Nikita Johnson (born 25 May 2008) is an American racing driver who is currently competing in the 2024 USF Pro 2000 Championship, driving for Velocity Racing Development.[1][2]
| Nikita Johnson | |
|---|---|
 Johnson at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in 2024 | |
| Nationality |  American |
| Born | Nikita Johnson 25 May 2008 Saint Petersburg, Florida, United States |
| USF Pro 2000 Championship career | |
| Debut season | 2023 |
| Current team | Velocity Racing Development |
| Car number | 17 |
| Starts | 5 (5 entries) |
| Wins | 2 |
| Podiums | 4 |
| Poles | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 2 |
| Best finish | 17th in 2023 |
| Previous series | |
| 2022–23 2022 2022 | USF2000 Championship USF Juniors YACademy Winter Series |
| Championship titles | |
| 2022 | YACademy Winter Series |
Career
editUSF2000 Championship
edit2023
editOn October 6, 2022, it was announced that Johnson would compete full-time in the 2023 USF2000 Championship driving for Velocity Racing Development.[3]
USF Pro 2000 Championship
edit2023
editOn August 21, 2023, Johnson announced that he would make his USF Pro 2000 Championship debut at the Circuit of the Americas driving for Velocity Racing Development.[4] He would compete in rounds 14-18.
In race 1 at COTA, he would finish on the podium behind fellow USF Pro 2000 debutant Mac Clark and race winner Kiko Porto. In race 2, Johnson started third behind Clark and Porto. He managed to get past Clark in the opening laps and closed the gap to Porto. On lap 7, Johnson battled with Porto for the lead and Johnson emerged victorious. He extended his gap to Porto to over 17 seconds by races end to win the race. Johnson not only became the youngest race winner in the history of the USF Pro 2000 Championship at age 15, but he also became the first driver to win on all three levels of the USF Pro Championships ladder.[5]
At the final round of the season at Portland International Raceway, Johnson qualified seven tenths of a second off pole position.[6] In the final race of the season, Johnson lined up second alongside Michael d'Orlando. Johnson would take the lead of the race going into the first corner. The race was hectic with multiple safety cars and on-track incidents. After the final restart on lap 23, the race would remain green for the final seven laps, and Johnson would go on to win his second race in only five starts.[7]
2024
editOn November 30, 2023, it was announced that Johnson would compete full-time in the 2024 USF Pro 2000 Championship driving for Velocity Racing Development.[2]
GB3 Championship
edit2024
editOn February 21, 2024, Johnson announced that he would be participating in the 2024 GB3 Championship driving for VRD Racing by Arden. However, he only began the GB3 season from round three since he had to sit out the first two rounds because he was still only 15 years old at the time, and the minimum age requirement for GB3 is 16.[8]
2025
editJohnson is set to contest his first full season of GB3 in 2025, moving over to Hitech Pulse-Eight.[9]
Racing record
editCareer summary
edit| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Poles | F/Laps | Podiums | Points | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | YACademy Winter Series | Velocity Racing Development | 6 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 103 | 1st |
| USF Juniors | 16 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 10 | 352 | 3rd | ||
| USF2000 Championship | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 85 | 18th | ||
| 2023 | USF2000 Championship | Velocity Racing Development | 18 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 344 | 2nd |
| USF Pro 2000 Championship | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 118 | 17th | ||
| 2024 | USF Pro 2000 Championship | Velocity Racing Development | 18 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 355 | 2nd |
| GB3 Championship | VRD Racing by Arden | 18 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 193 | 11th | |
| 2025 | GB3 Championship | Hitech Pulse-Eight |
* Season still in progress.
