Photo: YACademy Winter Series
Exclusive Autosport’s Cam Becker took the YACademy Winter Series crown on February 8 in the second round on Homestead-Miami Speedway’s roval layout.
The 12-year-old Chip Ganassi Racing junior won two of the four races to follow up his 2025 Lucas Oil Formula Car Race Series title.
After free practice, the race that was dropped from the Sebring round due to wet weather was held. It ended up being a thriller, with 0.086 seconds splitting the podium finishers. Colin Aitken, driving for the joint Velocity Racing Development and Pole Position Motorsports operation, pipped Zanella Racing’s Victor Couto to victory by 0.064s and Olivia Racing’s Karol Pasiewickz was third.
Becker was an isolated fourth, and there was similar side-by-side action further back with Bex Cranston climbing from the rear of the field to deny Exclusive team-mate Connor Aspley fifth by 0.044s. Ninth place was decided by 0.006s.
Qualifying followed, and Cranston was quickest in the first session. He set a 1m23.313s to edge out Pasiewickz by 0.004s, Becker by 0.024s and Aitken by 0.049s. A second split the top 20, and the 10 fastest drivers progressed to superpole. In that session, Becker lowered the pace to 1m23.247s and claimed pole by 0.084s over Pasiewickz.
Zanella’s Leonardo Serravalle qualified third, 0.185s off, and Jay Howard Driver Development by Ed Carpenter Racing’s Max Cuthbert was fourth. Cranston and Aitken were sixth and eighth.
Becker converted pole into a dominant victory, as Cranston made his way up to second. Serravalle beat Cuthbert to the podium by 0.017s in a photo finish, and Pasiewickz was fifth.
The top 10 finishers were reversed to form the front of the next race’s grid, and Aitken made early progress to get from fifth into the lead. Couto held off Becker for second by 0.017s, and Cranston dropped to 15th before recovering to fourth just ahead of Pasiewickz and Cuthbert. Serravalle was a retiree, and Zanella’s Max Mokarem was disqualified.
More photo finishes and pack racing filled the final race, which Becker won by 0.291s. Cranston had challenged for the lead early on but a failed overtaking attempt led to contact and retiring on lap two. Aitken was also out of the race, leaving Becker with an easier job, and it was Olivia’s Augusto Soto-Schirripa who finished the race as runner-up.
Pasiewickz retired a few laps from the end, but after penalties were applied he was still able to hold on to second in the standings by one point over Couto who finished 11th on-the-road but was promoted to ninth.
Results round-up
Race 1 (17 laps)
1 Colin Aitken VRD x PPM 24m01.264s
2 Victor Couto Zanella Racing +0.064s
3 Karol Pasiewickz Olivia Racing +0.086s
4 Cam Becker Exclusive Autosport +2.942s
5 Bex Cranston Exclusive Autosport +10.795s
6 Connor Aspley Exclusive Autosport +10.839s
7 Oliver Wheldon VRD x PPM +13.028s
8 Cole Medeiros Exclusive Autosport +13.954s
9 Brenden Cooley Exclusive Autosport +14.001s
10 Leonardo Serravalle Zanella Racing +14.007s
Fastest lap: Couto, 1m22.686s
Race 2 (17 laps)
1 Becker 23m56.639s
2 Cranston +6.274s
3 Serravalle +8.887s
4 Max Cuthbert JHDD by ECR +8.904s
5 Pasiewickz +9.112s
6 Aitken +10.122s
7 Edward Kennedy VRD x PPM +10.032s
8 Couto +11.222s
9 Medeiros +15.443s
10 Augusto Soto-Schirripa Olivia Racing +15.801s
Pole: Becker, 1m23.247s
Fastest lap: Aryan Narola, 1m23.318s
Race 3 (17 laps)
1 Aitken 23m56.575s
2 Couto +1.098s
3 Becker +1.115s
4 Cranston +5.131s
5 Pasiewickz +5.225s
6 Cuthbert +5.528s
7 Kennedy +8.933s
8 Medeiros +8.953s
9 Aspley +10.809s
10 Cooley +11.307s
FL: Cuthbert, 1m23.283s
Race 4 (15 laps)
1 Becker 45m55.340s
2 Soto-Schirripa +0.291s
3 Cuthbert +3.333s
4 Serravalle +4.420s
5 Medeiros +4.617s
6 Max Mokarem Zanella Racing +11.396s
7 Kennedy +13.231s
8 Pipe Chaparro DEForce Racing +16.752s
9 Couto +17.775s
10 Oliver Mrak Zanella Racing +17.811s
FL: Soto-Schirripa, 1m23.672s
Championship standings
1 Becker 174 2 Pasiewickz 138 3 Couto 137 4 Aitken 126 5 Cranston 118 6 Cooley 101 7 Serravalle 96 8 Kennedy 86 9 Medeiros 84 10 Mrak 74