Archives for 2023 Ladder Coverage

Quick USF2000 Portland Race #1 Notes and Results

Posted by pstephan on Friday, September 1st 2023

By Patrick Stephan

The USF2000 presented by Cooper Tires Race #1 in Portland looked like it would get off to a clean start with most of the field making it through Turn 1. A couple drivers would have to short cut the chicane, but would rejoin.

At Turn 3 though, we had an incident with Ethan Ho going off the track with contact. Also involved were Sam Corry and Jorge Garciarce who would lose a lap and then two making repairs.

Corry also lost a lap due to the incident.

When the green waved again, pole sitter Jacob Douglas again led the field in to Turn 1, followed by championship leader and teammate Simon Sikes.

The Sarah Fisher Hartman crew was able to get #67 for Elliot Cox repaired just in time for the race, and he took the start with less than a lap track time this weekend.

On Lap 9, Max Garcia got the short end of a side by side battle with Thomas Schrage, going on to the access road outside Turn 11. He would rejoin, but at the end of the line.

Douglas was still leading by 0.4992 over Sikes (who wins the title finishing in 2nd), with Evagoras Papasavvas third, then Mac Clark and Nikita Johnson.

Lochie Hughes passes Thomas Schrage on Lap 12 for the 6th spot. Max Taylor is 8th, then Al Morey and Maxwell Jamieson is 10th. Eliott Cox is up to 11th from his 19th starting spot.

The next biggest mover of the race at this point is Max Taylor who is 8th from 14th and Al Morey to 9th from 15th.

The yellow came out on Lap 14, due to debris on the back stretch. Once picked up by the AMR INDYCAR Safety Team, we were able to get back to green.

We had heard Race Control say the #90 of Thomas Schrage was to be black flagged, and he would report to pit lane as the field came down to take the green at the end of Lap 16. Not sure why he was black flagged, but that’s why he gave up that 6th spot at the time.

One lap after getting back to green, Evagoras Papasavvas is able to pass Simon Sikes for the 2nd spot.

The next lap Johnson and Hughes pass Mac Clark dropping him to 6th as they advance to 4th and 5th respectively.

Further back Lucas Fecury has an issue and loses the 12th spot to Carson Etter and Max Taylor also moved through to the 13th spot.

Max Garcia passes Al Morey for 7th on Lap 20 of this 25 lap race.

Other passes in the field we caught, Elliot Cox passed Maxwell Jamieson on Lap 22 to take the 10th spot.

Max Garcia had dropped to I believe 15th, and by Lap 23 was back to 7th, and then on Lap 24, Mac Clark would go off, allowing Garcia and Morey to move forward. That puts Garcia 6th now.

Max Taylor got a spot back, passing Jamieson for 11th as they entered the final circuit.

At the checkered flag, Jacob Douglas picks up his first career USF 2000 victory, while his teammate Simon Sikes picks up the championship with his 3rd place finish.

Evagoras Papasavvas wins the finishes 2nd, just 0.5286 back.

An incident at the final corner dropped Maxwell Jamieson to 14th.

Nikita Johnson finishes 4th and will quickly go find his USF Pro 2000 machine as that field is ready to roll out for their race. Johnson starts 2nd in that event.

Sikes championship comes after running partial seasons in 2020, 2021 and 2022. Not having the budget to complete those seasons, Sikes secures the USF2000 championship in his 42nd series start. This season Sikes scored wins at some of the sports most iconic circuits. He won Sebring 2, Indy 2, Road America 1, Mid-Ohio 3 and Toronto 1.

Race winner Jacob Douglas thanks his family back in New Zealand for all their support that got him his first USF 2000 victory in his 33rd start.

We will be back with more details this evening. Going straight to the USF Pro 2000 race now:

NOTE: The results below are VERY unofficial. The incident we didn’t see on the final lap showed Lucas Fecury moving up and Ava Dobson moving back. There was also a delay to get Turn 12 cleaned up by the safety team, unfortunately we couldn’t see the incident and will work to get more details this evening.

UNOFFICIAL RESULTS: USF2000 by Cooper Tires Race #1 Results

Pos	Car #	Driver	Laps
1	23	Jacob Douglas	25
2	6	Evagoras Papasavvas	25
3	22	Simon Sikes	25
4	17	Nikita Johnson	25
5	8	Lochie Hughes	25
6	24	Max Garcia	25
7	7	Al Morey	25
8	1	Mac Clark	25
9	19	Gordon Scully	25
10	67	Elliot Cox	25
11	33	Max Taylor	25
12	11	Lucas Fecury	25
13	9	Ava Dobson	24
14	12	Maxwell Jamieson	24
15	57	Carson Etter	24
16	14	Sam Corry	24
17	10	Jorge Garciarce	23
18	90	Thomas Schrage	15
19	68	Ethan Ho	‑‑‑

category: USF2000 Championship

Comments Off on Quick USF2000 Portland Race #1 Notes and Results
Email to friend
Blog it
Stay updated

USF Pro 2000 Presented By Cooper Tires Portland Race #1 Qualifying Results

Posted by pstephan on Friday, September 1st 2023

By Patrick Stephan

Michael d’Orlando scored his fourth pole of the 2023 USF Pro 2000 presented by Cooper Tires season, just eclipsing Nikita Johnson by 0.0716 seconds at Portland International Raceway.

***#92 Nicholas d’Orlando, Exclusive Autosport, Focused Project Management, Photo Credit: Gavin Baker Photography***

Driving for Turn 3 Motorsport, d’Orlando, from Hartsdale, NY, also won poles at Sebring 2, Road America 1, and Mid-Ohio 1. d’Orlando was able to convert the Road America and Mid-Ohio pole positions into race wins, also picking up a victory in Toronto 1 after qualifying 2nd.

Third quickest was Kiko Porto, followed by Bijoy Garg in fourth.

Myles Rowe, leading the championship by 58 points over Porto, recovered from a practice crash this morning to post the 5th quickest time of the qualifying session.

Jordan Missig brought out the red flag just 3 minutes in to the 20 minute session. His car slid off track at Turn 11, then slid across the damp grass before backing in to the tire barrier, ending his qualifying run.

