By Steve Wittich

The USF2000 Championship Presented By Cooper Tires, travels to Indianapolis, Ind., where 25% of the season’s points are available between now and Memorial Day Weekend.

The “Month of May” begins with a triple-header on the 2.439-mile, 14-turn Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course for the 22nd, 23rd and 24th races on the infield road course.

With a 30-point advantage over the competitors, Simon Sikes (Pabst Racing) and Lochie Hughes (Jay Howard Driver Development) are the favorites to win the $433,200 Discount Tire Driver Advancement Scholarship. However, there is still plenty of time for other drivers to get in the mix for the title, but they can’t waste any more time.

Georgian Sikes holds a razor-thin three-marker advantage over Hughes, despite the Aussie having a two-to-one advantage in the wins column. Both drivers have an average finish of 2.3 after four races, with Sikes’ edge coming from scoring five more bonus points. Sikes has started from the pole in the last three races, led the most laps in the second race at Sebring International Raceway and had the quickest lap in all four races to start the 2023 season.

Hughes, the reigning F4 United States Champion, has six wins in 22 North American starts, equating to an impressive win percentage of 27.3%.

A pair of youngsters, 15-year-old Evagoras Papasavvas (Jay Howard Driver Development) and 14-year-old Nikita Johnson (VRD Racing), trail championship leader Sikes by 30 and 33 points, respectively.

Cypriot-American Papasavvas started the season with three straight top fives before a mid-race incident dropped him back in the final race at Sebring International Raceway. If the driver who calls Loveland, Ohio home, continues to collect top fives, he’ll find himself in the championship hunt as the season progresses.

“I’m really looking forward to all the excitement of the Month of May in Indianapolis and at the Speedway this weekend,” said Papasavvas. “I’ve earned a podium on each track we have competed at this season, and I’m not looking to slow down now. Indy is always an interesting race, and I think the team, and I are on track to compete for that top spot.”

Johnson, a winner at home in St. Petersburg, Fla., has had one of the four quickest laps of the race in all of his starts this season and trails only Sikes in the fastest lap of the race category, averaging 3.3 over the first four races of the season.

The following four drivers on the points table – reigning USF Juniors Presented by Cooper Tires champion Mac Clark (DEForce Racing), improving Jorge Garciarce, who had his best finish last year on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course (DEForce Racing), Kiwi sophomore Jacob Douglas (Exclusive Autosport), and Chase Gardner (Exclusive Autosport), who made his series debut on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course in a one-off effort last year – are all within ten points, and still in play for the championship.

Canadian Clark and 17-year-old Douglas are coming off hard-fought podiums in the second race at Sebring International Raceway. However, both drivers qualifying efforts – Clark’s average is 10.3, and Douglas’ average is 9.0 – will need to be better if they want to fight for wins.

USF2000 Championship Presented By Cooper Tires points standings after four of 18 races.

RANK	DRIVER	TEAM		TOTAL	BEHIND
1	Simon Sikes	Pabst Racing		107
2	Lochie Hughes (rookie)	Jay Howard Driver Development		104	-3
3	Evagoras Papasavvas	Jay Howard Driver Development		77	-30
4	Nikita Johnson	Velocity Racing Development		71	-36
5	Mac Clark (rookie)	DEForce Racing		55	-52
6	Jorge Garciarce	DEForce Racing		52	-55
7	Jacob Douglas	Exclusive Autosport		49	-58
8	Chase Gardner (rookie)	Exclusive Autosport		45	-62
9	Sam Corry (rookie)	Velocity Racing Development		42	-65
10	Elliot Cox (rookie)	Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Development		37	-70
11	Danny Dyszelski	Velocity Racing Development		34	-73
12	Gordon Scully (rookie)	Velocity Racing Development		33	-74
13	Al Morey (rookie)	Jay Howard Driver Development		33	-74
14	Trey Burke	Future Star Racing		29	-78
15	Max Garcia (rookie)	Pabst Racing		29	-78
16	Maxwell Jamieson (rookie)	DEForce Racing		27	-80
17	Nicholas d’Orlando	Exclusive Autosport		23	-84
18	Louka St-Jean (rookie)	Jay Howard Driver Development		22	-85
19	Avery Towns (rookie)	Exclusive Autosport		22	-85
20	Joey Brienza (rookie)	Exclusive Autosport		16	-91
21	Zack Ping (rookie)	Velocity Racing Development		15	-92
22	Andre Castro	Future Star Racing		13	-94
23	Ethan Ho	DC Autosport		9	-98

Home race

Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Development rookie Elliot Cox, from Indianapolis, Ind., will make his first USF2000 start at his home track. The 15-year-old, who has his own charity – Driving For Dyslexia – has fellow dyslexic, the late Justin Wilson, as his racing hero.

Cox scored two top tens, including a fifth-place finish at Sebring International Raceway, to move into tenth on the points table.

Al Morey, from Fortville, Ind, will be making only his 14th start in cars this weekend. But, despite his lack of experience, the 17-year-old has completed every lap this season and found more pace every time he’s on track.

“I am really looking forward to racing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway later this week,” said Morey. “I live not that far away so we will have a ton of family and friends on site. It will be a great time, and I will be aiming to reset my series best results this weekend.”

“I want to be consistent and learn,” continued Morey. “If I can do that each race weekend, I will be able to accomplish the goals that I set forth at the beginning of the year.”

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Welcome back

Canadian Lucas Mann will join Exclusive Autosport (The Eh! Team) for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway triple-header. Mann made his series debut at the Portland International Raceway season finale last year.

