ELKHART LAKE, Wis. – Ariel Elkin and Sebastian Wheldon each earned a hard-fought victory today in the PFC Grand Prix of Road America to ensure the battle for this year’s USF Juniors Presented by Continental Tire championship crown will not be settled until the final weekend of the season. Elkin, from Haifa, Israel, claimed the honor this morning for InterMS and looked likely to sweep the day until VRD Racing’s Wheldon, from Coral Gables, Fla., drafted past just yards before the finish line to take the victory by 0.0450 of a second.
Elkin had to settle for second place in the third and final race of the weekend, narrowly ahead of points leader Max Taylor (VRD Racing), from Hoboken, N.J.
This morning’s race began with Wheldon leading the field toward the green flag after snagging his second Continental Tire Pole Award of the season by virtue of having posted the best of each driver’s second-fastest laps during the lone qualifying session on Saturday. Fellow title contenders Liam McNeilly (Jay Howard Driver Development), from Brentwood, England, Taylor and Elkin lined up directly behind him on the starting grid.
The action was intense from the get-go, especially with the notoriously strong draft that develops on the super-fast 4.014-mile Road America layout providing myriad opportunities for overtaking.
Unfortunately, incidental contact on lap three between Taylor and Wheldon in Turn Three while they were disputing the lead resulted in Taylor spinning to the back of the field. Still, a train of nine cars continued to battle for the top spot until the yellow flags waved after InterMS’ Hudson Potter, from Lexington, Ky., spun off at Turn 14.
The restart with two laps remaining was just as frantic, with surviving InterMS teammates Augusto Soto-Schirripa, from Miami, Fla., and Elkin using the massive slipstream to excellent effect as they demoted Wheldon from first to third in Turn One. Almost immediately afterward, at Turn Three, Wheldon was involved in another incident, this time with McNeilly, who spun off the track and ultimately finished a disgruntled 17th.
Soto-Schirripa held the point entering the final lap before Elkin took advantage of the draft by slipping through into the lead at Turn One and holding on to secure his third win of the season.
Wheldon and Soto-Schirripa took the checkered flag in second and third, but both were later assessed penalties, which promoted Jay Howard Driver Development’s G3 Argyros, from Newport Beach, Calif., and Jack Jeffers (Exclusive Autosport), from San Antonio, Texas, to the final podium positions. Soto-Schirripa’s five-second penalty for blocking saw him slip to 13th in the final results, while Wheldon was placed behind McNeilly in 18th after being adjudged to have jumped the start and held accountable for the late-race incident with the Englishman.
Zanella Racing’s Leonardo Escorpioni, from Sao Paulo, Brazil, earned the Tilton Hard Charger Award after rising from 17th on the grid to fifth at the finish, while InterMS team principal Juan Garavaglia pocketed his fourth PFC Award as the winning car owner.
Taylor battled back to finish sixth following his early incident in the morning’s race, and his fastest lap proved good enough to secure his second Continental Tire Pole Award of the year and the coveted inside front row starting position for the final race of the weekend.
The action once again was fast and furious, but following a few early skirmishes and even a brief red flag stoppage, the final four laps were run caution-free and reached a thrilling climax as Wheldon timed his run out of the final corner and onto the long front straightaway to perfection, drafting past a defenseless Elkin as the leaders crested the rise shortly before the checkered flag.
Taylor minimized the damage to his title aspirations by finishing hot on the heels of Elkin, with McNeilly also close behind.
Christian Cameron, 14, from Sonoma, Calif., scored the best finish of his rookie campaign to round out the top five for VRD Racing.
Zanella Racing’s Diego Guiot, from The Woodlands, Texas, claimed the Tilton Hard Charger Award, making up 11 positions from the start to cross the line in seventh.
The PFC Award went to VRD Racing’s Dan Mitchell as the winning car owner.
The outcome of the USF Juniors Presented by Continental Tire championship will be decided in the triple-header finale at Portland International Raceway, in Portland, Ore., in support of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES on August 23/24.
Provisional championship points after 13 of 16 races:
1. Max Taylor, 281
2. Ariel Elkin, 241
3. Sebastian Wheldon, 236
4. Liam McNeilly, 231
5. Jack Jeffers, 210
6. Augusto Soto-Schirripa, 201
7. G3 Argyros, 134
8. Joao Vergara, 131
9. Leonardo Escorpioni, 126
10. Bruno Ribeiro, 109
Race One Quotes:
Ariel Elkin (#25 Monaco Friends of Israel/Swift Garage/Mossad/IDF-InterMS Tatuus JR-23): “Absolutely a great race here in Road America in Race Two. I am super excited to get the win and bring more points home particularly after the latest events on the race track and in Israel, too. So, I am very happy to be here on the top step of the podium, and I would like to thank all the Jewish and Israeli nations from all around the world as well as InterMS and my sponsors.”