The first of three USF Pro 2000 races will run this evening at 5:30 PM Pacific Time

Pos	Car #	Driver	Best Time	Diff	Best Lap	Laps	Team
1	1	Michael d’Orlando	1:08.6544	1:08.6544	12	14	Turn 3 Motorsport
2	17	Nikita Johnson	1:08.7260	0.0716	14	14	VRD Racing
3	12	Kiko Porto	1:08.8931	0.2387	12	14	DEForce Racing
4	7	Bijoy Garg	1:08.8971	0.2427	9	14	DEForce Racing
5	99	Myles Rowe	1:08.9459	0.2915	15	16	Pabst Racing
6	10	Lirim Zendeli	1:08.9965	0.3421	10	13	TJ Speed Motorsports
7	44	Danny Dyszelski	1:09.0693	0.4149	12	15	Turn 3 Motorsport
8	20	Jace Denmark	1:09.1003	0.4459	13	15	Pabst Racing
9	2	Jonathan Browne	1:09.1077	0.4533	13	15	Turn 3 Motorsport
10	40	Jack William Miller	1:09.2644	0.61	13	15	Miller Vinatieri Motorsports
11	91	Salvador de Alba	1:09.3014	0.647	9	10	Exclusive Autosport
12	3	Louka St‑Jean	1:09.3040	0.6496	12	14	Turn 3 Motorsport
13	4	Ricardo Escotto	1:09.3124	0.658	11	15	Jay Howard Driver Development
14	55	Francesco Pizzi	1:09.4555	0.8011	10	15	TJ Speed Motorsports
15	93	Lindsay Brewer	1:09.5267	0.8723	13	14	Exclusive Autosport
16	6	Frankie Mossman	1:09.6847	1.0303	13	15	Jay Howard Driver Development
17	95	Avery Towns	1:09.9834	1.329	11	14	Exclusive Autosport
18	32	Nicolas Monteiro	1:09.9856	1.3312	13	15	TJ Speed Motorsports
19	19	Jordan Missig	No Time	‑‑‑	‑‑	1	Pabst Racing

category: USF Pro 2000

Comments Off on USF Pro 2000 Presented By Cooper Tires Portland Race #1 Qualifying Results
Email to friend
Blog it
Stay updated

USF 2000 Presented by Cooper Tires Portland Qualifying Results

Posted by pstephan on Friday, September 1st 2023

By Patrick Stephan

Jacob Douglas led a Pabst Racing sweep of the Top 3 spots in USF 2000 qualifying at Portland International Raceway. Scoring his first career USF2000 Presented by Cooper Tires pole, the 18 year old from Christchurch, New Zealand (now residing in Indianapolis), posted a best lap of 1:12.2536. Just 0.2891 back was Max Garcia with championship leader Simon Sikes timing in 3rd quick.

***Jacob Douglas (shown here in Toronto) won the pole for Portland Race #1 in USF2000. Photo Credit: Gavin Baker Photography***

Douglas previous best qualifying was 2nd this year at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, also a relatively flat circuit like Portland.

Nikita Johnson, running both the USF 2000 and USF Pro 2000 races this weekend timed in 7th.

Max Taylor in the #33 will be penalized 2 grid spots for violating Rule 8.5.7 – which I believe means he continued after the checkered flag.

Elliot Cox did not participate in the session as the crash he had to start practice reportedly damaged three corners of that car, requiring extensive repairs.

USF 2000 Presented by Cooper Tires Portland Qualifying Results:

Pos	Car #	Driver	Best Time	Diff	Best Lap	Total Laps	Team
1	23	Jacob Douglas	1:12.2536	1:12.2536	11	15	Pabst Racing
2	24	Max Garcia	1:12.5427	0.2891	13	15	Pabst Racing
3	22	Simon Sikes	1:12.5609	0.3073	13	15	Pabst Racing
4	90	Thomas Schrage	1:12.8502	0.5966	12	14	Exclusive Autosport
5	6	Evagoras Papasavvas	1:12.8796	0.626	9	13	Jay Howard Driver Development
6	1	Mac Clark	1:12.9524	0.6988	4	14	DEForce Racing
7	17	Nikita Johnson	1:12.9989	0.7453	11	13	VRD Racing
8	14	Sam Corry	1:13.0080	0.7544	11	13	VRD Racing
9	8	Lochie Hughes	1:13.0634	0.8098	4	13	Jay Howard Driver Development
10	68	Ethan Ho	1:13.0662	0.8126	12	13	DC Autosport
11	10	Jorge Garciarce	1:13.0914	0.8378	11	14	DEForce Racing
12	33	Max Taylor	1:13.2816	1.028	8	13	VRD Racing
13	11	Lucas Fecury	1:13.6091	1.3555	11	13	DEForce Racing
14	12	Maxwell Jamieson	1:13.7276	1.474	12	12	DEForce Racing
15	7	Al Morey	1:14.0410	1.7874	5	12	Jay Howard Driver Development
16	19	Gordon Scully	1:14.2414	1.9878	9	12	VRD Racing
17	57	Carson Etter	1:14.2889	2.0353	14	15	DC Autosport
18	9	Ava Dobson	1:16.3970	4.1434	13	15	Jay Howard Driver Development
19	67	Elliot Cox	No Time	‑‑‑	‑‑	‑‑‑	Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Development

category: USF2000 Championship

Comments Off on USF 2000 Presented by Cooper Tires Portland Qualifying Results
Email to friend
Blog it
Stay updated

Portland USF Pro 2000 Testing and Practice Time Sheets and Notes

Posted by pstephan on Friday, September 1st 2023

By Patrick Stephan

The second series on track today was the USF Pro 2000 presented by Cooper Tires. Running their practice under clearing skies at Portland International Raceway. Like the USF 2000 series for which I sent notes earlier, the USF Pro 2000 series also ran a pair of test sessions on Thursday.

Ricardo Escotto was quickest in the first test session yesterday, run under wet conditions (thus his best lap being just a 1:25.1320), with the second having a much improved surface with Kiko Porto leading that session at 1:09.0762.

Only 10 of the 19 cars entered turned laps in the first session with the red flying for Nicolas Monteiro who made contact in Turn 4 about half way through. In the second test session later in the afternoon, 16 of the 19 would turn laps.

This morning’s first practice was bested by Nikita Johnson, who is running his third USF Pro 2000 race of 2023. Currently 3rd in USF 2000 points, Johnson is running both series this weekend. He ran the most recent USF Pro 2000 races at Circuit of the America’s on July 26th and 27th, starting 3rd both times and winning Race #2.

Myles Rowe enters this final weekend with a 58 point lead over Kiko Porto. With 30 points for a win, 25 for second on down to 2 for 19th (last based on number of entries), Rowe’s lead is commanding but not mathematically insurmountable over the three races.

It’s a similar story to USF2000 and even the NTT INDYCAR Series, where the leader, Rowe, would need a very bad weekend while his pursuer Porto has to be nearly perfect.

***Kiko Porto on pit lane before practice in Portland. TSO Photo by Patrick Stephan***

Rowe would crash on his fourth lap of this session, making contact in Turn 5 and bringing out the red flag. That would end his practice session, but Pabst Racing with Force Indy was able to make repairs and get him back out for qualifying.