“I am super happy to be back racing in the USF2000 Series,” enthused Mann. “I am excited to experience Indy during the Month Of May, even if we are racing the opposite direction. Thank you to Exclusive Autosport for the opportunity to run at IMS and to ANSE3D.com. This track always promotes great racing and I can’t wait to be a part of it.

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Indianapolis Motor Speedway notes and numbers.

• Active teams Pabst Racing (five), VRD Racing (three) and DEForce Racing (one) have all won on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.
• The pole sitter has won 11 of the 21 races but only one of the nine races since 2020.
• The average starting position of the winner is 2.4. The average starting position of the winner since 2020 is 2.8.
• Will Owen won the first race in 2014 from 13th, the lowest on the grid a winner has started.

Previous USF2000 Championship Presented By Cooper Tires winners on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course

YEAR	DRIVER	TEAM
2022 Race #3	Alex Quinn	Velocity Racing Development
2022 Race #2	Alex Quinn	Velocity Racing Development
2022 Race #1	Alex Quinn	Velocity Racing Development
2021 Race #3	Kiko Porto	DEForce Racing
2021 Race #2	Yuven Sundaramoorthy	Pabst Racing
2021 Race #1	Yuven Sundaramoorthy	Pabst Racing
2020 Race #3	Reece Gold	Cape Motorsports
2020 Race #2	Eduardo Barrichello	Pabst Racing
2020 Race #1	Eduardo Barrichello	Pabst Racing
2019 Race #2	Braden Eves	Cape Motorsports
2019 Race #1	Braden Eves	Cape Motorsports
2018 Race #2	Alex Baron	Swan-RJB Motorsports
2018 Race #1	Kyle Kirkwood	Cape Motorsports
2017 Race #2	Oliver Askew	Cape Motorsports
2017 Race #1	Oliver Askew	Cape Motorsports
2016 Race #2	Parker Thompson	Cape Motorsports with /WTR
2016 Race #1	Anthony Martin	Cape Motorsports with /WTR
2015 Race #2	Nico Jamin	Cape Motorsports with /WTR
2015 Race #1	Nico Jamin	Cape Motorsports with /WTR
2014 – Race #2	Adrian Starrantino	JAY Motorsports
2014 – Race #1	Will Owen	Pabst Racing

• Active teams Pabst Racing (three), DEForce Racing (two) and Exclusive Autosport (one) have had drivers start from the pole.
• The average finishing position of the pole sitter is 2.7.
• Current INDY NXT pilot Jagger Jones, who started from the pole in three races last year, finished 18th in the second race, the lowest of any pole sitter.
• Pabst Racing (13), DEForce Racing (six), Exclusive Autosport (five) and VRD Racing (three) are the active teams that have had drivers stand on the podium.
• Eight races on the 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course have been caution free. The average number of caution laps across all of the races is 2.5. In addition, there have been only four first-lap cautions.
• A dozen races have had a lead change, with the first race in 2014 leading the way with four lead changes among four drivers.
• All 21 races have finished under the green flag.
• The most significant margin of victory came in 2014 when Will Owen beat Jake Eidson to the line by 15.994 seconds.

• In 2020, second-generation racer Eduardo Barrichello beat current INDY NXT driver Reece Gold to the twin checkers by only 0.2834 seconds, the closest margin of victory.
• Braden Eves (Cape Motorsports) holds the track record at 84.5396 seconds.
• Simon Sikes (nine starts – best 9th), Jacob Douglas (three starts – .st 13th), Danny Dyszelski (three starts – best third), Jorge Garciarce (three – best finish 7th), and Chase Gardner (three – best finish 10th) have all made starts here.

By Steve Wittich

Simon Sikes was less than pleased with how Saturday’s USF2000 Championship, Presented By Cooper Tires winner Lochie Hughes raced him in Sunset Bend on the race’s final lap.

That must have provided extra motivation for the 22-year-old, who obliterated the field with a lap at 124.424 seconds, almost six-tenths of a second ahead of his young Pabst Racing teammate Max Garcia, who will start on the outside of the front row for the second straight race.

Sikes now has three career USF2000 poles; all have occurred in the last three races.

The pole start is the 40th in USF2000 for the Oconomowoc, Wisc.-based Pabst Racing.

Hughes will start from the inside of the second row for the second straight race, the same position he won from on Saturday.

Celebrating his 19th birthday today, Mac Clark will start outside the second row, his best start of the young season.

When qualifying for the second USF2000 Cooper Tires Grand Prix of Sebring race got underway, the skies in Sebring, Fla. were sunny, and the ambient temperature was a comfortable 75F.

With only 20 minutes available for qualifying, the 3.74-mile, 17-turn Sebring International Raceway road course was quickly busy with the buzzing of the 19 Elite Engine-prepared, MZR-based 2.0 liter engines.

Drivers spent the first two laps carving out space for themselves and getting the proper amount of heat in their Cooper Tires.

In the No. 97, Zack Ping had a spin in Turn 1 on his second lap of the session but could continue. He came to the attention of the Velocity Racing Development crew, who got him back out on the track.

Race #1 pole winner Sikes was the early leader as lap times continued falling as the clock ticked to the halfway mark of qualifying.

Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Development rookie Elliot Cox grabbed the provisional pole at the halfway point of the session before Sikes returned to the top of the timing screens. With ten minutes remaining, the top ten drivers were within one second of Sikes.

Lap times continued to drop, with Ho taking the provisional pole with five minutes remaining. Hughes grabbed the top spot less than a minute later, almost breaking the 125-second barrier.

