Lochie Hughes – Syndication Server

Hughes completes perfect USF Pro 2000 weekend at Road America

Lochie Hughes strengthened his claim to the USF Pro 2000 Presented by Continental Tire championship this morning by completing a clean sweep of the Elite Engines Grand Prix of Road America. Hughes, from Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, grasped the advantage from Pabst Racing’s polesitter Christian Brooks, from Santa Clarita, Calif., immediately following a restart on lap six and held off a stern challenge throughout the remainder of the 15-lap race to secure his third win of the weekend.

Brooks had to be content with second, well clear of teammate Jace Denmark, from Brownsburg, Ind., as the locally based Pabst Racing team remains frustrated in its quest for a USF Pro 2000 victory at its home track.

It was Brooks who started at the front of the field this morning, securing his first Continental Tire Pole Award of the season by virtue of posting the best of each driver’s second fastest lap during qualifying on Friday afternoon.

The Californian was able to maintain his position for the first two laps, whereupon the caution flags waved due to an unfortunate accident which befell Logan Adams’ family-run Comet/New Castle Motorsports Park Tatuus when he tripped over the apparently slowing Jay Howard Driver Development car of Frankie Mossman in Turn 14. Adams, from Greenfield, Ind., emerged unscathed, but the car was heavily damaged.

Moments after the restart, which came with five laps in the books, Hughes was able to take advantage of a huge draft from the race leader and slipstream his way through into the lead before they reached the braking area for Turn 1.

Job done. Brooks maintained the pressure on Hughes for the remainder of the race, but there was no stopping Hughes from claiming his fifth win of the season and another PFC Award for Turn 3 Motorsport team principal Peter Dempsey as the winning car owner.

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Denmark couldn’t quite match the leading pace, but still was able to take his second podium finish of the weekend and catapult himself to second place in the point standings.

Turn 3 Motorsport’s Danny Dyszelski, from Belmont, N.C., chased home Denmark in fourth, while Pabst Racing’s Simon Sikes, from Augusta, Ga., mounted a tremendous comeback after being shuffled from third place to outside the top 10 in the early stages. Sikes also secured the additional championship point for fastest race lap.

“It was a good weekend. Three wins – you can’t really ask for more than that,” Hughes said. “After the troubles at NOLA and everything, to bounce back in the championship like this and be on the run we are on is great. I can’t thank the team enough and all of my sponsors back home. I am over the moon and hopefully we can just keep this momentum going to Mid-Ohio and the rest of the season.”

The Tilton Hard Charger Award went to Canadian USF Pro 2000 debutant Nico Christodoulou, who overcame some problems in qualifying to battle from 18th on the grid to seventh at the checkered flag.

With the closest title challengers finishing further down the field, Hughes now holds a relatively comfortable 50-point lead in the chase for a scholarship valued at $681,500 to graduate to Indy NXT in 2025 as the contenders head next to the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, for two more races held in conjunction with the NTT IndyCar Series on July 6-7.

RESULTS

Hughes doubles and takes USF Pro 2000 points lead at Road America

Lochie Hughes and the Illinois-based Turn 3 Motorsport team enjoyed a banner day at Road America, winning two of the three races that will comprise this weekend’s Elite Engines Grand Prix of Road America. The talented Australian also vaulted into a clear lead in his quest for the USF Pro 2000 Presented by Continental Tire championship and a scholarship valued at $681,500 to graduate to INDY NXT in 2025.

Frankie Mossman (Jay Howard Driver Development), from Newport Beach, Calif., and Mexico’s Ricardo Escotto (BN Racing) finished second and third in the opening race, while Pabst Racing’s Christian Brooks, from Santa Clarita, Calif., and New Zealander Liam Sceats (TJ Speed Motorsports) completed the podium later in the day.

Hughes began the weekend trailing early season pacesetter Nikita Johnson by a single championship point, although he quickly erased that deficit by virtue of securing the Continental Tire Pole Award for Saturday’s opening race during the first of two qualifying sessions on Friday.

A cloudy sky and threatening clouds greeted the USF Pro 2000 contenders early this morning when they lined up on the grid, but thankfully the rain was kept at bay for the majority – but not quite all – of the 15-lap race.

Hughes duly led the 21-car field up the hill toward the starter’s awaiting green flag shortly after 8:00 a.m., but it was outside front row starter Simon Sikes, from Augusta, Ga., who grasped the early initiative for Oconomowoc, Wis.-based Pabst Racing when he drove around the outside of the Australian at the first corner.

Last year’s USF2000 champion held the lead for almost exactly one lap before Hughes regained the advantage at the same corner. Shortly afterward, Mossman relegated Sikes to third place at Turn 5, then began to put the pressure on Hughes for the lead.

