Steady results show improvement in three races this weekend
PORTLAND, Ore. – In only his fourth Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship event and first trip to the famed Portland International Raceway (PIR), Jay Howard Driver Development driver Evagoras Papasavvas continued to gain experience in his open-wheel racing career. Having competed at facilities and events such as Road America, the Streets of Toronto and the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, it was Evagoras’s maiden voyage to the 12-turn Oregon facility.
“Portland was a different track than I have raced this year, but it was all about gaining experience as we work towards the 2023 season,” explained the driver of the #6 machine. “It was not an easy weekend but I am thankful for everyone who supported me and happy to get another race under my belt. Bring on 2023!”
A great drive during race one was ruined by an avoidable contact penalty after a pass resulted in Evagoras’s machine making minor contact with a competitor’s car. Driving a decent race and keeping pace with the top 10, Evagoras served his penalty and was unable to recover. Race two rolled off the grid on Friday afternoon and saw the youngster start on the inside of row eight but contact on the second lap saw him lose momentum and fall down the running order. Working hard to move his way back forward, the JHDD car salvaged a 14th-place result.
Returning to the track on Saturday morning for the third race of the weekend and the final USF2000 event of the season, Evagoras lined up 16th on the grid but quickly worked his way inside the top 10. Running ninth and pushing to move further up the order, Evagoras advanced two more positions to seventh before taking too much curb in Turn 11.
“Unfortunately, I spun the car and lost several spots in race three,” added Papasavvas. “It is a shame as I think we easily had a sixth-place car, and the 11th-place result is not something the team deserves for all of their hard work and support.”
With the 2022 season now complete, preparation and plans for the 2023 season are already underway and will be announced in the near future.