By Steve Wittich

Who doesn’t love redemption stories? Look no further than Turn 3 Motorsport’s Christian Brooks to write the first comeback arc of the season at a track that almost brought his burgeoning open-wheel career to an end. A crash in practice at this same event last year ended Christian Brooks’ rookie USF Pro 2000 Presented By Cooper Tires rookie season before it began.

The 22-year-old Californian stepped back for the rest of the season and signed a last-minute deal to race the first USF Pro 2000 event with the Peter Dempsey-led Turn 3 Motorsport.

Brooks, a three-time “St. Pete” winner in USF2000, started from the pole, survived two restarts and led all 25 laps on the way to his first series victory in his fourth start.

Today’s win is the second straight for Turn 3 Motorsport on the 1.8-mile, 14-turn St. Petersburg street circuit.

Kiko Porto extended his series podium streak to three races going back to the final two races at the Portland International Raceway last year.

Pabst Racing rookie Myles Rowe drove a patient race, standing on the bottom step of the podium in his first USF Pro 2000 start.

The call to fire the Elite Engine prepared 2.0L engines for the first USF Pro 2000 Presented By Cooper Tires race of the season came at 11:25 am. The ambient temperature was 81F, and the track temperature was 106F

After a single pace lap, the front row of Brooks and Pizzi brought the field to the green flag on runway 7/25 of Albert Whitted Airport.

The first four or five rows were lined up nicely, but the rest of the field held back, making them quicker as they approached the green flag. Race control called off the start, and the field circulated for another lap before getting the green flag the second time by the starter’s stand.

Pole sitter Brooks was the first car to Turn 1, with Porto, who started behind him, moving into second.

Reigning USF2000 champion Michael d’Orlando, who started sixth, got bottled up in Turn 1, making contact with other drivers and stopping on track. The No. 1 continued but was one lap down.

As the field got to Turn 4, Jonathan Browne (Turn 3 Motorsport), Ricardo Escotto (Jay Howard Driver Development) and Jordan Missig (Pabst Racing) were involved in an incident in Turn 4, with the No. 19 of Missig stopping on track.

The running order after two laps, as the field circulated under yellow, was Brooks, Porto, Rowe, Pizzi, Jace Denmark (Pabst Racing), Jack William Miller (Miller Vinatieri Motorsports), Salvador de Alba (Exclusive Autosport), Joel Granfors (Exclusive Autosport), Lirim Zendeli (TJ Speed Motorsports), Nicholas Monteiro (NeoTech Motorsport), Bijoy Garg (DEForce Racing), Lindsay Brewer (Exclusive Autosport), Christian Weir (TJ Speed Motorsports), Jackson Lee (Turn 3 Motorsport), Browne, Escotto, d’Orlando, Missig, along with Reece Ushijima (Jay Howard Driver Development) and Yuven Sundaramoorthy (Exclusive Autosport) who were not shown on timing and scoring, but were on track with transponders that were not working.

The green flag returned to start the sixth lap, with Brooks getting to Turn 1 first again. Behind him, Denmark and Pizzi went side-by-side in Turn 4, with the TJ Speed Motorsports driver holding the spot.

Porto immediately began pressuring Brooks at the head of the field, but the Turn 3 Motorsport driver was getting a better drive off the final corner, making a move into Turn 1 tougher.

After ten laps, the top four – Brooks, Porto, Rowe and Pizzi- covered by only 1.8 seconds. Exclusive Autosport sophomore De Alba was the fastest car on the track, but lap times kept coming down.

Brooks’ lead over Porto when he got the crossed flags to signify the race’s halfway point was 0.6 seconds, with the top four within two seconds and the top nine within nine seconds of the leader.

With three laps remaining, rookie Montiero, who was running ninth, made contact with the concrete barrier coming to a stop in Turn 9 and bringing out the yellow flag.

The top ten under yellow were Brooks, Porto, Rowe, Pizzi, Ushijima, Denmark, Miller, De Alba, Sundaramoorthy, and Granfors.

