Liam Loiacono navigates Mid-Ohio deluge for maiden USF Juniors win

Photo: Gavin Baker Photography

Jay Howard Driver Development’s Liam Loiacono won an extremely wet second USF Juniors race at Mid-Ohio.

Loiacono started second alongside Velocity Racing Development’s Joao Vergara, who claimed pole through his second-best lap in qualifying.

For most drivers their grid positions were set by their fastest laps from race one, since those were quicker than their qualifying times, and on row two was VRD’s Oliver Wheldon and Zanella Racing’s points leader Leonardo Escorpioni.

The field was given two sighting laps to get used to the sodden conditions, but cars were aquaplaining even when lapping at the pace car’s pace.

Zanella Racing’s Ty Fisher was caught out, and had to be towed out of the run-off to join the field from the back (and technically a lap down) having initially been set to start eighth.

The pace car also led the first two laps, and when the field was released Loiacono went around the outside of Vergara at turn one for the lead.

Loiacono’s team-mate Harley Keeble, in just his second single-seater race, went from seventh to fourth and then exiting the turn two hairpin passed Wheldon for second.

Vergara and Escorpioni held fourth and fifth, but each gained a place a lap later as Keeble went straight into the barriers at turn two and DEForce Racing’s Rodrigo Gonzalez crashed there too.

The three-second gap built by Loiaconi was eliminated by the pace car coming out, and Gonzalez’s car was returned to track a lap down.

The continuing rain meant a restart did not take place until lap 10, and at turn one DEForce’s Thomas Nordquist and International Motorsport’s Hudson Potter crashed out of seventh and eighth at turn one.

An immediate return of the pace car was required, and Nordquist was another lucky driver as once his car was retrieved from the gravel he was able to join a lap behind the pack.

Racing resumed on lap 13, and Escorpioni challenged Vergara into turns two and four. He brielfy got ahead at turn five, but Vergara went to the racing line to get back ahead at turn six. Vergara then went off at turn 11, dropping to seventh.

Loiacono built a 1.5s gap, with Wheldon a further three seconds clear of Escorpioni.

Vergara and JHDD’s JT Hoskins skated off at turn two on lap 14, losing further ground, and Wheldon went off at The Carousel so then had Escorpioni on his tail.

Loiacono was gifted a four-second lead, only for the track to go under full course yellow moments later due to Exclusive Autosport’s Brenden Cooley crashing at turn six. Vergara pitted due to rear damage, and Cooley was pulled onto track after a lap had passed.

One lap remained when racing resumed, and several wide moments meant Loiacono came under pressure but he held on for his first win and become the fifth contender in the title fight.

Race results (17 laps)