Devlin DeFrancesco prepares to climb aboard his PowerTap sponsored Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport No. 17 Photo credit: Gavin Baker Photography/Road to Indy

By Steve Wittich

For the first time this season, the PowerTap sponsored No. 17 piloted by Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport rookie Devlin DeFrancesco ended a practice session at the top of the timing screens.

“I’m really looking forward to Laguna Seca,” explained the Canadian-born driver. “We had a great test out here early in the year, and the circuit was everything I expected and more. It includes the Corkscrew, which is obviously one of the most famous corners in the world. It’s actually not that difficult, but you do have to be careful you don’t arrive in there too hot.

“The secret to a lap here is linking the corners together. The run from the Andretti hairpin to the Corkscrew is where you make all your time. If you make a small mistake in Turns 3, 4, 5 or 6, it can really compromise your lap. This place has a great flow to it when you get it right, and it’s really rewarding. I’ve had a lot of laps in the Indy Lights car since that test, and I can’t wait to get back on track on Friday.”

Only nine-thousandths of a second shy of his teammate was championship contender Kyle Kirkwood, in a practice session that had the top seven times within DeFrancesco’s quickest lap.

Juncos Hollinger Racing rookie Rasmus Lindh was holding down the third spot. The Swede is making only his second race weekend appearance with the team but did have Indy Pro 2000 success at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, winning once, starting on pole once, and standing on two podiums in 2019.

Rounding out the top five in the long practice before qualifying was championship leader David Malukas (HMD Motorsports) and Linus Lundqvist (Global Racing Group w/HMD).

Qualifying up front certainly matters at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, with the pole-sitter winning 12 of the 22 races. However, if you extend that to the front frow, 17 of the 22 winners have a clear view downhill to the Andretti Hairpin.

Surprisingly, Andretti Autosport has not been a winner across the six Indy Lights races at the 2.238-mile, 11-turn road course since 2015. Instead, Juncos Hollinger Racing has won five of the half-dozen races, with Spencer Pigot (twice), Kyle Kaiser (once), and Rinus VeeKay (twice) winning for the Speedway, Ind. based team.

Eight of the drivers competing this weekend have raced at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Malukas and Megennis have made Indy Lights starts, Kirkwood, Sting Ray Robb (Juncos Hollinger Racing), Rasmus Lindh (Juncos Hollinger Racing), and Danial Frost (Andretti Autosport) made Indy Pro 2000 starts, and Manuel Sulaiman (HMD Motorsports) and Christian Bogle (Carlin) made USF2000 starts. All of those starts came in 2019.

That leaves DeFrancesco, Pedersen, and Lundqvist as the only three newcomers to WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

Megennis finished third and fourth in 2019, while Malukas finished fifth and seventh.

Kirkwood and Lindh both have Indy Pro 2000 wins at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

The 45-minute practice session got underway at 10:10 am on the west coast, with the air temperature a chilly 59F.

In the early going, the Malukas and Kirkwood traded the top spot as the drivers got reacquainted with the iconic low grip circuit.

At the one-third point of the 45-minute practice session, Kirkwood’s lap of 76.3702 seconds top the timing screens, over three-tenths of a second ahead of Malukas.

In the first two-thirds of the session, teams utilized a carry-over set of tires from the Portland International Raceway.

At the two-thirds point of the practice session, one of the Laguna Seca newbies, DeFrancesco, held the top spot.

DeFrancesco’s lap time of 76.3604 seconds was within two-tenths of a second of Max Chilton’s race record of 76.1633.

Lap times were incredibly close to the last time that the Indy Lights series visited WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Oliver Askew led the lone practice session in 2019 with a lap at 76.3497 seconds.

None of the drivers had bolted on their fresh sets of Cooper Tire slicks with ten minutes remaining, and none of the engineers opted to send their drivers out on new tires in practice.

That’s not shocking, considering drivers will have 30 minute instead of 20-minute qualifying sessions, allowing for the use of two sets of tires in each qualifying session.

Indy Lights Grand Prix of Monterey Presented By Cooper Tire practice results.

The first of two qualifying sessions for the Indy Lights Grand Prix of Monterey Presented By Cooper Tires will get the green flag at 1:30 pm (PT) or 4:30 pm (ET).