With two minutes remaining, Sikes threw down a massive lap 0.6 seconds quicker than Hughes.

On his final lap of the session, Sike’s Pabst Racing young rookie teammate Garcia turned his quickest lap of qualifying, putting himself between Sikes and Hughes.

USF2000 Cooper Tires Grand Prix of Sebring Unofficial Qualifying Results

RANK	CAR NO.	DRIVER	TEAM	FAST LAP	DIFF.
1	22	Simon Sikes	Pabst Racing	2:04.424	——
2	24	Max Garcia	Pabst Racing	2:05.005	0.581
3	8	Lochie Hughes	Jay Howard Driver Development	2:05.029	0.605
4	1	Mac Clark	DEForce Racing	2:05.169	0.745
5	68	Ethan Ho	DC Autosport	2:05.346	0.922
6	17	Nikita Johnson	VRD Racing	2:05.370	0.946
7	67	Elliot Cox	Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Dev	2:05.372	0.948
8	6	Evagoras Papasavvas	Jay Howard Driver Development	2:05.408	0.984
9	90	Jacob Douglas	Exclusive Autosport	2:05.630	1.206
10	14	Sam Corry	VRD Racing	2:05.754	1.330
11	10	Jorge Garciarce	DEForce Racing	2:06.000	1.576
12	97	Zack Ping	VRD Racing	2:06.098	1.674
13	95	Chase Gardner	Exclusive Autosport	2:06.153	1.729
14	9	Louka St-Jean	Jay Howard Driver Development	2:06.258	1.834
15	18	Danny Dyszelski	VRD Racing	2:06.681	2.257
16	19	Gordon Scully	VRD Racing	2:06.792	2.368
17	7	Al Morey	Jay Howard Driver Development	2:06.885	2.461
18	93	Avery Towns	Exclusive Autosport	2:07.057	2.633
19	12	Maxwell Jamieson	DEForce Racing	2:07.300	2.876

The second USF2000 Cooper Tires Grand Prix of Sebring will get the green flag at 1:40 pm. Video and timing.

By Steve Wittich

For the second straight USF2000 Championship Presented By Cooper Tires race Pabst Racing’s Simon Sikes will start from the pole after surviving a last-second flyer by his new teammate Max Garcia.

Sikes’ lap of 125.594 seconds was set before a lengthy red flag, surviving late qualifying flyers by drivers that could get their fresh Cooper Tires up to temperature.

Max Garcia, a 14-year-old Pabst Racing rookie from Coconut Grove, Fla., will start behind his teammate.

Lochie Hughes (Jay Howard Driver Development), who is leading the championship after two races, will start behind Sikes on the inside of the front row, with fellow rookie Elliot Cox (Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Development) starting on the outside of the second row.

When the green flag flew from the starter’s stand on the front straight of the 3.74-mile, 17-turn Sebring International Raceway road course at 12:25 pm, the humidity was thick, and the ambient temperature was already 86F.

Early in qualifying, the quartet of Jay Howard Driver Development drivers was running together on track, but that group was split up when the Planiform sponsored No. 9 of Canadian rookie Louka St-Jean went for a wild ride at the exit of Turn 1 after dropping his right side tires into the sandy soil at corner exit.

After seven minutes of action, the red flag came out with the Speed IntelliComm/Pizza Inn/Towns Law Firm sponsored No. 95 stopped against the tires in the middle of Sunset Bend. The Texan got out of the car under his own power, making the trip to the care center to get checked out.

The top five under the red, with most drivers completing only a pair of laps completed, was Sikes with a lap at 125.594 seconds, followed by Hughes, Garcia, Papasavvas and Chase Gardner (Exclusive Autosport), who would lose that lap after causing the red flag.

The car was put on the hook with damage to the right front suspension and returned to the Exclusive Autosport tent in the paddock.

The green flag returned with only three minutes remaining on the clock, forcing the drivers to push hard to improve their best lap time.

Sikes could not improve on his best lap, but his just-turned-14-year-old teammate Garcia came the closest, finishing only two-hundredths of a second behind the veteran.

Elliot Cox (Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Development), who had to miss the first five minutes of qualifying after blowing through the checkered flag of practice, only turned two laps. Still, his second was fourth best, an impressive performance under pressure.

Also improving on their last laps were Sam Corry (Velocity Racing Development), Jorge Garciarce (DEForce Racing), Danny Dyszelski (Velocity Racing Development) and Ethan Ho (DC Autosport).

Cooper Tires USF2000 Grand Prix Of Sebring unofficial qualifying results

RANK	CAR NO.	DRIVER	TEAM	FAST LAP	DIFF.
1	22	Simon Sikes	Pabst Racing	2:05.594	——
2	24	Max Garcia	Pabst Racing	2:05.619	0.025
3	8	Lochie Hughes	Jay Howard Driver Development	2:05.753	0.159
4	67	Elliot Cox	Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Dev	2:06.024	0.430
5	6	Evagoras Papasavvas	Jay Howard Driver Development	2:06.196	0.602
6	14	Sam Corry	VRD Racing	2:06.916	1.322
7	90	Jacob Douglas	Exclusive Autosport	2:07.038	1.444
8	10	Jorge Garciarce	DEForce Racing	2:07.068	1.474
9	1	Mac Clark	DEForce Racing	2:07.098	1.504
10	18	Danny Dyszelski	VRD Racing	2:07.521	1.927
11	19	Gordon Scully	VRD Racing	2:07.596	2.002
12	7	Al Morey	Jay Howard Driver Development	2:07.632	2.038
13	95	Chase Gardner	Exclusive Autosport	2:07.682	2.088
14	68	Ethan Ho	DC Autosport	2:07.690	2.096
15	97	Zack Ping	VRD Racing	2:08.521	2.927
16	93	Avery Towns	Exclusive Autosport	2:08.756	3.162
17	12	Maxwell Jamieson	DEForce Racing	2:08.816	3.222
18	17	Nikita Johnson	VRD Racing	2:12.481	6.887
19	9	Louka St-Jean	Jay Howard Driver Development	No Time	—

The first of two USF2000 12-lap races will get the green flag at 5:30 pm.

