Resounding Success for the 2025 Yacademy Winter Series
The 2025 edition of the Yacademy Winter Series took place in February, featuring an exceptional lineup and breathtaking races. The event kicked off in Florida at the Homestead Miami Speedway from February 7 to 9 before heading to NOLA Motorsports Park in Louisiana from February 12 to 13. With over 30 cars registered, this edition set a new participation record, further solidifying the Yacademy Winter Series' growing prominence.
A Highly Anticipated Innovation: The SuperPole
The 2025 edition introduced a brand-new qualifying format, the SuperPole, which was quickly embraced by drivers and teams alike. Here’s how it works:
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20-minute open qualifying session for all competitors
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The top 8 advance to the SuperPole
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5-minute break between Q1 and Q2
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No fuel can be added, no tire changes or setup adjustments allowed
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Only tire pressure adjustments are permitted
This new qualification format added strategic depth and intensified competition. Joao Vergara (VRD Racing) became the first-ever driver to claim a SuperPole victory in Yacademy Winter Series history.
Thrilling Races at Homestead
Thursday was dedicated to practice sessions, allowing drivers maximum seat time with four sessions. Friday featured two additional practice sessions before the much-anticipated SuperPole.
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Race 1: Ty Fisher (Zanella Racing Team), despite missing out on the SuperPole, claimed an impressive victory ahead of his teammate Leonardo Escorpioni and Evan Cooley (Exclusive Autosport).
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Race 2: With the top 8 from the SuperPole starting in reverse order, Escorpioni took pole position. After an intense battle and a safety car intervention, Joao Vergara made a stunning comeback to secure victory ahead of Oliver Wheldon and Escorpioni.
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Race 3: A true spectacle, featuring wheel-to-wheel battles, multiple incidents, and an unforgettable photo finish! Evan Cooley narrowly claimed victory ahead of Vergara, with five cars fighting for the win at the finish line.
Off to NOLA: New Winners Emerge
The championship then moved to NOLA Motorsports Park, where the SuperPole once again delivered spectacular results.
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Race 1: Evan Cooley secured a dominant victory for Exclusive Autosport.
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Race 2: Ty Fisher claimed yet another win with a stellar performance.
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Race 3: Leonardo Escorpioni took the checkered flag, securing the podium ahead of Ty Fisher and Liam Loiacono.
A Champion is Crowned!
After thrilling battles and intense competition, Leonardo Escorpioni was crowned the 2025 Yacademy Winter Series Champion! He finished ahead of Evan Cooley and Ty Fisher in the overall standings. Additionally, the Zanella Racing Team clinched the Team Championship Title, thanks to their remarkable performances.
The 2025 edition will be remembered as one of the most exciting in Yacademy Winter Series history, with record-breaking team and driver participation, and ever-increasing competition levels.
See you in 2026 for another spectacular season!
Yacademy Track days - 2024 updated Schedule
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Yacademy Winter Series - 2024 Winter series races highlights
In a preview of drivers and teams taking part in the upcoming USF Juniors season, the 2024 YACademy Winter Series title came down to the very end, where Jack Jeffers won the championship over Sebastian Wheldon during the final race on Sunday morning. They started the last race 1st and 2nd, Wheldon being second only 1 point behind Jeffers.
Quote by Gustavo Yacaman - “ This was by far the most competitive year of the Yacademy Winter Series. I am honored by the turnout this year and very grateful for the support of the teams and drivers during this winter. The next off season cant come soon enough.”
The series consisted of three races on Thursday at Sebring International Raceway and two races on Saturday and one Sunday race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Twenty-one drivers, the most ever at a Yacademy Winter Series, took part across six teams, all six of which are competing in the upcoming USF Juniors season. The series also marked the competitive debut at the USF Juniors level for Sebastian Wheldon, son of two-time Indianapolis 500 champion Dan Wheldon and reigning champion of the Skip Barber Race Series.
Jeffers, driving for Exclusive Autosport, entered the final race with only a one point lead over Wheldon. Jeffers finished off closing a six-point gap entering the last three races at Homestead by winning the second race. He won again in the last race, securing his fourth straight win and the championship by 11 points. Wheldon, who was running in 3rd place, behind his teammate Max Taylor had a mechanical failure 3 laps from the end bringing a FCY that ended the race with Jeffers on top.
The race also secured Exclusive Autosport the team championship through the combined efforts of Jeffers and teammate Evan Cooley, who finished third in the standings.