USF Pro 2000 Presented by Cooper Tires Portland Practice #1 Results:

Pos	No.	Driver	Team	Best Time	Diff.	Gap	Best Speed	In Lap	Laps
1	17	Nikita Johnson	VRD Racing	1:09.0262	-.—-	-.—-	102.431	11	14
2	1	Michael d’Orlando	Turn 3 Motorsport	1:09.1549	0.1287	0.1287	102.24	16	17
3	91	Salvador de Alba	Exclusive Autosport	1:09.2073	0.1811	0.0524	102.163	15	16
4	12	Kiko Porto	DEForce Racing	1:09.3270	0.3008	0.1197	101.986	10	10
5	7	Bijoy Garg	DEForce Racing	1:09.4869	0.4607	0.1599	101.752	11	14
6	44	Danny Dyzzelski	Turn 3 Motorsport	1:09.4877	0.4615	0.0008	101.75	16	16
7	55	Francesco Pizzi	TJ Speed Motorsports	1:09.5220	0.4958	0.0343	101.7	12	12
8	20	Jace Denmark	Pabst Racing	1:09.7255	0.6993	0.2035	101.403	13	13
9	4	Ricardo Escotto	Jay Howard Driver Development	1:09.7721	0.7459	0.0466	101.336	12	16
10	2	Jonathan Browne	Turn 3 Motorsport	1:09.8073	0.7811	0.0352	101.285	14	16
11	40	Jack William Miller	Miller Vinatieri Motorsports	1:09.8538	0.8276	0.0465	101.217	16	16
12	19	Jordan Missig	Pabst Racing	1:09.8584	0.8322	0.0046	101.21	15	15
13	95	Avery Towns	Exclusive Autosport	1:10.0225	0.9963	0.1641	100.973	15	15
14	10	Lirim Zendeli	TJ Speed Motorsports	1:10.0928	1.0666	0.0703	100.872	8	9
15	3	Louka St-Jean	Turn 3 Motorsport	1:10.1082	1.082	0.0154	100.85	9	12
16	32	Nicolas Monteiro	TJ Speed Motorsports	1:10.1940	1.1678	0.0858	100.727	16	16
17	93	Lindsay Brewer	Exclusive Autosport	1:10.3681	1.3419	0.1741	100.477	13	14
18	99	Myles Rowe	Pabst Racing with Force Indy	1:12.4935	3.4673	2.1254	97.532	3	3
19	6	Frankie Mossman	Jay Howard Driver Development	No Time	-.—-	-.—-	No Speed	0	0

USF Pro 2000 Presented by Cooper Tires Championship Standings Entering Portland Weekend

Pos.	Driver	Points
1	Myles Rowe – R	333
2	Kiko Porto	275
3	Salvador de Alba	245
4	Lirim Zendeli – R	225
5	Michael d’Orlando – R	224
6	Francesco Pizzi – R	218
7	Joel Granfors – R	206
8	Jace Denmark – R	199
9	Jonathan Browne	188
10	Jack William Miller	183
11	Ricardo Escotto – R	143
12	Jordan Missig	143
13	Reece Ushijima – R	140
14	Yuven Sundaramoorthy	121
15	Christian Weir – R	119
16	Bijoy Garg	110
17	Nicholas Monteiro – R	99
18	Lindsay Brewer	88
19	Jackson Lee – R	84
20	Christian Brooks – R	79
21	Louka St-Jean – R	64
22	Nikita Johnson – R	53
23	Mac Clark – R	50
24	Frankie Mossman – R	22
25	Jorge Garciarce – R	17
26	Avery Towns – R	13
27	Charles Finelli	12

USF Pro 2000 Portland Test Session #1 – Thursday

Pos	No.	Driver	Team	Best Time	Diff.	Gap	Best Speed	In Lap	Laps
1	4	Ricardo Escotto	Jay Howard Driver Development	1:25.1320	-.—-	-.—-	83.052	7	12
2	10	Lirim Zendeli	TJ Speed Motorsports	1:26.8573	1.725	1.7253	81.402	18	21
3	55	Francesco Pizzi	TJ Speed Motorsports	1:27.2100	2.078	0.3527	81.073	24	26
4	12	Kiko Porto	DEForce Racing	1:28.0443	2.912	0.8343	80.305	9	14
5	40	Jack William Miller	Miller Vinatieri Motorsports	1:28.2567	3.125	0.2124	80.112	18	21
6	91	Salvador de Alba	Exclusive Autosport	1:29.4010	4.269	1.1443	79.086	13	15
7	7	Bijoy Garg	DEForce Racing	1:29.5052	4.373	0.1042	78.994	15	19
8	32	Nicolas Monteiro	TJ Speed Motorsports	1:30.5238	5.392	1.0186	78.105	21	23
9	95	Avery Towns	Exclusive Autosport	1:31.0774	5.945	0.5536	77.631	18	20
10	93	Lindsay Brewer	Exclusive Autosport	1:34.1359	9.004	3.0585	75.108	12	23
11	1	Michael d’Orlando	Turn 3 Motorsport	No Time	-.—-	-.—-	No Speed	0	0
12	2	Jonathan Browne	Turn 3 Motorsport	No Time	-.—-	-.—-	No Speed	0	0
13	3	Louka St-Jean	Turn 3 Motorsport	No Time	-.—-	-.—-	No Speed	0	0
14	6	Frankie Mossman	Jay Howard Driver Development	No Time	-.—-	-.—-	No Speed	0	0
15	17	Nikita Johnson	VRD Racing	No Time	-.—-	-.—-	No Speed	0	0
16	19	Jordan Missig	Pabst Racing	No Time	-.—-	-.—-	No Speed	0	0
17	20	Jace Denmark	Pabst Racing	No Time	-.—-	-.—-	No Speed	0	0
18	44	Danny Dyzzelski	Turn 3 Motorsport	No Time	-.—-	-.—-	No Speed	0	0
19	99	Myles Rowe	Pabst Racing with Force Indy	No Time	-.—-	-.—-	No Speed	0	0

USF Pro 2000 Portland Test Session #2 – Thursday

Pos	No.	Driver	Team	Best Time	Diff.	Gap	Best Speed	In Lap	Laps
1	12	Kiko Porto	DEForce Racing	1:09.0762	-.—-	-.—-	102.357	11	16
2	7	Bijoy Garg	DEForce Racing	1:09.3527	0.2765	0.2765	101.948	21	21
3	1	Michael d’Orlando	Turn 3 Motorsport	1:09.5793	0.5031	0.2266	101.616	13	16
4	2	Jonathan Browne	Turn 3 Motorsport	1:09.6849	0.6087	0.1056	101.462	20	22
5	91	Salvador de Alba	Exclusive Autosport	1:09.6861	0.6099	0.0012	101.461	13	14
6	17	Nikita Johnson	VRD Racing	1:09.7218	0.6456	0.0357	101.409	16	17
7	10	Lirim Zendeli	TJ Speed Motorsports	1:09.7351	0.6589	0.0133	101.389	17	18
8	55	Francesco Pizzi	TJ Speed Motorsports	1:10.0549	0.9787	0.3198	100.927	18	21
9	4	Ricardo Escotto	Jay Howard Driver Development	1:10.0771	1.0009	0.0222	100.895	21	23
10	40	Jack William Miller	Miller Vinatieri Motorsports	1:10.1398	1.0636	0.0627	100.804	14	19
11	44	Danny Dyzzelski	Turn 3 Motorsport	1:10.3846	1.3084	0.2448	100.454	16	18
12	93	Lindsay Brewer	Exclusive Autosport	1:10.3848	1.3086	0.0002	100.454	21	21
13	3	Louka St-Jean	Turn 3 Motorsport	1:10.4452	1.3690	0.0604	100.367	16	21
14	95	Avery Towns	Exclusive Autosport	1:10.5480	1.4718	0.1028	100.221	10	19
15	6	Frankie Mossman	Jay Howard Driver Development	1:10.5901	1.5139	0.0421	100.161	16	24
16	32	Nicolas Monteiro	TJ Speed Motorsports	1:10.7048	1.6286	0.1147	99.999	22	28
17	19	Jordan Missig	Pabst Racing	No Time	-.—-	-.—-	No Speed	0	0
18	20	Jace Denmark	Pabst Racing	No Time	-.—-	-.—-	No Speed	0	0
19	99	Myles Rowe	Pabst Racing with Force Indy	No Time	-.—-	-.—-	No Speed	0	0

category: USF Pro 2000

Comments Off on Portland USF Pro 2000 Testing and Practice Time Sheets and Notes
Email to friend
Blog it
Stay updated

Portland USF2000 Practice #1 Results, Stats and Notes

Posted by pstephan on Friday, September 1st 2023

By Patrick Stephan

Good morning and welcome to Portland International Raceway for the final weekend of the USF Pro Championships presented by Cooper Tires.