The green flag returned for a two-lap shootout to decide the first USF Pro 2000 race of the season.

Porto couldn’t get close enough to make a move for the lead, and behind the lead pair, things remained steady until the final corner of the last lap when Miller spun, dropping from seventh to 14th.

Unofficial Discount Tire Grand Prix of St. Peterburg results

RANK	CAR NO.	DRIVER	TEAM	DIFF.
1	3	Christian Brooks	Turn 3 Motorsport	25 LAPS
2	12	Kiko Porto	DEForce Racing	-0.6144
3	99	Myles Rowe	Pabst Racing	-0.9846
4	55	Francesco Pizzi	TJ Speed Motorsports	-3.8959
5	6	Reece Ushijima	Jay Howard Driver Development	-3.8969
6	20	Jace Denmark	Pabst Racing	-4.1181
7	91	Salvador De Alba	Exclusive Autosport	-5.7994
8	90	Yuven Sundaramoorthy	Exclusive Autosport	-5.8004
9	92	Joel Granfors	Exclusive Autosport	-6.9178
10	2	Jonathan Browne	Turn 3 Motorsport	-7.4413
11	47	Jackson Lee	Turn 3 Motorsport	-8.2313
12	7	Bijoy Garg	DEForce Racing	-10.3888
13	93	Lindsay Brewer	Exclusive Autosport	-11.0135
14	40	Jack William Miller	Miller Vinatieri Motorsports	-37.6407
15	4	Ricardo Escotto	Jay Howard Driver Development	– 1 Lap
16	10	Lirim Zendeli	TJ Speed Motorsports	– 1 Lap
17	32	Christian Weir	TJ Speed Motorsports	– 1 Lap
18	1	Michael d’Orlando	Turn 3 Motorsport	-2 Laps
19	81	Nicholas Monteiro	NeoTech Motorsport	-4 Laps
20	19	Jordan Missig	Pabst Racing	-23 Laps

By Steve Wittich

Last year, at this same race track, Christian Brooks rookie USF Pro 2000 Presented By Cooper Tires season ended before it started after a hard crash in practice meant he missed the event and didn’t race at all in 2022.

The Californian topped qualifying in his return to racing and this track, setting a lap of 70.0549 seconds in the OFTV-sponsored No. 3 from the Turn 3 Motorsport stable.

Despite a forgettable visit to “St. Pete” last year, Brooks has had substantial success on the 1.8-mile, 14-turn St. Petersburg street circuit, grabbing a pair of poles and a trio of trips to victory lane across two USF2000 visits.

It’s the second year in a row that a Turn 3 Motorsport driver has won the season-opening pole in St. Peterburg, with Josh Green taking that honor last year.

The top five drivers – from five different teams – were within one-tenth of a second, and the top 16 were within one second, portending what should be an epic USF Pro 2000 season.

Within 0.01 seconds of Brooks was newcomer Francesco Pizzi (TJ Speed Motorsports), Kiko Porto (DEForce Racing), Myles Rowe (Pabst Racing) and Reece Ushijima (Jay Howard Driver Development).

When USF Pro 2000 Presented By Cooper Tires, got the green flag at 1:18 pm, the ambient temperature was 82F, and the track temperature was 115F.

With quick breaks and slightly shortened sessions, the day’s events were close to being back on schedule. Accordingly, five minutes were removed from what was originally a half-hour session.

The 20 cars and drivers quickly got to work their fresh sets of Cooper Tires up to the optimal temperature.

After only two minutes, with drivers only completing one lap at speed, USF Pro Championships newcomer and Formula 2 veteran Lirim Zendeli (TJ Speed Motorsports) made fairly significant contact with the concrete barriers in Turn, with the No. 10 coming to rest closer to Turn 10.

The session went green again with 16 minutes remaining.

Porto, who led the lone practice session, quickly went to the timing screens, holding the provisional pole after all the drivers had turned five laps and the clock hit the halfway point of qualifying.