By Steve Wittich

For the fifth time in 2021, the HMD Trucking sponsored No. 79 of David Malukas will start an Indy Lights race from the pole. Photo credit: Gavin Baker Photography/Road to Indy

For the fifth time in 2021, David Malukas was the quickest driver during an Indy Lights qualifying session, breaking a tie for the most poles this season with title rival Kyle Kirkwood. It’s the eighth time in fifteen qualifying sessions that Malukas bested Kirkwood.

More importantly, Malukas stablemates Linus Lundqvist, Benjamin Pedersen, and newcomer Manuel Sulaiman also out-qualified Kirkwood, leading to an HMD Motorsports/Global Racing Group lockout of the front two rows.

The soon-to-be 20-year-old Malukas now has nine career Road To Indy poles.

The pole is the first at Portland International Raceway for HMD Motorsports and the Brownsburg, Ind. based teams eighth as a team on the top rung of the Road To Indy Presented by Cooper Tires.

Starting from the preferred spot isn’t the only benefit that the Chicagoan won for his lap timed at 63.7747 seconds. The bonus point increases Malukas gap to chaser Kirkwood to four points heading into Saturday’s action.

Like we mentioned in our preview, Malukas’ teammates can play a huge role in helping him secure a championship. It does not get more helpful than putting not one, not two, but three buffers between him and Kirkwood.

Malukas also credited having three teammates for helping them nail the optimal setup.

“This is a prime example of the benefit of having good teammates,” explained an ecstatic Malukas to TSO Ladder. “Throughout the tests and practice, we did completely different setups. We chose the best from everybody and put it all together on low fuel, and the times showed. One-two-three-four. Having the teammates is a big deal!”

Lundqvist will start on the front row for the seventh time in 2021, but it’s his first appearance in the top two spots since starting on the pole for Race #2 in Detroit.

Pedersen will start Race #1 of his home race weekend behind Malukas, the Pacific Northwest resident’s best road or street course start of his rookie season.

Newest stablemate Sulaiman was the only driver to go quickest on his final qualifying lap, going six-hundredths of a second faster than Kirkwood.

Kirkwood, in fifth, leads the Andretti Autosport/Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport quartet that was separated by just over three-tenths of a second.

When the first of two Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires qualifying sessions got underway, the skies were overcast, the ambient temperature was 69F, and the track temperature was 82F.

When the session began, the 1.964-mile, 12-Turn road course was relatively dirty after the second ARCA Menards Series West Practice session.

The HMD Motorsports/Global Racing Group stablemates of Lundqvist, Malukas, and Pedersen all held the provisional pole in the first ten minutes, but lap times, even though the drivers were on fresh Cooper Tire slicks, were almost a full second behind the earlier testing times.

At the halfway mark of the 25-minute session, the three championship contenders found themselves one-two-three on the timing screens, separated by a scant 0.1288 seconds. Also within two-tenths of a second was the third of the HMD Motorsports/Global Racing Group stablemates, Benjamin Pedersen.

With a dozen minutes remaining in the all-important session to set the grid for the first race of the weekend, the track was quiet as the crews made minor adjustments and mounted fresh Cooper Tire slicks.

The timing screen started to light up with green, signifying drivers going quicker with five minutes remaining. Pedersen was the first driver to supplant Malukas from the provisional pole and was the first driver below 64 seconds. Only 30 seconds later, his teammate Lundqvist went three-hundredths quicker to take over the provisional pole.

With just over two minutes remaining, Malukas joined the fun, moving to the provisional pole on his 16th lap of the session. He went quicker on his next lap to secure the all-important inside front row starting spot.

Indy Lights Grand Prix Of Portland Presented By Cooper Tires qualifying #1 results

The teams and drivers are back on track at 11:25 am for another round of qualifying. Indy Lights Grand Prix Of Portland Presented By Cooper Tires Race #1 is set to get the green flag at 1:55 pm on Saturday. All times are Pacific.

David Malukas is interviewed by Katie Kiel from NBC Sports after a win at World Wide Technology Raceway At Gateway Photo credit: Gavin Baker Photography/Road to Indy

By Steve Wittich

Indy Lights championship leader David Malukas began the Portland International Raceway event on top of the timing screens. The HMD Motorsports veteran turned a lap timed at 64.0267 seconds, almost two-tenths of a second quicker than his Global Racing Group w/HMD stablemate Linus Lundqvist.