By Steve Wittich

The lone USF2000 Championship Presented By Cooper Tires practice session opened up a busy Saturday at the iconic Sebring International Raceway.

Bright sunny skies and an ambient temperature of 72F greeted the 17 drivers when the half-hour practice got the green flag at 8:35 am.

The Pabst Racing duo of veteran Simon Sikes and rookie Max Garcia traded the top spot on the time sheet in the first half of the session.

With ten minutes remaining, the winner of the first race of the season, Jay Howard Driver Development rookie Lochie Hughes jumped to the top of the timing screens, completing a lap of the 3.74-mile, 17-turn Sebring International Raceway road course in 125.097 seconds. That was four-tenths a second quicker than the fastest lap during spring training at the same track.

With five minutes left in the session, the top five were Hughes, Ethan Ho (DC Autosport), Garcia, Sikes, and Evagoras Papasavvas (Jay Howard Driver Development) had the five quickest laps.

Ho and the Triple S Suspensions sponsored No. 68 contested the three USF Juniors Presented by Cooper Tires races before the team converted it to USF2000 configuration.

On his ninth practice lap, Hughes lowered the top time to 124.857 seconds. His time at the top of the timing screen

Two cars blew through the checkered flag at the alternate timing line on the Ullman Straight. St. Petersburg race #2 winner Nikita Johnson (Velocity Racing Development) and Elliot Cox (Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Development) will have to sit the first five minutes of qualifying as a penalty.

Cooper Tires USF2000 Grand Prix of Sebring

RANK	CAR NO.	DRIVER	TEAM	FAST LAP	DIFF.	LAPS
1	22	Simon Sikes	Pabst Racing	2:04.799	2:04.799	12
2	8	Lochie Hughes	Jay Howard Driver Development	2:04.857	0.058	9
3	24	Max Garcia	Pabst Racing	2:05.002	0.203	12
4	68	Ethan Ho	DC Autosport	2:05.291	0.492	13
5	17	Nikita Johnson	VRD Racing	2:05.556	0.757	12
6	6	Evagoras Papasavvas	Jay Howard Driver Development	2:05.859	1.060	10
7	1	Mac Clark	DEForce Racing	2:06.073	1.274	10
8	67	Elliot Cox	Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Dev	2:06.190	1.391	10
9	90	Jacob Douglas	Exclusive Autosport	2:06.237	1.438	13
10	14	Sam Corry	VRD Racing	2:06.283	1.484	12
11	9	Louka St-Jean	Jay Howard Driver Development	2:06.302	1.503	11
12	95	Chase Gardner	Exclusive Autosport	2:06.932	2.133	9
13	7	Al Morey	Jay Howard Driver Development	2:06.942	2.143	11
14	10	Jorge Garciarce	DEForce Racing	2:07.133	2.334	11
15	12	Maxwell Jamieson	DEForce Racing	2:07.389	2.590	13
16	93	Avery Towns	Exclusive Autosport	2:07.488	2.689	13
17	19	Gordon Scully	VRD Racing	2:10.049	5.250	6

The middle rung of the USF Pro Championships Presented By Cooper Tires ladder will qualify at 12:25 pm.

By Steve Wittich

A last-second hot lap by Jay Howard Driver Development’s (JHDD) Lochie Hughes topped a chaotic USF2000 Championship Presented By Cooper Tires qualifying session, giving the Aussie driver his first pole in only his fourth series start.

The pole is the first on the 1.8-mile, 14-turn St. Petersburg street circuit for Jay Howard Driver Development. The pole is the 11th for the team and their first since 2020.

Velocity Racing Development’s (VRD) Nikita Johnson will start from outside the front row at his home race, matching his best career USF2000 start from Portland International Raceway in 2022. The 14-year-old has an average starting position of 4.0 in nine series starts and has never qualified worse than seventh.

Row two also includes drivers from VRD and JHDD, but this time they are reversed, with VRD’s Sam Corry starting third and JHDD’s Evagoras Papasavvas starting fourth.

Rookie team Future Star Racing racing, with veterans Trey Burke and Andre Castro, had an impressive first qualifying session in the series and will start from the third row.

The lone USF2000 Championship Presented By Cooper Tires qualifying session followed a 75-minute NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice. That means the drivers and teams that adjust to the increased grip will have the best starting spots for both races.

When the 25-minute qualifying session began, the ambient temperature was 79F, and the track temperature was 96F.

Trey Burke (Future Star Racing) was penalized for the Turn 4 incident with Sam Corry in practice, sitting for the first five minutes of qualifying.

Early in the session, Lochie Hughes (Jay Howard Driver Development), Sam Corry (Velocity Racing Development) and Simon Sikes (Pabst Racing) were the early provisional pole sitters.

The first red flag of the test came out with just over ten minutes gone when Sikes, spring training and practice #1 leader, made contact with the wall in Turn 3. His Pabst Racing No. 22 stopped on the right side of the track halfway down the back straight toward Turn 4.

The AMR INDYCAR Safety Team cleared the track, and green conditions returned with 11 minutes remaining.

