Photo credit: Gavin Baker Photography

A total of three full-course cautions and loads of chaos engulfed the opening race of the USF Pro 2000 season on the Streets of St. Petersburg, but that didn’t stop polesitter Alessandro de Tullio from holding off the field and taking the win for Turn 3 Motorsport on Saturday afternoon.

de Tullio started the race on pole and defended against reigning USF2000 champion Max Garcia on the opening lap. The first caution came out on lap three when de Tullio’s teammate Titus Sherlock and Jay Howard Driver Development’s Frankie Mossman were involved in an incident in the final corner where after colliding, Sherlock’s car flipped multiple times into the wall on the exit of the hairpin.

The race only resumed for half a lap before the two drivers from New Zealand in the series, TJ Speed Motorsport’s Sebastian Manson and Pabst Racing’s Jacob Douglas collected each other in turn 1. Douglas was not able to get his car going away after a wheel was displaced.

de Tullio held off Garcia on the restart yet again on lap 10 as Exclusive Autosport’s Mac Clark had a good start behind them to move up into a podium spot. A third full-course yellow came out on lap 13. TJ Speed’s Ariel Elkin ended up in the wall in turn 9 to bring out the caution, getting the race to five retirees. de Tullio defended well on the next restart and kept the lead until the end of the race.

Rounding out the top five behind de Tullio, Garcia and Clark was Pabst’s Michael Costello and VRD’s Max Taylor after Turn 3’s Elliot Cox ended up in the wall defending for fourth. Full results can be found at usfpro2000.com/results.

Check out the next race at 8 a.m. tomorrow local time on the USF Pro Championships YouTube channel.