ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Turn 3 Motorsport kicked off the 2025 USF Pro 2000 Presented by Continental Tire season with a standout performance at the Andersen Interior Contracting Grand Prix of St. Petersburg this past weekend, where rookie Alessandro De Tullio claimed his first series victory in Race 1. De Tullio dominated the race in his #44 Astropay car, leading every lap from pole position to take the first win of the season, also securing the team’s fourth consecutive pole and win on the 1.8-mile, 14-turn street circuit.
The weekend began on a high note as De Tullio secured the pole position for Race 1 in his first-ever visit to the St. Petersburg street course. Elliot Cox also put in a strong qualifying performance, placing third, with Cooper Becklin in P8, Tyke Durst in P16, and Titus Sherlock in P17.
RACE 1 RECAP
De Tullio and Cox had a clean start off the line, maintaining P1 and P3, respectively, as the entire field got away without incident. Becklin initially dropped to P10 in the opening shuffle but quickly recovered to ninth, while Sherlock moved up to 14th and Durst gained a position before settling back into P16.
On Lap 2, as the field exited Turn 14, a multi-car incident unfolded in front of Sherlock, leaving him with nowhere to go. His car was launched over the rear tire of Frankie Mossman’s #6 machine, causing a dramatic barrel roll. Thankfully, Sherlock emerged unscathed, but his race ended with a DNF.
De Tullio and Cox managed a strong restart, holding their positions despite pressure from behind. However, another incident occurred shortly after, bringing out another full-course yellow which then allowed Becklin to work his way up to P6. When racing resumed, Cox dropped a position to Mac Clark’s #90 car but remained in the fight for a podium spot. Meanwhile, De Tullio stayed in control at the front, fending off challenges from Max Garcia’s #18 car.
Another caution period came at the race’s halfway mark, with Durst advancing to P14. On the Lap 16 restart, De Tullio defended hard to maintain the lead, keeping Garcia behind him. Becklin settled into P7, Cox remained in P4, and Durst held onto P14. As the race progressed under green, De Tullio built a comfortable gap over second place.
Cox stayed close to Clark in a bid to reclaim third but couldn’t find a way past. On Lap 23 of 25, De Tullio set the fastest lap of the race, securing the pole position for Race 2. On the final lap, Cox made an aggressive push to retake P3 but made contact with the wall at Turn 9, ending his race prematurely.
Becklin put in an impressive performance in his first visit to St. Petersburg, finishing P6, while Durst crossed the line in P13. De Tullio led all 25 laps in the #44 Astropay car to take his first USF Pro 2000 victory, marking Turn 3 Motorsport’s fourth consecutive win on the streets of St. Petersburg.
RACE 2 RECAP
De Tullio started from pole again for Sunday’s Race 2, with Cox in P3, Becklin in P6, Durst in P14, and Sherlock in P16. The field got away cleanly, with De Tullio maintaining the lead and Cox holding onto P3. Becklin quickly moved up to P5 but was soon overtaken by Mac Clark’s #90 car, settling back into sixth. By Lap 3, Durst had advanced to P12, while Sherlock dropped to P15.
On Lap 4, Cox battled side by side with Michael Costello’s #20 car out of Turn 1 and into Turn 2. Unfortunately, Costello’s car jumped the curb, pushing Cox into the wall in a heavy impact that ended his race early. Despite showing strong pace all weekend, Cox was unable to convert his speed into a podium finish.
Meanwhile, Sherlock encountered shifting issues early on and had to pit under yellow for repairs. The team managed to get him back on track, but he rejoined the field two laps down. On the Lap 8 restart, De Tullio got a great jump, immediately pulling away from the field. Becklin advanced to P5, while Durst moved into the top 10.
However, just one lap later, Durst was taken out of the race when Nicholas Monteiro’s #9 car made contact with him in Turn 1. With another restart on Lap 10, the second and third place cars of Mac Clark and Max Garcia both got a strong launch and overtook De Tullio, dropping him back to P3.
