Nico Christodoulou claims his second USF2000 win

Photo: Gavin Baker Photography

Velocity Racing Development’s Nico Christodoulou ended USF2000’s weekend at NOLA Motorsports Park with his second series win.

Christodoulou started second alongside Max Garcia, and passed the poleman around the outside of turn one on the opening lap.

He quickly put a second between himself and the chasing pack, and was 2.96s clear by lap four. The race was neutralised a lap later as Lucas Fecury lost his front-right wheel and his car careered through the grassy run-off.

On the lap eight restart Christodoulou lost the lead to Max Taylor, who had got past Garcia on lap two. Before he had the opportunity to gap himself, the pace car bunched up the field again on lap 10 due to a car stopping on track. Once marshals were in a position where they had to clear two cars, race control took the position to red flag the race on lap 12.

It was only a brief stoppage, and the race restarted behind the pace car on lap 13 before the field was freed for two laps of racing.

Christodoulou and Evagoras Papasavvas harassed Taylor on the restart and then both got past him, with Christodoulou quickly pulling away to win.

Points leader Garcia finished fourth, with Joey Brienza in fifth and Hudson Schwartz in sixth. Sam Corry had an up-and-down race but managed to get himself into seventh for the finish.

Elliot Cox started eighth, took two laps to get up to fifth, made it up to third on the lap eight restart, got overtaken by Papasavvas on lap nine and then in the final two laps fell down to seventh and then to 16th.

Race result (15 laps)