Just as times started to fall as drivers got their Cooper Tire slicks into the proper operating window, the red flag came out for the No. 95 Exclusive Autosport machine of Chase Gardner in the Turn 8 tire barrier.

Corry had just turned the quickest lap, putting the Velocity Racing Development driver on the provisional pole. He was followed in the top ten by Hughes, Evagoras Papasavvas (Jay Howard Driver Development), Nikita Johnson (Velocity Racing Development), Jacob Douglas (Exclusive Autosport), Nicholas d’Orlando (Exclusive Autosport), Zack Ping (Velocity Racing Development), Danny Dyszelski (Jay Howard Driver Development), Jorge Garciarce (DEForce Racing) and Mac Clark (DEForce Racing).

Qualifying restarted with five minutes remaining, putting pressure on the drivers to quickly get their tires up to temperature to improve their lap time.

Clark was the first driver to improve, followed closely by his USF Juniors rival Johnson, who jumped to the provisional pole.

However, the timing screen was blinking green with two minutes remaining as drivers continued to improve on their best laps.

Johnson held the provisional pole until the final driver to cross the timing line, Hughes, pipped him, going a slim eight-hundredths of a second quicker.

Also jumping up on their final laps were Corry (to third), Burke (to fifth) and d’Orlando (to 7th).

USF2000 Championship Presented By Cooper Tires qualifying results

RANK	CAR NO.	DRIVER	TEAM	BEST LAP	DIFF.
1	8	Lochie Hughes	Jay Howard Driver Development	1:13.0836	——-
2	17	Nikita Johnson	VRD Racing	1:13.1640	0.0804
3	14	Sam Corry	VRD Racing	1:13.3569	0.2733
4	6	Evagoras Papasavvas	Jay Howard Driver Development	1:13.4954	0.4118
5	58	Trey Burke	Future Star Racing	1:13.5984	0.5148
6	56	Andre Castro	Future Star Racing	1:13.5993	0.5157
7	92	Nicholas d’Orlando	Exclusive Autosport	1:13.7408	0.6572
8	97	Zack Ping	VRD Racing	1:13.7843	0.7007
9	91	Joey Brienza	Exclusive Autosport	1:13.8184	0.7348
10	18	Danny Dyszelski	VRD Racong	1:13.8212	0.7376
11	90	Jacob Douglas	Exclusive Autosport	1:13.8609	0.7773
12	9	Louka St.-Jean	Jay Howard Driver Development	1:13.8665	0.7829
13	1	Mac Clark	DEForce Racing	1:13.9397	0.8561
14	22	Simon Sikes	Pabst Racing	1:13.9728	0.8892
15	10	Jorge Garciarce	DEForce Racing	1:14.0153	0.9317
16	7	Al Morey	Jay Howard Driver Development	1:14.1798	1.0962
17	12	Maxwell Jamieson	DEForce Racing	1:14.3327	1.2491
18	95	Chase Gardner	Exclusive Autosport	1:14.3753	1.2917
19	19	Gordon Scully	VRD Racing	1:14.6691	1.5855
20	67	Elliot Cox	Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Development	1:14.9023	1.8187
21	93	Avery Towns	Exclusive Autosport	1:15.8445	2.7609

The 20-lap Cooper Tires Grand Prix of St. Petersburg gets the green flag at 3:45 pm on Saturday.

By Steve Wittich

Veteran Pabst Racing’s Simon Sikes picked up where he left off USF2000 Championship Presented By Cooper Tires spring training earlier this week, dominating the competition.

The 22-year-old Georgian’s lap, timed at 74.4548 seconds, was almost six-tenths quicker than the next-best driver, Lochie Hughes (Jay Howard Driver Development), with the following 13 drivers within a second of the Aussie.

The lone 25-minute USF2000 Championship Presented By Cooper Tires got underway with the 21 entries quickly taking to the 1.8-mile, 14-turn St. Petersburg street circuit.

After five minutes, the first red flag came out when the No.92 of Nicholas d’Orlando stopped in the run-off, with most drivers only completing two laps. He could drive back to pit road but did not complete another lap at pace.

Reigning USF Juniors Presented by Cooper Tires champion Mac Clark (DEForce Racing), had the quickest lap time, followed by Elliot Cox (Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Development), Lochie Hughes (Jay Howard Driver Development), Nicholas d’Orlando (Exclusive Autosport), and Simon Sikes (Pabst Racing).

The green flag remained out for ten minutes before a chaotic lap, which saw four cars bring out the second red flag with 11 minutes remaining in the session.

Single-car incidents involving Chase Gardner (Exclusive Autosport) in Turn 1 and Cox, along with a two-car disagreement in the Turn 4 braking zone between Trey Burke (Future Star Racing) and Sam Corry (Velocity Racing Development) brought out the second red flag of the session.

Race control ordered Burke and Corry to the principal’s office (race director Joel Miller) immediately after practice.

Sikes had taken over the top spot, followed by Nikita Johnson (Velocity Racing Development), Clark, Andre Castro (Future Star Racing), Corry, Zack Ping (Velocity Racing Development), Jorge Garciarce (DEForce Racing), Douglas, Hughes and Gardner.

The green flag returned, allowing the drivers to complete a few more laps before the third red flag flew for the Hughes’ No. 8 off-track in Turn 4 with three minutes remaining.

Drivers were given one green flag lap to see if they could improve. Unfortunately for Velocity Racing Development rookie Gordon Scully, his No. 19 ended up backwards against the wall in Turn 9.