Strong Week for Exclusive Autosport
Exclusive Autosport won the team championship and drivers championship in the same weekend. Jeffers won four of the six races and had five podiums during the six races, starting on pole twice as well.
Cooley was one of only two drivers to finish on the podium in all three of the races at Sebring. João Vergara moved steadily up the timesheets throughout the week, improving in each of the first four races from finishing 11th to finishing third. Vergara’s efforts were enough to hold off for fourth place in the championship by one point, securing Exclusive three of the top four spots in the championship standings.
Series Newcomers Shined
Drivers who were new to the USF Juniors series who practiced during the winter in test days held by YACademy at circuits like Barber Motorsports Park and NOLA Motorsports Park shined now that they have gotten experience in a race weekend.
One of the rookie standouts was Leonardo Escorpioni finished fifth in the championship for Zanella Racing after winning the second race at Sebring at only 13 years old. California native G3 Argyros got his first podium in race cars after finishing in second place in the second race at Homestead on Saturday afternoon.
Standings after all six races
1. Jack Jeffers - 47
2. Sebastian Wheldon - 36
3. Evan Cooley - 32
4. João Vergara - 18
5. Leonardo Escorpioni - 17
6. G3 Argyros - 14
7. Patricio Gonzalez - 13
8. Max Taylor - 12
9. Rodrigo Gonzalez - 10
10. Aidan Potter - 6
More About the YACademy Winter Series:
YACademy operates its winter series to provide a friendly environment for drivers to improve their skills during the winter break. Through its test days at nationally-renowned circuits and the winter series, drivers have the chance to hone their skills ahead of the upcoming season.
On top of the winter series for USF Juniors drivers and teams, USF2000 and USF Pro 2000 testing is also available at all YACademy dates. YACademy is an official corporate partner of the USF Pro Championships.
The YACademy Winter Series is operated by Promoter Gustavo Yacaman, who has taken part in prestigious series such as IMSA, WEC and Blancpain GT and has also spent years competing in junior formula categories like Formula 3, Formula BMW and Indy Lights.
For more information about YACademy, contact Gustavo at gusty@gustavoyacaman.com or over the phone at 317-414-1124
SAVE THE DATE! New Yacademy track day at Barber on March!
SAVE THE DATE:
We are thrilled to announce that we have set a new testing date
at Barber Motorsports Park on March 25th, 2024!
December 15th, first day of practice in NOLA!
The new 2023/2024 Yacademy Winter Series schedule is here!
Special Announcement: The new race schedule for the 2023/2024 season is now available!
Check out the exciting calendar and discover the challenges that await you.
Access the full program here and register for those practice and race days !
Get ready for action, competition, and memorable sports moments! 🚀
#YacademyWinterSeries #2023/2024
Jacob Douglas and Kekai Hauanio Crowned Champions at Yacademy Winter Series 2023 Championships for USF Juniors and Winter Series B Categories.
The Yacademy Winter Series 2023 Championships concluded with a bang last February 12th, 2023, with Jacob Douglas and Kekai Hauanio emerging as the champions in the USF Juniors and Winter Series B categories, respectively.
The competition began on February 7th and 8th at Sebring International Raceway, where the first three races took place, followed by the remaining three races held at Homestead Miami Speedway over the weekend of February 11th and 12th. Twenty talented drivers participated in this year's championship, showcasing their skills and determination to come out on top.
In the USF Juniors category, it was Jacob Douglas in the #92 Exclusive Autosports entry who secured the Championship title with an impressive display of driving skills and a total of 53 points. Followed by Max Taylor (#24), who finished in second place with 34 points, and Zack Ping (#17), who took third place with 30 points.
In the Winter Series B category, Kekai Hauanio in the #29 New't Racing entry demonstrated exceptional talent and consistency throughout the competition, earning a total of 41 points and ultimately clinching the Championship title. Second place was secured by Frankie Mossman (#6), who finished with 39 points, and third place by Michael Boyiadzis (#3), with a total of 39 points.
The Yacademy Winter Series has been known to provide a leg up to competitors, with its alumni finishing in the top five throughout the open-wheel ladder in 2021. Winter Series graduates Kyffin Simpson (FR Americas) and Christian Rasmussen (Indy Pro 2000) each earned pro racing championships in 2021, proving the effectiveness of the Winter Series in nurturing future racing stars.
The Yacademy Winter Series 2023 Championships were an exciting and thrilling competition, and we look forward to seeing the promising young drivers make their mark in the world of motorsports.
For more information, please contact:
Yacademy Press Team