USF Juniors

Last updated
USF Juniors
2024 USF Juniors Logo.png
Category Single seaters
CountryFlag of the United States (23px).png  United States
Inaugural season2022
Drivers17
Teams7
Constructors Tatuus
Engine suppliers Mazda
Tyre suppliers Continental
Drivers' champion Flag of the United States.svg Max Taylor
Teams' champion Flag of the United States.svg VRD Racing
Official website usfjuniors.com
Motorsport current event.svg Current season

The USF Juniors championship, also known as USF Juniors presented by Continental Tire for sponsorship reasons, is an American auto racing series running with USF2000 cars (as of 2023). The series was inaugurated in 2022 as a new first rung of the Road to Indy, below the USF2000 Championship. The series is owned by Andersen Promotions and sanctioned by USAC. [1]

Contents

History

The USF Juniors championship was formally announced in September 2021. Series founder Dan Andersen cited the need for an additional step up above karting luxe to the increasingly competitive nature of the USF2000 Championship. He further established the want to provide "a true entry level series that is professionally managed where drivers, teams and parents can focus on training and racing via shorter, more economical events, while also lowering the spotlight on young drivers that often occurs on IndyCar race weekends." [2] The series was also made as a direct competitor to the Formula 4 United States Championship. [3] To allow champions of the series to progress in their careers, winners will receive a scholarship valued at $200,000.

Logo used in 2022. USFJuniorsLogo.png
Logo used in 2022.
Series logo used in 2023. UpdatedUSFJuniorsLogo, 2023.png
Series logo used in 2023.

For the series' inaugural season, a six-event scheduled was planned featuring all road courses. USAC, which already handled duties for the USF2000 Championship and USF Pro 2000 Championship, was named the sanctioning body for the series. Former driver Gustavo Yacamán was hired as the series manager, while another two former drivers, Joel Miller and Johnny Unser, were hired as race stewards. [2]

Cars

For the series' inaugural season, competitors used a Ligier JS F4 chassis with a 160 hp 2.0 Liter engine made by Honda Performance Development (HPD). [4] As with all other series in the Road to Indy ladder, The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, through their Cooper brand, was the tire supplier for the series for the first two years. For the 2023 season, USF Juniors began using the Tatuus JR-23 chassis, which can be upgraded for use in both USF2000 and USF Pro 2000 as drivers and teams progress through the Road to Indy ladder. The new car also uses the same MZR engine used in the Road to Indy series. [5] From 2024, Continental provides the tires along with the title partnership of the series. [6]

Circuits

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VIR
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Red indicates current tracks. White indicates former tracks.
CourseYears
Barber Motorsports Park 2022–present
Circuit of the Americas 2022–2023
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course 2022–present
NOLA Motorsports Park 2024
Ozarks International Raceway 2022
Portland International Raceway 2024
Road America 2022–present
Sebring International Raceway 2023
Virginia International Raceway 2022–present

Champions

SeasonDrivers ChampionTeams Champion
2022 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Mac Clark Flag of the United States.svg VRD Racing
2023 Flag of Brazil.svg Nicolas Giaffone Flag of the United States.svg DEForce Racing

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The 2023 USF Pro 2000 Championship was the 25th season in series history and the first under the USF Pro 2000 moniker. When the top rung of the Road to Indy ladder system, Indy Lights, was bought by Penske Entertainment in 2021 and the lower level series changed sanctioning to the United States Auto Club, changes were made to the other championships in the ladder that resulted in the championship being rebranded for 2023. This, together with the Indy Lights being rebranded to Indy NXT, effectively ended the "Road to Indy" branding, with the three championships below Indy NXT now collectively called "USF Pro Championships Presented by Cooper Tires".

The 2023 USF Juniors championship was the second season of USF Juniors. The season features a six-round 16-race calendar, which began on March 23 at Sebring International Raceway and concluded on August 27 at the Circuit of the Americas.

The 2024 USF2000 Championshippresented by Continental Tire will be the fifteenth season of the USF2000 Championship since its revival in 2010. The championship serves as the second rung of the IndyCar Series's USF Pro Championships ladder system.

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References

  1. ↑ "USF Juniors: About". usfjuniors.com. Andersen Promotions. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  2. 1 2 Glendenning, Mark (September 30, 2021). "Andersen Promotions unveils USF Juniors series". racer.com. Racer Media & Marketing, Inc. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  3. ↑ Demmendaal, Jeroen (19 April 2022). "Your season guide to the 2022 USF Juniors Championship". f1feederseries.com. F1FeederSeries. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  4. ↑ "Ligier JS". usfjuniors.com. Anderson Promotions. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  5. ↑ "Meet USF Juniors, the newest entry-level feeder series in the United States". F1 Feeder Series. 2021-09-30. Retrieved 2022-04-28.
  6. ↑ "USF Pro Championships Confirms New Presenting Partner". www.usfpro2000.com. Retrieved 2023-11-28.
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