MARKHAM, Ont., Canada – The inaugural USF Pro Championships Continental Tire Grand Prix of Markham, part of the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy at Markham in Ontario, proved to be an unpredictable event for Exclusive Autosport, as the USF2000 field took on the brand-new temporary street circuit for the first time. With construction of the course still being completed on Friday, all on-track activity was canceled, forcing the series into a shortened practice session on Saturday morning before qualifying was ultimately scrapped and the Race 1 grid was set by championship points. Despite the limited track time, EA came out strong, with Evan Cooley leading the charge with a third-place podium finish ahead of Ontario native Anthony Martella following closely behind in fourth at his home race. Cooley backed up his podium with a fourth-place finish on Sunday to advance to fourth in the championship standings. The team fielded entries for a total of six drivers in USF2000, with Evan Cooley and Martella being joined under the EA tent by Gabriel and Ayrton Cahan, Brenden Cooley and Cole Medeiros. Ayrton Cahan was the Hard Charger in Race 2, driving from the back of the field to post a weekend-best result of eighth, while Gabriel finished 12th in Race 1. Brenden Cooley advanced eight positions in Race 1 to finish 14th, while Medeiros suffered the worst luck of the squad, getting taken out by other drivers in both races.

"Markham threw just about everything at us, and I’m proud of how the team responded," said Michael Duncalfe, Co-Owner and CEO of Exclusive Autosport. “Evan delivered a strong podium and backed it up Sunday with a solid drive finishing just off the podium. All of our drivers showed strong pace, however unfortunately got caught up in the chaos that ensued during the races. It was a challenging weekend but there are a lot of positives to take into the finale at Road America at the end of September.”

After losing the entirety of Friday’s scheduled track activity while construction of the temporary street circuit was completed, the USF2000 drivers finally got their first taste of the new 2.1-mile, 12-turn street course on Saturday morning in a shortened practice session. With the compressed schedule leaving no room for qualifying, Race 1 was lined up based on championship points, placing Evan Cooley in fifth, Anthony Martella in seventh, Ayrton Cahan in ninth, Gabriel Cahan in 10th, Cole Medeiros in 20th, and Brenden Cooley in 22nd on the grid. When racing finally got underway on Saturday afternoon, Cooley and Martella made the most of their first race on the new circuit, charging forward to finish third and fourth, respectively. Gabriel Cahan gained a position to finish 12th, while Brenden Cooley made an impressive drive through the chaotic field from 22nd to 14th. Medeiros moved forward, climbing from 20th to 18th, but a late-race incident caused him to finish a lap down, while Ayrton Cahan’s race ended early after completing six laps.

Sunday’s Race 2 was nothing short of chaotic, with a caution-riddled contest that saw just four laps completed under green and 14 of the 18 laps run behind the safety car. Evan Cooley and Ayrton Cahan were the only two Exclusive Autosport drivers to survive the carnage and make it to the checkered flag, with Cooley finishing fourth and Cahan putting together a strong drive from the tail of the grid to finish eighth. For the rest of the EA squad, the race was defined by incidents caused by other drivers. Anthony Martella, Gabriel Cahan, Cole Medeiros and Brenden Cooley all saw their races derailed by contact and incidents around them, bringing a frustrating end to a weekend that had already thrown nearly every possible challenge at the team. Despite the attrition, Evan and Ayrton kept their cars clean through the chaos to secure a pair of top-eight finishes for EA in the inaugural Grand Prix of Markham.

The EA USF2000 drivers and crew will now enjoy a five-week break before heading to Road America on September 24-27 for the USF Pro Championships season finale.

Qualifying: 5th – Based on Points

Race 1: Start – 5th / Finish – 3rd

Race 2: Start – 5th / Finish – 4th    

Driver Quote: “It was a good weekend overall, scoring some valuable points with a podium in Race 1 and a top-five in Race 2 after qualifying was canceled. A huge thanks to the team as always for the fast car from session one, and to all my sponsors for their support.”

