LEXINGTON, Ohio – Max Garcia was in a class of his own during this weekend’s PFC Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio. The 16-year-old from Coconut Grove, Fla., dominated both 30-lap USF Pro 2000 Presented by Continental Tire races for Pabst Racing in blisteringly hot conditions at the challenging Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, scooping a maximum 66 points and extending his already commanding championship lead.
TJ Speed Motorsports’ Ariel Elkin, from Haifa, Israel, and Garcia’s teammate Jacob Douglas, from Christchurch, New Zealand, shared the second-place finishes, well in arrears of Garcia, as Max Taylor (VRD Racing), from Hoboken, N.J., and Mac Clark (Exclusive Autosport), from Milton, Ont., Canada, completed the podium placings.
For the second race weekend in a row, Garcia displayed prodigious pace in qualifying. The lone session on Friday saw Garcia outpace everyone by almost a full half-second to ensure another Continental Tire Pole Award, with Elkin lining up alongside for the first of today’s two 30-lap races.
The story of this morning’s race was almost identical. Following a brief full-course caution after five laps when George Garciarce, from Guadalajara, Mexico, spun into the gravel at Turn Two due to contact with Logan Adams (Comet/NCMP Racing), from Greenfield, Ind., Garcia simply accelerated away from the field and was never remotely under challenge. His eventual winning margin was a comfortable 7.3545 seconds. Job done.
Elkin was similarly untroubled in second, while an early back-and-forth tussle for third between Alessandro de Tullio, from Miami, Fla., who qualified third for Turn 3 Motorsport, and VRD Racing’s Max Taylor, who started seventh, was settled well before the finish in Taylor’s favor.
De Tullio cemented his claim to fourth place after edging clear of Douglas in the closing stages.
Another New Zealander, Sebastian Manson, collected the Tilton Hard Charger Award for TJ Speed Motorsports having risen from 16th on the grid to ninth at the checkered flag.
Garcia completed his weekend sweep of Continental Tire Pole Awards, once again ensuring himself of the inside of the front row of the grid for Race Two. Although this time it wasn’t quite as clear cut. Garcia’s second-fastest lap during qualifying on Friday had been significantly faster than anyone else, but against the odds – and despite the high heat and humidity during Race One – the majority of the field turned laps faster than in qualifying. Garcia was again top of the pile, but by only 0.0335 of a second over teammate Douglas.
VRD Racing’s Frankie Mossman, from Newport Beach, Calif., lined up third having taken the opportunity during this morning’s race to make a pit stop for a fresh set of Continental tires.
Garcia once again took off into the lead this evening, extending his advantage to over three seconds before being pegged back after 10 laps when Canadian debutant Nick Gilkes’ Jay Howard Driver Development car ground to a halt on the race track with a mechanical problem.
Once that had been cleared, Garcia continued his master class by extending his lead with every lap. He even posted new fastest race laps on each of the final four laps of the 30-lap race before taking the checkered flag 9.6659 seconds clear of Douglas.
A fine start saw Clark vault from sixth on the grid to third, where he remained for the duration.
Mossman enjoyed by far his best race of the season by finishing close behind in fourth, with Elkin a disappointed fifth.
Taylor finished sixth on the road, but was later penalized for failing to give racing room to de Tullio earlier in the race. Taylor consequently fell to eighth in the final results behind Pabst Racing’s Michael Costello, from Naples, Fla., who picked up the Tilton Hard Charger Award after lining up 11th on the grid, and de Tullio..
Pabst Racing’s Augie Pabst pocketed another pair of PFC Awards as the winning car owner.
Can anyone stop Garcia’s charge toward a second successive USF Pro Championships crown? Only four races remain, starting with another doubleheader event in two weeks’ time, July 18-20, on the Streets of Toronto, Ont., Canada, where last year’s USF2000 champion will have an opportunity to clinch another title – and a scholarship valued at $594,500 – to facilitate his progression to the next step of the ladder, INDY NXT, in 2026.
Provisional championship points after 14 of 18 rounds:
1. Max Garcia, 384
2. Ariel Elkin, 287
3. Mac Clark, 279
4. Alessandro de Tullio, 267
5. Jacob Douglas, 243
6. Max Taylor, 237
7. Michael Costello, 169
8. Nicholas Monteiro, 162
9. Cooper Becklin, 156
10. Joey Brienza, 141.
Race 1:
Max Garcia (#18 Advance Auto Parts/USF Pro Championships/Bell/OMP-Pabst Racing Tatuus IP-22): “It was an awesome race. I was able to break away and then was just managing for most of it. The last 10 laps I was pushing to get fastest lap. I think we maxed the points again, which is awesome. I can't wait to get out there and do another 30 laps later on today.”
Ariel Elkin (#27 Zero Network/Swift Garage-TJ Speed Motorsports Tatuus IP-22): “An amazing race here in Mid-Ohio for Race One. We managed to do everything possible in qualifying, and we put the car on the front row. I was happy to maintain P2. I was trying to do the best, but pretty happy with the result.”
Max Taylor (#88 PINK/Susan G Komen Foundation/Unicorn-VRD Racing Tatuus IP-22): “I think it was a really strong race all things considered. I made up four spots on the opening lap, taking advantage of the chaos ahead and picking them off one by one. I went for a move on Elkin but just couldn't get it done. It's definitely hard to pass around here. I just managed it from there and then pushed the last 10 laps. The VRD guys gave me a great car. I was able to execute a good race. So overall, I'm pretty happy.”
Race 2:
Max Garcia (#18 Advance Auto Parts/USF Pro Championships/Bell/OMP-Pabst Racing Tatuus IP-22): “Great race. I was able to get out to a big lead and control it, and was managing the whole race. It was a really fun weekend for sure, and I can't wait to get back going in Toronto.”
Jacob Douglas (#19 DouglasFay Group/Fleet Cost & Care-Pabst Racing Tatuus IP-22): “We managed to improve our grid position in Race One today, which was great. So, I started P2 and just stayed in P2 the whole time. I had some pressure from Mac but managed to pull away at the end. It’s great to get on the podium here at Mid-Ohio after a tricky qualifying yesterday, and get some good points for the championship.”
Mac Clark (#90 Corpay Cross-Border Solutions/Clubine Motorsports-Exclusive Autosport Tatuus IP-22): “It was a tough race . Thirty laps is a long time in the Pro car. It is always a pleasure to drive here at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and a great way to end our weekend. We had a little bit of a rough qualifying and then not a great result in Race One after contact on the first lap. So, happy to be back on the box. We have some good momentum heading into our home race in Toronto. I'm really looking forward to that next week.”