Turn 3 Motorsport was quick in the middle portion of the session, with rookies Christian Brooks first and Michael d’Orlando next, holding the provisional pole and veteran teammate Jonathan Browne fourth on the timing screen.

Rowe, who led spring training and was a USF2000 winner on the 1.8-mile, 14-turn St. Petersburg street circuit last year, grabbed the provisional pole on his tenth qualifying lap.

Rowe and Brooks traded the top spot three times over the next two laps and were separated by less than one-tenth of a second.

Porto and Pizzi entered the conversation late, placing themselves between Brooks and Rowe with three minutes remaining.

Nobody could go quicker in their last few circuits, giving Brooks the pole.

Exclusive Autosport newcomer Joel Granfors could not complete qualifying laps after an incident on his out lap.

USF Pro 2000 Presented By Cooper Tires qualifying results

RANK	CAR NO.	DRIVER	TEAM	BEST LAP	DIFF.
1	3	Christian Brooks	Turn 3 Motorsport	1:10.0549	——
2	55	Francesco Pizzi	TJ Speed Motorsports	1:10.0668	0.0119
3	12	Kiko Porto	DEForce Racing	1:10.1362	0.0813
4	99	Myles Rowe	Pabst Racing	1:10.1529	0.0980
5	6	Reece Ushijima	Jay Howard Driver Development	1:10.1567	0.1018
6	1	Michael d’Orlando	Turn 3 Motorsport	1:10.2251	0.1702
7	2	Jonathan Browne	Turn 3 Motorsport	1:10.3299	0.2750
8	20	Jace Denmark	Pabst Racing	1:10.3799	0.3250
9	91	Salvador De Alba	Exclusive Autosport	1:10.5272	0.4723
10	90	Yuven Sundaramoorthy	Exclusive Autosport	1:10.5586	0.5037
11	19	Jordan Missig	Pabst Racing	1:10.6123	0.5574
12	40	Jack William Miller	Miller Vinatieri Motorsports	1:10.6230	0.5681
13	32	Christian Weir	TJ Speed Motorsports	1:10.6529	0.5980
14	4	Ricardo Escotto	Jay Howard Driver Development	1:10.9664	0.9115
15	7	Bijoy Garg	DEForce Racing	1:11.0546	0.9997
16	93	Lindsay Brewer	Exclusive Autosport	1:11.1470	1.0921
17	81	Nicholas Monteiro	NeoTech Motorsport	1:11.4368	1.3819
18	47	Jackson Lee	Turn 3 Motorsport	1:11.8718	1.8169
19	10	Lirim Zendeli	TJ Speed Motorsports	6:05.3741	295.3192
20	92	Joel Granfors	Exclusive Autosport	No Time	—

The 25-lap Discount Tire Grand Prix of St. Peterburg will get the green flag at 11:15 am on Saturday.

By Steve Wittich

Welcome to our 2023 coverage of the USF Pro Championships Presented By Cooper Tires. With much thanks to Chris Pantani and Cooper Tire, we are back to provide the fans of the ladder series with the only on-site media coverage of the USF Juniors, USF2000 and USF Pro 2000 championships, starting this weekend in St. Petersburg, Fla.

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The 20 drivers entered in the 2023 USF Pro 2000 Presented By Cooper Tires season-opener all have their eye on the $664,500 advancement scholarship to move up to INDY NXT by Firestone.

The car of choice for the series is a Tatuus full carbon composite and aluminum honeycomb monocoque with a halo. The IP-22, introduced last year, features upgraded side impact panels, front and rear impact structures, HANS-compliant INDYCAR head restraint, front and rear wheel tethers, upgraded uprights and front bulkhead structure to meet the unique demands of street circuits and ovals.

Power comes from an Elite Engine developed Mazda MZR 2.0-liter based 250hp powerplant. Reliability is outstanding, with no engine failures in the previous two seasons.

Slicks and rain tires are manufactured and branded by long-time series partner Cooper Tires.

