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Dyszelski earns first USF Pro 2000 pole, Durst continues building momentum
Toronto, Ontario (July 24, 2024) – USF Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Continental Tire points leader Lochie Hughes celebrated his fifth win of the season at the Continental Tire Grand Prix of Toronto after claiming his fourth pole position for the start of Race 2 on the city streets. In addition to earning the pole, the Australian rookie led all 25 laps and secured the fastest lap of the race in the #44 car, sweeping every point available and ending the weekend with a commanding 35-point lead in the championship standings ahead of the final round in Portland next month.
Meanwhile, teammate Danny Dyszelski achieved a milestone by earning his first pole position in the USF Pro 2000 series for Race 1 on the 1.786-mile, 11-turn street circuit, showcasing his talent and speed as a season rookie.
RACE 1 RECAP:
While Danny Dyszelski started his #3 car from the pole position for the first time in Race 1, teammate Lochie Hughes started alongside him in the second spot on the grid. However, the race took a dramatic turn on the opening lap when Hughes and Dyszelski made contact, causing Hughes to pit for suspected front wing damage and Dyszelski to fall back to eighth in the field.
Despite the early setback, Hughes readied for another charge up through the field after dropping to last, a similar story to Race 2 at the previous round at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Knowing he had one of the fastest cars on track, Hughes began to push forward, overtaking cars one at a time until he ultimately crossed the finish line in a well-earned fifth, salvaging valuable championship points.
After a promising start to the weekend, Dyszelski unfortunately encountered further issues after the initial contact on Lap 1 and eventually had to retire, finishing 10 laps down in 13th.
Tyke Durst, who started 16th for Race 1, managed to avoid the opening lap chaos and quickly move himself up four positions by the start of Lap 2. From there, the young American persevered to bring the #33 car home in 12th place, a strong start to the weekend.
RACE 2 RECAP:
Race 2 began with Lochie Hughes starting from pole position for the fourth time this season. After a fantastic start, a yellow flag came out for contact between teammate Danny Dyszelski and two other drivers on the opening lap. This incident meant Dyszelski would not get the chance to capitalize on the speed he showed in qualifying as his race was cut short, scoring him 16th for Race 2.
Tyke Durst did not have much more luck than Dyszelski in Race 2; after initially gaining positions in the early laps like the day before, Durst was battling for a top ten spot but got squeezed to the wall exiting Turn 4, resulting in contact and suspension damage. The Turn 3 Motorsport crew attempted to repair the #33 car and get it back out on track but was unable to do so, resulting in a disappointing 14th place finish for Durst.
Hughes, however, put all of his focus into winning Race 2 after a trying race the day before, and after several laps of racing, Hughes had built an almost 2-second lead over the rest of the field. As the laps ticked on, the gap over second place began to close, and Hughes found himself pushing harder than ever to keep championship competitor Nikita Johnson at bay. With just five laps to go, a small mistake saw Johnson hit the wall and take him out of second place, but Hughes never wavered, allowing him to secure his fifth win of the season.
Hughes also gained additional points for leading the most laps and recording the fastest lap of the race, extending his championship to a 35-point lead leaving Toronto.
#44 Lochie Hughes // USF Pro 2000
The McGinley Group / Private Wealth Planning / Grip Auto Timepieces
“It was a great weekend in Toronto,” said Hughes. “We had the fastest car from the beginning of the weekend and never looked back. We qualified second for Race 1 and unfortunately had some dramas at Turn 1 which put me back to last, but we recovered for a P5 finish. For Race 2, we qualified on pole once again and led every lap of the race, extending our championship lead heading into the final round at Portland. A huge thank you to Turn 3 Motorsport, The McGinley Group, and all of my sponsors and supporters for helping us get to this point. All focus on Portland now!”
#3 Danny Dyszelski // USF Pro 2000
Vera Guitars / Formula Imports / Charlotte Mechanical
“It was not the race weekend we were hoping for in the end,” said Dyszelski. “We started out really strong with my first pole position in the series, but unfortunately, contact early on ended our race prematurely. I’m confident that without that contact we could have fought for the win, but unfortunately that wasn’t in the cards. In Race 2, our race ended before it even got a chance to begin. Overall, it was a weekend to forget for us, which is unfortunate because Turn 3 Motorsport gave me a really quick car. We’ll put this weekend behind us and focus on ending the season strong in Portland. The Turn 3 Motorsport team has worked incredibly hard all season long, and I want to reward them with a couple more solid results.”
#33 Tyke Durst // USF Pro 2000
FHI / Relay Payments / Drive Toward a Cure
"I’m very frustrated with our last outing in Toronto,” said Durst. “We were building a good weekend until we got taken out in Race 2, so it’s a disappointing end to an otherwise good weekend. We’ll take the experience to Portland and try to finish the year as strongly as possible.”
Peter Dempsey
Turn 3 Motorsport Team Owner
“Toronto was a good weekend for our team,” said Team Owner Peter Dempsey. “We rolled off the truck well, and that set us up for a competitive weekend. A fantastic job was done by Danny (Dyszelski) and Lochie (Hughes) to lock out the front row for Race 1. Unfortunately, we couldn’t maximize our results in that race, but we certainly all learned how to do a better job next time.”
“In Race 2, Lochie drove a perfect race,” continued Dempsey. “As the championship leader, the pressure he had on him in his position was very tough, and he managed it very well. Tyke (Durst) did a good job for his first race event at Toronto. It is the toughest track we go to, and I know he will come back stronger next year after gaining valuable experience. Our focus is now fully on Portland for the final event, and we will put everything we have into it. It’s not going to be easy, so we must remain as focused as possible and execute the best we can.”
Notably absent from the weekend was Turn 3 Motorsport driver Ethan Ho, who made the decision to withdraw from the 2024 USF Pro 2000 Championship for the final two rounds to shift his focus on racing in Asia for the remainder of the season. His presence was missed by Turn 3 Motorsport in Toronto, but the team wishes him the best of luck in his international racing endeavors.
Only one round remains in the 2024 USF Pro 2000 Championship with the season finale taking place at Portland International Raceway from August 22-25. Turn 3 Motorsport continues to remain laser focused on the championship and the final two races of the season, aiming to finish strong and secure their positions in the championship standings in Portland.
To stay up to date on Turn 3 Motorsport, follow the team on social media using the handle @turn3motorsport.
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