Both USF2000 and USF Pro 2000 ran test sessions yesterday ahead of their triple header’s to decide the 2023 champions (and scholarship winners).

We’ll get caught up with the USF2000 notes first, then jump over to USF Pro 2000. I will note, with such a busy weekend and 4 series to cover (NTT INDYCAR, INDY NXT,, USF 2000 and USF Pro 2000, it will be a little tough to watch every session for every series, so please forgive us if we don’t have all the details immediately – though of course actual races will take priority and we should be able to cover those appropriately.

Yesterday afternoon’s first test session for USF2000 presented by Cooper Tires was led Max Taylor (1:29.7570), Mac Clark and Nikita Johnson. Run in wet conditions, the session had three red flags:

Red Flag at: 12:06:44.117 Contact: Car 8 (Lochie Hughes) in Turn 11
Red Flag at: 12:25:38.950 Contact: Car 9 (Ava Dobson) in Turn 8
Red Flag at: 12:42:18.033 Contact: Car 6 (Evagoras Papasavvas) in Turn 4

The second session was paced by Thomas Schrage (1:20.2718), Jorge Garciarce and Ethan Ho. Per series notes, Schrage brought out the red flag with contact in Turn 4 in that session.

Coming in to the weekend, Simon Sikes leads Lochie Hughes by 69 points for the title and the scholarship to advance to USF Pro 2000 in 2024. Nikita Johnson is 3rd, just 10 points further back.

Full Time Sheets and the point standings are below, but it’s notable that this is a 3 race weekend, so it’s possible, although highly unlikely Hughes could close that 69 point gap. Race winners receive 30 points, with 2nd getting 25, then 22, dropping predictably down to a single point for 20th. There is a bonus point available for pole position, most laps led and fastest race lap.

Basically any reasonable finish is likely to lock the title up for Sikes, even if Hughes can run the table in all three races.

And that brings up to today’s first practice session held at 9:00am on a cool, perhaps in places damp track under hazy skies here in Portland.

Jacob Douglas and his Pabst Racing teammate Max Garcia were quickest in the session with the leader turning a 1:12.5309. As noted, I wasn’t able to watch the entire session, but I did learn that Elliot Cox would go off the track at Turn 11 and make impact with the tire barrier. Cox didn’t turn any laps in yesterday’s test sessions (according to the time sheets – I was in transit personally), so it’ll be up to the Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Development crew to get him back on track and ready for the qualifying session from 11:15-11:45 Pacific Time.

Point leader Simon Sikes was 12th quick, with his closest rival Hughes 7th.

USF2000 Portland Practice #1 Results:

Pos	Car #	Driver	Best Time	Diff	Best Lap	Total Laps	Best Lap	Team
1	23	Jacob Douglas	1:12.5309	1:12.5309	18	19	18	Pabst Racing
2	24	Max Garcia	1:12.8473	0.3164	17	18	17	Pabst Racing
3	6	Evagoras Papasavvas	1:12.9439	0.413	10	18	10	Jay Howard Driver Development
4	1	Mac Clark	1:12.9783	0.4474	15	15	15	DEForce Racing
5	33	Max Taylor	1:13.2126	0.6817	15	17	15	VRD Racing
6	10	Jorge Garciarce	1:13.2362	0.7053	13	16	13	DEForce Racing
7	8	Lochie Hughes	1:13.2835	0.7526	17	19	17	Jay Howard Driver Development
8	90	Thomas Schrage	1:13.6025	1.0716	15	17	15	Exclusive Autosport
9	68	Ethan Ho	1:13.7514	1.2205	16	17	16	DC Autosport
10	12	Maxwell Jamieson	1:13.7898	1.2589	17	17	17	DEForce Racing
11	7	Al Morey	1:13.8349	1.304	17	20	17	Jay Howard Driver Development
12	22	Simon Sikes	1:13.9313	1.4004	9	10	9	Pabst Racing
13	11	Lucas Fecury	1:14.4229	1.892	19	19	19	DEForce Racing
14	14	Sam Corry	1:14.5392	2.0083	17	17	17	VRD Racing
15	19	Gordon Scully	1:14.6029	2.072	19	19	19	VRD Racing
16	57	Carson Etter	1:14.7817	2.2508	18	19	18	DC Autosport
17	9	Ava Dobson	1:16.5957	4.0648	18	19	18	Jay Howard Driver Development
18	17	Nikita Johnson	No Time	‑‑‑	‑‑	‑‑‑	‑‑	VRD Racing
19	67	Elliot Cox	No Time	‑‑‑	‑‑	‑‑‑	‑‑	Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Development

USF2000 Presented by Cooper Tires Point Standings Entering Portland

Pos.	Driver	Points
1	Simon Sikes	368
2	Lochie Hughes – R	299
3	Nikita Johnson	289
4	Mac Clark – R	274
5	Evagoras Papasavvas	265
6	Chase Gardner – R	193
7	Sam Corry – R	191
8	Jorge Garciarce	186
9	Max Garcia – R	172
10	Jacob Douglas	158
11	Danny Dyszelski	141
12	Al Morey – R	139
13	Elliot Cox – R	112
14	Ethan Ho – R	111
15	Gordon Scully – R	106
16	Maxwell Jamieson – R	104
17	Avery Towns – R	101
18	Zack Ping – R	60
19	Max Taylor – R	51
20	Nico Christodoulou – R	48
21	Logan Adams – R	40
22	Joey Brienza – R	37
23	Thomas Schrage – R	31
24	Trey Burke	29
25	Nicholas d’Orlando	23
26	Louka St-Jean – R	22
27	Brady Golan – R	21
28	Jack Jeffers – R	19
29	Lucas Mann – R	17
30	Carson Etter – R	17
31	Andre Castro	13
32	Dane Scott – R	12

