Kiwi driver Jacob Douglas has scored his first podium for the 2023 USF2000 Presented by Cooper Tires season after coming home second in the opening race at the Road America Circuit on Saturday.
“It was a great race,” commented Douglas. “I managed to avoid all the chaos after starting P6. A big thanks to Pabst Racing for accommodating me this weekend. It’s been a great first weekend with them. The car has been on rails all weekend. A massive congrats to Simon (Sikes) as well. I am looking forward to the rest of the season with them.”
An incident at Turn One on the second lap ensured a full-course caution with Sikes at the head of the field, where he was to remain for the remainder of the 12-lap race. Sikes had to withstand challenges at no fewer than three restarts following a series of minor incidents before racing clear to score his third win of the season and briefly retake the championship points lead.
The drama allowed Douglas, who celebrated his 18th birthday earlier in the week, to emerge in a clear second place in his first outing for the locally based Pabst Racing team.
Sikes’ title rivals Lochie Hughes (Jay Howard Driver Development), from Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, shared the victory spoils winning the second race of the Discount Tire Grand Prix of Road America. Douglas finished in sixth bagging key points and now sits ninth equal on the overall points table.
Next on the agenda for the USF2000 competitors is a triple-header event, once again held in conjunction with the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, in two weeks’ time on June 30/July 1.
Provisional championship points after 10 of 18 races:
1/ Lochie Hughes, 249
2/ Simon Sikes, 246
3/ Nikita Johnson, 209
4/ Mac Clark, 172
5/ Evagoras Papasavvas, 159
6/ Chase Gardner, 136
7/ Jorge Garciarce, 133
8/ Danny Dyszelski, 113
9= Sam Corry, 111
9= Jacob Douglas, 111
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