STEAM CORNERS, Ohio — Florida-based Brazilian Joao Vergara scored his second USF Juniors Presented by Continental Tire victory of the year in the first of two races that comprise the PFC Grand Prix at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
Vergara held off a concerted attack from VRD Racing teammate Oliver Wheldon, from St. Petersburg, Fla., during the first half of the all-green 20-lap race around the challenging 2.258-mile course.
He then edged clear to claim his first win since the opening round at NOLA Motorsports Park in April.
Wheldon had to be content with second place – his sixth appearance on the podium in seven races – while Leonardo Escorpioni, from Windermere, Fla., narrowly regained the championship lead from Zanella Racing teammate Ty Fisher, from White Rock, B.C., Canada, whom he passed for third place on Lap 12.
Vergara, from Miami, Fla., showed that his session leading lap times during a recent rain-affected test at Mid-Ohio were no fluke by topping the charts in qualifying yesterday afternoon to secure his first Continental Tire Pole Award. His best lap of 1:24.8641, an average speed of 95.786 mph, represented a new lap record as well as the first time he had started better than fourth.
Vergara maintained his advantage at the start, although remained under pressure for the first half of the race while steadily picking up the pace.
Wheldon overtook front row starter Fisher into Turn One on the second lap and remained tight on Vergara’s tail for the first 10 laps, with Fisher also in close contention.
Thereafter, Vergara continued to extract more pace from his VRD Racing Tatuus JR-23. He dipped underneath the existing race lap record, 1:26.1589, for the first time on Lap 11, as he finally broke clear of Wheldon, and went faster again in the later stages as he extended his margin to 1.4 seconds.
Fisher, running third, couldn’t match that pace and soon fell back into the clutches of teammate Escorpioni, who made his pass for position at Turn Four on Lap 12. Escorpioni quickly moved clear to reclaim the championship lead.
Fisher, 14, finished in a relatively lonely fourth ahead of Australian Liam Loiacono (Jay Howard Driver Development), who fought back impressively after running wide onto the grass at the exit of Turn One on the opening lap and slipping from seventh on the grid to 12th.
Loiacono showed what might have been by establishing a new race lap record of 1:25.2939, an average speed of 95.303 mph, on Lap 14.
DEForce Racing’s Rodrigo Gonzalez, from Mexico City, Mexico, continued his streak of solid finishes in sixth ahead of J.T. Hoskins, from Sarasota, Fla., who earned the Tilton Hard Charger Award for Jay Howard Driver Development after moving up from 13th on the grid to a career-best seventh.
