Photo: Eurocup-3
Eurocup-3 race-winner Owen Tangavelou will switch to USF Pro 2000 this year for a part-time programme.
The Franco-Vietnamese racer has primarily raced in Europe since graduating from karts, starting off with two seasons in French Formula 4. He came fifth in the 2021 standings, making the podium twice.
Two Formula Regional European Championship campaigns followed, and Tangavelou had two top-five finishes. Four outings in the Middle East led to no points.
His career regained momentum last year by joining MP Motorsport in the FRegional-based Eurocup-3, making the podium on debut in the non-championship pre-season event then starting his proper campaign with a pole and a win. Two further podiums immediately followed, he then moved into the points lead, but with no further podiums he dropped to fourth in the standings.
“I am very grateful to begin my American racing journey with VRD,” said the 19-year-old, who will first get behind the wheel in pre-season testing.
“Looking forward to meeting the team at NOLA Motorsports Park and to our two rounds together in the USFP2000 championship. I’ll be giving it everything to make sure I can maximise this opportunity.”
In USF2000, a step below on the Road to Indy, there have been new drivers and teams signing up to race this year.
VRD has added Christian Cameron and Teddy Musella to its line-up, which now consists of three cars.
Cameron came 10th in USF Juniors last year as a single-seater rookie, and claimed two top-five finishes late in the season.
Musella made the top 10 twice in his sole USF Juniors outing of 2024, with his main focus being the Ligier JS F4 Series. He romped to the title with five wins.
Australian outfit Synergy Motorsport will join the grid with a car for reigning Australian and New South Wales Formula Ford champion Eddie Beswick. The 19-year-old already has USF2000 experience, as he contested the Toronto round last season.
Synergy has been active in FFord for a long time, running future Supercars star Chaz Mostert to the Australian FFord title in 2010 before doing the same with Bewswick 14 years later. Team founder Justin Cotter raced in the category too before switching roles.
“I’ve always been a fan of the US racing scene and have kept a close eye on [Australian talents] Will Power, Ryan Briscoe and Scott Andrews, amongst others,” said Cotter. “The open-wheel racing scene is well-structured, with a scholarship system that provides financial support for drivers to progress through the [feeder] categories before ultimately making it to IndyCar.”
During the 2025 USF2000 season, Cotter would like Synergy to expand to being a two-car operation and in future years would like to take his team into other series on IndyCar’s support bill as well as remaining active in Australian FFord.