PHOTO CREDIT: Elevate Motorsport Marketing

By: Eddie Fuhrer

Over the next week, 20 drivers will be racing at Sebring and Homestead-Miami in the YACAdemy Winter Series as they prepare for the 2023 season.

Between Feb. 8 and Feb. 9, the YACAdemy Winter Series will hold three races at Sebring.

The second tripleheader round at Homestead will happen this weekend on Feb. 11 and Feb. 12.

That means, there are six races in total for drivers and teams to improve and perfect aspects of their performance before the upcoming season.

Here are three things to watch out for during the YACAdemy Winter Series.

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#1: The brand-new Tatuus JR-23 USF Juniors chassis

One of the main stories heading into the YACAdemy Winter Series is the brand-new Tatuus JR-23 chassis which will be ran in the USF Juniors series this season.

Last year, the F4 United States Championship and USF Juniors ran identical chassis. The only difference was in that the two series had different tire manufacturers. This year, the USF Juniors chassis will more closely align with the other steps of the USF Pro Championships ladder.

From USF Pro Championships:

Upgrades include a new, wider monocoque with the addition of a Halo-type device as well as new sidepods, underfloor, engine cover, air ducts, damper cover and fuel cell.

Modifications for the USF Juniors series include the uprights, brake package, dampers and wheels. The USF2000 2-liter MZR powerplant prepared by Elite Engines will use a different restrictor plate producing 150 horsepower. The Cooper tire-shod chassis will feature the latest Magneti Marelli data logger and ECU.

It will be fascinating once the USF Juniors and F4 cars take to the track to see what the differences will be between them. Also, it will be interesting to see in the long term if this new chassis will better prepare USF Juniors drivers for further competition in USF Pro Championships.

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#2: How the USF Juniors drivers approach racing around Sebring

Sebring is back on the USF Juniors calendar this year as the opening race. Not only that, it is also the location of the USF Pro Championships official season test later this month.

This week, we will look at how teams have set their cars up so far and what adjustments will have to be made in the series test in order to be competitive in the opening weekend. Teams will have a unique chance to test setups and make adjustments in a more competitive environment than the typical practice session.

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#3: Which drivers will stand out?

One of the most exciting and mysterious parts about preseason tests and races is we never quite know which drivers will be near the top of the timesheets. I wanted to look at five drivers that could turn some heads during the winter series.

Michael Costello – Jay Howard Driver Development

Costello was fastest in both the dry and wet during F4 testing in New Orleans, telling us the former karting standout will be one of the key people to keep an eye on throughout the winter series. Costello is only 16 and will be younger than most of the guys that will also race this week. Costello does, however, have a ton of raw potential and will definitely be a guy to watch.

Max Taylor – Velocity Racing Development

Max Taylor had a great year in karting in 2022, finishing third in the X30 Junior class of the SKUSA Pro Tour and winning a title as part of the Stars Championship Series. There is no doubt that it will be fascinating to see him make the jump to USF Juniors this upcoming year. For Taylor, this could be a week where many people who follow USF Juniors might realize how quick of a driver he can be.

Frankie Mossman – Jay Howard Driver Development

Frankie Mossman has taken the experience he got in a car in Indianapolis in USF 2000 and has ran with with it. After seeing his speed in New Orleans, I think between that and his 2022, there is a serious possibility that he can be right near the top in the Winter Series and throughout the course of the F4 season.

Zack Ping – Velocity Racing Development

With his brother Noah achieving success in F4, Zack Ping is one of the drivers that could contend in USF Juniors this upcoming season. In 2022, he was consistently in the front of the field when he drove a Porsche in the World Racing League GP1 class. Ping is now making the switch to open wheel racing. When we sat down to interview him back in December, he said his hopes were high going into the upcoming year.

Ward Hix – Jensen Global Advisors

Out of the drivers who finished in the top 10 in both days of F4 testing, Ward Hix is an under the radar guy who was consistently within striking distance of some of the drivers on the larger teams in the series. In 2022 in the Formula Development Series, Hix jumped into a car for the first time and got on the podium. I wanted to shine a light on Hix because he has not had much seat time but has been becoming more and more consistent and finding his footing in these cars.