G3 Argyros (#3 Positive Energy-Jay Howard Driver Development Tatuus JR-23): “The race was just damage control. We had a really unfortunate scary crash yesterday with the throttle sticking and it kind of put me out of contention to get a top five in the championship. So, today was just put my head down and try to get some redemption and that’s exactly what I did. The final three laps it was just head down and let’s get after it. I knew there would be at least one penalty and I would be on the podium. The final lap was just don’t lose any positions. Luckily, we came in and finished second and that’s the best you can hope for.”
Jack Jeffers (#92 Corpay Cross Border Solutions-Exclusive Autosport Tatuus JR-23): “It was an up and down race. As Road America always is, the battling is crazy. I started seventh and found my way to the lead early on. I lost some pace a little bit and fell back and got stuck around the fourth and fifth place battle. I finished fifth on track and, after penalties, got third so we’ll take it and take the points. It’s not over and we are still in it. We are going to make a few adjustments to the race car and see what we can do for Race Three.”
Race Two quotes:
Sebastian Wheldon (#98 Gainbridge Andretti-VRD Racing Tatuus JR-23): “I just positioned myself in the correct spot for the last lap and got the win. I was really focused mainly on track position. I think that is the biggest thing here especially to win because the draft is definitely a big part. I was really happy with the race car and the whole VRD crew.”
Ariel Elkin (#25 Monaco Friends of Israel/Swift Garage/Mossad/IDF-InterMS Tatuus JR-23): “A great Race Three here at Road America. I am super excited. We had the fastest car on track provided to me by InterMS. I am super grateful for everyone. The race was under our control especially throughout the second part. I managed to defend successfully from Wheldon but following the Race Director’s instruction to give up the position, I had to give the spot back. Nevertheless, we are looking forward to Portland. I am very happy to bring another podium back home.”
Max Taylor (#33 PINK ETF/Susan G Komen Foundation-VRD Racing Tatuus JR-23): “P3 in the third race here at Road America. A really solid weekend overall. The VRD car was rapid the whole way for me and Sebastian, so a great way to cap it off. It was all about the championship there. It’s cool to go out and wins races but it’s all about the championship and finishing strong, finishing on the podium. That’s just what I did. Definitely a good weekend and we are going to clinch that championship in Portland.”
Elkin had to settle for second place in the third and final race of the weekend, narrowly ahead of points leader Max Taylor (VRD Racing), from Hoboken, N.J.
This morning’s race began with Wheldon leading the field toward the green flag after snagging his second Continental Tire Pole Award of the season by virtue of having posted the best of each driver’s second-fastest laps during the lone qualifying session on Saturday. Fellow title contenders Liam McNeilly (Jay Howard Driver Development), from Brentwood, England, Taylor and Elkin lined up directly behind him on the starting grid.
The action was intense from the get-go, especially with the notoriously strong draft that develops on the super-fast 4.014-mile Road America layout providing myriad opportunities for overtaking.
Unfortunately, incidental contact on lap three between Taylor and Wheldon in Turn Three while they were disputing the lead resulted in Taylor spinning to the back of the field. Still, a train of nine cars continued to battle for the top spot until the yellow flags waved after InterMS’ Hudson Potter, from Lexington, Ky., spun off at Turn 14.
The restart with two laps remaining was just as frantic, with surviving InterMS teammates Augusto Soto-Schirripa, from Miami, Fla., and Elkin using the massive slipstream to excellent effect as they demoted Wheldon from first to third in Turn One. Almost immediately afterward, at Turn Three, Wheldon was involved in another incident, this time with McNeilly, who spun off the track and ultimately finished a disgruntled 17th.
Soto-Schirripa held the point entering the final lap before Elkin took advantage of the draft by slipping through into the lead at Turn One and holding on to secure his third win of the season.
Wheldon and Soto-Schirripa took the checkered flag in second and third, but both were later assessed penalties, which promoted Jay Howard Driver Development’s G3 Argyros, from Newport Beach, Calif., and Jack Jeffers (Exclusive Autosport), from San Antonio, Texas, to the final podium positions. Soto-Schirripa’s five-second penalty for blocking saw him slip to 13th in the final results, while Wheldon was placed behind McNeilly in 18th after being adjudged to have jumped the start and held accountable for the late-race incident with the Englishman.
