Hughes grows USF Pro 2000 points lead with Toronto race two win

Photo: Gavin Baker Photography

Turn 3 Motorsport’s Lochie Hughes grew his USF Pro 2000 points lead with victory in race two on the streets of Toronto.

Hughes led lights-to-flag and had to handle several restarts in a crash-filled race.

The first moment of drama came at the exit of turn one on the opening lap as Alessandro de Tullio, Danny Dyszelski and Ricardo Escotto collided. De Tullio was on the inside and Escotto on the outside, so when contact was made he was sent into the wall, while Simon Sikes drove into the back of the incident and lost his front wing but was able to continue.

Glenn van Berlo then had a big lock-up approaching turn two but managed to avoid crashing, and soon a caution period was called.

Racing resumed on lap six, with Hughes leading Jace Denmark. title rival Nikita Johnson, Liam Sceats, Cooper Becklin and Mac Clark.

Becklin lost fifth to Clark on the restart lap, and Tyke Durst crashed on lap seven but was able to bring his car back to the pits.

Despite initially looking like he could not match the pace of the top two, Johnson ended up taking second place on lap eight and he sat in Hughes’ mirrors until lap 17 when he tried going for the lead but timed his attack badly since he encountered yellow flags.

Three laps later his victory hopes ended as he crashed out after spinning, and that led to another caution period that ran to the end of lap 22.

Hughes sprinted away on the restart as those behind squabbled, with Sceats emerging in second after Denmark ran deep late in the lap.

By the finish there was a big gap between the top two, with Denmark third and Clark a very distant fourth after he and Jorge Garciarce navigated a last lap turn one crash that eliminated Becklin, van Berlo and Logan Adams and promoted Sikes to eighth place.

Race results (25 laps)