Escorpioni takes charge in Mid-Ohio USF Pro 2000 opener

Florida-based Brazilian Leonardo Escorpioni overcame a heavy sickness and intense heat and humidity today at the challenging Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course to score an emphatic USF Pro 2000 Presented by Continental Tire victory for Turn 3 Motorsport. Escorpioni has lost 10 pounds in body weight during the week – and almost failed the minimum weight check after qualifying – but put that behind him in style as he led from flag to flag in the first of three races that will comprise this weekend’s USF Pro Patriot Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio.

Jack Jeffers, from San Antonio, maintained his championship lead with a strong second-place finish for Exclusive Autosport, having started sixth, as Frankie Mossman, from Newport Beach, Calif., completed the podium for VRD Racing.

Escorpioni, last year’s USF Juniors champion, laid down a marker when he posted the fastest time in practice on Friday morning, and continued that form into qualifying by securing his second Continental Tire Pole Award of the season.

Peruvian Andres Cardenas was less than a tenth of a second slower in qualifying for JHDD powered by ECR, but wasn’t able to keep pace with the race leader following an early full-course caution when one of Escorpioni’s teammates, Tyke Durst, from Charlotte, N.C., performed a quick spin at the exit of Turn Four.

A series of fastest laps saw Escorpioni extend his advantage to over 4.5 seconds before the caution flags waved again after 16 laps.

G3 Argyros, from Newport Beach, Calif., had been applying intense pressure to Cardenas until making a mistake on the entry to Turn Nine on successive laps. The second error caused him to run wide on the exit and make contact with the barriers.

Cardenas knew his best shot at snatching the victory would come at the restart. His effort to take the high line at Turn Two was firmly rebuffed but, undaunted, Cardenas tried again at the end of the long back straightaway. Unfortunately, he ran wide onto the grass at the exit and lost a bunch of positions before he was able to resume.

Behind, Michael Costello (Turn 3 Motorsport), from Naples, Fla., ran wide at Turn Two while challenging Thomas Schrage (TJ Speed Motorsports), from Bethel, Ohio, for fourth, with similar results, which allowed Mossman to make a big run on Schrage as they headed down the straight.

Mossman’s bold maneuver moved him from sixth to third, whereupon he chased hard after Jeffers for the remainder of the 30-lap race, with Schrage also tucked in behind.

But there was no stopping Escorpioni, who led by as much as 2.8 seconds before easing his pace over the final two laps and cruising toward his second – and most emphatic – win of the season.

Teddy Musella, from Orlando, Fla., finished several seconds in arrears for VRD Racing after a lengthy tussle with Christian Cameron (TJ Speed Motorsports), from Sonoma, Calif., and the recovering – and frustrated – Cardenas.

Logan Adams, from Greenfield. Ind., marked a welcome return to the series with a fun run from 14th on the grid to ninth which earned his small family run team a well-deserved Tilton Hard Charger Award.

The second race of the three-race weekend was due to be held this evening, but has been postponed due to inclement weather. Instead, Race Two will now see a green flag at 8:00 a.m. EDT tomorrow, as originally scheduled, with the third and final race now postponed until after the NTT INDYCAR SERIES headline event on Sunday afternoon.

RESULTS