Leonardo Escorpioni took another step toward winning the USF Juniors Presented by Continental Tire championship with a flag-to-flag victory in today’s 14th of 16 rounds – and the first of three races which will conclude the season in the Continental Tire Grand Prix of Portland.

Another exciting USF Pro Championships Presented by Continental Tire season will reach its conclusion this week, August 8-10, at Portland International Raceway. The 1.964-mile road course situated just a few miles from downtown Portland, Ore., will feature races for all three levels of the highly acclaimed open-wheel driver development ladder, in addition to INDY NXT and the NTT INDYCAR SERIES.

The battle for this year’s USF Juniors Presented by Continental Tire championship has intensified following this weekend’s Elite Engines Grand Prix of Road America tripleheader. Liam Loiacono, from Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia, this morning completed a clean sweep for Jay Howard Driver Development, although Brazilian Leonardo Escorpioni, from Windermere, Fla., maintained his points lead following an excellent charge to second place after starting back in 14th for Zanella Racing.

Liam Loiacono is riding a hot streak with the Jay Howard Driver Development team. The 17-year-old from Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia, followed his recent pair of victories at Mid-Ohio – on separate weekends – with a magnificent double win today in the opening two of three races that comprise the Elite Engines Grand Prix of Road America.

Ten races are in the books and just six remain – to be held over two weekends – to determine who will win the coveted title and a scholarship to advance onto the next step of the acclaimed USF Pro Championships open-wheel racing development ladder, USF2000, in 2026.