PORTLAND, Ore. – Australian driver Lochie Hughes successfully clinched the 2024 USF Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Continental Tire with a stellar performance at the Continental Tire Grand Prix of Portland season finale, also securing the first championship win for Turn 3 Motorsport. Hughes’ triumph marks a significant milestone for the 22-year-old and the team, as he now advances with a scholarship prize valued at $681,500 to compete in the INDY NXT series, the final stepping stone to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and the iconic Indianapolis 500.
Hughes’ remarkable rookie season was capped off with multiple accolades, including four pole positions, five wins, six additional podiums and the Rookie of the Year award, which comes with a $7,500 prize. Turn 3 Motorsport also shined off the track, with Neil O’Donovan and Matthew McComish earning the Makita Tools Mechanics of the Year award, and Peter Dempsey receiving the inaugural Marelli Engineer of the Year honor, a distinction given to one standout engineer across the entire USF Pro Championships ladder.
RACE 1 RECAP:
Race 1 at the 1.964-mile, 12-turn road course of Portland International Raceway kicked off under challenging rainy conditions, with a wet track causing multiple cars to spin and slide off at the start in Turn 1. Hughes managed to navigate the #44 car through the treacherous opening laps and settled into third place, displaying caution and long-term strategy as the race continued to unfold.
Danny Dyszelski also made it through the opening lap disarray, moving up to fifth, while Tyke Durst followed suit and climbed up to 10th.
Following a restart on Lap 4, Hughes carefully maintained his position amid the chaos, ultimately dropping to sixth over the following laps but keeping his eye on the bigger prize. With his main championship competitor Jace Denmark spinning out and falling a lap down after the restart, Hughes knew he just needed to finish the race at that point to lock in the championship title. And that he did; a sixth-place finish in Race 1 secured the championship title for Hughes with one race still to go, a testament to his consistency and skill throughout the season.
Meanwhile, Dyszelski fought hard to hold his ground in the remaining laps and brought the #3 car home in a well-earned seventh position, crossing the finish line just behind Hughes.
Durst had worked his way forward to a season-high eighth position on track, but unfortunately faced setbacks after missing the corner in Turn 1, forcing him to relinquish his gains temporarily and ultimately placing him 12th for Race 1.
RACE 2 RECAP:
With the championship title locked in, Saturday’s race saw Hughes continue his strong form with a second-place start in the final race of the season. Hughes pushed hard to chase down leader Nikita Johnson throughout 30 green laps of racing but conclusively ended up with a second-place finish for the final event, marking his 11th time on the podium in 18 races.
Dyszelski lost a few positions at the start of the race but showcased his overtaking prowess, moving up from P14 to P8 with a series of impressive passes, including an outside move on the #65 car of Noah Ping at Turn 1. After climbing up to eighth, the 16-year-old worked to close a significant gap to the #10 car of Jorge Garciarce but couldn’t quite get close enough in the remaining laps, finishing P8 and earning his 11th top-10 finish of the season.
Tyke Durst had another promising start with a season high qualifying position of P10, but an off-track moment at Turn 12 alongside the #26 car of Liam Sceats put the 21-year-old on the back foot once again. Durst found himself stuck at the back of the pack from that point forward, and with no yellow flags to bunch up and reset the field, Durst concluded Race 2 in P15.
#44 Lochie Hughes // Private Wealth Planning / The McGinley Group / Grip Auto Timepieces: “2024 Champions! We did exactly what we needed to do in Portland to seal the deal. I can’t thank my Turn 3 Motorsport family enough for everything they have done for me this year. I say family because it really is one. To see the whole team crying after we won was something I’ve never seen before, and it shows how much it means to everyone involved. I’m incredibly proud to have driven for this team, and I’m sad it’s over but so grateful to everyone at Turn 3 for this incredible season.”
#3 Danny Dyszelski // Vera Guitars / Formula Imports / Charlotte Mechanical: “It was a decent end to a very strong rookie season. I made a mistake in qualifying which ended up hurting our overall results for this weekend, but we were still able to bring home a pair of top-10 finishes to end the year. I’m super proud of the incredible car Turn 3 Motorsport gave me all year and happy with the results we were able to achieve in our rookie season.”
#33 Tyke Durst // FHI / Relay Payments / Drive Toward a Cure: “Portland was a tough one. We had decent pace and made up positions in the starts of both races, but unfortunately, mistakes I made took us out of easy top-10 finishes. This year has been incredibly challenging as a driver. There were many races that were looking good until something happened. I’ll take those lessons to heart this off season and get after it going into 2025. A huge thank you to Turn 3 Motorsport for always giving me a great car and for all the support in my rookie season.”
Team Owner, Peter Dempsey: “First off, I’m very proud of the effort that Lochie (Hughes) and all of our drivers put into this year. We were very fortunate to have such a great group of drivers this year from start to finish. I’m super thankful that Lochie was able to win the championship—the first one for our team. It’s a moment that will never be forgotten. He truly deserves his prize, and I want to wish him the best moving forward into 2025 and beyond. It was a pleasure to work with him through the year, and we truly enjoyed every moment.
“A huge thank you also to all the effort our whole crew put in all year long to be able to pull this off. I’m thankful for every person who was a part of our team from the start of the season until the end. None of this would be possible without the people we had in our program this year. I’m grateful to have such a strong group of people to allow us to perform at the highest level as a team.
“Thank you also to my wife and team co-owner Mandy (Dempsey) who is the glue to this whole program. Her efforts have never gone unnoticed throughout the season. Now we turn our attention to 2025, and I know how determined we are as a team to keep this momentum going. It was an amazing year, and now we are aiming to come back even stronger in 2025.”
With the conclusion of the 2024 USF Pro 2000 Championship season, all focus shifts forward into post-season testing and the series-wide Fall Combine event at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway October 19-20.