A few laps later, Max Taylor’s #88 car executed a pass on De Tullio in Turn 2, pushing him down further in the order. Then, on Lap 18, De Tullio made a small mistake, sending his #44 Astropay car into the Turn 4 tire barriers and marking Turn 3 Motorsport’s third DNF of the race.
With De Tullio, Cox, and Durst out, Becklin was now the team’s last remaining contender, holding onto P5. Unfortunately, on the Lap 22 restart, slight contact with Jacob Douglas’ #19 car caused Becklin to lose control and go off at Turn 4, making him the fourth Turn 3 driver to retire from Race 2.
Sherlock, despite his earlier setbacks, was able to complete the race and gain valuable experience, finishing P15 in his first appearance on the St. Petersburg street circuit.
#2 Cooper Becklin // Helmet House: "It was a great weekend, and I learned a lot about both the team and my own pace as we move forward into the next round of the season. Getting my first experience on a street circuit was a challenge, but I felt more comfortable with every session. The team did an incredible job preparing me, and I’m really happy with the progress we made. I’m looking forward to carrying this momentum into NOLA and getting back on track to keep improving!"
#3 Titus Sherlock // Mosaic Animal Health Center / Ronald McDonald House / Rayne Nutrition: "St. Petersburg was a major learning experience for me. I did make some mistakes over the weekend, but it’s all part of the process of learning this car and championship. Unfortunately, the crash in Race 1 was fully out of our hands, but the team rallied together to get my car out for Race 2, and I am so grateful for that. I’m looking forward to getting back in the car soon."
#22 Elliot Cox // Wings & Wheels Foundation / Driving for Dyslexia / Alderson Commercial Group / Zickler Associates / Chick-fil-A: “This weekend was full of great experiences for me. We showed we had top pace early on, qualifying in the top three for both races, but unfortunately it just wasn’t meant to be. Still, I learned a ton of very valuable lessons not only on the track but also off the track thanks to the crew at Turn 3 Motorsport.”
#33 Tyke Durst // Freight Handlers Inc. / Relay Payments / Drive Toward a Cure: “It was a tough ending to the weekend in St. Petersburg. I was running well in the second race until being caught in an incident going into Turn 3. The driver I made contact with was assessed a penalty for the incident, but my race was done. My family and I work incredibly hard to just to have a chance of chasing our dreams to go racing. The only thing we can do now is look forward and focus on our performance at New Orleans next month."
#44 Alessandro De Tullio // Astropay: “Overall, I’m very satisfied with the first race weekend of the year. It was amazing grabbing my first pole positions for both races and the Race 1 win. Unfortunately, my mistake cost us a DNF in Race 2, but this will make me stronger for the races to come. I can’t wait to get after it again at NOLA next month. Huge thanks to the team for the hard work and to my family, partners, and friends for the support.”
Team Owner, Peter Dempsey: “Once again, we showed great speed at the first race of the season. With a new group of drivers to be strong out of the box was great. Alessandro (De Tullio) and Elliot (Cox) both performed well in qualifying and had strong drives in Race 1. Alessandro did a fantastic job securing both pole positions and winning the opening race, and it was great to win the first race of the year again for the fourth time in a row. Unfortunately, Elliot wasn’t able to translate his speed into a podium finish. The second race was a tough one for all of our drivers and far from what we expected. However, I’m proud of the team’s effort throughout the weekend, especially their hard work in getting all five cars back on track for Race 2. We have a lot of work ahead to repair the cars, but we’ll come back even stronger at NOLA.”
Despite a challenging Race 2, De Tullio’s victory and strong overall performance places him third in the drivers' championship heading into the next round. The team will regroup and aim to build on the positives from the season opener as they prepare for the next event.
Turn 3 Motorsport will return to action in the next round of the USF Pro 2000 Championship at NOLA Motorsports Park from April 10-13, determined to continue their strong form and fight for more victories in 2025.