————————-

USF2000 Portland Thursday Test Session #1

Pos	No.	Driver	Team	Best Time	Diff.	Gap	Best Speed	In Lap	Laps
1	33	Max Taylor	VRD Racing	1:29.7570			78.773	17	18
2	1	Mac Clark	DEForce Racing	1:29.8051	0.048	0.0481	78.730	13	14
3	17	Nikita Johnson	VRD Racing	1:30.3190	0.562	0.5139	78.283	18	18
4	19	Gordon Scully	VRD Racing	1:31.1157	1.359	0.7967	77.598	20	20
5	14	Sam Corry	VRD Racing	1:31.4284	1.671	0.3127	77.333	20	20
6	6	Evagoras Papasavvas	Jay Howard Driver Development	1:31.5549	1.798	0.1265	77.226	11	12
7	10	Jorge Garciarce	DEForce Racing	1:31.8978	2.141	0.3429	76.938	12	13
8	68	Ethan Ho	DC Autosport	1:32.1243	2.367	0.2265	76.748	17	18
9	7	Al Morey	Jay Howard Driver Development	1:32.4666	2.710	0.3423	76.464	11	12
10	90	Thomas Schrage	Exclusive Autosport	1:32.8397	3.083	0.3731	76.157	16	17
11	11	Lucas Fecury	DEForce Racing	1:33.5373	3.780	0.6976	75.589	13	13
12	8	Lochie Hughes	Jay Howard Driver Development	1:34.0109	4.254	0.4736	75.208	2	3
13	12	Maxwell Jamieson	DEForce Racing	1:36.7069	6.950	2.696	73.112	6	11
14	9	Ava Dobson	Jay Howard Driver Development	1:40.6828	10.926	3.9759	70.225	5	6
15	57	Carson Etter	DC Autosport	1:48.1402	18.383	7.4574	65.382	1	4
16	22	Simon Sikes	Pabst Racing	No Time	-.—-	-.—-	No Speed	0	0
17	23	Jacob Douglas	Pabst Racing	No Time	-.—-	-.—-	No Speed	0	0
18	24	Max Garcia	Pabst Racing	No Time	-.—-	-.—-	No Speed	0	0
19	67	Elliot Cox	Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Dev.	No Time	-.—-	-.—-	No Speed	0	0

USF2000 Portland Thursday Test Session #2

Pos	No.	Driver	Team	Best Time	Diff.	Gap	Best Speed	In Lap	Laps
1	90	Thomas Schrage	Exclusive Autosport	1:20.2718	-.—-	-.—-	88.081	25	26
2	10	Jorge Garciarce	DEForce Racing	1:20.9684	0.6966	0.6966	87.323	21	24
3	68	Ethan Ho	DC Autosport	1:21.2547	0.9829	0.2863	87.015	26	27
4	11	Lucas Fecury	DEForce Racing	1:21.5028	1.2310	0.2481	86.750	26	26
5	12	Maxwell Jamieson	DEForce Racing	1:21.7928	1.5210	0.2900	86.443	24	25
6	33	Max Taylor	VRD Racing	1:22.5029	2.2311	0.7101	85.699	12	13
7	17	Nikita Johnson	VRD Racing	1:22.5933	2.3215	0.0904	85.605	6	7
8	14	Sam Corry	VRD Racing	1:23.0176	2.7458	0.4243	85.167	12	13
9	19	Gordon Scully	VRD Racing	1:23.3839	3.1121	0.3663	84.793	15	16
10	57	Carson Etter	DC Autosport	1:23.5217	3.2499	0.1378	84.653	24	25
11	24	Max Garcia	Pabst Racing	1:24.0869	3.8151	0.5652	84.084	9	9
12	23	Jacob Douglas	Pabst Racing	1:24.4929	4.2211	0.4060	83.680	9	10
13	22	Simon Sikes	Pabst Racing	1:25.1743	4.9025	0.6814	83.011	10	11
14	1	Mac Clark	DEForce Racing	No Time	-.—-	-.—-	No Speed	0	0
15	6	Evagoras Papasavvas	Jay Howard Driver Development	No Time	-.—-	-.—-	No Speed	0	0
16	7	Al Morey	Jay Howard Driver Development	No Time	-.—-	-.—-	No Speed	0	0
17	8	Lochie Hughes	Jay Howard Driver Development	No Time	-.—-	-.—-	No Speed	0	0
18	9	Ava Dobson	Jay Howard Driver Development	No Time	-.—-	-.—-	No Speed	0	0
19	67	Elliot Cox	Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Dev.	No Time	-.—-	-.—-	No Speed	0	0

category: USF2000 Championship

Comments Off on Portland USF2000 Practice #1 Results, Stats and Notes
Email to friend
Blog it
Stay updated

Continental will supply the USF Pro Championships starting in 2024, replacing long time partner Cooper Tires

Posted by Steve Wittich on Thursday, August 31st 2023

By Steve Wittich

Andersen Promotions and the three USF Pro Championships (USF Juniors, USF2000, and USF Pro 2000) will have a new tire partner for the upcoming 2024 seasons. Continental Tire (Continental) will replace the Cooper Tire & Rubber Company (Cooper) as the sole supplier of tires for the race series. Additionally, this means the USF Pro Championships will go through a rebranding process in the off-season and will enter 2024 as the USF Pro Championships Presented by Continental Tire.

Continental, a long-time partner with IMSA and Grand-Am, currently produces tires for the Toyota Gazoo Racing GR Cup North America. The U.S. headquarters for the German company is in Fort Mill, SC. The tires will be manufactured at Hoosier Racing Tire in Plymouth, Ind., and supplied to competitors beginning in November for off-season testing.

“We are excited to partner with the USF Pro Championships,” said Travis Roffler, Director of Marketing, Continental Tire. “We have a long and diverse history of competing in different avenues of motorsport – from sports cars to Stadium Super Trucks – and now in the open-wheel racing ranks. The Continental brand focuses on delivering products for premium performance and we’re thrilled to provide that to the USF Pro 2000, USF2000 and USF Juniors championships.”

“Our experience in high-performance racing aligns well with the USF series’ driver development program,” said Joerg Burfien, President & CEO, Hoosier Racing Tire. “We look forward to progressing the career of racers around the world and elevating this series to new heights while creating an exciting experience for all.”

Cooper Tires has been an essential partner in developing American junior formula open-wheel drivers on and off the track for almost two decades. Unfortunately, the closure of their Melksham, England manufacturing facility means the long-standing relationship with Andersen Promotions comes to an end with the USF Pro 2000 Presented By Cooper Tires and USF2000 Championship Presented By Cooper Tires finales at the Portland International Raceway this weekend.

Cooper began their support of the Formula Atlantic Championship in 2007, joining USF2000 (2010-2023), USF Pro 2000 (2013-2023), and INDY NXT/Indy Lights (2014-2022).

On the track, the Findlay, Ohio-based Cooper played an essential role in the development of hundreds of drivers, including NTT INDYCAR SERIES race winners Colton Herta, James Hinchcliffe, Kyle Kirkwood, Pato O’Ward, Felix Rosenqvist, and Rinus VeeKay. The loyal sponsor was an essential contributor to the over $26M in prizes and awards distributed since 2010.

Off the track, Cooper’s enthusiastic activation and consistent sponsorship with promoters allowed the ladder series the opportunity to join the INDYCAR circus. Since 2014, Cooper has sponsored the monthly Cooper Tires Hashtag program, instructing drivers and teams on the importance and impact of social media.

“We are fortunate to have had 14 great seasons with Cooper Tires,” said Dan Andersen, Owner and CEO of Andersen Promotions. “Change was inevitable, but we will be forever grateful to Cooper Tires, Chris Pantani [Senior Manager, Event Marketing, Sponsorships and Motorsports] and his team. Their passion drove our sport, and our ladder program wouldn’t be what it is today without them.

“Moving forward, we had solid interest from five major tire brands, which was gratifying in underscoring the professional racing program we have in place. We are excited to announce a new partner in the coming days and look forward to building our partnership for many years to come.”