Rounding out the top five in the lone official practice session preceding the Portland International Raceway twin-bill was Benjamin Pedersen (Global Racing Group w/HMD), the second championship contender Kyle Kirkwood (Andretti Autosport), and Danial Frost (Andretti Autosport).

The 11 drivers completed 218 laps, and the top ten were within eight-tenths of a second of Malukas.

The ambient temperature when the 30-minute session began was 68F, and the track temperature was 80F.

After 15 minutes of practice, the top two in the championship – Malukas and Kirkwood – held the top two spots on the timing screen.

Does ‘winning’ practice matter at Portland International Raceway?

As far as the pair of races go, the answer is, maybe?

In 2019, the last time the series visited the 1.964-mile, 12-Turn road course, Oliver Askew led the lone practice session. Unfortunately, the Andretti Autosport driver did not win either race but did finish on the podium both times.

In 2018, Pato O’Ward led the lone practice session and won both races in the season’s final event.

Of note, both drivers that led Portland International Raceway practice did win the Indy Lights championship and the scholarship that went with it.

The series completed a pair of test sessions earlier today totaling 215 minutes. Lundqvist led both of the test sessions. The Swede’s best lap time of 63.6072 seconds came in the second session.

Indy Lights Grand Prix Of Portland Presented By Cooper Tires practice results

These drivers are back on track in one hour for their first qualifying session of the year.

The 2019 Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires field streams towards Turn 1 at Portland International Raceway (Photo Courtesy Of Andersen Promotions)

By Steve Wittich

With a $1,289,425 scholarship on the line, the three points separating David Malukas and Kyle Kirkwood at the top of the Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires point table are presently worth $429,809.33 apiece. No pressure, gentlemen.

What began with a melee in Turn 1, on Lap 1, in Race 1 of the 2021 season has turned into an annual must-watch Road To Indy production.

A pair of ‘scenes’ in the Pacific Northwest will serve as Act 8 of a season-long 10 Act production.

Veteran HMD Motorsports racer Malukas travels west with that slim three-point advantage after outdueling Andretti Autosport rookie Kirkwood at the lone oval event of the season.

David Malukas is interviewed by Katie Kiel from NBC Sports after a win at World Wide Technology Raceway At Gateway Photo credit: Gavin Baker Photography/Road to Indy

The pair of leads in this epic have each visited victory lane six times in 2021. Kirkwood, with five poles, leads Malukas, who has started from the inside of the front row four times. Moving to podiums finds the points leader holding an 11 to nine advantage, although each driver has a dozen top-five finishes. Yes, it’s that close!

Advantage Malukas?

With the final six races taking place on natural terrain road courses, this is an apt time to inspect which driver has been the best in the first eight races held on natural terrain road courses – two each at Barber Motorsports Park, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, Road America and the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

Malukas, with one win each at Barber Motorsports Park, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, and Road America, currently holds a 16-point lead over Kirkwood on the dedicated twisty circuits.

2021 Indy Lights natural terrain road course points scored

Kirkwood has also stood on the top step of the podium on natural terrain road courses three times, including the last two contested at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

Advantage Kirkwood?

Both leading men have had past success on the 1.964-mile, 12-Turn road course, but it’s Kirkwood that has been the most successful.

Kirkwood has been dominant in four trips to Portland International Raceway across the USF2000 and Indy Pro 2000 series, leading 103 of 110 possible laps and visiting victory lane in all four races.

Kyle Kirkwood on the way to a USF2000 win at Portland International Raceway (Photo Courtesy Of Andersen Promotions)

Malukas has made a pair of Indy Pro 2000, and Indy Lights starts at Portland International Raceway, winning once in the lower category in 2018.

Advantage no one?

Over the past six scenes as part of three acts, Malukas and Kirkwood have each accumulated 181 points.

2021 Indy Lights points scored over the last three events/six races

Also, Andretti Autosport and HMD Motorsports have each produced winners at Portland International Raceway, with Pato O’Ward winning twice for Andretti Autosport in 2018 and Toby Sowery winning once for HMD Motorsports in 2019.

Helping yourself

With only three points separating David Malukas and Kyle Kirkwood, don’t be surprised if bonus points come into play to help decide who ends up with the Indy Lights scholarship. Each race has a pair of bonus points up for offer, one for winning the pole and one for leading the most laps.

With six races remaining, Kirkwood has collected two more bonus points than his championship protagonist.

