretch his points lead in the quest for a Discount Tire Driver Advancement Scholarship valued at $664,500 to ensure graduation to INDY NXT in 2024.

TJ Speed’s Tim Neff claimed the PFC Award of the season as the winning car owner.

The second half of the 18-race USF Pro 2000 season will commence with another doubleheader at Mid-Ohio on June 30 and July 1.

Provisional championship points after 9 of 18 rounds:
1. Myles Rowe, 209
2. Francesco Pizzi, 161
3. Kiko Porto, 159
4. Joel Granfors, 154
5. Salvador de Alba, 142
6. Jonathan Browne, 142
7. Jace Denmark, 124
8. Reece Ushijima, 122
9. Lirim Zendeli, 116
10. Jack William Miller, 116

D’Orlando finally snatches maiden USF Pro 2000 win at Road America

After encountering all manner of misfortune during the first seven races of the USF Pro 2000 Presented by Cooper Tires season, Michael d’Orlando, from Hartsdale, N.Y., Saturday afternoon scored a textbook, and long overdue, maiden victory for Turn 3 Motorsport. D’Orlando, last year’s USF2000 Presented by Cooper Tires champion, started from pole position but had to work hard for his victory following a spirited battle with points leader Myles Rowe (Pabst Racing with Force Indy), from Brooklyn, N.Y.

A delighted Jordan Missig (Pabst Racing), from Channahon, Ill., claimed his first-ever podium finish in the first of two races that will comprise this weekend’s L&W Supply Grand Prix of Road America.

D’Orlando served notice of his intentions during qualifying on Friday by earning the Cooper Tires Pole Award. It was his second of the season, finally breaking a record streak of seven different pole winners.

Ominously, the only driver to have converted a pole position into a race win previously this year was Christian Brooks, who did so for the same team, Turn 3 Motorsport, in the opening race on the streets of St. Petersburg. Unfortunately, it proved to be a one-off appearance for the young man from Santa Clarita, Calif., who was unable to secure the budget to continue.

But d’Orlando was undaunted. The opening stages of the 15-lap race were peppered by caution periods following a series of minor incidents, and even though d’Orlando lost his advantage after sliding wide at Turn 5 following one of the restarts, he regained the position with four laps remaining when Rowe made a similar slight error in Turn 6. D’Orlando then put his head down and maintained his lead until the checkered flag.

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“It was fun but it was a long one as I was shuffled back at the beginning,” d’Orlando explained. “Myles ended up having a great start. I don’t know how that happened but he worked his way up from fourth to P2 and then by me at the restart. I just went a little deep in Turn 5. From there, I just had to work my way back restart after restart. It was a little tough because the guys behind me were quite ruthless with their moves and going off track, but I’m super proud. Turn 3 and myself put that #1 Priority car on top not just figuratively but literally. That thing was so quick. First win of the year and I am so happy. I feel like my misfortune streak is finally over. It was a great race and I am so happy. It was great to get my first win in USF Pro 2000 here at Road America.”

Rowe, who started fourth, made up two positions immediately at the start, then vaulted into the lead following d’Orlando’s error. He was disappointed to miss out on a potential fourth win of the season but relieved to know that his championship points lead had been stretched from 32 points to 47 due to problems for his closest rivals.

Missig’s joy on the podium was well-founded, for in addition to scoring a career-best finish, he picked up his third Tilton Hard Charger Award of the year after a fine drive from 14th on the grid.

Reece Ushijima (Jay Howard Driver Development), from Scottsdale, Ariz., finished fourth on the road and even led briefly in the middle portion of the race, but ultimately was relegated to 13th place following a 30s penalty for jumping one of the restarts.

Jonathan Browne (Turn 3 Motorsport), from Ratoath, Ireland, inherited the position ahead of Kiko Porto (DEForce Racing), from Recife, Brazil.

Peter Dempsey of Turn 3 Motorsport claimed his second PFC Award of the season as the winning car owner.

The second half of the weekend double-header will see the green flag at 8:00 a.m. CDT Sunday.

RESULTS