Escorpioni began the weekend by sweeping qualifying to earn his fourth and fifth pole positions of the season, but his opening race quickly became an exercise in recovery. After contact with the #18 car on the opening lap dropped the #4 machine down the order, Escorpioni continued to show strong pace as he worked to regain lost ground throughout the 30-lap race.

 

Multiple caution periods created opportunities during the second half of the event, and Escorpioni climbed back inside the top five as the race entered its closing stages. Further contact during the final restart resulted in a post-race penalty, ultimately placing Escorpioni eighth in the final classification.

 

While Escorpioni endured an eventful opening race, Durst capitalized on the opportunities around him to deliver the strongest result of his USF Pro 2000 career. After starting further down the order, the #3 driver steadily advanced through a race filled with incidents and cautions, eventually climbing to fourth by the checkered flag. The result marked Durst’s first career top-five finish and earned him the Tilton Hard Charger Award.

 

Durst’s fourth-place result also marked a significant milestone for Turn 3 Motorsport’s 2026 campaign, with every driver to compete for the team this season having now recorded at least one top-five finish.

 

Brady Golan also produced a strong Race 1 performance, navigating the incidents around him to finish fifth and match his career-best result previously earned at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park earlier this season. Sebastian Manson’s race began with an opening-lap incident that required a trip to pit lane for a replacement front wing, but the #22 driver continued to fight despite falling a lap down and recovered to finish ninth.

Sunday’s second race presented Escorpioni with a much different challenge. A three-position grid penalty carried over from Race 1 moved the championship leader back from his second pole position of the weekend, forcing him to work his way toward the front rather than control the race from the outset.

 

Escorpioni immediately began capitalizing on opportunities around him before methodically picking off positions with a series of aggressive but calculated passes. By Lap 8, he had climbed to third, and three laps later, he moved into second and began closing on the #6 car of Andres Cardenas.

 

Escorpioni ultimately took control of the race when Cardenas slowed with an issue, moving the #4 machine into the lead. A full-course caution on Lap 17 erased his advantage, but Escorpioni executed another strong restart on Lap 21 and quickly rebuilt a gap at the front of the field. He remained in control through the checkered flag to secure his fifth victory of the season.

 

The win completed another milestone weekend for Escorpioni, who leaves Portland with five victories and five pole positions through the opening 12 rounds of the season. He also earned the GhostLap Fastest Race of the Weekend Award and extended his advantage over Jack Jeffers to 25 points in the Drivers Championship.

 

Behind Escorpioni, Golan once again worked his way forward during Race 2, overcoming an early off-course excursion after contact to finish seventh. Durst recovered from an opening-lap setback to finish 11th, while Manson’s race was compromised by an issue that required an extended visit to pit lane before he ultimately returned to the track and was classified 12th.

 

With two more pole positions, another victory, a career-best result for Durst, and consistent performances throughout the four-car program, Turn 3 Motorsport leaves Portland having further strengthened its position atop the Team Championship standings as the 2026 season approaches its final events.

“Portland was definitely a weekend of highs and lows. We had great pace all weekend and earned pole for both races, but Race 1 didn’t go our way and it was frustrating to end up eighth. In Race 2, the start didn’t go as planned and I fell back to around seventh, but I knew we had the pace to fight our way back. From there, it was about staying clean, making smart overtakes, and working our way through the field. To come back and win after everything that happened this weekend feels amazing, and it was exactly what we needed for the championship. I’m really happy to leave Portland with another win, two more poles, and the points lead. A huge thank you to everyone at Turn 3 Motorsport for giving me such a fast car all weekend. Now we’ll keep working and look forward to the next time we’re back in the car.”

“There is no roller coaster ride that compares to the up-and-down weekend we had with the #3 car. With our best result of the year, we made a little bit of progress in this sprint to end the season. However, I need to do some more digging to make the results more consistent and keep the #3 car rolling forward. We know we’ve got the pace, and I can’t wait to get back on track. I want to thank Carter Kundinger, Felix Lengjak, and everyone on the team for all of their hard work this weekend and the good times we had on Friday.”

“Portland was a decent weekend overall. P5 and P7 aren’t quite the results we were hoping for, but there were still some positives to take away. We’ll keep working and pushing to finish the season strong. A big thank you to everyone at Turn 3 Motorsport for all of their hard work throughout the weekend.”

“It was a tough weekend in Portland. We had the pace to put together some good results, but unfortunately the luck wasn’t quite on our side. Race 1 was compromised early after we had to come into the pits for a new front wing, and we had another issue in Race 2 that put us several laps down. It was disappointing because I think we had more potential than the results showed, but we’ll put this one behind us and focus on Markham. I’m looking forward to getting back in the car and hopefully having a stronger weekend there.”

“Overall, it was a good weekend. We rolled off the truck in a good place with the setup and just had to fine-tune throughout the weekend. Leo (Escorpioni) once again did an exceptional job, earning two poles, two fastest laps, and a win. Race 1 was tough, as it often is at Portland. Turn 1 can be a bit of a lottery, and unfortunately the luck wasn’t on our side with Leo.

 

“Tyke (Durst) and Brady (Golan) both did a great job maximizing their races and coming away with some of their best finishes of the season. Seb (Manson) showed great speed throughout the weekend, but again, the luck wasn’t on his side to really show his true potential. We’ve been getting stronger as a team every weekend, and we’ll continue pushing as hard as we can to improve. Our focus now shifts fully to Markham, and hopefully we can come away with some strong results.”

The USF Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Continental Tire will next travel north of the border for the upcoming rounds in Markham, Ontario from August 14-16. Turn 3 Motorsport will field a reduced lineup for the Canadian event with Michael Costello remaining sidelined as he continues working to secure the funding necessary to return to competition. Escorpioni will also be unable to compete in Markham, as a pending immigration matter currently prevents him from traveling to Canada in time for the event.

 

Despite missing Markham, Escorpioni leaves Portland with a 25-point advantage in the Drivers Championship following five victories and five pole positions through the opening 12 rounds, while Turn 3 Motorsport continues to lead the Team Championship standings.