Photo: Gavin Baker Photography
Max Garcia and Max Taylor won USF Pro 2000’s second and third races at Road America.
Pabst Racing’s Garcia was in the lead for all but a few seconds in race two. He led from pole into the opening corner, as drivers went three-wide behind him. Exclusive Autosport’s Mac Clark started second, but dropped to fourth mid-lap behind Velocity Racing Development’s Taylor and Pabst’s Jacob Douglas.
Turn 3 Motorsport’s Joseph Loake attempted an ambitious move that dropped him from fifth to 15th, while TJ Speed’s Ariel Elkin rose from 16th to 13th after electrical issues prevented him from setting a flying lap in qualifying.
Garcia was 2.6 seconds up the road when a caution period was called on lap four due to Pabst’s Michael Costello stopping next to turn five. Clark had gone down the inside of Douglas at turn one on lap three, and Elkin picked up four more spots before racing was neutralised.
The lap six restart was similar to the start with a three-wide battle into turn one for second. Douglas went to the outside and managed to make into the lead, but Garcia’s better exit meant he was back alongside down the next straight and led again by turn three.
Douglas used the slipstream to try passing again around the outside at turn five but there was no room, as Elkin leapt up to fifth.
Taylor had overtaken Clark, but he got back into third down the inside of turn one on lap seven. Elkin cleared him later in the lap, and the top four positions were set.
Loake had recovered to eighth, behind Taylor and VRD’s Frankie Mossman who traded fifth until lap 12 when Turn 3’s charging Alessandro de Tullio – who started last – overtook Mossman at turn five for sixth.
Garcia had pole for race three on Sunday, but a maiden victory went to Taylor. Several drivers were left behind on the rolling start, and Taylor overtook Clark for second. Loake stopped trackside, instigating a caution period.
On the lap four restart, Garcia went to the inside with Clark on his gearbox and Taylor picked the outside with Turn 3 Motorsport driver Nicholas Monteiro stuck to the rear of his car. The quartet began the lap split by 0.0989s, and the inside line helped Clark reclaim second at turn one.
Mossman was sixth, but stopped on track and instigated another caution period. When racing paused again, de Tullio had made his way from 16th on the grid to fifth and Elkins had gained two spots to eighth.
Racing resumed on lap seven and Clark was alongside Garcia immediately. But Clark got boxed in when Taylor went to the outside to sweep from third to first. Monteiro and de Tullio fought at turn five, where Logan Adams went off.
Clark went around the outside of Garcia at turn one on lap nine to reclaim second, but had to give the place back. Garcia then did the same move on Taylor on lap 13, but he responded by squeezing down his inside at turn six. Garcia went off and rejoined in fourth, just ahead of de Tullio.
Elkins, who had overtaken de Tullio for fifth at turn five on lap nine, was now on the podium but could not challenge the top two as Garcia filled his mirrors in the remaining laps.
Results round-up
Race 2 (15 laps)
1 Max Garcia Pabst Racing 34m01.1221s
2 Jacob Douglas Pabst Racing +2.4382s
3 Mac Clark Exclusive Autosport +3.4524s
4 Ariel Elkin TJ Speed +5.7241s
5 Max Taylor Velocity Racing Development +8.2557s
6 Alessandro de Tullio Turn 3 Motorsport +11.6203s
7 Frankie Mossman Velocity Racing Development +11.9452s
8 Joseph Loake Turn 3 Motorsport +14.7614s
9 Logan Adams Comet/NCMP Racing +15.4381s
10 Joey Brienza Exclusive Autosport +15.8220s
Fastest lap: Garcia, 2m03.2025s
Race 3 (15 laps)
1 Taylor 35m47.6802s
2 Clark +0.6980s
3 Elkin +1.4213s
4 Garcia +1.8483s
5 de Tullio +4.5446s
6 Nicholas Monteiro Turn 3 Motorsport +5.5335s
7 Jorge Garciarce DEForce Racing +6.2548s
8 Douglas +6.5539s
9 Michael Costello Pabst Racing +9.7713s
10 Cooper Becklin Turn 3 Motorsport +14.1396s
Pole: Garcia, 2m01.6816s
FL: Garcia, 2m01.8536s
Championship standings
1 Garcia 318 2 Clark 246 3 Elkin 245 4 de Tullio 234 5 Taylor 202 6 Douglas 201 7 Costello 147 8 Monteiro 141 9 Becklin 131 10 Brienza 120