Mossman momentarily gained the upper hand when he drafted past Hughes into Turn 1 on lap 11, but his decision to take a defensive line subsequently at Turn Three cost him valuable momentum and allowed Hughes to regain the advantage on the long run downhill toward Turn 5.

Mossman intensified his challenge in the closing stages as spots of rain began to fall. For most of the final lap, Hughes felt obliged to adopt a defensive line under braking to minimize any opportunity for Mossman to wrest away his lead. The ploy worked to perfection, although both leaders – and everyone behind – was almost caught off guard when the rain drops rapidly intensified as they negotiated the critical Carousel corner at Turn 8.

The top contenders all made it through safely, then treated the notorious Road America kink with the utmost respect as they made their way toward the checkered flag at significantly reduced pace.

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Hughes duly held on to secure a well-judged victory, his second of the season but first since the very first race on the streets of St. Petersburg, Fla., in March. Behind, Mossman followed in an impressive second, for his first-ever podium finish, while Sikes’ attempt to wrest away second place went awry at the final corner when he ran out of racing room, strayed two wheels onto the grass and spun.

Escotto inherited third, his first podium since joining BN Racing, after narrowly fending off the Pabst Racing pair of Jace Denmark, from Brownsburg, Ind., and Christian Brooks, from Santa Clarita, Calif., on the dash to the line.

Brazil’s Nicolas Monteiro earned the Tilton Hard Charger Award following an impressive drive to 11th after starting dead last.

Sikes looked to make amends later in the day, starting at the front after having claimed the Continental Tire Pole Award during a second qualifying session on Friday. The race started out well for Sikes as he fought off a challenge from teammate Brooks, but after a couple of early caution periods due to incidents further down the field, he was unable to stay with the leaders and slipped back down the field before once again crashing out on the final lap.

After losing a place on the opening lap, Hughes quickly worked his way forward once the race began in earnest, moving to the front on lap 11 and controlling the remainder of the 15-lap contest.

Brooks enjoyed his best result since also finishing second in the opening race of the season, crossing the line just 1.1288s behind the winner, but the drive of the race came from Sceats, who catapulted himself from 14th on the grid to sixth in the early stages. The Kiwi continued his charge forward to take the checkered flag in third, narrowly ahead of Denmark.

Sceats comfortably pocketed the Tilton Hard Charger Award for his efforts, while Turn 3 Motorsport’s Peter Dempsey capped his team’s magnificent day with a pair of PFC Awards as the winning car owner.

One more race is on tap for this weekend’s busy slate of action, with the 12th round of the 18-race season set to see the green flag at 10:00 a.m. Sunday.

RACE ONE RESULTS

RACE TWO RESULTS

Hughes joins Turn 3 Motorsports for USF Pro 2000 campaign

Lochie Hughes will step up from the USF2000 series where he placed third in the 2023 championship to racing at the next level of the USF Championships ladder with the Turn 3 Motorsports team. “I’m very excited to be joining Turn 3 Motorsport for the …

Lochie Hughes will step up from the USF2000 series where he placed third in the 2023 championship to racing at the next level of the USF Championships ladder with the Turn 3 Motorsports team.

“I’m very excited to be joining Turn 3 Motorsport for the 2024 USF Pro 2000 season,” Hughes said. “We’ve been testing this month to prepare for the season which has gone really well so far. Turn 3 has a very strong program in place and has won a lot of races in the past, so I’m looking forward to getting the season underway in St. Petersburg soon.”

The young Australian showed a lot of talent and determination during the USF2000 season where he earned eight podiums and four victories with the Jay Howard Driver Development team.

“Lochie is a driver we have really enjoyed watching over the past few seasons,” said Turn 3 team owner Peter Dempsey. “He has always had raw speed, and his results have proven that. To have this caliber of driver in our program for the 2024 season will only help drive the entire team forward. We have been enjoying our short time working together so far, but the serious stuff is about to start, and we are all fully focused on maximizing the season. I can’t wait to get going for an exciting season with all of our drivers.”

Sikes, Hughes share USF2000 wins on turbulent day at Road America

USF2000 Presented by Cooper Tires title rivals Lochie Hughes (Jay Howard Driver Development), from Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, and Simon Sikes (Pabst Racing), from Augusta, Ga., shared the victory spoils in Saturday’s Discount Tire Grand Prix …

Hughes encountered a problem with his car in the opening race and later was assessed a 5s penalty for blocking, which dropped him from 10th to 12th, while Sikes placed 10th in race two following some on-track skirmishes. Consequently, Hughes’ slender points lead has diminished by one, from four points to three, heading into the second half of the season.

Jacob Douglas (Pabst Racing), from Christchurch, New Zealand, scored a career-best second-place finish Saturday morning ahead of VRD Racing’s Nikita Johnson, from Gulfport, Fla. After starting from pole position in race two, Mac Clark, from Milton, Ont., Canada, finished second ahead of 14-year-old Max Garcia (Pabst Racing), from Coconut Grove, Fla.

Hughes began the weekend in emphatic style during qualifying on Friday by securing his second Cooper Tires Pole Award of the season, and his first since the opening round on the streets of St. Petersburg, Fla., in early March. The Australian teenager took full advantage of the pristine new track surface on the challenging 4.014-mile circuit by posting a new lap record of 2m07.8964s, an average speed of 112.985mph. His time comfortably eclipsed the old standard of 2m09.2583s set by Rasmus Lindh in 2018.

A clean start saw Hughes maintain his advantage for the first half-lap ahead of Sikes and the rest of the closely matched pack. Unfortunately, Hughes then made a mistake under pressure at Turn 6 and ran wide, which immediately cost him a couple of positions to Sikes and Clark.

An incident at Turn 1 on the second lap ensured a full-course caution with Sikes at the head of the field, where he was to remain for the remainder of the 12-lap race. Sikes had to withstand challenges at no fewer than three restarts following a series of minor incidents before racing clear to score his third win of the season and briefly retake the championship points lead.

Hughes regained one of his lost places by slicing past Clark at Turn 5 at the first restart, only to slide wide again at Turn 6 and lose several positions after his rear wing collapsed. Hughes stopped to have the wing reattached and did well to climb back to 10th at the finish prior to the penalty.

Clark fell out of contention after being one among three drivers who attempted to run side-by-side through Turn 5 following one of the restarts. He, too, resumed at the back but did gain the consolation of a new lap record, 2m09.1655s, on the final lap.

“It was a fun race,” Sikes said. “Starting second, I was able to get the lead on the first lap into Turn 6 and from there, it was just about trying to hold on to that position. We had several restarts, all of which were all about heavy defending and trying to maintain that lead. Once we got down to the last restart, it was a fun cruise to the end and I was appreciating the awesome Wisconsin scenery. I am so thankful to win at home for Pabst and the first weekend racing with Mockett on the car.”

All of the drama allowed New Zealander Jacob Douglas, who celebrated his 18th birthday earlier in the week, to emerge in a clear second place in his first outing for the locally based Pabst Racing team.

Nikita Johnson (VRD Racing), from Gulfport, Fla., impressively overcame some problems in qualifying by rising from 12th on the grid to complete the podium in third. Johnson’s fine drive earned him the Tilton Hard Charger Award.

Chase Gardner (Exclusive Autosport), from Prosper, Texas, and Elliot Cox (Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Development), from Indianapolis, Ind., also took advantage of the incident-packed race to round out the top five after starting deep in the pack.

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Race two winner Lochie Hughes Gavin Baker Photography

The action continued later in the afternoon with Clark, last year’s USF Juniors Presented by Cooper Tires champion, on pole position after claiming the Cooper Tires Pole Award, his second of the year, during a second dedicated qualifying session on Friday.

Clark held onto his advantage through a couple of early full-course cautions, but there was no holding back Hughes, who made up for his earlier disappointment by drafting past into the lead at the beginning of lap eight. Clark never gave up the chase but had to settle for second ahead of young Garcia, who atoned for an error in race one by snaring his first podium result.

This time it was Pabst teammate Sikes’ turn to have difficulties. After running third in the early stages, Sikes was involved in a couple of skirmishes before finally taking the checkered flag a disappointed 10th.

“It was a pretty good race,” Hughes quipped afterward. “I was able to jump up to second at the start before the safety cars. I got a great restart and just sent it around the outside of Mac. I wasn’t sure how much grip there would be with the resurface but I thought stuff it, go for it. I was in the lead and then another safety car again, but I got a good restart and managed to hold the lead. Then it was just about trying to break the tow which I couldn’t really do so Mac was always right there. It was critical to make no mistakes and just hold the gap I had and win the race and that’s what I did.”

Jorge Garciarce (DEForce Racing), from Guadalajara, Mexico, took a career-best fourth ahead of Johnson.

USF Junior regular Jack Jeffers, from San Antonio, Texas, capped an exploratory USF2000 outing with Exclusive Autosport by claiming the Tilton Hard Charger Award after finishing 12th and making up nine positions during the 12-lap race.

For the third time this season the PFC Awards for the winning car owners were split by Augie Pabst and Jay Howard.

