BOWMANVILLE, Ont., Canada – Poland’s Karol Pasiewicz wasn’t quite in a class of his own this weekend at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, but this morning he completed an impressive weekend sweep of all three USF Juniors Presented by Continental Tire races for Olivia Racing.
Pasiewicz led from start to finish in a thrilling, all-green 20-lap race on the technical and fast 2.439-mile natural terrain road course. But he was made to work hard in the closing stages by top Canadian Olivier Mrak, from Ottawa, Que., who wrapped up his own sweep of second-place finishes and grabbed an extra bonus point for fastest lap into the bargain.
After placing third in each of the first two races, a last-lap slip by Mrak’s Zanella Racing teammate Victor Couto, from Boca Raton, Fla., allowed Ivan Machado Perez (VRD Racing), from Madrid, Spain, to sneak into the final podium position and end a difficult weekend for the former championship leader.
The grid for this morning’s concluding race was determined by each driver’s second-fastest lap in qualifying on Friday, and once again saw Pasiewicz claiming the Continental Tire Pole Award.
He had to work hard during the opening stages to stave off a determined challenge from Couto, who had started second. Third-place starter Mrak also remained tightly in the mix as the top three soon began to edge clear of Machado Perez, who had made up a couple of positions on the opening lap to run fourth.
A series of quick laps saw Pasiewicz maintain his advantage, although the only time he had much respite was after Mrak managed to muscle past Couto at Turn Five, which cost the two chasers some momentum and allowed Pasiewicz to make a break.
His lead grew to as much as 2.6 seconds after 12 laps, but as the leader settled into a rhythm, so, too, did Mrak. The chasing Canadian turned up the wick in the closing stages, posting a new fastest race lap with two laps remaining and eventually finished right on the tail of Pasiewicz, who was obliged to drive somewhat defensively through the final few corners.
Couto slipped back into the clutches of Machado Perez and Exclusive Autosport’s Bex Cranston, from Greenwich, Conn., as the race reached toward its climax. The pair exchanged places a couple of times on Lap 16, but still they edged closer to Couto, who then almost lost control at Turn Five on the final lap and was pipped to the line by both Machado Perez and Cranston. The result was particularly satisfying for Machado Perez, who endured a difficult start to the weekend with a crash on Thursday and another accident on Saturday.
Recently turned 14-year-old Edward Kennedy, from Mont-Tremblant, Que., Canada drove another strong race for VRD Racing, rising from 12th on the grid to sixth after a lengthy tussle with Zanella Racing’s Leonardo Serravalle, from nearby Thorold, Ont., who was later assessed a post-race penalty for avoidable contact.
For the second race in a row, Fairfax, Va.-based Max Mokarem secured the Tilton Hard Charger Award for Zanella Racing after rising from 18th to 10th on the grid following a crash during qualifying.
Pasiewicz’s perfect weekend ensured that all three PFC Awards for the winning car owner went to Dana Delgado, team principal of Olivia Racing.
After a breathless weekend in Canada, the USF Juniors contingent will take stock and regroup for a highly anticipated doubleheader event at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, on the July Fourth weekend. They will share the track with both of the two upper levels of the acclaimed USF Pro Championships Presented by Continental Tire open-wheel development ladder, USF Pro 2000 and USF2000, as well as the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and INDY NXT.
Provisional championship points after nine of 16 races:
1. Karol Pasiewicz, 186
2. Ivan Machado Perez, 167
3. Olivier Mrak, 160
4. Max Mokarem, 156
5. Victor Couto, 141
6. Cole Medeiros, 137
7. Vilho Aatola, 132
8. Casper Nissen, 117
9. Bex Cranston, 114
10. Leonardo Serravalle, 108
Karol Pasiewicz (#25 Olivia Racing Tatuus JR-23): “It was a really tough one this time. I couldn't pull away from Victor, and when he got passed by Olivier, I saw that I had a big gap, so I just tried to keep the pace, tried to get maybe faster, but I couldn't do it. I just maintained my pace. I think it was 1:22 lows every lap, so I think that is what saved me from losing P1. Obviously, this weekend was very important for the championship. I was in P6 coming here after a very bad weekend at Carolina. I'm feeling grateful for all the work that we have done as a team. We have worked very hard preparing the car, preparing myself, and yeah, we finally put everything together and delivered.”
Olivier Mrak (#23 Holden Leasing/BASF Canada/Mamma Teresa Restaurant/Colonade Developments/Stinson Fuels-Zanella Racing Tatuus JR-23): “First off, the start was good. I got to Victor and I knew I had to get past him quickly so I wouldn't lose Karol. I eventually got past him but then a back marker held me up so then it created a two-second gap and I knew I had to push. I got to the front, I got to him but it was too late. One more lap would have been it. Overall, a very good weekend, very good points. I'm very happy moving on to Mid-Ohio. I think it should be good.”
Ivan Machado Perez (#10 HONR the drive/Skip Barber Racing-VRD Racing Tatuus JR-23): “It has been kind of a wicked weekend. It just seemed like everything was going the wrong way – a crash in the practice sessions, Race 1, another crash. A pretty big one, probably the hardest crash in my life. To be able to come back today and actually grab a third place just feels really good. I would still want to win, because that's what we are here for, but we'll try to get it back together properly for Mid-Ohio and get back to winning ways. I'm just very happy.”