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Racing in the Sunshine City

Saturday’s (11:15 am Eastern) and Sunday’s (3 pm Eastern) 25-lap races will be the series’ 25th and 26th races – the second most of any USF Pro 2000 track since 1999 – on the 1.8-mile, 14-turn St. Petersburg street circuit.

Sixteen different drivers representing ten teams have stood on the top step of the podiums on the shores of Tampa Bay.

Previous USF Pro 2000 Presented By Cooper Tires winners in St. Petersburg, Fla.

YEAR	DRIVER	TEAM
2022 Race #2	Nolan Siegel	DEForce Racing
2022 Race #1	Josh Green	Turn 3 Motorsport
2021 Race #2	Christian Rasmussen	Jay Howard Driver Development
2021 Race #1	Braden Eves	Exclusive Autosport
2020 Race #2	Hunter McElrea	Pabst Racing
2020 Race #1	Sting Ray Robb	Juncos Racing
2019 Race #2	Parker Thompson	Abel Motorsports
2019 Race #1	Parker Thompson	Abel Motorsports
2018 Race #2	Rinus VeeKay	Juncos Racing
2018 Race #1	Rinus VeeKay	Juncos Racing
2017 Race #2	Anthony Martin	Cape Motorsports
2017 Race #1	Anthony Martin	Cape Motorsports
2016 Race #2	Aaron Telitz	Team Pelfrey
2016 Race #1	Patricio O’Ward	Team Pelfrey
2015 Race #2	Neil Alberico	Cape Motorsports
2015 Race #1	Neil Alberico	Cape Motorsports
2014 Race #2	Spencer Pigot	Juncos Racing
2014 Race #1	Spencer Pigot	Juncos Racing
2013 Race #2	Matthew Brabham	Andretti Autosport
2013 Race #1	Matthew Brabham	Andretti Autosport
2012 Race #2	Jack Hawksworth	Team Pelfrey
2012 Race #1	Connor De Phillippi	Juncos Racing
2011	Connor De Phillippi	Team Pelfrey
2010	Conor Daly	Juncos Racing

St. Pete notes:

• The average starting position of the race winner is 2.0, and the lowest starting position of any winner was eighth (Matthew Brabham in 2013 Race #1 and Rinus VeeKay in 2018 Race #1).
• The winner started from the pole in 18 of 24 races.
• Juncos Hollinger Racing leads all teams with seven wins.
• Active teams DEForce Racing (one), Exclusive Autosport (one), Pabst Racing (one) and Turn 3 Motorsport (one) have also won.
• Eighteen drivers representing nine teams have started from the pole.
• The average finishing position of the pole sitter is 1.6, and the lowest a pole winner has finished fifth.
• Juncos Hollinger Racing leads all teams with eight poles.
• Active teams DEForce Racing (one), Exclusive Autosport (one), Pabst Racing (one) and Turn 3 Motorsport (one) have also started from the pole.
• Fourteen teams have sent drivers to the podium, with Juncos Hollinger Racing leading with 23 top-three finishes.
• Active teams Exclusive Autosport (five), Jay Howard Driver Development (three), Pabst Racing (three), and Turn 3 Motorsport (three) and DEForce Racing (one) have also finished on the podium.
• The 20 races since 2013 have averaged 1.1 cautions and 2.6 yellow flag laps.
• Three cautions (twice – 2018 & 2022) and seven yellow flag laps (twice – 2015 & 2021) are the highs in those categories.
• None of the 25 races have finished under caution
• The most significant margin of victory was Matthew Brabham crossing the finish line 9.980 seconds ahead of Diego Ferreira in 2013.
• In 2018, Parker Thompson crossed the line only 0.3309 seconds ahead of Rinus VeeKay, the closest finish in St. Petersburg.