2021 Indy Lights Bonus Points Scored

A little help, please

Malukas and Kirkwood can only control their results against their rival, but that doesn’t mean their teammates can’t play a huge role in aiding their championship quest by stealing points from rival drivers.

For Malukas, Linus Lundqvist, Benjamin Pedersen, and Manuel Sulaiman can finish between the veteran pilot of the HMD Trucking sponsored No. 79 and Kirkwood.

Danial Frost, Robert Megennis, and Devlin DeFrancesco can do the same – insert themselves between the duo – for the pilot of the Road to Indy/Cooper Tires/Construction Contractors Club sponsored No. 28.

So far, during the 2021 Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires season, Lundqvist has finished between Malukas and Kirkwood one time.

The Andretti Autosport rookie has a little more help, with Frost – on three occasions – and Megennis – once – finishing between the title contenders.

Avoid the early mess

An example of Lap 1, Turn 1 trouble at Portland International Raceway (Photo Courtesy Of Andersen Promotions)

Eleven of the 18 (61%) of the Indy Lights races held at Portland International Raceway have started with a first lap caution, making completing the first of the 30 or 35 laps the most challenging task of the race.

One way to avoid that early trouble is to qualify at the pointy end of the grid. Only once – Ryan Norman in 2018 – has an Indy Lights pole-sitter been knocked out on the first lap of a race.

Only twice – Norman and Townsend Bell in 2001 – has the pole-sitter failed to finish in the top five. The average finishing position of the driver that starts on the inside of the front row is in Indy Lights action at Portland International Raceway is 2.5. Ten of the 18 winners have started from the pole, and the average starting spot of the Portland International Raceway winner is 2.1.

Other things in play

Linus Lundqvist, at 59 points out of the championship lead, certainly isn’t out of the title fight, but the Swedish driver is going to have to start adding wins to his rookie season total of two.

After making significant contact with the SAFER Barrier after an equipment failure not of his making at World Wide Technology Raceway At Gateway, the Global Racing Group w/HMD rookie rebounded with a gutsy fourth-place finish in Sunday’s second oval race, keeping him on the outskirts of the title fight.

The 22-year-old won on natural terrain road courses at Barber Motorsports Park, and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and trails only championship leader Malukas in points scored on the traditional race circuits.

“I want to get back to victory lane,” Lundqvist assures. “That’s what drives me. We’re third in the points at the moment, which is good, but I’m not really thinking along those lines. I’ll get out there in Portland and push on. If the opportunity to win presents itself, I will not hesitate. Let’s go racing!”

An entertaining tussle for fourth, fifth, and sixth has developed between a trio of rookies – Devlin DeFrancesco (Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport), Benjamin Pedersen (Global Racing Group w/HMD), and Danial Frost (Andretti Autosport) – separated by a lone point.

Portland International Raceway will be an all-new circuit for the Toronto, Ontario-born DeFrancesco, who, with an average finishing position of 5.9, has been the most consistent of the trio.

Pedersen, a denizen of the Pacific Northwest, welcomes the Seatle, Washington-based Oberto Snacks on board as a sponsor for his ‘home’ race.

Coming off a pair of podiums, Pedersen has scored the third-most points over the last three Indy Lights events and would love to win for his new sponsor.

“I would like nothing more than to get my first Indy Lights race win with Oberto on the car at the event that is closest to their headquarters, and we will push hard to try and make that happen,” said the 22-year-old. “I have a great team behind m,e, very solid teammates, and another great partner in my wheelhouse.”

Danial Frost, who has three natural terrain poles this season, is the only one of the three drivers fighting for fourth place to make a Road To Indy start at Portland International Raceway. The Singaporean driver made a pair of Indy Pro 2000 starts in 2019, including one podium finish.

Another Andretti Autosport driver, Robert Megennis, is only 20 points out of the fight for fourth in the championship and, along with Malukas, is the only other driver to have Indy Lights experience at Portland International Raceway. The New Yorker finished third and fifth in a 2019 visit to Portland, Oregon, beginning a strong finish to his rookie Indy Lights campaign.

Pedersen isn’t the only driver that considers Portland International Raceway his ‘home’ track. Sting Ray Robb, his family, friends, and supporters look forward to making the short(ish) trip from his Payette, Idaho/Ontario, Oregon, to see their driver.

