Photo: Gavin Baker Photography
Simon Sikes led a Pabst Racing one-two in the final USF2000 race of 2023 at Portland.
The recently crowned champion passed his team-mate and poleman Jacob Douglas on lap one, then kept him at bay for the rest of the 25-lap race. The biggest his lead got was 1.5 seconds on lap 15, and he finished 0.6653s ahead.
Max Garcia completed a Pabst lockout of the top three places on the grid, and held his position until a slide on lap three enabled Velocity Racing Development’s Sam Corry to get past.
Exclusive Autosport’s Thomas Schrage demoted Garcia to fifth by passing at turn one on lap four, with Jay Howard Driver Development’s Evagoras Papasavvas just behind them.
Corry had the trio on his tail for the rest of the race, with Garcia trying to get back past Schrage at turn one on lap 17 but making contact.
Schrage attacked Corry late in lap 23, then went side-by-side with him several times on the penultimate lap. Corry had the traction to stay ahead, as Garcia and Papasavvas also tried to find space to make a double or triple pass.
It looked like Schrage had finally made a pass stick exiting turn two for the final time, but it was not to be and he finished just behind Corry. The pair were 15s behind Sikes.
Papasavvas got on the inside of Garcia at turn six on the final lap and went side-by-side with him through several more corners, but then had to tuck back in behind before the final two and it meant he finished sixth.
VRD’s Nikita Johnson dropped from sixth to outside the top 10 on lap one, and his recovery did not really begin until lap 10 when he got into 10th. He passed Mac Clark for ninth on lap 14, and eventually made it to seventh past Max Taylor.
Clark finished ninth, and Lochie Hughes was a dissapointed 10th. He had qualified 11th, and did not make it into the top until lap 21 when he passed Ethan Ho at turn one. But with Johnson ahead of him, it meant he lost out on second in the championship standings to his rival.
Race result (25 laps)
| Pos | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Simon Sikes | Pabst Racing | 30m28.1436s |
| 2 | Jacob Douglas | Pabst Racing | +0.6653s |
| 3 | Sam Corry | Velocity Racing Development | +15.2627s |
| 4 | Thomas Schrage | Exclusive Autosport | +15.7686s |
| 5 | Max Garcia | Pabst Racing | +17.3330s |
| 6 | Evagoras Papasavvas | JHDD | +17.4808s |
| 7 | Nikita Johnson | Velocity Racing Development | +19.4715s |
| 8 | Max Taylor | Velocity Racing Development | +23.9625s |
| 9 | Mac Clark | DEForce Racing | +24.1060s |
| 10 | Lochie Hughes | JHDD | +24.3274s |
| 11 | Ethan Ho | DC Autosport | +24.7375s |
| 12 | Elliot Cox | SFHR | +25.2167s |
| 13 | Al Morey | JHDD | +29.8594s |
| 14 | Jorge Garciarce | DEForce Racing | +31.2339s |
| 15 | Gordon Scully | Velocity Racing Development | +39.9197s |
| 16 | Carson Etter | DC Autosport | +40.8224s |
| 17 | Lucas Fecury | DEForce Racing | +43.0949s |
| 18 | Maxwell Jamieson | DEForce Racing | +47.2801s |
| 19 | Ava Dobson | JHDD | +1m10.9131s |
| Pole: Douglas, 1m12.384s Fastest lap: Douglas, 1m12.5710s
Championship standings |
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