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Race #1

• The 1.8-mile, 14-turn St. Petersburg street circuit is hosting the first USF Pro 2000 Presented By Cooper Tires race of the season for the tenth time, tying it with the Sebring International Raceway.
• Saturday’s first race of the season will be the 20th time in 25 seasons (since 1999) that the USF Pro 2000 championship will begin in the Sunshine State.
• Since 1999, seven drivers that won the first race of the season went on to win the championship, with the last being current NTT INDYCAR SERIES driver Rinus VeeKay in 2018.
• The eventual champion has finished on the podium in 70.8% (17 of 24) of season openers.
• The average finish of the championship winner in the season’s first race is 5.0.
• 2004 champion Michael McDowell was disqualified from the season opener at Sebring International Raceway, finishing 32nd.
• Juncos Hollinger Racing leads all teams with four wins in the season’s first race. Active teams with wins in the season opener include Turn 3 Motorsport (two) and Exclusive Autosport (one).
• The average championship finishing position of the season’s first winner is 2.9.
• Eighteen of the 24 season-opening winners have finished in the top three of the championship, and all have finished in the top ten.

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Does testing speed translate to championship results?

Pabst Racing rookies Myles Rowe and Jace Denmark capped off a successful spring training for Pabst Racing, who also led USF2000 testing with Simon Sikes.

Combined USF Pro 2000 spring training timesheet

RANK	CAR NO.	DRIVER	TEAM	SESS.	BEST LAP	DIFF.
1	99	Myles Rowe	Pabst Racing w/Force Indy	3	118.669
2	20	Jace Denmark	Pabst Racing	3	118.755	-0.086
3	12	Kiko Porto	DEForce Racing	3	118.826	-0.157
4	1	Michael d’Orlando	Turn 3 Motorsport	3	119.058	-0.389
5	3	Christian Brooks	Turn 3 Motorsport	3	119.142	-0.473
6	19	Jordan Missig	Pabst Racing	3	119.148	-0.479
7	10	Lirim Zendeli	TJ Speed Motorsports	2	119.451	-0.782
8	55	Francesco Pizzi	TJ Speed Motorsports	2	119.472	-0.803
9	6	Reece Ushijima	Jay Howard Driver Development	4	119.541	-0.872
10	92	Joel Granfors	Exclusive Autosport	3	119.598	-0.929
11	91	Salvador De Alba	Exclusive Autosport	3	119.640	-0.971
12	40	Jack William Miller	Miller Vinatieri Motorsports	3	119.655	-0.986
13	2	Jonathan Browne	Turn 3 Motorsport	4	119.966	-1.297
14	32	Christian Weir	TJ Speed Motorsports	1	119.973	-1.304
15	47	Jackson Lee	Turn 3 Motorsport	3	120.060	-1.391
16	4	Ricardo Escotto	Jay Howard Driver Development	3	120.103	-1.434
17	7	Bijoy Garg	DEForce Racing	3	120.293	-1.624
18	90	Yuven Sundaramoorthy	Exclusive Autosport	4	121.042	-2.373
19	93	Lindsay Brewer	Exclusive Autosport	4	122.827	-4.158
20	81	Nicholas Monteiro	NeoTech Motorsport	4	122.835	-4.166

Rowe led two of the four sessions, with Lirim Zendeli (TJ Speed Motorsports) and Kiko Porto (DEForce Racing) each leading one session apiece.

How champions fared in spring training:

• In 2022, eventual champion Louis Foster had the third-best time during spring training at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
• In 2021, eventual champion Christian Rasmussen had the second-best time during spring training at Barber Motorsports Park.
• In 2020, eventual champion Sting Ray Robb had the second-best time at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course during the final test before the season started.
• In 2019, eventual champion Kyle Kirkwood had the third-best time during spring training at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
• In 2018, eventual champion Rinus VeeKay had a mechanical issue at Barber Motorsports Park during the final test before the season started.
• In 2017, eventual champion Victor Franzoni did not participate in spring training at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
• In 2016, eventual champion Aaron Telitz led spring training at Barber Motorsports Park.