Andersen added a previous relationship with Hoosier back in the 1990s, during an earlier iteration of the USF2000 series.

“My earliest tire provider in racing back in 1992 was Hoosier Racing Tires and they were a terrific partner for all those early years,” Andersen said. “They have always built high quality products, made here in the U.S., and with great trackside service so it was natural for me to reach out to their parent company, Continental Tire.”

Nicolas Giaffone wrapped up the second USF Juniors Presented by Cooper Tires championship at Circuit of The Americas last weekend. The USF2000 Championship Presented By Cooper Tires and USF Pro 2000 Presented By Cooper Tires titles will be decided with a pair of tripleheaders at Portland International Raceway this weekend. Pabst Racing and Force Indy pilot Myles Rowe leads the USF Pro 2000 standings by 58 points over DEForce Racing’s Kiko Porto. In USF2000, Pabst Racing’s Simon Sikes owns a substantial 69-point lead over Lochie Hughes in the chase for the $433,200 Discount Tire Driver Advancement Scholarship.

category: 2023 Ladder Coverage

Comments Off on Continental will supply the USF Pro Championships starting in 2024, replacing long time partner Cooper Tires
Email to friend
Blog it
Stay updated

Porto Scores Dominant Win in USF Pro 2000 Run at COTA

Posted by pstephan on Sunday, August 27th 2023

Kiko Porto, of Recife, Brazil, romped to his first win of the 2023 USF Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires season in the opening round of the Discount Tire Circuit of The Americas Grand Prix doubleheader this afternoon. This is the sixth podium for the DEForce Racing driver who will celebrate his 20th birthday in two days’ time.

USF2000 rising stars Mac Clark (DEForce Racing) and Nikita Johnson (VRD Racing) rounded out the top three with impressive debuts in USF Pro 2000 competition.

Results

Clark, from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, turned heads by claiming the Cooper Tires Pole Award earlier in the day with teammate Kiko Porto lining up second. Johnson (VRD Racing), from Gulfport, Fla., also shone, qualifying third followed by championship leader Myles Rowe of Pabst Racing with Force Indy.

Clark made a fine start but Porto was able to take the point exiting Turn 1. A few moments later and the yellow flags flew for the first and only time following an incident involving Pabst Racing teammates Jordan Missig and Jace Denmark and Exclusive Autosport’s Salvador de Alba.

De Alba was able to continue albeit falling from sixth to 13th, but the day was done for Missig and Denmark.

The race resumed on Lap 4 with Johnson finding a way past Rowe to slot into third as the front of the field settled in. Meanwhile, de Alba, who entered the weekend third in the standings, was on the move eventually salvaging some points with an eighth-place result.

Fourth-place ranked Michael d’Orlando’s misfortunes resurfaced following a strong run of late as the Turn 3 Motorsport driver retired with a mechanical issue after 8 of 15 laps.

By the time the checkered flags flew, the DEForce duo of Porto and Clark held a gap of almost three seconds to Johnson.

Rowe crossed the line in fourth to extend his championship lead to 69 points with only four races remaining this season.

Jonathan Browne (Turn 3 Motorsport) earned the Tilton Hard Charger Award with a gain of six positions while David and Ernesto Martinez of DEForce Racing took home the PFC Award as winning team owners.

The final round of the Discount Tire Circuit of The Americas Grand Prix will take place at 8:00 am CDT tomorrow.

Provisional championship points after 14 of 18 rounds:

1. Myles Rowe, 318

2. Kiko Porto, 249

3. Salvador de Alba, 228

4. Michael d’Orlando, 210

5. Lirim Zendeli, 206

6. Joel Granfors, 206

7. Francesco Pizzi, 206

8. Jace Denmark, 186

9. Jonathan Browne, 180

10. Jack William Miller, 172

Kiko Porto (#12 Banco Daycoval/Petromega-DEForce Racing Tatuus IP-22): “What a weekend. The blue car was on fire. We showed well from the first session with Mac making his debut in the series. I am so happy. Mac deserved the pole but we were close. With the draft here and the temperature, I just tried to find an opportunity. Mac really helped me to keep me on the pace. It was not easy. It was so hot. Tomorrow we have one more and I am pretty sure we have a good chance to do a one-two again.”

Mac Clark (#7 Valkyrie AI/ARM/Clubine Motorsports/TNG Exotics-DEForce Racing Tatuus IP-22): “It was a great Race 1 here at COTA and my debut in USF Pro 2000. A mega job by DEForce Racing with Kiko and me one-two and I couldn’t be more happy, especially with him making a late charge in the championship. We are looking to do it again tomorrow. I think we will be in good starting positions. This race track is a lot of fun and we’ll go again and see if we can get one better.”

Nikita Johnson (#17 Allen Exploration, LLC/Walker’s Cay-VRD Racing Tatuus IP-22): “It was a great result by the team and me. Friday was my first time in the car. The car was just amazing this whole weekend and I really want to thank everyone from VRD. We started off in third and went back to fourth. On the restart, I passed Myles around the outside in Turn 1. I made a little bit of a mistake but caught Mac halfway through the race, locked up and fell back again. I brought it home safely in third and it’s just an amazing start to the weekend and I can’t wait for tomorrow’s race.”

category: USF Pro 2000

Comments Off on Porto Scores Dominant Win in USF Pro 2000 Run at COTA
Email to friend
Blog it
Stay updated

Jeffers Takes USF Juniors Win in Hometown Race at COTA

Posted by pstephan on Sunday, August 27th 2023

Austin, TX – Jack Jeffers claimed his second consecutive win in USF Juniors Presented by Cooper Tires competition with a thrilling battle in the first of the Cooper Tires Circuit of The Americas Grand Prix tripleheader. Jeffers, 17, from nearby San Antonio entered the weekend tied for second in the championship standings for Exclusive Autosport and now holds a 23-point advantage over third with just two races remaining.

Had Jeffers finished second in today’s 12-lap race around the 3.427-mile, 20-turn road course, DEForce Racing’s Nicolas Giaffone, from Sao Paulo, Brazil, would have accumulated enough points to land the championship title today. Instead, with his third-place finish, Giaffone will head into the second round tomorrow with a 64-point advantage and 66 total points possible on the table.

He will need merely to start the first of two races tomorrow to clinch the Discount Tire Driver Development Scholarship valued at $241,890 to advance to USF2000 in 2024.

Max Taylor, of Greenwich, Conn., drove a fine race to finish second, notching his second consecutive podium for VRD Racing after a maiden win in the last round at Road America.

Results

Jeffers led the field to the green flag after securing his second Cooper Tires Pole Award of the season with Taylor alongside and DEForce Racing teammates Quinn Armstrong, from Newcastle, NSW, Australia, and Giaffone sharing the second row.

The opening lap started clean but had championship implications as contact occurred between Armstrong and VRD Racing’s Jimmie Lockhart, from Boca Raton, Fla., who started fifth, sent Armstrong into the pits with a cut tire. Armstrong, who entered the weekend tied on points with Jeffers, fell to the back of the field and eventually finished 14th – dropping to third in the point standings.

