Hughes, Garcia and Taylor Claim Career Enhancement Scholarships
PORTLAND, Ore. – The highly acclaimed USF Pro Championships Presented by Continental Tire open-wheel driver development program wrapped up another successful season of competition yesterday evening at the traditional Championship Celebration.
For the first time, all three steps on the ladder – USF Pro 2000, USF2000 and USF Juniors – were showcased together at the season finale which took place this past weekend at Portland International Raceway in conjunction with the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. Furthermore, all three titles remained undecided until the final weekend.
When the dust had settled on the race track, Turn 3 Motorsport’s Lochie Hughes, from Gold Coast, Australia, had secured the USF Pro 2000 crown and a scholarship to advance to INDY NXT, the final stepping stone to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and the Indianapolis 500, in 2025; Max Garcia, from Coconut Grove, Fla., clinched a second successive USF2000 crown for Pabst Racing to ensure graduation to USF Pro 2000 next season; and VRD Racing’s Max Taylor, from Hoboken, N.J., took top honors in USF Juniors.
Over 170 guests, including teams, drivers, sponsors and officials attended the Championship Celebration banquet, which took place on a perfect summer’s evening on the banks of the Columbia River just a few miles from downtown Portland. And while the racing action has been concluded, the focus of attention already has switched toward preparations for the 2025 season with officially sanctioned tests scheduled for the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, on September 10/11, a trip just two days later to the Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park oval in Indiana and then the traditional Fall Combine Open Test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Grand Prix course on October 19/20.
USF Pro Championships Presented by Continental Tire Award Winners:
USF Pro 2000 Presented by Continental Tire
Champion (scholarship package valued at $681,500 to advance to INDY NXT in 2025) – Lochie Hughes, Turn 3 Motorsport
Second Place ($38,500) – Nikita Johnson, VRD Racing
Third Place ($21,000) – Jace Denmark, Pabst Racing
Team Champion ($10,000) – Pabst Racing
Rookie of the Year ($7,500) – Lochie Hughes, Turn 3 Motorsport
Pro Racing Group Spirit Award ($1,000) – Simon Sikes, Pabst Racing
Tilton Hard Charger Award ($1,000) – Jorge Garciarce, DEForce Racing
YACademy Move of the Year ($1,000) – Simon Sikes, Pabst Racing
Marelli Engineer of the Year ($2,300) – Peter Dempsey, Turn 3 Motorsport
Makita Tools Mechanic of the Year ($1,000) – Neil O’Donovan and Matt McComish, Turn 3 Motorsport
Carl Haas Golden Wishbone Award ($1,200 certificate) – Turn 3 Motorsport
USF2000 Presented by Continental Tire
Champion (scholarship package valued at $448,400 to advance to USF Pro 2000 in 2025) – Max Garcia, Pabst Racing
Second Place ($35,000) – Sam Corry, Pabst Racing
Third Place ($12,500) – Max Taylor, VRD Racing
Team Champion ($8,500) – Pabst Racing
Hyperco Rookie of the Year ($5,000) – Joey Brienza, Exclusive Autosport
Pro Racing Group Spirit Award ($1,000) – Ayrton Houk, DC Autosport
Tilton Hard Charger Award ($1,000) – Maxwell Jamieson, DEForce Racing
YACademy Move of the Year ($1,000) – Ayrton Houk, DC Autosport
Makita Tools Mechanic of the Year ($1,000) – Miles McDaniel, Pabst Racing
Carl Haas Golden Wishbone Award ($1,200) – Jay Howard Driver Development
USF Junior Presented by Continental Tire
Champion (scholarship package valued at $263,700 to advance to USF2000 in 2025) – Max Taylor, VRD Racing
Second Place ($25,000) – Liam McNeilly, Jay Howard Driver Development
Third Place ($12,500) – Sebastian Wheldon, VRD Racing
Team Champion ($7,500) – VRD Racing
Rookie of the Year ($2,500) – Liam McNeilly, Jay Howard Driver Development
Pro Racing Group Spirit Award ($1,000) – Jack Jeffers, Exclusive Autosport
Tilton Hard Charger Award ($1,000) – Michael Suco, VRD Racing
YACademy Move of the Year ($1,000) – Brady Golan, DEForce Racing
Makita Tools Mechanic of the Year ($1,000) – Kevin Blanco Sr., VRD Racing
Carl Haas Golden Wishbone Award ($1,200) – Jay Howard Driver Development
QUOTEBOARD:
Dan Andersen, Owner and CEO of Andersen Promotions: “It’s been another successful season of USF Pro Championships racing. There is some tremendous talent among these young drivers, and I'm looking forward to seeing many of them advance up the ladder and into NTT INDYCAR SERIES seats in the near future.”
Lochie Hughes, USF Pro 2000 Presented by Continental Tire Champion: “It's such a special evening here at the banquet after this incredible season. It's great to celebrate with the whole Turn 3 crew and my parents, who don't come over here very often. So, to win the championship, to come here and actually be able to celebrate it with everyone has been a dream night. I just can't thank everyone enough for the support during this season and I can't wait to be racing INDY NXT next year. It's crazy, to be honest, that this scholarship system is now in my hands and I'm going to be using it to go to the next level.”
Max Garcia, USF2000 Presented by Continental Tire Champion: “It’s great to be celebrating here with all my friends, family and team, and it means a lot to have the scholarship car for next year. I’m excited to get started.”
Max Taylor, USF Juniors Presented by Continental Tire Champion: “We have fully wrapped up a tremendous year with the VRD team. I'm over the moon with how it went and super happy to celebrate it with them tonight. I'm super excited for next year and to see what it is going to bring. I'm ready to tackle every challenge.”