American open–wheel racing results
editUSF2000 Championship
edit(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap) (Races with * indicate most race laps led)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Velocity Racing Development | STP 1 |
STP 2 |
ALA 1 |
ALA 2 |
IMS 1 |
IMS 2 |
IMS 3 |
IRP |
ROA 1 19 |
ROA 2 8 |
MOH 1 16 |
MOH 2 4 |
MOH 3 8 |
TOR 1 |
TOR 2 |
POR 1 2 |
POR 2 17 |
POR 3 18 |
18th | 85 |
| 2023 | Velocity Racing Development | STP 1 3 |
STP 2 1* |
SEB 1 16 |
SEB 1 8 |
IMS 1 3* |
IMS 2 3 |
IMS 3 2 |
IRP 5 |
ROA 1 3 |
ROA 2 5 |
MOH 1 5 |
MOH 2 4 |
MOH 3 2 |
TOR 1 7* |
TOR 2 18 |
POR 1 4 |
POR 2 3 |
POR 3 7 |
2nd | 344 |
USF Pro 2000 Championship
edit(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap) (Races with * indicate most race laps led)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Velocity Racing Development | STP 1 |
STP 2 |
SEB 1 |
SEB 2 |
IMS 1 |
IMS 2 |
IRP |
ROA 1 |
ROA 2 |
MOH 1 |
MOH 2 |
TOR 1 |
TOR 2 |
COTA 1 3 |
COTA 1 1* |
POR 1 14 |
POR 2 2 |
POR 3 1* |
17th | 118 |
| 2024 | Velocity Racing Development | STP 1 4 |
STP 2 1 |
LOU 1 2 |
LOU 2 1 |
LOU 3 1* |
IMS 1 1* |
IMS 2 DSQ |
IMS 3 2* |
IRP 17 |
ROA 1 7 |
ROA 2 13 |
ROA 3 6 |
MOH 1 1* |
MOH 2 1* |
TOR 1 17 |
TOR 2 12 |
POR 1 1* |
POR 2 1* |
2nd | 355 |
Complete GB3 Championship results
edit(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | VRD by Arden | OUL 1 |
OUL 2 |
OUL 3 |
SIL1 1 |
SIL1 2 |
SIL1 3 |
SPA 1 9 |
SPA 2 Ret |
SPA 3 Ret |
HUN 1 16 |
HUN 2 12 |
HUN 3 118 |
ZAN 1 9 |
ZAN 2 6 |
ZAN 3 11 |
SIL2 1 10 |
SIL2 2 14 |
SIL2 3 94 |
DON 1 14 |
DON 2 12 |
DON 3 115 |
BRH 1 6 |
BRH 2 9 |
BRH 3 1 |
11th | 193 |
References
edit- ^ "Driver: Nikita Johnson". 28 August 2023.
- ^ a b "Johnson Returns to USF Pro 2000 for Championship Assault with VRD Racing". www.usfpro2000.com. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
- ^ Wood, Ida (2022-10-06). "VRD brings 14-year-old Nikita Johnson into USF2000 full-time for 2023". Formula Scout. Retrieved 2023-09-30.
- ^ "Johnson to Make USF Pro 2000 Debut with VRD Racing at COTA". www.usfpro2000.com. Retrieved 2023-09-30.
- ^ "Johnson becomes youngest winner in USF Pro 2000 on debut at COTA". RACER. 2023-08-27. Retrieved 2023-09-30.
- ^ Wood, Ida (2023-09-01). "D'Orlando pips Johnson to Portland pole in USF Pro 2000". Formula Scout. Retrieved 2023-09-30.
- ^ Wood, Ida (2023-09-04). "Nikita Johnson gets his second win from five USF Pro 2000 starts". Formula Scout. Retrieved 2023-09-30.
- ^ "Nikita Johnson to Make European Debut in the GB3 Championship for 2024 // Infinity Sports Management". www.infinitysportsmanagement.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-04-06.
- ^ Wood, Ida (2 October 2024). "Nikita Johnson leaves VRD to join Hitech for second season in GB3". Formula Scout. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
External links
edit- Nikita Johnson career summary at DriverDB.com