Jeffers lost the lead to Taylor on the second lap, with Taylor eventually building up a gap of 1.018 seconds. But Jeffers continued to whittle away at the margin and was able to retake the lead on Lap 10 which he maintained to the end.

Giaffone had dropped to sixth in the opening tours but was able to regain track positions while also posting the fastest lap of the race.

Filipina Bianca Bustamante, who made a return with Exclusive Autosport prior to the F1 Academy event at COTA in October, took home the Tilton Hard Charger Award after a gain of five positions to finish 10th.

Exclusive Autosport’s Michael Duncalfe earned the PFC Award as the winning car owner.

Two races remain on the docket for tomorrow at 11:00 am and 3:55 pm CDT.

Provisional championship points after 14 of 16 races:

1. Nicolas Giaffone, 361

2. Jack Jeffers, 297

3. Quinn Armstrong, 274

4. Joey Brienza, 241

5. Jimmie Lockhart, 231

6. Max Taylor, 214

7. Ethan Barker, 192

8. Lucas Fecury, 187

9. Brady Golan, 177

10. Erick Schotten, 177

Jack Jeffers (#92 Corpay Cross Border Solutions-Exclusive Autosport Tatuus JR-23): “It feels amazing to win at home. I’ve grown up watching F1 races on this track and watching a bunch of different races, and being able to drive on it is amazing, and better yet, to win on it. It feels special.

“The pass for the win was calculated, and I was planning it ahead of time. I had my crew chief Michael (Duncalfe) on the radio, and Lou (d’Agostino) and Conner (Clubine) telling me how to set it up and I have to thank them for keeping the car good through the entire race. The set-up was perfect from start to end. I set the pass up as planned – I knew Turn 1 is a big passing opportunity and it’s a wide track and I knew I could send it in there and I knew he would see me and leave me room. So I sent it down the inside and was able to make the move stick and we were side-by-side through the Esses, but I came out ahead. I truly want to thank Exclusive Autosport, Corpay, and my parents for giving me this opportunity.”

Max Taylor (#33 PINK ETF/Susan G Komen Foundation-VRD Racing Tatuus JR-23): “We qualified P2 and we had a good start. I was able to take the lead early on from Jack (Jeffers) after he made a mistake. I think from there I led for most of the way. I feel like I ran a pretty smart race, just managing the gap, but it’s quite difficult here with the tow. I just made one mistake too many and he was able to get around me, and then I was not able to get back around him with the tires and track heating up. So it was P2 in the end.”

Nicolas Giaffone (#19 OMNI-DEForce Racing Tatuus JR-23): “We started P4 and it was a hell of a race. I mean, it was pandemonium out there. People were going crazy. I felt like I had the biggest target the world ever had on my back, but I’m happy that we were able to manage to come home P3. I mean, after the start we had and after the first few laps, I was just avoiding a crash because it was pretty crazy. I’m pretty happy to finish P3. I know the job is not done (clinching the title) and I think we missed by two or three points, but a start tomorrow will probably get it done. We have to start the race, and hopefully we can clinch the title tomorrow.”

Jack Jeffers (c) Max Taylor (l) and Nicolas Giaffone (r), Photo Credit: Gavin Baker Photography

category: USF Juniors

Comments Off on Jeffers Takes USF Juniors Win in Hometown Race at COTA
Email to friend
Blog it
Stay updated

USF Pro 2000 debutante Mac Clark leads DEForce Racing teammate Kiko Porto in practice at COTA

Posted by Steve Wittich on Saturday, August 26th 2023

Mac Clark (DEForce Racing) on track at Circuit of The Americas Photo credit: Gavin Baker Photography

By Steve Wittich

While the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and the INDY NXT teams and drivers are dodging thunderstorms and sideways rain at World Wide Technology Raceway At Gateway, the USF Pro 2000 Presented By Cooper Tires and USF Juniors Presented by Cooper Tires teams are on track at a steamy Circuit of The Americas.

Series debutante and USF2000 Championship Presented By Cooper Tires regular Mac Clark led his veteran DEForce Racing teammate and championship contender Kiko Porto in the lone practice session before a 1:50 pm (CT) qualifying session.

The two DEForce Racing pilots were over half a second clear of Nikita Johnson (VRD Racing), another series debutant.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course race winner Ricardo Escotto (Jay Howard Driver Development) was the fourth quickest, with championship leader Myles Rowe (Pabst Racing) the fifth fastest.

Rowe leads Porto by a commanding 81 points with five races remaining. Salvador de Alba (Exclusive Autosport), who is 84 points behind Rowe, and Michael d’Orlando (Turn 3 Motorsport), who is 93 points out of the championship lead, had the seventh and sixth fastest laps of practice.

Discount Tire Circuit Of The Americas Grand Prix Practice #1 Results

RANK	CAR NO.	NAME	TEAM	FAST TIME	DIFF.	LAPS
1	7	Mac Clark	DEForce Racing	2:02.522	——	9
2	12	Kiko Porto	DEForce Racing	2:02.767	0.245	9
3	17	Nikita Johnson	VRD Racing	2:03.094	0.572	9
4	4	Ricardo Escotto	Jay Howard Driver Development	2:03.171	0.649	10
5	99	Myles Rowe	Pabst Racing w/Force Indy	2:03.276	0.754	10
6	1	Michael d’Orlando	Turn 3 Motorsport	2:03.388	0.866	9
7	91	Salvador de Alba	Exclusive Autosport	2:03.504	0.982	10
8	20	Jace Denmark	Pabst Racing	2:03.519	0.997	10
9	19	Jordan Missig	Pabst Racing	2:03.656	1.134	10
10	10	Lirim Zendeli	TJ Speed Motorsports	2:03.766	1.244	10
11	40	Jack William Miller	Miller Vinatieri Motorsports	2:03.786	1.264	10
12	3	Louka St‑Jean	Turn 3 Motorsport	2:04.130	1.608	9
13	6	Frankie Mossman	Jay Howard Driver Development	2:04.319	1.797	9
14	8	Jorge Garciarce	DEForce Racing	2:04.375	1.853	10
15	2	Jonathan Browne	Turn 3 Motorsport	2:04.563	2.041	3
16	81	Nicholas Monteiro	NeoTech Motorsport	2:05.235	2.713	9
17	93	Lindsay Brewer	Exclusive Autosport	2:05.243	2.721	10
18	95	Avery Towns	Exclusive Autosport	2:07.728	5.206	9
19	17	Nikita Johnson	VRD Racing	No Time	‑‑‑	‑‑‑
20	32	Raoul Hyman	TJ Speed Motorsports	No Time	‑‑‑	‑‑‑
21	55	Francesco Pizzi	TJ Speed Motorsports	No Time	‑‑‑	‑‑‑

category: USF Pro 2000

Comments Off on USF Pro 2000 debutante Mac Clark leads DEForce Racing teammate Kiko Porto in practice at COTA
Email to friend
Blog it
Stay updated

Rowe, Giaffone Close in on Titles and Scholarships at Circuit of The Americas

Posted by Steve Wittich on Saturday, August 26th 2023

PALMETTO, Fla. – As the 2023 season draws towards its conclusion, championship titles and Discount Tire Career Enhancement Scholarships valued at over $900,000 will be at stake when two of the three rungs on the USF Pro Championship Presented by Cooper Tires open-wheel driver development ladder convene this weekend at Circuit of The Americas, near Austin, Texas.

