Garzon extends USF2000 points lead with Markham victory

Sebastian Garzon extended his USF2000 Presented by Continental Tire points lead with victory for DEForce Racing in the opening leg of the Continental Tire Grand Prix of Markham.

Australia’s Brad Majman finished second for Pabst Racing as Exclusive Autosport’s Evan Cooley, from Mokena, Ill., completed the podium for Exclusive Autosport.

The knock-on effect of the cancellation of all activities on Friday due to the track-build not being completed on schedule ensured there was enough time only for one 20-minute practice session prior to today’s opening race. Accordingly, the grid was determined by championship points with Garzon lining up on pole position.

Perfect weather conditions – warm and sunny, but not too hot – greeted the 23-strong field for the first of two races on the brand-new and challenging 2.1-mile street circuit. The initial start, on the long back straightaway, was clean, with Garzon maintaining his advantage ahead of Pabst Racing’s pair of Australians, Majman and Eddie Beswick.

Beswick, who had been fastest in the earlier practice session, slipped past Majman under braking for Turn Seven and felt confident of being able to put some recent disappointments behind him as he placed the race leader under pressure. However, even before the end of the first racing lap, Brazilian Joao Vergara (VRD Racing), who had been running fourth, misjudged his braking at Turn 10, narrowly avoiding Majman and instead running directly into the path of an unsuspecting Beswick. He was fortunate to be able to rejoin at the back of the field following a quick visit to the pit lane.

Moments earlier, Exclusive Autosport’s Ayrton Cahan, from Santa Fe, N.M., slid sideways and into the wall at Turn Nine. Cahan, like Vergara, was out of the race.

The race was restarted with four laps in the books, whereupon Garzon continued to lead from Majman, Cooley, up from fifth on the grid, VRD Racing’s Oliver Wheldon, from St. Petersburg, Fla., and local favorite Anthony Martella (Exclusive Autosport), from nearby Woodbridge, Ont.

Another incident shortly after the restart brought out the caution flags one more time, after which the race finally began to settle down. It didn’t take long for the first two, Garzon and Majman, to edge clear of Cooley, who in turn was being challenged by both Wheldon and Martella.

After Wheldon’s attempt to pass Cooley in Turn 12 on lap 11 failed to pay off, Wheldon instead fell victim to Martella, who swept past on the back straightaway shortly before the caution flags waved for a third and final time after Californian Callahan Peter slid off the road in his JHDD powered by ECR entry.

The race duly finished behind the Honda Civic Type-R Safety Car with Garzon able to hold on for his third win of the season – and first since the Indianapolis Grand Prix road course in May.

Majman kept his title challenge on track by finishing second ahead of the Exclusive Autosport pair of Cooley and Martella. Wheldon rounded out the top five.

Wesley Gundler, from Holly Springs, N.C., finished sixth for ENVE Motorsports and was followed across the line by a recovering Beswick, who showed what could have been by rising from 21st at the end of the opening lap, and Pabst Racing rookie teammate Lucas Nanji, from Montreal, Que.

Naim Saleh, from Sao Paulo, Brazil, recorded his first top-10 finish just ahead of JHDD powered by ECR teammate Max Cuthbert, from Southend, England, who picked up the Tilton Hard Charger Award after having lined up 21st on the starting grid to 11th.

The PFC Award went to cousins and DEForce Racing co-principals David and Ernesto Martinez as the winning car owners.

The second race of the weekend will start tomorrow at 9:25 a.m. EDT.

Provisional championship points after 14 of 18 races:

1. Sebastian Garzon, 330

2. Brad Majman, 294

3. Eddie Beswick, 244

4. Evan Cooley, 225

5. Oliver Wheldon, 214

6. Joao Vergara, 208

7. Anthony Martella, 202

8. Ryan Giannetta, 175

9. Gabriel Cahan, 159

10. Wesley Gundler, 158