Sting Ray Robb’s family, friends and supporters at Portland International Raceway in 2019 (Photo Courtesy Of Andersen Promotions)

Robb has had past Road To Indy success on the 1.964-mile, 12-Turn road course, grabbing his first Road To Indy pole in 2019 as well as finishing on the podium.

His teammate’s departure (see below) leaves Christian Bogle as the lone Carlin entry this weekend. The driver from Louisiana has consistently got quicker throughout race weekends as he learns the high horsepower and downforce IL-15.

2021 Indy Lights points standings after 14 of 20 rounds

Welcome Back

Rasmus Lindh, who has finished in second place in both seasons of Road To Indy action, will be making his Indy Lights debut at Portland International Raceway with Juncos Hollinger Racing.

The Swedish driver based in Florida has made 32 starts across USF2000 and Indy Pro 200 and has three wins, eight poles, 18 podiums, 26 top-five finishes, and has had the quickest lap of the race on six occasions.

“I’m looking forward to driving the Indy Lights car again,” said Lindh. “I have not been in the car since we went out for practice in St. Pete back in March 2020. When Ricardo Juncos called me and told me he had a seat available for the remaining races, it was an easy yes for me! I was thrilled to add this to my schedule and that these final events had no conflict with my current IMSA program. I want to thank everyone who helped make this possible, including Andersen Promotions, my sponsors, and my team Juncos Hollinger Racing.”

Rasmus Lindh during Indy Lights spring training at Homestead-Miami Speedway in March 2020 (Photo Courtesy Of Andersen Promotions)

The 20-year-old was set to contest the 2020 Indy Lights season with Belardi Auto Racing before the global pandemic ended the season after a single practice session. During that lone practice, Lindh was the third quickest driver and at spring training on the Homestead-Miami Speedway road course.

Lindh is no stranger to the 1.964-mile, 12-Turn road course, collecting two podiums, four top fives, and one pole in four starts across the bottom two rungs of the Road To Indy Presented by Cooper Tires ladder.

In 2021, Lindh is contesting the LMP3 portion of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and the IMSA Prototype Challenge Championship. In the former, he has stood on the podium twice and is currently fourth in points. In the latter, he has also stood on the podium and is fifth in points.

Lindh has been confirmed for the season’s final three Indy Lights events, rejoining with his team (Juncos Hollinger Racing) and teammate (Sting Ray Robb) from his successful 2019 Indy Pro 2000 season.

“We are excited to have Rasmus back on board with our team as we go to finish out the Indy Lights season,” said team owner Ricardo Juncos. “Rasmus performed great for us back in 2019, and I am confident he will have no problem transitioning back into the Indy Lights car come this weekend at Portland. Thank you to Andersen Promotions for their support in getting Rasmus back in the series and to all of Rasmus’s supporters for this opportunity.”

TSO Ladder Note: We (Steve) caught up with Rasmus and his dad Mathias while producing an episode of the NBC show Off-Track at the IMSA race at Watkins Glen. He told us that he is enjoying his time in sports cars but was working hard to get back into open-wheel racing. It’s been clear that his heart was in Indy Lights, and it’s great to see that goal has come to fruition.

Moving up

After 45 races across USF2000 and Indy Pro 2000, Manuel Sulaiman will be joining the HMD Motorsports Indy Lights program for the final three events of the 2021 season.

The Mexican driver spent his first two years in cars contesting the F4 British Championship before moving back to North America for the next three seasons.

Sulaiman has 13 wins, 13 poles, and 27 podiums across the FIA Formula 4 NACAM, USF2000, and Indy Pro 2000 championships, including a trio of wins on the middle rung of the Road To Indy.

“I am very happy with this announcement, and for me, this is a very important step in my life as a professional driver,” explained Sulaiman, who joins an HMD Motorsports that has won eight races this season. “Road to Indy and the NTT INDYCAR SERIES is my passion and my dream. I am very grateful for what I have achieved up to now and look forward to more success. The atmosphere and welcoming that HMD has given me in this important upward step I am taking has been exceptionally good, and I am very grateful for the opportunity. I, as a driver, will give everything I have, and it is an honor to belong to HMD, a team with an impressive win record In Indy Lights, and my respects to them for their success. Nothing else to say, but I am excited to go racing!”

