Claman DeMelo joins Carlin for Indy Lights assault

Canadian racing driver Zachary Claman DeMelo will compete with Carlin in the 2017 Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires Championship the team are pleased to confirm today. Claman DeMelo has already enjoyed a solid season racing in the highly competitive series and now joins championship winning team Carlin for his second year.

Prior to racing in Indy Lights Claman DeMelo had previously competed in Europe, taking part in Formula Renault 2.0, NEC and ALPS Championships over the course of the 2015 season.

Claman DeMelo also has previous experience at Carlin having raced for the team in 2015 in selected rounds of the F3 Cup where, despite being invitation class, he blitzed his way to numerous wins and fastest laps.

The Canadian racer moved back over to North America in 2016, making his debut on the Mazda Road to Indy ladder last season finishing ninth overall in his rookie Indy Lights season. Having had chance to get to grips with the series street, road and oval circuits, Claman DeMelo heads confidently into his sophomore year, which will get underway from 10 – 12 March in St Petersburg, Florida.

Speaking about his 2017 programme, Claman DeMelo said, “I am proud to announce my seat with Carlin for the 2017 Indy Lights Series!  Carlin to me, represent one of the most professional teams that Strive for only the best and I’ve no doubt that 2017 will be a great experience.”

Trevor Carlin added, “We are very happy to have Zach join the team for 2017.  We’ve worked very successfully with Zach before and I think together we’ll get some great results this year.  It will be a tough field I think this season in Indy Lights, with some very strong/ returning drivers and some quick rookies, but we’re putting together a strong package and are looking forward to getting on track at St Pete.”

Claman DeMelo will line up alongside previously announced 2017 Carlin drivers Garth Rickards and Matheus Leist.

TSO Ladder Notes from Steve:

• Claman DeMelo is the third Carlin pilot and 12th over-all confirmed driver for the 2017 Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tire season, joining: Dalton Kellett (Andretti Autosport), Shelby Blackstock (Belardi Auto Racing), Nicolas Dapero (Juncos Racing),  Nico Jamin (Andretti Autosport), Ryan Norman (Andretti Autosport),  Kyle Kaiser (Juncos Racing), Colton Herta (Andretti Autosport),  Santiago Urrutia (Belardi Auto Racing),  Matheus Leist (Carlin), and Juan Piedrahita (Team Pelfrey)
• Despite entering only his third season in cars, the 18 year-old Claman DeMelo proved that making the leap from Formula Renault 2.0 to Indy Lights was justified. Claman DeMelo brought home top 10’s in half of his starts in 2016, and his two quickest race laps shows that podiums should be well within reach during his sophomore season. 
• Claman DeMelo has many karting titles to his name and he spent much of this off-season keeping the rust off by continuing to kart competitively. The Montreal, Quebec native showed he hasn’t forgotten his karting chops by finishing second in the X30 class at the SKUSA Super Nationals. 
• TSO Ladder expects at the very minimum two more driver confirmations before St. Pete, with the potential for an additional two or three cars. That would place the grid at between 14 and 17 full-time entries. 
• You can follow Claman DeMelo on the following social media channels: Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook