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T3M will return to the street course as reigning race winners in USF Pro 2000
St. Petersburg, Fla. (March 2, 2023) – Turn 3 Motorsport will kick off the 2023 USF Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires this weekend on the 1.8-mile, 14-turn street circuit situated in St. Petersburg, Florida. The team will take on the double race weekend season opener with a four car lineup in USF Pro 2000 comprised of drivers Michael d’Orlando, Jonathan Browne, Christian Brooks, and Jackson Lee. The team will return to St. Petersburg as the reigning pole and race winners, having taken the premier victory of the 2022 season with current INDY NXT driver Josh Green.
Driving the #1 USF Pro Championships/Priority Payments Systems car for Turn 3 Motorsport will be 2022 USF2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires champion Michael d’Orlando. The 20-year-old New York native is coming out of a standout year in USF2000, winning four races, five pole positions, and eight podiums, and ultimately claiming the overall title which earned him a scholarship to move up to USF Pro 2000 in 2023.
#1 Michael d'Orlando // USF Pro 2000
USF Pro Championships/Priority Payments Systems/Focused Project Management/Rising Star Racing/UFC Gym Mamaroneck/Turn 3 Motorsport Tatuus IP-22
“I’m really looking forward to my first USF Pro 2000 race on the streets of St. Petersburg,” said d’Orlando. “I can’t wait to see what Turn 3 Motorsport and I can do together, and I’m sure it will be great. I’ve always loved this event and can’t wait get on track in the #1 USF Pro Championships/Priority Payments Systems car.”
In the #2 JB Racing Tatuus IP-22 will be Irishman Jonathan Browne who is returning to the USF Pro 2000 series for his sophomore season. The 22-year-old Formula Ford Festival and Champion of Brands winner is a proven competitor who in his rookie Indy Pro 2000 season secured his first pole position at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Grand Prix and ended the season by taking the fastest overall time against new and returning competitors on day one of the official USF Pro Championships Fall Combine test.
#2 Jonathan Browne // USF Pro 2000
JB Racing / Motorsport Ireland / CRPS Awareness
“I’m really excited to get going here in St. Petersburg,” said Browne. “The team has had success here in the past, and we will hopefully add to that this weekend. We’ve had a great pre-season with a lot of successful testing, but now it’s finally time to go racing again.”
Joining the team for the weekend’s events will be 22-year-old Christian Brooks in the #3 OFTV/Turn 3 Motorsport car. A veteran of the Road to Indy, Brooks was a winner in St. Petersburg in his rookie USF2000 season in 2020 and finished fifth in the championship that year as well as earning the Hyperco Rookie of the Year honors and the AiM Sports Move of the Year Award. The following year, he had two wins, two poles, four podiums, and five top-five finishes in USF2000 in addition to two top-five finishes in the Indy Pro 2000 finale.
#3 Christian Brooks // USF Pro 2000
OFTV / Turn 3 Motorsport
“I’m pumped to get back on the streets of St. Petersburg in my OFTV/Turn 3 Motorsport ride,” said Brooks. “I’m very impressed with the work ethic of the team, reassuring me we have the means to compete for the win this weekend. Time to fight.”
Rounding out the team’s four car lineup is Jackson Lee in the #47 IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center/Browning Chapman/Prime 47 car. The 20-year-old Indiana native is graduating to USF Pro 2000 from two partial seasons in the USF2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires where he earned a total of four top-ten finishes, crossed the finish line in fifth place at Road America in 2022, won the Tilton Hard Charger Award in two races in 2021, claimed the fastest race lap at Mid-Ohio in 2021, and posted the second fastest lap in the official series test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the fall of 2021.
#47 Jackson Lee // USF Pro 2000
IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center/Race for RP/Prime 47/Browning Chapman
“I’m very excited to get the season started at one of my favorite events,” said Lee. “I am looking forward to the challenge of moving up to the next level and facing great competition. Turn 3 Motorsport and I have worked very hard over the off-season, and I can’t wait to see what we are capable of achieving together. Thank you to everyone with the team and all who have supported me and made this season possible.”
Peter Dempsey
Turn 3 Motorsport Team Owner
“It’s great to finally get to St. Petersburg,” said Team Owner Peter Dempsey. “It’s always such a great event, and it’s the perfect way to start the season on this street circuit. We have a great driver lineup, and I’m very excited to see how we perform this weekend. We have put in a lot of work over the off-season, so hopefully all the effort brings us results this weekend. It’s very important to start the season strongly, and that’s what we are aiming to do with all our drivers.”
Weekend festivities begin on Friday with official Practice and Qualifying sessions. Saturday and Sunday will each host a 25-lap race for the USF Pro 2000 Series. Live video coverage will be available on the USF Pro Championships app and YouTube channels throughout the weekend.
To stay up to date on Turn 3 Motorsport, follow the team on social media using the handle @turn3motorsport.
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Photos: Gavin Baker Photo / USF Pro Championships