Manuel Sulaiman during Indy Lights testing with HMD Motorsports (Photo Courtesy of HMD Motorsports)

Saying goodbye

Unfortunately, it’s that point of the season when the junior formula series start to shed drivers that are not in championship contention or that have run out of budget. Unfortunately, the Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires series is not immune to that in 2021.

Toby Sowery (Juncos Hollinger Racing) and Alex Peroni (Carlin) announced their departure via social media.

Toby Sowery

Alex Peroni

As the 2021 Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires Championship season begins to wrap up, HMD Motorsports has filled their vacant #59 entry for the upcoming Portland Grand Prix. Manuel Sulaiman, who has spent 2021 competing in Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires, will be making the move up the Road to Indy ladder to debut in the series.

With six races remaining, the Mexican driver aims to follow a successful career like compatriot Patricio O’Ward and will begin that quest next weekend with HMD Motorsports at the Portland International Raceway. Both Sulaiman and HMD Motorsports have agreed to use Portland and future dates as a testing and learning opportunity in preparation for the next step in the career of the promising, young driver.

“I am very happy with this announcement and for me, this is a very important step in my life as a professional driver,” explained Sulaiman. “Road to Indy and IndyCar are my passion and my dream. I am very grateful for what I have achieved up to now and look forward for more success. The atmosphere and welcoming that HMD has given me in this important upward step I am taking has been exceptionally good, and I am very grateful for the opportunity. I, as a driver, will give everything I have and it is an honor to belong to HMD, a team with an impressive win record In Indy Lights, and my respects to them for their success. Nothing else to say, but I am excited to go racing!”

“We are excited to have Manuel join the HMD Motorsports program,” explained General Manager Mike Maurini. “He had a solid test, worked with three of our engineers and performed very well. The future is bright for him.”

Sulaiman began his car racing career in 2017, earning multiple podiums in the British F4 Championship and FIA F4 NACAM. Through 2018 and 2019, Sulaiman competed in British F4 before becoming the 2019 FIA Fórmula 4 NACAM Series Champion with ten wins and fifteen podiums. In 2019, Sulaiman joined the Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires program in USF2000, where he finished sixth, with some podiums in the championship. After spending the past two seasons in Indy Pro 2000, Sulaiman has earned three wins, seven podiums and twenty top-ten finishes and is now ready to make his next move up in the program.

Sulaiman will be joining the team alongside series veteran David Malukas and Global Racing Group with HMD Motorsports drivers Linus Lundqvist and Benjamin Pedersen. With a combined eight wins, twenty-one podiums and seven pole positions between the three current drivers and HMD Motorsports leading the Team Championship, Sulaiman will be in a strong position to learn from some of the top current drivers in the series as he begins to prepare for 2022.

Please be sure to follow HMD Motorsports on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram by searching @HMDMotorsports. For more information on HMD Motorsports visit HMDMotorsports.com or email info@hmdmotorsports.com. To stay up to date with Global Racing Group, follow @GlobalRacingGroup on Instagram and @GRGInfo on Twitter and Facebook or visit GlobalRacingGroup.com.

source: team PR

Kiko Porto on track at the New Jersey Motorsports Park in the Banco Daycoval/Petromega sponsored No. 12 Photo credit: Gavin Baker Photography/Road to Indy

By Steve Wittich

A daring outside Turn 1, Lap 1 pass of the pole-sitter by Kiko Porto turned into the fourth victory of the 2021 USF2000 season, extending the championship leaders gap to Michael d’Orlando to 34 points with four contests remaining. 

Cape Motorsports veteran d’Orlando started fifth and finished fifth, unable to make up any ground on the tough to pass 2.14-mile, 12-turn New Jersey Motorsports Park Thunderbolt road course.

Porto lead all 20-laps, and for the third time in his Road To Indy career turned the quickest race lap, earning the two bonus points that go along with those accomplishments. 

Pole sitter Yuven Sundaramoorthy held off fellow veteran Christian Brooks (Exclusive Autosport) to score his seventh podium of the season. 

Brooks’ fourth podium of 2021 and seventh in his USF2000 career moved the Californian past Pabst Racing sophomore Josh Pierson into fourth on the championship table. 

Turn 3 Motorsport sophomore Josh Green started fourth and finished fourth to equal his best finish of the 2021 season and move up one spot to seventh on the championship table. 

Sundaramoorthy punched off quickly, getting the jump on Porto, allowing Brooks to get alongside Porto. Sundaramoorthy held the inside line, allowing Porto to roll more speed on the outside of Turn 1 and grabbing the lead. 