Zanella Racing’s Leonardo Escorpioni, from Sao Paulo, Brazil, earned the Tilton Hard Charger Award after rising from 17th on the grid to fifth at the finish, while InterMS team principal Juan Garavaglia pocketed his fourth PFC Award as the winning car owner.
Taylor battled back to finish sixth following his early incident in the morning’s race, and his fastest lap proved good enough to secure his second Continental Tire Pole Award of the year and the coveted inside front row starting position for the final race of the weekend.
The action once again was fast and furious, but following a few early skirmishes and even a brief red flag stoppage, the final four laps were run caution-free and reached a thrilling climax as Wheldon timed his run out of the final corner and onto the long front straightaway to perfection, drafting past a defenseless Elkin as the leaders crested the rise shortly before the checkered flag.
Taylor minimized the damage to his title aspirations by finishing hot on the heels of Elkin, with McNeilly also close behind.
Christian Cameron, 14, from Sonoma, Calif., scored the best finish of his rookie campaign to round out the top five for VRD Racing.
Zanella Racing’s Diego Guiot, from The Woodlands, Texas, claimed the Tilton Hard Charger Award, making up 11 positions from the start to cross the line in seventh.
The PFC Award went to VRD Racing’s Dan Mitchell as the winning car owner.
The outcome of the USF Juniors Presented by Continental Tire championship will be decided in the triple-header finale at Portland International Raceway, in Portland, Ore., in support of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES on August 23/24.
Provisional championship points after 13 of 16 races:
1. Max Taylor, 281
2. Ariel Elkin, 241
3. Sebastian Wheldon, 236
4. Liam McNeilly, 231
5. Jack Jeffers, 210
6. Augusto Soto-Schirripa, 201
7. G3 Argyros, 134
8. Joao Vergara, 131
9. Leonardo Escorpioni, 126
10. Bruno Ribeiro, 109
Race One Quotes:
Ariel Elkin (#25 Monaco Friends of Israel/Swift Garage/Mossad/IDF-InterMS Tatuus JR-23): “Absolutely a great race here in Road America in Race Two. I am super excited to get the win and bring more points home particularly after the latest events on the race track and in Israel, too. So, I am very happy to be here on the top step of the podium, and I would like to thank all the Jewish and Israeli nations from all around the world as well as InterMS and my sponsors.”
G3 Argyros (#3 Positive Energy-Jay Howard Driver Development Tatuus JR-23): “The race was just damage control. We had a really unfortunate scary crash yesterday with the throttle sticking and it kind of put me out of contention to get a top five in the championship. So, today was just put my head down and try to get some redemption and that’s exactly what I did. The final three laps it was just head down and let’s get after it. I knew there would be at least one penalty and I would be on the podium. The final lap was just don’t lose any positions. Luckily, we came in and finished second and that’s the best you can hope for.”
Jack Jeffers (#92 Corpay Cross Border Solutions-Exclusive Autosport Tatuus JR-23): “It was an up and down race. As Road America always is, the battling is crazy. I started seventh and found my way to the lead early on. I lost some pace a little bit and fell back and got stuck around the fourth and fifth place battle. I finished fifth on track and, after penalties, got third so we’ll take it and take the points. It’s not over and we are still in it. We are going to make a few adjustments to the race car and see what we can do for Race Three.”
Race Two quotes:
Sebastian Wheldon (#98 Gainbridge Andretti-VRD Racing Tatuus JR-23): “I just positioned myself in the correct spot for the last lap and got the win. I was really focused mainly on track position. I think that is the biggest thing here especially to win because the draft is definitely a big part. I was really happy with the race car and the whole VRD crew.”
Ariel Elkin (#25 Monaco Friends of Israel/Swift Garage/Mossad/IDF-InterMS Tatuus JR-23): “A great Race Three here at Road America. I am super excited. We had the fastest car on track provided to me by InterMS. I am super grateful for everyone. The race was under our control especially throughout the second part. I managed to defend successfully from Wheldon but following the Race Director’s instruction to give up the position, I had to give the spot back. Nevertheless, we are looking forward to Portland. I am very happy to bring another podium back home.”
Max Taylor (#33 PINK ETF/Susan G Komen Foundation-VRD Racing Tatuus JR-23): “P3 in the third race here at Road America. A really solid weekend overall. The VRD car was rapid the whole way for me and Sebastian, so a great way to cap it off. It was all about the championship there. It’s cool to go out and wins races but it’s all about the championship and finishing strong, finishing on the podium. That’s just what I did. Definitely a good weekend and we are going to clinch that championship in Portland.”