Next on the agenda for the USF2000 competitors is a triple-header event, once again held in conjunction with the NTT IndyCar Series, at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, in two weeks’ time on June 30-July 1.

RACE ONE RESULTS

RACE TWO RESULTS

Sikes, Hughes share Saturday USF2000 spoils at Indianapolis

The final two rounds of the Discount Tire Grand Prix of Indianapolis saw the top three drivers in the USF2000 Presented by Cooper Tires point standings share dual podium honors with Simon Sikes of Pabst Racing taking the win in race two and Lochie …

Nikita Johnson of VRD Racing capped off two podium finishes of third with a second-place drive in the final 15-lap event.

The first of Saturday’s pair of races saw Johnson, from Gulfport, Fla., once again starting at the front of the field having earned his second successive Cooper Tires Pole Award. But the young Floridian found himself under attack the moment the green flag fell.

Remarkably, having lined up sixth on the grid, it was one of Johnson’s VRD Racing teammates, Danny Dyszelski, from Belmont, N.C., who drove around the outside of everyone at Turn 1 to emerge in the lead from Sikes, who started second, and Johnson.

The more experienced Sikes soon dispatched Dyszelski to assume the top position, which he was able to hold for the remainder of the 15-lap race to clinch his second victory of the season.

Sikes, from Atlanta, Ga., fought off his pursuers following a couple of full-course caution periods, then put his head down and set the fastest laps of the race as he edged clear of the battle for second between championship rival Hughes and Johnson.

Hughes, from Surfers Paradise, Queensland, Australia, who started second, drove well to regain ground after being elbowed out on the opening lap and falling to seventh. The Australian narrowly held off Johnson at the checkered flag.

Mac Clark (DEForce Racing), from Milton, Ont., Canada finished fourth ahead of Friday winner Sam Corry (VRD Racing), from Cornelius, N.C., then New Zealander Jacob Douglas (Exclusive Autosport) and local resident Elliot Cox (Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Development), who claimed the Tilton Hard Charger Award after fighting his way to climbing from 18th on the starting grid to seventh.

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The third race of an eventful Discount Tire Grand Prix of Indianapolis had Sikes claiming another successive Cooper Tires Pole Award by virtue of setting the fastest lap of the weekend during the earlier encounter. A four-wide battle heading into Turn 1 saw Sikes on the bottom and shuffled back to sixth as Evagoras Papasavvas of Jay Howard Driver Development, who started third, become the star of the opening lap as he moved into the lead.

The caution flags flew before the end of the first tour due to contact between two drivers and when the race resumed on lap four, Hughes took full command followed by Johnson in second, Papasavvas and Sikes.

Sikes continued to use his experience to advantage and when the yellow came out three laps later for an incident involving local driver Elliot Cox of Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Development and Friday’s race winner Sam Corry of VRD Racing, he had advanced to second behind Hughes with Johnson in third and Papasavvas fourth.

After repairs to the tire wall following the incident, the scene was set for a three-lap shootout. Impressively, 14-year-old Max Garcia of Coconut Grove, Fla., found himself in the mix. The Pabst Racing driver slotted into third from eighth at the restart with Johnson settling in to second while Sikes was displaced to fourth.

Hughes comfortably maintained the point to continue his streak of winning one race in every event held to date this season.

“I am super happy to win race three,” Hughes said. “I mean, what a place to win. I can’t thank the team enough. It has been a tough weekend finishing second every single race so far. To finally come out on top is just such a relief and I can’t thank the team enough. It is cool to win for my mom on Mother’s Day as well so hi to them back home.”

Sikes, while not a winner this time around, was still positive.

“We started on pole, which is obviously where you always want to start but it quickly went downhill from there,” he said. “I had a bit of a rough start and got into the grass on the exit of Turn 2 and unfortunately fell back to sixth place. We went under the safety car pretty quickly and then I had an awesome restart and was able to get all the way back up into second before another yellow. I got the worse at the restart and knocked back a few spots but was able to have a great battle with my teammate Max Garcia for the final spot on the podium on the last lap. I am really happy for Pabst Racing to put another one on the podium.”

Garcia ended the day fourth with Ethan Ho of Los Angeles, Calif., showing impressive form for DC Autosport to round out the top five.

Zack Ping from Buford, Ga., picked up the final Tilton Hard Charger Award of the weekend for VRD Racing with a gain of eight positions to finish 11th.

Augie Pabst and Jay Howard took home the PFC Awards as the winning car owners.

The USF2000 teams and drivers will remain in the Indianapolis area for their next round on Friday night, May 26, their only chance of the season to compete on an oval track at Lucas Oil Raceway Park.

RACE TWO RESULTS

RACE THREE RESULTS