Vergara leads USF Juniors test day one as more drivers join packed field

Photo: YACademy Winter Series

Joao Vergara was fastest on the opening day of USF Juniors pre-season testing at NOLA Motorsports Park, as more drivers joined a packed field.

There were 24 drivers on track at NOLA, including three recently announced additions to the 2025 season’s entry list.

International Motorsport has signed Hudson Potter, who moves across from Jay Howard Driver Development. He did two USF Juniors rounds in 2023, came 22nd last season with a best finish of 10th and was 16th in the recent YACademy Winter Series.

Joining debuting team Pole Position Motorsport is Connor Aspley, who also got car experience via YACademy action this month and was ninth in last year’s Lucas Oil Formula Car Race Series.

Arriving in USF Juniors from sportscar racing in Britain is Harry Moss, who came 17th in Ginetta Junior two years ago and rose one spot in 2024.

Saturday’s track action at NOLA consisted of two 45-minute sessions, and reigning YACademy champion Leonardo Escorpioni topped the first.

A 1m38.5272s on his penultimate lap put him 0.3602 seconds up on Zanella Racing team-mate Ty Fisher, with DEForce Racing’s Rodrigo Gonzalez 0.4547s behind in third.

Four other drivers were within a second of Escorpioni’s pace, and slowest of all was Zanella’s Maddie Colleran. She was another driver recently announced as racing in USF Juniors this year, and only started karting in 2023.

Velocity Racing Development’s Vergara lowered the pace to 1m38.3924s in session two, pipping Fisher by 0.03s. Escorpioni improved in third, and was only 0.1019s off top spot, and Gonzalez was shuffled down to fourth. The top seven lapped in the 1m38s, compared to three in session one, and 0.869s covered the top 11.

The only drivers who failed to improve on their earlier pace were Potter and International Motorsport’s Emma Scarborough.

Day one results