How spring training leaders fared in the title hunt

• In 2022, Wyatt Brichacek led spring training at Homestead-Miami Speedway and finished 13th on the championship table.
• In 2021, Manuel Sulaiman led spring training at Barber Motorsports Park and finished ninth on the championship table.
• In 2020, Danial Frost led the final test at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course before the season started and finished third on the championship table.
• In 2019, Sting Ray Robb led spring training at Homestead-Miami Speedway and finished fourth on the championship table.
• In 2018, David Malukas led the final test at Barber Motorsports Park before the season started and finished fourth on the championship table.
• In 2017, Anthony Martin led spring training at Homestead-Miami Speedway and finished second on the championship table.
• In 2016, eventual champion Aaron Telitz led spring training at Barber Motorsports Park.

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Building a champion

There is no one formula or mixture of ingredients to build the perfect racing driver. Instead, champions are born from intangible and tangible elements influenced by split-second decisions. Below are some measurable factors that will go into building the next USF2000 Championship Presented By Cooper Tires champion.

Age and experience

• Since 1999, the average age of the USF Pro 2000 Presented By Cooper Tires champion has been 20.3.
• Since 2010, the average age of the USF Pro 2000 champion has been 20.1.
• John Edwards was the youngest champion at 17 years, seven months, and seven days old when he won the 2008 title. Adrian Carrio (2006) and Rinus VeeKay (2018) were also 17 when they won their championships.
• Championships by season
  • Rookie – 11 titles – the last rookie champion was Louis Foster in 2022.\
  • Second season – 11 titles – the last sophomore champion was Victor Franzoni in 2017
  • Third season – one title – Luis Schiavo in 2003
  • Fourth season – one title – Sting Ray Robb in 2020

• Five drivers have won the championship as 19 and 20-year-olds, the most of any age.
• Fourteen champions since 1999 have been American, with drivers from the United Kingdom (three), Brazil (Two), Venezuela, France, Uruguay, the Netherlands and Denmark also winning championships.
• Six of the American champions called California home, the most of any state.

Wins

• The average number of wins for the USF Pro 2000 champion all-time is 5.5
• The average number of wins for the USF Pro 2000 champion since 2010 is 7.0
• The average win percentage of the USF Pro 2000 champion all-time is 42.3%
• The average win percentage of the USF Pro 2000 champion since 2010 is 45.9%
• The fewest wins by a USF Pro 2000 champion since 2010 is three by Santi Urrutia in 2015.
• The most wins by a USF Pro 2000 champion since 2010 is 13 by Matthew Brabham in 2013.

Poles

• The average number of poles for the USF Pro 2000 champion all-time is 5.1.
• The average number of poles for the USF Pro 2000 champion since 2010 is 6.1.
• The average pole percentage of the USF Pro 2000 champion all-time is 39.6%.
• The average pole percentage of the USF Pro 2000 since 2010 is 40.5%
• The fewest poles by a USF Pro 2000 champion since 2010 is one by Christian Rasmussen in 2010.
• The most poles by a USF Pro 2000 champion since 2010 is 11 by Jack Hawksworth in 2012.

Podiums

• The average number of podiums by the USF Pro 2000 champion all-time is 9.0.
• The average number of podiums by the USF Pro 2000 champion since 2010 is 10.8.
• The average podium percentage of the USF Pro 2000 champion all-time is 70.5%.
• The average podium percentage of the USF Pro 2000 champion since 2010 is 71.7%.
• The fewest podiums by a USF Pro 2000 champion since 2010 are six by Tristan Vautier in 2011.
• The most podiums by a USF Pro 2000 champion since 2010 is 15 by Matthew Brabham in 2013.

Teams

• Since 1990, championship-winning drivers have driven for 16 different teams.
• Juncos Hollinger Racing, who will not be on the USF Pro 2000 Presented By Cooper Tires grid this season, leads all teams with five drivers championships.
• Jay Howard Driver Development (Christian Rasmussen in 2021) and Exclusive Autosport (Louis Foster in 2022) are the only active teams to win a driver’s championship.
• Since 2006, the team that won the driver’s championship has also won the team championship in eight of 17 seasons.