The 2025 USF Pro 2000 Championship wrapped up last weekend at Portland International Raceway, with Kiwi drivers Jacob Douglas (Pabst Racing) and Sebastian Manson (TJ Speed Motorsports) determined to close out their campaigns on a strong note.
Douglas showed competitive pace from the outset, his first test session seeing him third-fastest and just a tenth shy of teammate and newly crowned champion Max Garcia.
He repeated the feat in session two, once again within a tenth of Garcia’s benchmark, finishing sixth with Garcia fourth.
Manson recorded 12th in both test sessions, but was the quickest of TJ Speed’s trio in session one and only half a second adrift of teammate Ariel Elkin in the second.
In practice, Douglas placed fifth—three-tenths off Garcia’s pace—while Manson improved by almost half a second but finished 13th.
In qualifying, Douglas secured seventh on the grid for Race 1, with Manson starting 13th. Up front, VRD Racing’s Frankie Mossman claimed pole with a 1:07.509, edging Mac Clark by just 0.0045 seconds.
Race 1 –
Under clear skies, the 30-lap opener began with the field going three-wide into Turn 1. Mossman locked up heavily, losing ground and allowing Garcia to storm through from fourth to take the lead. Douglas gained one spot to run sixth, while Manson climbed to 10th.
An early full-course yellow came on lap two when TJ Speed debutant Miles Bromley spun into the Turn 2 barriers, ending his race.
When racing resumed on lap four, Garcia led Clark, Mossman, Max Taylor, Michael Costello, and Douglas, with Manson holding 10th. By lap nine, Manson had passed Joey Brienza for ninth, while Douglas closed on Costello for fifth. He made the move stick on lap 18.
Garcia cruised to a 3.7-second victory over Clark, with Mossman completing the podium. Douglas finished fifth, with Manson taking ninth.
Race 2 –
Douglas lined up fifth for Race 2, with Manson starting 13th. Clark’s race unravelled on lap one after contact with Garcia damaged his front wing, forcing a pit stop and promoting Douglas to fourth and Manson to 10th.
Costello dropped from fifth to 14th after kerb-induced suspension damage on lap five, while Garcia continued to lead by 2.7 seconds over Alessandro De Tullio. Elkin climbed to third, ahead of Douglas in fourth and Mossman in fifth. Manson moved into ninth.
A caution on lap eight for Bromley, retiring again after contact at Turn 12, was followed by another on lap 11 after Brady Golan crashed from eighth. By the restart on lap 15, Manson had climbed to sixth, directly behind Douglas.
Brienza’s drive-through penalty for avoidable contact shuffled the order further, and with five laps to go, Garcia had extended his lead to 4.5 seconds.
On lap 26, both Mossman and Douglas passed Elkin, only for Mossman to later drop to seventh. Douglas inherited third, Elkin reclaimed fourth, and Manson rose to fifth.
Garcia sealed a Portland double ahead of De Tullio, with Douglas taking third for his eighth podium of the season. Elkin and Manson rounded out the top five.
Douglas concluded 2025 with 15 top-ten finishes, 13 top fives, eight podiums, and a race win at Indianapolis. Manson ended his rookie campaign with six top-ten results, including one top five.
The series now shifts focus to the off-season, with teams preparing for the 2026 campaign and an official test at the Indianapolis Grand Prix Road Course on October 25–26.
Header Image: Gavin Baker Photography