USF2000 Championship Presented By Cooper Tires practice timesheet

RANK	CAR NO.	DRIVER	TEAM	BEST LAP	DIFF.
1	22	Simon Sikes	Pabst Racing	1:14.4548	—
2	8	Lochie Hughes	Jay Howard Driver Development	1:15.0499	0.5951
3	14	Sam Corry	VRD Racing	1:15.1012	0.6464
4	6	Evagora Papasavvas	Jay Howard Driver Development	1:15.1891	0.7343
5	17	Nikita Johnson	VRD Racing	1:15.2394	0.7846
6	10	Jorge Garciarce	DEForce Racing	1:15.3147	0.8599
7	97	Zack Ping	VRD Racing	1:15.4030	0.9482
8	1	Mac Clark	DEForce Racing	1:15.4375	0.9827
9	90	Jacob Douglas	Exclusive Autosport	1:15.5064	1.0516
10	18	Danny Dyszelski	VRD Racong	1:15.5076	1.0528
11	56	Andre Castro	Future Star Racing	1:15.6838	1.2290
12	7	Al Morey	Jay Howard Driver Development	1:15.7957	1.3409
13	91	Joey Brienza	Exclusive Autosport	1:15.8496	1.3948
14	67	Elliot Cox	Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Development	1:15.9103	1.4555
15	19	Gordon Scully	VRD Racing	1:15.9937	1.5389
16	95	Chase Gardner	Exclusive Autosport	1:16.1116	1.6568
17	9	Louka St.-Jean	Jay Howard Driver Development	1:16.1843	1.7295
18	58	Trey Burke	Future Star Racing	1:16.7160	2.2612
19	12	Maxwell Jamieson	DEForce Racing	1:16.7295	2.2747
20	93	Avery Towns	Exclusive Autosport	1:16.9520	2.4972
21	92	Nicholas d’Orlando	Exclusive Autosport	1:18.3639	3.9091

The middle rung of the USF Pro Championships Presented By Cooper Tires will qualify for the Cooper Tires Grand Prix of St. Petersburg at 4:30 pm.

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 USF2000 Championship Presented By Cooper Tires series is the world’s best recognized 2.0 liter based open wheel training series and will crown its 36th champion since 1990.

The drivers will be battling for a $433,200 scholarship and advancement to USF Pro 2000, the highest rung of the three-step USF Pro Championships ladder.

The car of choice for the series is a Tatuus full carbon composite and aluminum honeycomb monocoque with a halo. The USF-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 (owned by former series champion Steve Knapp) built Mazda MZR 2.0-liter based 175hp powerplant. Reliability is outstanding, with no engine failures in over five seasons.

Thirteen-inch 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 (3:45 pm Eastern) and Sunday’s (8 am Eastern) 20-lap races will be series 27th and 28th races (the third most of any USF2000 track – on the tricky 1.8-mile, 14-turn St. Petersburg street circuit that features a long blast down an airport runway and twists and turns through the concrete-lined downtown streets of St. Petersburg, Fla.

Eighteen different drivers representing nine teams have stood on the top step of the podium on the shores of Tampa Bay.

Previous USF2000 Championship Presented By Cooper Tires winners in St. Petersburg, Fla.

YEAR	DRIVER	TEAM
2022 Race #2	Myles Rowe	Pabst Racing
2022 Race #1	Jace Denmark	Pabst Racing
2021 Race #2	Christian Brooks	Exclusive Autosport
2021 Race #1	Christian Brooks	Exclusive Autosport
2020 Race #2	Christian Brooks	Exclusive Autosport
2020 Race #1	Kiko Porto	DEForce Racing
2019 Race #2	Braden Eves	Cape Motorsports
2019 Race #1	Braden Eves	Cape Motorsports
2018 Race #2	Alex Baron	Swan-RJB Motorsports
2018 Race #1	Kyle Kirkwood	Cape Motorsports
2017 Race #2	Oliver Askew	Cape Motorsports
2017 Race #1	Robert Megennis	Team Pelfrey
2016 Race #2	Yufeng Luo	Pabst Racing
2016 Race #1	Jordan Lloyd	Pabst Racing
2015 Race #2	Jake Eidson	Pabst Racing
2015 Race #1	Jake Eidson	Pabst Racing
2014 Race #2	RC Enerson	Team E
2014 Race #1	Victor Franzoni	Afterburner Autosport
2013 Race #2	Scott Hargrove	Cape Motorsports
2013 Race #1	Scott Hargrove	Cape Motorsports
2012 Race #2	Spencer Pigot	Cape Motorsports
2012 Race #1	Spencer Pigot	Cape Motorsports
2011 Race #2	Petri Suvanto	Cape Motorsports
2011 Race #1	Spencer Pigot	Andretti Autosport
2010 Race #2	Sage Karam	Andretti Autosport
2010 Race #1	Sage Karam	Andretti Autosport

St. Pete notes:

• The average starting position of the race winner is 1.6, and the lowest starting position of any winner occurred last year when Race #2 winner Myles Rowe won from the outside of the third row.
• Cape Motorsports leads all teams with nine wins.
• Active teams Pabst Racing (six), Exclusive Autosport (three) and DEForce Racing (one) have also won.