Myles Rowe, from Brooklyn, N.Y., holds a healthy 81-point advantage at the more senior level, USF Pro 2000 Presented by Cooper Tires. He is chasing graduation to INDY NXT by Firestone in 2024. Five races – two this weekend which will comprise the Discount Tire Circuit of the Americas Grand Prix at the 3.427-mile home of the United States Grand Prix, followed by a tripleheader season finale one week later at Portland International Raceway, in Portland, Ore. – will determine whether Rowe can achieve his goal and erase the memory of 12 months ago, when he fell agonizingly short of clinching the USF2000 Presented by Cooper Tires title at the final hurdle.

Meanwhile, if Brazilian Nicolas Giaffone can finish ahead, or within a position or two, of his two main rivals in the first of three races that will conclude the USF Juniors Presented by Cooper Tires campaign, he will have done enough to secure the championship and a scholarship valued at $241,890 to progress into USF2000 next season.

USF Pro 2000 Entry List

USF Juniors Entry List

Redemption for Rowe?

Even though Rowe was unable to claim last year’s USF2000 championship, continued support from Penske Entertainment did allow him to make the step up into USF Pro 2000 for the 2023 season with the Pabst Racing with Force Indy team. He immediately demonstrated that such faith was not misplaced.

After a third-place finish in the opening race on the streets of St. Petersburg, Fla., Rowe sped to his maiden victory the following day, then swept both rounds of the subsequent doubleheader event at Sebring International Raceway. He has continued to lead the point standings ever since. Rowe also has accumulated more wins (a total of five), poles positions (four), fastest race laps (three) and podium finishes (seven) than any of his rivals.

Rowe is one of only two drivers to have earned multiple wins and pole positions during an intensely competitive USF Pro 2000 season. The other, coincidentally, is the young man who beat him to the top USF2000 honors in 2022: Michael d’Orlando. After encountering a series of setbacks and misfortunes during the early part of the season, Turn 3 Motorsport’s d’Orlando, from Hartsdale, N.Y., has vaulted from a distant 11th in the point standings to fourth on the strength of three wins and three poles.

Currently 93 points adrift of Rowe with only five races remaining, d’Orlando will need everything to fall his way if he is to stand any chance of winning back-to-back titles. But he remains very much in the fight for second place along with the likes of Kiko Porto (DEForce Racing), from Recife, Brazil, who preceded d’Orlando as USF2000 championship winner in 2021 and Mexican stock car racer Salvador de Alba (Exclusive Autosport).

Other contenders will include TJ Speed Motorsports teammates Francesco Pizzi, from Rome, Italy, and Lirim Zendeli, from Bochum, Germany and fellow rookie Jace Denmark (Pabst Racing), from Scottsdale, Ariz., who has also impressed after finishing a close third in last year’s USF2000 title-chase behind d’Orlando and Rowe.

A full field this weekend also will include five drivers seeking to dip a toe in the USF Pro 2000 waters: USF2000 race winners Mac Clark (DEForce Racing) from Toronto, Ont., Canada and Nikita Johnson (VRD Racing), from Gulfport, Fla.; Jorge Garciarce (DEForce Racing), from Guadalajara, Mexico; Avery Towns (Exclusive Autosport), from Allen, Texas; and Frankie Mossman (Jay Howard Driver Development), from Newport Beach, Calif.

Both Clark and Johnson are attempting to become the first drivers to win on all three levels of the current ladder system.

A pair of 30-minute test sessions on Friday, August 25, will allow drivers to gain experience prior to 30 minutes of official practice at 9:25 a.m. CDT on Saturday. A lone qualifying session at 1:50 p.m. will help set the starting positions for the two races later in the day at 5:20 p.m. and the following morning at 8:00 a.m.

Giaffone Closes on Title

Nicolas Giaffone has been the dominant performer during the second year of USF Juniors. The 18-year-old son of former INDYCAR race winner Felipe Giaffone has won six times and earned five pole positions for DEForce Racing, which has catapulted him to a commanding 72-point lead entering this weekend’s season finale.

Even with a total of 99 points still up for grabs, Giaffone, from Sao Paulo, Brazil, will require merely a fourth-place finish from the first of this weekend’s three races as part of the Cooper Tires Circuit of the Americas Grand Prix to ensure his graduation to USF2000 next year.

DEForce teammate Quinn Armstrong, from Newcastle, Australia, currently lies second in the title chase, although a strong recent weekend at Road America for Jack Jeffers (Exclusive Autosport), from San Antonio, Texas, has meant the pair are now tied on points.

Joey Brienza, from Golden, Colo., held second place for much of the season after scoring a win and two second-place finishes for Exclusive Autosport in the opening event, but has slipped to fourth and will be looking to complete his rookie season on a high note.

Others to watch include the VRD Racing trio of Jimmie Lockhart, from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., Max Taylor, from Hoboken, N.J., who scored his first win at Road America, and 14-year-old Hudson Schwartz, from Arlington, Va., who missed the opening event of the season but has rapidly developed into a strong contender.

In addition, Filipina Bianca Bustamante will make a return to the series in which she started her career last year with Exclusive Autosport as she gains some extra track time prior to the F1 Academy event at Circuit of The Americas in October. Bustamante recently scored her first F1 Academy feature race win at Monza in Italy.

A recent surge of interest in USF Juniors continues with three more youngsters set to make their debut this weekend: Aidan Potter, from Lexington, Ky., and Dane Scott, from Norcross, Ga., both with Jay Howard Driver Development, and Connor Roberts, from Queensland, Australia, with DC Autosport.

The largest USF Juniors field this year, comprising 18 drivers, will be able to gain some familiarity with the challenging track on Friday during two half-hour test sessions, followed by 30 minutes of official practice at 5:30 p.m. A crucial single qualifying session will take place at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, prior to the first race at 3:30 p.m. Two more 15-lap races will take place on Sunday at 11:00 a.m. and 3:55 p.m.

Full coverage can be found on the free USF Pro Championships App, YouTube channel and the usfpro2000.com and usfjuniors.com websites.

category: USF Juniors, USF Pro 2000

Comments Off on Rowe, Giaffone Close in on Titles and Scholarships at Circuit of The Americas
Email to friend
Blog it
Stay updated

Page 2 of 10:« 1 2 3 4 5 »Last »

Archives for 2023 Ladder Coverage

UNOFFICIAL RESULTS: USF2000 by Cooper Tires Race #1 Results

USF 2000 Presented by Cooper Tires Portland Qualifying Results:

USF Pro 2000 Presented by Cooper Tires Portland Practice #1 Results:

USF Pro 2000 Presented by Cooper Tires Championship Standings Entering Portland Weekend

USF Pro 2000 Portland Test Session #1 – Thursday

USF Pro 2000 Portland Test Session #2 – Thursday

USF2000 Portland Practice #1 Results:

USF2000 Presented by Cooper Tires Point Standings Entering Portland

USF2000 Portland Thursday Test Session #1

USF2000 Portland Thursday Test Session #2

Recent Comments