WINDERMERE, Fla. – Turn 3 Motorsports and HMD Motorsports Development Driver Leonardo Escorpioni continued to demonstrate his rapidly growing USF Pro 2000 credentials at the iconic Road America circuit this weekend, qualifying fifth and delivering two hard-fought fifth-place finishes across the doubleheader weekend. Racing in conjunction with the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and INDY NXT by Firestone program, the Brazilian teenager left Wisconsin with his championship position and momentum very much intact heading toward the mid-season stretch.
Escorpioni wasted no time getting up to speed on the demanding 4.014-mile, 14-turn natural terrain circuit, posting a qualifying effort that placed him fifth on the grid for both races. His lap time placed him firmly among the front-running group and demonstrated the kind of pace that has made him one of the most closely watched rookies in the series this season.
Starting fifth, Escorpioni ran competitively throughout Race 1 as a lead group of front-runners began to pull clear. He held his position deep into the race, only to be edged out of fourth on the final lap by a fellow competitor in a late charge that left no room for a response. The result – a fifth-place finish – reflected a consistent points-paying drive.
Escorpioni returned to the grid for Race 2 from his same fifth-place starting position and was immediately embroiled in the scrappy, intense battle that has characterized his season. The Turn 3 Motorsport driver remained engaged and in the fight throughout the 15-lap all-green contest. He ultimately crossed the line in fifth once again – a result that, while not the podium, represented another solid accumulation of championship points in what is proving to be an exceptionally tight title battle.
With seven of 18 rounds now complete, Escorpioni sits third in the USF Pro 2000 Presented by Continental Tire championship standings. The Turn 3 Motorsport entry has been one of the series’ most consistent performers since the season-opening round at Arlington – where Escorpioni announced himself in emphatic fashion with a Race 1 victory – and the Road America results maintain his standing as one of the genuine contenders in the scholarship chase.
“Two fives isn’t the weekend we were dreaming about, but Road America is a circuit that punishes any small mistake and the competition at the front of this field is fierce,” said Escorpioni. “We showed the pace to run with the leaders all weekend, and leaving here third in the championship keeps us very much in this fight. We’re focused on Mid-Ohio and turning those fifth-place results into podiums.”
The championship next heads to the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, over the Fourth of July weekend, once again in support of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. Crucially for Escorpioni and his championship rivals, the Mid-Ohio round is a triple-header – three races on one weekend – making it arguably the single most important points-scoring opportunity of the season so far. With multiple championship points potentially on the table in one weekend, the order at the top of the standings could shift dramatically at the technical 2.258-mile Ohio road course.