Tatuus iMagazine

24 by Marco Cortesi The USF2000 championship has entered its third year using the Tatuus USF17 racecars and relying on a high-quality field and package, the series has made another positive step in finding a sweet spot as an ideal entry solution for young drivers, as demonstrated by the spectacular racer and close-quarter competition seen this year. The cars, similar in their configuration to the ones used in European Formula 4 competition, proved technically impeccable but also valid as a training tool for young drivers aiming at a future professional career. The series so far saw a fair amount of surprise as early favourite Hunter McElrea, who won the Mazda scholarship at the beginning of the season, faced a troubled start while, on the other hand, an all-American contender left a bold impression by cruising to win repeatedly. The 19-year-old Kiwi did not surrender though and put up a stunning recovery that put him almost on a tie with his contender. The 20-year-old Eves is still in front by 9 points, while despite some strong showings and stunning raw speed skills, Floridian Darren Keane is more 53 points down. While still not out of contention, he will need a perfect job and some luck to make it happen. Not far away stand Colin Kaminsky and Christian Rasmussen. The American is looking for his first win, while the Dane already hit P1 twice. Among the race winners stands Aussie Cameron Shields, coming from the same town of Will Power, Toowoomba, while two more names gathered some attention, namely Jak Crawford and Eduardo Barrichello. The Texan made headlines for making his series debut at only 14 years of age, while the Brazilian, son of former F1 driver Rubens Barrichello, struggled a bit so far but scored a top-5 finish. The Indy Pro 2000 season had a similar start to that of USF2000, with an early favourite having to recover and emerging in the second half of the year. After dominating the lower tier category by winning almost every race, Kyle Kirkwood didn't have it easy at the beginning of 2019 with a mix of rookie mistakes and bad luck that cost him plenty of ground in terms of the championship points. But while 18-year-old Swede Rasmus Lindh drove away in the first three rounds, Kirkwood found his mojo back and posted five wins in six races. Coming from Jupiter Florida, Kirkwood, who at the age of 21 made his way through the ranks thanks to hard work and top results, races for Italian team RP Motorsport. The team made its debut last year when the series switched to the Tatuus PM18 machinery and steadily climbed its way up the rankings. Far from out of contention, Canadian Parker Thompson has plenty of great results to his name including two wins, and the same goes for Singapore's Danial Frost who also scored two wins. There will be a four-driver run to the final race of the final weekend, and the battle is far from over.