ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A little over 12 months ago, Christian Brooks left St. Petersburg, Fla., unable to make his first career start in USF Pro 2000 presented by Cooper Tires following a destructive crash in qualifying.
Once a winner on the unforgiving streets in USF2000 competition, the Santa Clarita, Calif., native made a victorious comeback to the sport by qualifying on pole position for the Discount Tire Grand Prix of St. Petersburg and then leading from flag to flag in Saturday afternoon’s race.
Two more former USF2000 race winners in St. Petersburg completed the podium with Kiko Porto finishing second for DEForce Racing ahead of Myles Rowe who drives for Pabst Racing.
Brooks, who cemented his deal to join the Turn 3 Motorsport team shortly before the opening race of the season, laid down the best lap in qualifying yesterday afternoon to claim the Cooper Tires Pole Award. After the first attempt at the start for Saturday’s 25-lap race was waved off with the field improperly formed, Brooks maintained his advantage at the green flag to lead into the first corner.
One of the race’s casualties was last year’s USF2000 championship and scholarship winner Michael d’Orlando, who had lined up sixth on the grid for Turn 3 Motorsport, but was tipped into a spin at the first corner and lost a lap before he was able to resume.
Brooks drove a masterful race to keep the snarling pack of cars behind him at the restart, and with overtaking opportunities few and far between on the 1.8-mile street circuit, he was able to dictate the pace and remain ahead of Porto.
Rowe remained hot on Porto’s tail in third, grateful to finish on the podium on his USF Pro 2000 debut, while fellow rookie Francesco Pizzi took fourth for TJ Speed Motorsports. Ushijima finished just ahead of Jace Denmark in sixth while Salvador de Alba, Yuven Sundaramoorthy and Joel Granfors completed the top 10.
Keyword: Brooks Finds Redemption On The Streets Of St. Pete