GREENFIELD — At the beginning of his Formula 4 racing career, Eastern Hancock student Logan Adams was already talking about his next step — the USF2000 series.
A level that, at the time, he thought wouldn’t be reached until next year.
It came much quicker than expected.
Last weekend, Adams not only competed in his second USF2000 event, he reached the podium for the first time.
At the Toronto Grand Prix, Adams placed third and was just 1.38 seconds behind first place.
“I was ecstatic. I loved it, and I just want to feel that feeling all the time,” Adams said. “We’re going to keep pushing so that we can experience that more and more. It was a good building step, and I’m excited to see what we can do in going forward.”
The trip to Toronto was a doubleheader for Adams and included two qualifying runs and two races. In both runs, Adams qualified in the 13th spot, but had higher finishes in both races.
Along with the third-place finish in the first race, he placed 11th in the second race of the weekend, and was on pace for a much higher finish until a hit from behind caused him to spin out.
The races were Adams first time on a street course with concrete walls around the track, and only his second time in the USF car.
“We’re getting to the point where we’re comfortable in F4 and know that we can be fast and put out some good results. We’re moving up to kind of get a jumpstart on it and get those first few races and jitters out of the way,” Adams said. “We just want to be comfortable and know what we’re going into next year if that’s what we end up running. Just getting our toes in the water for the next step.”
While Adams has made the leap and experienced what USF races are like, he is continuing with the Formula 4 season as well.
In May, he competed in the Formula 4 Road America SpeedTour in Wisconsin and placed 9th, 11th, and 23rd in the three races. In June, he placed 9th, 10th and 11th at the PERMCO Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio.
For him, the difference between the two is very noticeable.
“The F4 car kind of moseys around in comparison and it takes a while to get to full throttle,” Adams said. “You can be a little more aggressive with the cars in F4, but in USF you have to kind of just let the car do what it wants.”
The Formula 4 car tops out at speeds of 140 miles per hour, while the USF car can reach a max speed of 160. Learning to control a car that fast has been the biggest learning curve for Adams.
“There’s definitely a speed difference, that’s for sure. The car dances around a little bit, and you have to deal with some wheel spin coming around corners. You have to be easier on the throttle, easy with your hands, and confident,” Adams said. “You have to know that every little movement is going to mean something. If you turn, it’s going to turn, and if you brake it’s going to brake.”
Helping him in both series has been his ability to learn to be more aggressive and trust his instincts and skill as a driver.
“I’ve been working a lot on my aggression. Just getting comfortable being close to cars and making close passes,” Adams said. “It’s been a learning curve for me being that close to other guys going that fast and in that big of machinery. I’m getting used to it and just trying to learn that the car is going to fit even where I don’t think it will.”
Adams will continue to race in both series this season and will attempt to secure a USF license for next year. He will run tests where he is tested on his driving style, driving ability, and his knowledge of the cars and racing in the hopes of earning a license for the 2024 USF2000 Pro Series.
“If they think that you are well-suited and can be safe around other cars, then they’ll give you the license,” Adams said. “You also have to prove to them that you’re going to be fast because they don’t want slow guys in there either. You have to prove that you can run with the top guys because right now those top guys are on the way to be in IndyCar.”
Adams will close out the year with three F4 races and one more USF race.
Next weekend he will return to F4 and compete at the New Jersey Motorsports Park. On October 5-8 he will be at the Virginia International Raceway for another F4 event, and will close out the F4 season November 2-5 at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.
His next USF race will be August 31 to September 3 at the Portland International Raceway.