• Twenty drivers representing eight teams have started from the pole.
• The average finishing position of the pole-sitter is 3.7, and they’ve failed to finish three races.
• Cape Motorsports leads all teams with seven pole starts.
• Active teams Pabst Racing (five), DEForce Racing (four), and Exclusive Autosport (three) also have pole starts.
• Fourteen teams have sent drivers to the podium, with Cape Motorsports leading with 24 top-three finishes.
• Active teams Pabst Racing (18), Exclusive Autosport (seven), and DEForce Racing (six) have also finished on the podium.
• The 26 races have averaged 1.6 cautions and 4.5 yellow flag laps.
• Four cautions (twice – 2021 & 2022) and 11 yellow flag laps (2021 Race #1) are the highs in those categories.
• Only one race has finished under caution (2021 Race #1).
• The most significant margin of victory was Sage Karam crossing the finish line 16.732 seconds ahead of Josh Fielding in 2010.
• In 2012, Spencer Pigot crossed the line only 0.197 seconds ahead of his Cape Motorsports teammate Matthew Brabhamm, the closest finish in St. Petersburg.

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Race #1

• The streets of St. Petersburg will be playing host to the season-opening USF2000 race for the ninth time, the most of any track.

• Saturday’s first race of the season will be the 19th time in 36 seasons that the USF2000 championship will begin the season in Florida.
• Since 1990, 15 drivers that won the first race of the season went on to win the championship, with the last being current INDY NXT driver Christian Rasmussen in 2020.

• The eventual champion has finished on the podium in 64.7% (22 of 35) season openers.
• The average finish of the championship winner in the season’s first race is 2.9.
• In 2021, Kiko Porto finished 10th in the year’s first race, the lowest the eventual champion has finished.
• Cape Motorsports leads all teams with nine wins in the season’s first race. Active teams with wins in the season opener include Pabst Racing (four) and Jay Howard Driver Development (one).
• The average championship finishing position of the season’s first winner is 3.3.

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Does testing speed translate to championship results?

The USF2000 Championship Presented By Cooper Tires field just finished their spring training test at the Sebring International Raceway, with Pabst Racing’s Simon Sikes blitzing the field by a quarter of a second.

The 22-year-old Georgian led two of the three Tuesday test sessions, with Taiwanese-American driver Ethan Ho (DC Autosport) leading the final session.

Combined USF2000 spring training timesheet

RANK	CAR NO.	DRIVER	TEAM	SESS.	BEST LAP	DIFF.
1	22	Simon Sikes	Pabst Racing	1	125.431
2	68	Ethan Ho	DC Autosport	3	125.664	-0.233
3	1	Mac Clark	DEForce Racing	3	126.007	-0.576
4	8	Lochie Hughes	Jay Howard Driver Development	1	126.085	-0.654
5	6	Evagoras Papasavvas	Jay Howard Driver Development	1	126.219	-0.788
6	67	Elliot Cox	Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Dev	3	126.328	-0.897
7	7	Al Morey	Jay Howard Driver Development	1	126.388	-0.957
8	9	Louka St. Jean	Jay Howard Driver Development	1	126.567	-1.136
9	17	Nikita Johnson	VRD Racing	1	126.571	-1.14
10	10	Jorge Garciarce	DEForce Racing	1	126.654	-1.223
11	90	Jacob Douglas	Exclusive Autosport	3	126.703	-1.272
12	91	Joey Brienza	Exclusive Autosport	3	126.735	-1.304
13	92	Nicholas d’Orlando	Exclusive Autosport	3	126.896	-1.465
14	58	Trey Burke	Alvin, TX	3	126.970	-1.539
15	14	Sam Corry	VRD Racing	2	127.086	-1.655
16	12	Maxwell Jamieson	DEForce Racing	3	127.092	-1.661
17	95	Chase Gardner	Exclusive Autosport	3	127.189	-1.758
18	56	Andre Castro	Future Star Racing	3	127.479	-2.048
19	97	Zack Ping	Velocity Racing Development	2	127.579	-2.148
20	18	Danny Dyszelski	VRD Racing	3	127.814	-2.383
21	93	Avery Towns	Exclusive Autosport	3	128.391	-2.96
22	19	Gordon Scully	VRD Racing	3	128.498	-3.067

If history tells us anything, Sikes becomes the odds-on favorite to take home the title and the $433,200 advancement scholarship. Four of the last seven USF2000 champions led the combined timesheet at spring training.

Diving deeper into the statistics informs us that, in all likelihood, the eventual champion will come from Sikes, Ho, Mac Clark (DEForce Racing), Lochie Hughes (Jay Howard Driver Development), Evagoras Papasavvas (Jay Howard Driver Development) or Elliot Cox (Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Development).

How champions fared in spring training

• In 2022, eventual champion Michael d’Orlando led spring training at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
• In 2021, eventual champion Kiko Porto had the fifth-best time during spring training at Barber Motorsports Park.
• In 2020, eventual champion Christian Rasmussen had the sixth-best time during the final test at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course before the season started.
• In 2019, eventual champion Braden Eves had the second-best time during spring training at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
• In 2018, eventual champion Kyle Kirkwood led spring training at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
• In 2017, eventual champion Oliver Askew led spring training at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
• In 2016, eventual champion Anthony Martin led spring training at Barber Motorsports Park.

How spring training leaders faired in the title hunt

• In 2022, eventual champion Michael d’Orlando led spring training at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
• In 2021, Christian Brooks led spring training at Barber Motorsports Park and finished the season in sixth on the championship table.
• In 2020, Michael d’Orlando led the final test before the season started at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and finished fourth on the championship table.
• In 2019, Manuel Sulaiman led spring training at Homestead-Miami Speedway and finished sixth in the championship.
• In 2018, eventual champion Kyle Kirkwood led spring training at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
• In 2017, eventual champion Oliver Askew led spring training at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
• In 2016, eventual champion Anthony Martin 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 1990, the average age of the USF2000 champion has been 21.9.
• Since 2010, the average age of the USF2000 champion has been 18.8.
• Sage Karam, in 2010, was the youngest champion at 15 years old.

