Hughes wins prestigious title
Rising star Lochie Hughes has given his IndyCar dream a massive boost by becoming just the second Australian to win the USF Pro 2000 Championship on the streets of Portland.
Hughes secured the 2024 USF Pro 2000 Championship title with a second place finish in the Portland finale, which was enough to emerge 40 points clear of nearest rival and race winner Nikita Johnson.
To make the crown taste sweeter, the 22-year-old from the Gold Coast also received a scholarship prize valued at $681,500 USD to ensure graduation next year to INDY NXT, the stepping stone to IndyCar.
He joins Matthew Brabham, who won what was then known as the Pro Mazda Championship in 2013.
Hughes kicked off 2024 in style with a win in the St Petersburg opener and bounced back from a tough run at NOLA with an impressive seven straight podiums.
All up the Turn 3 Motorsport driver took five wins also at Road America and Toronto, while solid P6 and P2 finishes in the Portland finale were enough to keep Johnson at bay.
The latest success follows his 2022 F4 US title and a third place finish in last year’s USF2000 Championship.
Hughes admitted he was desperate to win the finale.
“It was a good race. I think I had the best launch, to be honest, off the start and had to send it really deep into Turn One to hold my position,” Hughes said.
“Then basically it was just Nikita and I the whole race just nose to tail. It was very difficult because a lot of the corners here are mid- to high-speed corners, so following just wasn’t ideal, cooking the front tires a little bit.
“But there was sort of a bit of a rubber band between us where I’d make a bit of a mistake, he’d pull away, then I’d catch up again, and it was sort of like that the whole race.
“The last few laps I actually closed in quite a bit and made a mistake into Turn One, braking too late on the last lap and that was it.
“I gave it everything for my last race with the Turn 3 crew.
“I’m so happy to have driven here this year, and I wish them the best for the future. I’m sure they’ll always be part of my family.”
Image: Gavin Baker Photography
Provisional championship points after 18 of 18 rounds:
1. Lochie Hughes, 395
2. Nikita Johnson, 355
3. Jace Denmark, 345
4. Simon Sikes, 272
5. Liam Sceats, 256
6. Christian Brooks, 232
7. Danny Dyszelski, 230
8. Frankie Mossman, 222
9. Ricardo Escotto, 218
10. Jorge Garciarce, 199
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