Nikita Johnson put himself back in the hunt for the USF Pro 2000 presented by Continental Tire title with a commanding double victory at the Tatuus Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio on Saturday. The 16-year-old from Gulfport, Fla., led throughout the morning’s 30-lap race but had to come from behind to complete the tidal wave later in the afternoon for VRD Racing.
Jace Denmark of Brownsburg, Ind., also had a strong day for Pabst Racing with two second-place finishes while teammate Christian Brooks of Santa Clarita, Calif., and Turn 3 Motorsport’s Danny Dyszelski of Belmont, N.C., shared third-place honors.
After a difficult weekend last time out at Road America, early-season overall leader Johnson set a milestone by breaking his tie with points leader Lochie Hughes (Turn 3 Motorsport) of the Gold Coast, Australia, and securing his fourth Continental Tire Pole Award of the season in Friday’s only qualifying session.
Johnson continued his comeback to the top by leading throughout the morning’s 30-lap race. Denmark stayed on his heels in the opening minutes, with teammate Brooks also in contention.
After starting sixth, Hughes gained a position at the start on Exclusive Autosport’s Braden Eves of Gahanna, Ohio, but also lost a position to Canadian Mac Clark (DEForce Racing), who got off to a fast start and made his way into a daring three-abreast move at Turn 4. Hughes, however, quickly found his rhythm, passing Clark and Pabst Racing’s Simon Sikes of Augusta, Georgia, on lap four to move into fourth.
The five leaders – Johnson, Denmark, Brooks, Hughes and Sikes – remained in the same positions throughout the 30-lap race, but there was plenty of intrigue as the perfect race conditions, with clear blue skies and reduced humidity, allowed them to circulate quicker than in qualifying and effectively set the grid for the second race later in the day, which would be determined by each driver’s second-fastest lap in qualifying or their fastest lap in Race 1.
It was ultimately Sikes who took the honour, narrowly edging out Denmark, Hughes, Brooks and race winner Johnson. All five were separated by just over a tenth of a second, setting the stage for another intriguing contest later in the day.
“The race went really well,” Johnson said. “We started on the pole, managed the lead, held the gap and built it. The car was on track today. I can’t thank the guys at VRD enough, all my sponsors, my dad for bringing me here and my mom and brother watching at home – everyone in North Carolina and Florida watching. It means a lot and it’s great to be back on the top step of the podium. We haven’t had that since Indy. It’s nice to get our points back and win again.”
For the second time in as many races, Canadian Nico Christodoulou won the Tilton Hard Charger award, coming from 18th on the grid after a major mechanical failure in qualifying to finish in 10th position.
Sikes enjoyed his second Continental Tire Pole Award of the season by leading from the start of race two but was unable to shake off Denmark, who apparently remained glued to his rear wing as the two leaders pulled away from Brooks and Johnson in third and fourth.
The latter two swapped places on lap four, shortly before the first full-course caution of the day due to a collision between New Zealander Liam Sceats (TJ Speed Motorsports) and Frankie Mossman (Jay Howard Driver Development), of Newport Beach, California.
The race changed dramatically shortly after the restart when Sikes opted to take the high-speed Turn 1 in fifth gear rather than downshifting to fourth and was surprised to see the car get stuck on the exit. Denmark and Johnson immediately passed him but it was Johnson who had the better run-up, moving from third to the lead as both drivers braked for Turn 2.
Worse was to come for Sikes at the end of the back straight when he collided with Hughes as they raced towards the apex. The collision sent Sikes into the grass and left Hughes spinning into the path of Brooks, whose day ended there. The other two continued, with Hughes managing to salvage valuable points in seventh and Sikes just one place behind after another collision with Mexican Ricardo Escotto (BN Racing).
The various incidents elevated the privateer Comet/NCMP Racing team of Logan Adams of Greenfield, Indiana, to third place, where he impressively held on until he was passed by Dyszelski with eight laps to go.
Adams held on for a fine fourth place, the best of his career, well ahead of Escotto, who had started 18th and had fiercely resisted numerous attempts by various rivals to find a way past him. Fifth place was his reward, as well as the Tilton Hard Charger Award.
“We started fifth but the car was incredible. It was on track,” said Johnson. “We got past Lochie at the very beginning and Brooks which took us a few laps. I made a crossover in the braking zone and caught him. After the caution I took advantage of the fight between Simon and Jace going into Turn 1. I backed off into the corner and managed to get out really well and get past them both. We had a few more cautions after that but I managed to hold on to the lead and keep Jace in the air. I can’t thank VRD enough.”
Johnson’s day of glory propelled him to second in the points standings, just 26 points behind Hughes. With just four races remaining, he’s in with a $681,500 scholarship that will see him advance to the next step up the standings, Indy NXT, in 2025. Johnson also picked up two more PFC awards for VRD Racing team principal Dan Mitchell.
The USF Pro contingent will then head to the streets of Toronto, Ontario, Canada in two weeks for two races, followed by the season finale on the west coast at Portland International Raceway in Portland, Oregon, August 23-25.
RESULTS OF THE FIRST RACE
RESULTS OF THE SECOND RACE
