Photo: Gavin Baker Photography
Ayrton Houk will remain on the USF2000 grid for a second season by joining a new team set up by his father Kevin.
The one-car Benchmark Autosport team has been established in partnership with Don Conner, whose own DC Autosport team ran the younger Houk in USF2000 this year and has been a title-winning operation in Formula 4.
The 21-year-old Houk came 11th in the USF2000 standings with a best finish of fourth as a slicks-and-wings rookie.
He previously drove wingless single-seaters, being runner-up in the United States’ F1600 Championship Series in two successive seasons. His 2022 campaign featured five wins, and last year he claimed three wins and two poles. Houk then won the Team USA Scholarship to race in the Formula Ford Festival and Walter Hayes Trophy, both of which he finished 14th in.
Exclusive Autosport, Jay Howard Driver Development and Pabst Racing have also made USF2000 signings for 2025.
JHDD has announced the trio of Timothy Carel, Brad Majman and Anthony Martella. Carel, 18, is from France and came 11th in USF Juniors with the team this year.
Martella switches over from Exclusive, with whom the 16-year-old Canadian did three USF Juniors rounds (and took three 10th places) and one USF2000 round in 2024. He was also Sports Car Championship Canada runner-up in the TCR touring car class. Fernando Alonso’s A14 Management firm oversees Majman’s career, and the Australian relocated to the USA this year to race in the Ligier JS F4 Series where he came fifth with three wins.
Exclusive has signed 21-year-old Brazilian talent Lucas Fecury. He was 17th in USF Juniors and 18th in United States F4 in 2022, and last year was 15th in Formula Regional Oceania then signed with DEForce Racing to race in USF Juniors.
He took one podium and came ninth in the standings, and also did one USF2000 round with the team. That turned into a full season in 2024, but he was only able to come 14th in the points. His sophomore FRegional Oceania campaign also underwhelmed, as he was 17th there.
G3 Argyros and Caleb Gafrarar have been signed by Pabst. Argyros is already a USF2000 race-winner, having ended his part-time 2024 campaign with a victory at Portland that lifted him to 17th in the standings.
The 15-year-old single-seater rookie primarily raced at the step below on the Road to Indy, coming sixth in the YACademy Winter Series with one podium then seventh in USF Juniors with a haul of three trophies but no wins.
Gafrarar was a champion in America on X30 Junior karts in 2022, won two F4 races as he came fourth in the Skip Barber Formula Race Series last year then was 11th in Britain’s United FFord championship in 2024 with victory on debut at Lydden Hill.
“I hope to learn from the team, be consistent, finish every lap of every race and win the USF2000 Championship,” said the 16-year-old. “Everyone on the team is serious but we also have fun.”