Qualifying: 7th – Based on Points

Race 1: Start – 7th / Finish – 4th  

Race 2: Start – 4th / Finish – 14th (Contact)

Driver Quote: “We had very strong pace throughout the weekend, but unfortunately due to a lack of green flag laps as well as qualifying being canceled, we couldn’t show our true potential. Race 2 ended in heartbreak as we saw ourselves running P2, and when the opportunity for the lead came, I took it, and unfortunately, due to a racing incident, we could not continue. Still proud of the fight we showed; the whole crew at Exclusive Autosport did a great job as usual. Thank you to my engineer, Lou D’Agostino, driver coach Oliver Askew, and team owners Josh Cooley and Michael Duncalfe for always having my back. Special shoutout to all the great fans around the track, and all my friends, family, and supporters who were cheering for me and our #92 Corpay Cross-Border Solutions car. Tough one to take, but I know this will only make us stronger. We keep working!”

Qualifying: 10th – Based on Points

Race 1: Start – 10th / Finish – 12th

Race 2: Start – 9th / Finish – 17th (Contact)

Driver Quote: “This weekend was rough on the points side. The Exclusive crew put together a great package for this new track, and we had a lot of pace. Sadly, we just missed out on luck. After getting hit in Race 1 from sixth, I showed how much speed we had by driving back to 12th. In Race 2, it was the same thing, making my way to sixth before getting hit in the hairpin again, this time ending my race. Really frustrating way to end. I want to thank my engineer, Robert Podlesni, for everything he’s done for me this season, and my mechanic, Rod, for all the help this year. I’ll miss them at the season finale at Road America.”

 

Qualifying: 9th – Based on Points

Race 1: Start – 9th / Finish – 22nd (Contact)

Race 2: Start – 22nd / Finish – 8th

Driver Quote: “Canada definitely had a bag full of emotions for us. The EA crew did an amazing job and provided me with a great package for this weekend. We had insane speed from the get-go. In Race 1, an error on my part took me out of the running before I even got a chance to show what we could do. This left us starting Race 2 from the back with a lot of work to do. We charged from 22nd to 12th in just three laps. The rest of the race was super chaotic and filled with cautions, but we managed to keep our nose mostly clean and come home with a P8. The results didn’t show the speed we had. Massive thank you to my engineer Robert Podlesni, my mechanic Kyle Kennedy, and my parents. Onto Road America next.”

Qualifying: 22nd – Based on Points

Race 1: Start – 22nd / Finish – 14th

Race 2: Start – 17th / Finish – 22nd (Contact)

Driver Quote: “I had a lot of fun taking on a brand-new challenge and learning the street circuit at Markham. Every session gave us a chance to improve, adapt, and get more comfortable with the track. It was a great experience that taught us a lot and gave us plenty to build on. We’ll carry everything we learned this weekend into next year and come back even stronger. Thank you to my engineer Zach Leedy, mechanic Remington Tarr, and my parents.”

Qualifying: 20th – Based on Points

Race 1: Start – 20th / Finish – 18th (Contact)

Race 2: Start – 20th / Finish – 16th (Contact)

Driver Quote: “Markham was one of the most challenging race weeks I’ve faced, especially being my first-ever street race. It wasn’t the weekend I wanted, but it taught me a lot about the car and what it takes to race on a street circuit. I’m going to take everything I learned, work on what I need to improve, and come back stronger.  I would like to thank everyone at Exclusive Autosport and my parents for making this week possible.”

Exclusive Autosport is pleased to be able to partner with a great company - Corpay Cross-Border Solutions, which specializes in helping companies of all sizes power their international payments, manage their currency risk and support their global growth.

Exclusive Autosport is also happy to partner with the state-of-the-art establishment of Autobahn Country Club and their Autobahn Driver Academy. This collaboration will offer aspiring racers comprehensive training in open-wheel racing, leveraging EA’s proven track record of success in developing talent from grassroots levels to professional racing careers. The academy will benefit from EA’s innovative coaching techniques and its commitment to driver excellence.