The fast, flowing straights of Road America hosted Rounds 10, 11, and 12 of the 2025 USF Pro 2000 Championship, with two promising Kiwi rookies, Jacob Douglas and Sebastian Manson, continuing their development on American soil.
The triple-header weekend delivered podiums, heartbreaks, and plenty of wheel-to-wheel action, with Douglas starring for Pabst Racing and Manson enduring a character-building set of races with TJ Speed Motorsports.
Qualifying:
Douglas kicked off the weekend in style, showing a front-running pace in both qualifying sessions. The Christchurch native put his No. 23 Pabst Racing machine third on the grid for Race 1 and fourth for Race 2. He might have gone even quicker if not for a mechanical issue at the end of Q2, which halted any chance of a late flier.
Teammate Max Garcia swept pole for both opening races, setting Pabst up as the team to beat, while Michael Costello qualified seventh and 17th.
Further down the order, Manson faced a tougher time.
He slotted into 13th for both Race 1 and 2, struggling for ultimate pace in a TJ Speed machine that also gave teammate Ariel Elkin reliability headaches. Elkin only completed limited laps in both sessions due to electrical gremlins.
Race 1 (Round 10):
The opening 15-lap race got underway, with Garcia defending well to hold the lead into Turn 1. Douglas made a decisive move to slot into second, though he would lose the position early on to Mac Clark, who was quick to attack.
Manson climbed two spots off the start but fell victim to contact with fellow rookie Frankie Mossman on Lap 3, which dropped him down to 16th. He recovered to finish 12th after a spirited drive through the field, including bold moves on Tyke Durst and Cooper Becklin.
At the front, Garcia was untouchable, stretching his lead to over three seconds. Douglas managed the gap to Clark ahead and came home in a strong third, marking his second podium of the season and kicking off a double-podium result for the Pabst Racing squad.
Race 2 (Round 11):
With Road America sitting under a heat advisory, Race 2 tested drivers physically and mechanically. Douglas was aggressive from the green flag, going three-wide into Turn 1 and emerging in second before being shuffled back to third by Max Taylor.
Manson had a nightmare opening lap, slipping to 17th before pitting with mechanical issues. After rejoining nearly a minute behind, his race came to a definitive end on Lap 9 when he stopped on track, his second DNF of the weekend.
Meanwhile, Douglas kept his head down and executed a brilliant restart to climb back up to second, fending off Clark in the closing laps.
Garcia again proved too strong out front, collecting his second win in as many days, but Douglas took another hard-earned podium, making it back-to-back P2 and P3 finishes for the Kiwi and another double-podium for Pabst Racing.
Race 3 (Round 12):
Unlike the first two races, the grid for Race 3 was determined by each driver’s second-best qualifying lap, an unfortunate twist for Douglas, whose Q2 session was compromised. He lined up eighth, while Manson started 15th.
The race was filled with chaos from the outset, with a safety car deployed on Lap 1 after debutant Joseph Loake retired at Turn 13. On the restart, a melee saw Douglas tagged by another driver and dropped down the order to 14th.
Undeterred, Douglas mounted a stunning comeback, climbing all the way back to eighth, narrowly missing out on seventh in a drag race to the line. It was a gritty performance that showed his maturity under pressure.
Manson, meanwhile, finally enjoyed a more straightforward run and brought his car home in 13th, his best finish of the weekend.
At the front, Taylor seized control and took the win, breaking Garcia’s streak. Clark and Elkin rounded out the podium in a race where Garcia slipped to fourth after an off-track excursion.
Weekend Wrap: Douglas Shines, Manson Grows
It was a breakout weekend for Douglas, who not only bagged two podiums but consistently showed the racecraft and pace to run with the series frontrunners. With momentum on his side, the Kiwi rookie now sits poised to make further gains in the championship.
For Manson, the Road America triple-header was more about resilience. Mechanical gremlins and on-track incidents marred his results. Still, the experience gained will prove valuable as he continues to establish himself in this ultra-competitive field.
The USF Pro 2000 Championship now takes a short break before resuming at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on July 3–6 for Rounds 13 and 14. All eyes will be on Douglas to keep the Pabst momentum rolling—and for Manson to bounce back strong.
Header Image: USF Pro 2000
