By Patrick Stephan
Conditions for the first of two USF Pro 2000 races today at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course are a little iffy. Ambient is 77F, Track just 85F and the humidity is 81%. The forecast says it’ll rain today…but they haven’t been overly specific on when that will happen.
The field came out of the carousel and on to the front stretch under the control of Michael d’Orlando with Salvador de Alba alongside. They made it through the first turn and the keyhole and things then got spicy down at Turn 5. Involved are Kiko Porto and Jordan Missig who get the worst of that and will not complete the first lap as we are now full course yellow. Jackson Browne also got a damage in that incident I believe (sorry, didn’t see a replay for exactly what happened). Car #91 of Salvador de Alba will pick up an avoidable contact penalty.
Under the yellow we hear the pace car driver, Gail Truess, report light rain in Turn 2, but it quickly stops.
Back to green to complete Lap 5 and d’Orlando keeps the lead with the field running single file through Turn 1 and then Jace Denmark runs alongside Ushijima through Turn 2 and they are two wide, possibly three wide all the way down to Turn 4.
Lap 8 and the order is d’Orlando, Denmark, Miller, Ushijima and Granfors (who is stalking the battle for 3rd as Ushijima really wants that spot). Behind them are Garg, Rowe, Sundaramoorthy, St. Jean, Zendelli, Weir, Lee, Escotto, Pizzi, Brewer, Monteiro, de Alba, Browne, Porto, Missig.
Lap 10 and it’s sprinkling again lightly in the keyhole and down to Turn 4.
Lap 12 and we haven’t lost the track, even as it gets noticeably darker outside. St. Jean had passed Sundaramoorthy the prior lap for 9th.
With 2nd starting Porto out along with 4th starting de Alba at the back due to his penalty, we’ve had some big movers in the order.
Lap 13 shows Denmark up to 2nd from 8th, and Miller is 3rd from 9th.
Lap 14 and Ushijima has gone off the track in the Turn 9 gravel trap, and is not able to drive out.
YELLOW – Lap 15 with the rain now being called “light” but it’s coming down, and the pace car has the windshield wipers on.
Almost back to green, and Ushijima is out of the gravel trap, but as he hustled back to catch the field he spins and is high centered heading down the hill out of Turn 2.
Pace car has called in a surface change, and race control calls all cars to pit lane. They are to report to their pit boxes, but crews may not yet touch their cars. Race control will wait until all cars are stopped and then a 5 minute window will be opened to change to the rain tires. In dirt track parlance, this is an open red with the exception that putting on the rain tires is REQUIRED. But, crews can optimize the car for the wet.
The rain was enough to wet the track, and has almost, but not completely, stopped again.
The order under RED Lap 17 of 30. d’Orlando, Denmark, Miller, Granfors, Garg, Rowe, St. Jean, Zendelli, Sundaramoorthy, Weir (10th), Lee, Escotto, Brewer, Monteiro, de Alba, Pizzi, Browne, Ushijima, Porto, Missing.
Work time has expired and the field is being lined up on pit lane behind the pace car.
Report via USF broadcast is the backstretch does NOT have rain, but Turn 9 does.
Ushijima did not change tires…but he’s two laps down, so not sure if the tire change applied to him. (Update – yep, it does. Have to take green on rain tires and then you can pit).
But, that won’t happen soon as after rolling back on the track, Lindsay Brewer spins (again looked like exit of the keyhole when getting on the throttle – this is getting pretty common among all series running this weekend), and she will need the AMR INDYCAR Safety team to get her back on the track.
18 laps completed…and the track is now damp, not wet.
Back to green to complete Lap 19, but the race is now close to the time limit. We won’t get all 30 laps for sure – or even close really.
Lap 20 and there it is – the field gets the white flag with d’Orlando leading Denmark by 1.3. Miller, Granfors, Garg, Zendelli, St. Jean, Weir, Rowe, Sundaramoorthy, Ecotto, Lee, Monteiro, de Alba, Pizzi, Brewer, Browne,
Race control reported the 47 of Jackson Lee off track, but he is able to drive it back around to the pits and will finish 14th, final car on the lead lap.
CHECKERED FLAG LAP 21: d’Orlando takes the win over Jace Denmark by 1.5 seconds.
This is Michael d’Orlando’s second win of the season, (Road America #1). The 21 year old Hartsdale, NY driver is the reigning USF2000 champion.
USF Pro 2000 Race #1 Mid-Ohio Results:
| Pos | Car # | Driver | Diff | Gap |
| 1 | 1 | Michael d’Orlando | — | — |
| 2 | 20 | Jace Denmark | 1.5096 | 1.5096 |
| 3 | 40 | Jack William Miller | 1.9134 | 0.4038 |
| 4 | 92 | Joel Granfors | 2.2306 | 0.3172 |
| 5 | 7 | Bijoy Garg | 5.1148 | 2.8842 |
| 6 | 10 | Lirim Zendeli | 6.627 | 1.5122 |
| 7 | 3 | Louka St-Jean | 9.0257 | 2.3987 |
| 8 | 32 | Christian Weir | 9.2412 | 0.2155 |
| 9 | 4 | Ricardo Escotto | 9.7891 | 0.5479 |
| 10 | 91 | Salvador de Alba | 10.2385 | 0.4494 |
| 11 | 99 | Myles Rowe | 10.6343 | 0.3958 |
| 12 | 81 | Nicholas Monteiro | 12.8183 | 2.184 |
| 13 | 90 | Yuven Sundaramoorthy | 13.4017 | 0.5834 |
| 14 | 47 | Jackson Lee | 27.1718 | 13.7701 |
| 15 | 55 | Francesco Pizzi | 1 Lap | 1 Lap |
| 16 | 93 | Lindsay Brewer | 1 Lap | 21.2095 |
| 17 | 2 | Jonathan Browne | 3 Laps | 2 Laps |
| 18 | 6 | Reece Ushijima | 3 Laps | 02:53.6 |
| DNF | 12 | Kiko Porto | DNF | 18 Laps |
| DNF | 19 | Jordan Missig | DNF | 1.3894 |