• Championships by season
  • Rookie – 18 titles – the last rookie champion was Braden Eves in 2019.
  • Second season – 12 titles – the last sophomore champion was Kiko Porto in 2021.
  • Third season – 5 titles – Michael d’Orlando won the championship as a third-year driver last year.
• Six drivers have won the championship as 18-year-olds, the most of any age.
• Twenty of the 35 champions have been between 18 and 21.

Wins

• The average number of wins for the USF2000 champion all-time is 5.4
• The average number of wins for the USF2000 champion since 2010 is 6.5.
• The average win percentage of the USF2000 champion all-time is 44%
• The average win percentage of the USF2000 champion since 2010 is 44.2%
• The fewest wins by a USF2000 champion since 2010 is three (Florian Latorre in 2014).
• The most wins by a USF2000 champion since 2010 is 12 (Kyle Kirkwood in 2018)

Poles

• The average number of poles for the USF2000 champion all-time is 5.4.
• The average number of poles for the USF2000 champion since 2010 is 7.4.
• The average pole percentage of the USF2000 champion all-time is 43.1%.
• The average pole percentage of the USF2000 since 2010 is 50.4%
• The fewest poles by a USF2000 champion since 2010 is four (Braden Eves in 2019).
• The most poles by a USF2000 champion since 2010 is 13. (Nico Jamin in 2015).

Podiums

• The average number of podiums by the USF2000 champion all-time is 8.5.
• The average number of podiums by the USF2000 champion since 2010 is 10.5.
• The average podium percentage of the USF2000 champion all-time is 69.9%.
• The average podium percentage of the USF2000 champion since 2010 is 71.5%.
• The fewest podiums by a USF2000 champion since 2010 are eight (Florian Latorre in 2014, Braden Eves in 2019 and Michael d’Orlando in 2022).
• The most podiums by a USF2000 champion since 2010 is 15 (Nico Jaminin 2015).

Teams

• Since 1990, championship-winning drivers have driven for 17 different teams.
• Cape Motorsports, who will not be on the USF2000 Championship Presented By Cooper Tires grid this season, leads all teams with 14 drivers championships. The dominant team in 2.0-liter competition for the past three decades is one of only three teams to win multiple driver championships.
• DEForce Racing (Kiko Porto in 2021) and Jay Howard Driver Development (Christian Rasmussen in 2020) are the only active teams to win a driver championship.
• Since 2010, the team that won the driver’s championship has also won the team championship in seven of 13 seasons.

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Who replaces Cape Motorsports?

For the first time in over two decades, Nicholas and Dominic Cape and their eponymous Cape Motorsports are not part of the USF2000 championship. With 14 driver championships, including ten of the last 12, a big hole has been left to fill.

Five teams on the grid to start the season have won races, with two also winning driver championships.

The Augie Pabst-led Pabst Racing, with 36 wins, should be the favorite to take the mantle, but the Oconomowoc, Wisc. team is still looking for their first driver title.

Jay Howard Driver Development has a dozen wins and won the 2020 driver championship with Christian Rasmussen.

Kiko Porto won the championship while driving for eight-win team DEForce Racing in 2021. The David and Ernesto Martinez-led, Texas-based squad aims to rebound from a disappointing 2022.

Exclusive Autosport, now in its seventh season of USF2000 competition, has six wins, while newcomer last year, Velocity Racing Development, won three times in their inaugural season.

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Handicapping the championship

Combining only one previous USF2000 Championship Presented By Cooper Tires win in the field with the departure of Cape Motorsports leaves us with the perfect opportunity for a chaotic and entertaining 2023 title chase.

Eyes first turn to the leaders at spring training, Pabst Racing and veteran Simon Sikes.

The team has won at least one race in eight of the last nine seasons and is coming off their most successful season, including nine wins and second and third-place championship finishes.

Sikes, the 2020 F1600 Championship Series title winner, has shown speed in portions of three USF2000 seasons with smaller teams. If the 22-year-old Georgian finds the budget to run the entire season, he’ll be one of the favorites to take home the team’s first driver’s championship. A sweep this weekend would go a long way to making that happen.

Pabst Racing is expected to add another car at the next round for standout karter Max Garcia, who will not turn the minimum 14 years old until March 17.

Reigning USF Juniors champion Mac Clark is the only driver in the field to have a USF2000 win under his belt after taking the checkered flag first at Portland International Raceway during his lone appearance in the series last year.

DEForce Racing won the 2021 drivers championship with Kiko Porto. Hence, the team and driver know what it takes to assemble a championship campaign, making them one of the favorites heading into the season opener.

Jay Howard Driver Development and Aussie Lochie Hughes won last season’s F4 United States Championship Powered By Honda title together, making the 20-year-old a championship contender if the team can find the speed they had when they won the USF2000 title in 2020 with Christian Rasmussen.

Don’t be surprised if Nikita Johnson (Velocity Racing Development) gets off to a good start in his hometown of St. Petersburg. The 14-year-old had three wins, ten podiums and two poles on the way to a third-place finish during the inaugural USF Juniors season. Despite his age, Johnson won’t be a USF2000 rookie after collecting one podium in eight starts in the second half of the season.

Other drivers we’re watching are USF Juniors race winner Sam Corry (Velocity Racing Development), sophomore Jacob Douglas (Exclusive Autosport), Ethan Ho (DC Autosport) and Elliot Cox (Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Development).