2022 scholarship winner will progress to next step on USF Pro Championships ladder in 2023
Mundelein, Ill. (February 21, 2023) – 2022 USF2000 Presented by Cooper Tires champion and scholarship winner Michael d’Orlando has signed with Turn 3 Motorsport for the 2023 USF Pro 2000 Presented by Cooper Tires season. 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 title of overall champion in a season that came down to a thrilling last race shootout at Portland International Raceway.
A veteran of the USF Pro Championships Presented by Cooper Tires (formerly the Road to Indy), d’Orlando has three successful seasons of USF2000 under his belt, finishing fourth overall in his debut season and taking the vice champion title in 2021. In addition to his multiple poles, race wins, and podiums last season, d’Orlando scored a series-high 14 top-five finishes, three fastest race laps, a tie for the most races led, and the most laps led all season – including a weekend sweep of the Cooper Tires Freedom 75 oval race for the second year in a row – marking a truly incredible year for the young American.
A successful pre-season training program with Turn 3 Motorsport has shown d’Orlando quickly adapt to the Tatuus IP-22 car, proving the rookie will be a top competitor in 2023.
“I’m so excited to be back,” said d’Orlando. “Since the final USF2000 race in Portland last year, I’ve had very limited testing or any sort of driving time in general. I’m very appreciative of Turn 3 Motorsport’s support of me in the off-season, and I’ve absolutely loved working with them during pre-season testing. I’m confident that we can perform well together in my rookie year in the USF Pro 2000 series, especially in those beautiful USF Pro Championships scholarship colors. Bring on the season!”
“It’s a great honor for our team that the USF2000 scholarship winner has chosen us for his 2023 USF Pro 2000 program,” said Team Owner Peter Dempsey. “It shows how far we’ve come since joining the series in 2020. Michael has been a pleasure to have so far in our program throughout pre-season testing and has proved to us why he is a champion. He adapted to the IP-22 car very quickly and is certainly going to be a force to be reckoned with throughout the year. I’m confident we can give him the tools for a successful rookie season and look forward to carrying both Turn 3’s and Michael’s momentum into 2023.”
“The scholarship provided by Andersen Promotions and Cooper Tires gives these young drivers one of the best opportunities in the world to move up the ladder to the top level of motorsport,” continued Dempsey. “I know I wouldn’t be in the position I am in today without the support of Dan Andersen and Andersen Promotions during my racing career, so for us to come full circle and have our team as part of the scholarship program is a huge honor. I feel we have a strong driver lineup to push for the title this season, and we are proud to be representing the series champion in 2023.”
Turn 3 Motorsport will go into the season opener on the Streets of 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. The team went on to achieve a pole and/or podium at seven of nine race weekends with three different rookie drivers, establishing a strong foundation and winning program for d’Orlando’s 2023 USF Pro 2000 Championship campaign.
d’Orlando will drive the #1 USF Pro Championships/Priority Payments Systems/Focused Project Management/Turn 3 Motorsport car for the 2023 season. Other partners include UFC Gym Mamaroneck and Rising Star Racing.
This year’s competitors will gather February 27-28 for the official pre-season Spring Training at Sebring International Raceway followed by the first event of the USF Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires season on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida from March 3-5.
To stay up to date on Turn 3 Motorsport, follow the team on social media using the handle @turn3motorsport.
For more information or images, please contact Mandy Dempsey at turn3motorsport@gmail.com.
About Turn 3 Motorsport: Turn 3 Motorsport is a full-service operation specializing in racecar preparation, engineering, and driver development. Founded and managed by racecar driver and coach Peter Dempsey, T3M is focused on professional service, team member growth, and high-level performance across multiple racing series.
In 2019, the team secured the Blue Marble Cocktails Radical Cup North America championship titles in the 1340cc, 1500cc, and overall classes. Later that year, Peter and Turn 3 Motorsport achieved a record-breaking win at the NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill endurance race, piloting the #10 Eastern Racing / Turn 3 Motorsport Radical SR3 RSX 1340 to a dominating win, leading 638 out of 672 laps, and becoming the first car under two liters to achieve the overall win.
In the team’s rookie season, Turn 3 Motorsport attracted attention out of the gate by winning the season opener of the 2020 Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires in a sweeping performance with Singaporean driver Danial Frost. Frost and the team went on to achieve a pole position, six podium finishes, and third overall in the championship in 2020.
In 2021, T3M expanded its presence in the Road to Indy by introducing a two-car program into the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship alongside its Indy Pro 2000 Championship campaign. In its debut USF2000 season, the team found victory at the season finale with American driver Josh Green as well as earning an additional podium and fifth overall in the championship. The team earned further accolades in the Indy Pro 2000 series with a race win at the season finale by Irish driver James Roe as well as a pole position at World Wide Technology Raceway and seventh overall in the championship.
In 2022, T3M showed its strength and teamwork by achieving a podium, win, and/or pole at 7 of the 9 events on the Road to Indy calendar with drivers Josh Green, Jonathan Browne, and Christian Weir each earning the aforementioned results across two different series (USF2000 and Indy Pro 2000).