The 23 car field got cleanly through the first lap with the running order as Porto, Sundaramoorthy, Brooks, Green, d’Orlando, Jace Denmark (Pabst Racing), Josh Pierson (Pabst Racing), Nolan Siegel (DEForce Racing), Christian Weir (Turn 3 Motorsport), Prescott Campbell (DEForce Racing), Billy Frazer (Exclusive Autosport), Myles Rowe (Force Indy), Ely Navarro (DEForce Racing), Spike Kohlbecker (Ignite Autosport w/Cape Motorsports), Dylan Christie (Turn 3 Motorsport), Michael Myers (Michael Myers Racing), Peter Vodanovich (Jay Howard Driver Development), Thomas Nepveu (Cape Motorsports), Evan Stamer (Ignite Autosport w/Cape Motorsports), Kent Vaccaro (Miller Vinatieri Motorsports), Bijoy Garg (Jay Howard Driver Development), Trey Burke (Joe Dooling Autosports) and Nathan Byrd (Legacy Autosport). 

On Lap 4, Vodanovich, Nepveau, Stamer, and Myers, fighting for the 16th, were the best battle on the track.

After five laps of action, Porto’s lead over Sundaramoorthy was a half-second, with Brooks and Green within two seconds of the leader. 

On Lap 6, rookie of the year leader Kohlbecker moved around Navarro for 13th. 

At the front of the field, Porto was able to build a 1.6 second lead over Sundaramoorthy. The Pabst Racing veteran was one second ahead of Brooks. However, the Exclusive Autosport sophomore had his mirrors full of Green, who was within three-tenths of a second of the No. 44. 

Further back, Kohlbecker gained another spot. This time the No. 3 got around Rowe, moving up to 12th. 

On Lap 12, Sundaramoorthy, Brooks, Green, and d’Orlando were nose to tail for the final two spots on the podium. 

Behind the battle for the top five, a pair of Pabst Racing teammates were separated by only 0.2 seconds in the tussle for sixth. 

Porto began Lap 15 with a 3.7-second lead, but behind them, the battle for the final two spots on the podium was raging. Brooks took a peek to the inside of Sundaramoorthy in Turn 1 before tucking back in line. 

Porto’s lead at the white flag was just over five seconds, while the fight for second through fifth had those five drivers covered by less than a second. Sundaramoorthy was able to hold off Brooks, while behind them, Green was just able to keep the DB Collaborative/Focused Project Mgmt. sponsored No. 4 of d’Orlando behind him in the battle for fourth. 

Pierson finally moved around his teammate for sixth on that last lap, while Weir lost spots to Frazer, Kohlbecker, and Campbell. 

Kohlbecker finished the race three spots ahead of his 13th place starting position to collect his rookie best tenth top-ten of the season. 

The 20-lap race ran caution-free, the fifth time this season that a USF2000 race has gone green to checkered. 

Reece Gold and The Ticket Clinic sponsored No. 55 from the Juncos Racing stable on track at the New Jersey Motorsports Park. The 16-year-old will start from the pole for the fifth time this season Photo credit: Gavin Baker Photography/Road to Indy

By Steve Wittich

For the fifth time this season, Reece Gold will start an Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires race from the inside of the front row. However, the Juncos Hollinger Racing rookie is still looking for his first win of the season.

Gold joins Conor Daly and Sting Ray Robb as pole winners for Juncos Hollinger Racing on the 2.14-mile, 12-turn New Jersey Motorsports Park Thunderbolt road course, moving the Speedway, Ind. based team to lead in Indy Pro 2000 pole wins at the Millville, N.J. track.

Indy Pro 2000 Grand Prix Presented by The Andersen Companies Race #1 will mark the 59th time that a driver from Ricardo Juncos’ stable will start an Indy Pro 2000 race from the pole.

Gold enters the penultimate Indy Pro 2000 weekend 71 points behind championship leader Christian Rasmussen (Jay Howard Driver Development), who will start directly behind the 16-year-old Gold.

Hunter McElrea (Pabst Racing) will start on the outside pole, the sophomore’s fifth front row start of the season.

James Roe (Turn 3 Motorsport) will roll off from the grid’s fourth spot, the Irish driver’s best qualifying effort on a street and road course.

Last weekend’s winner at World Wide Technology Raceway At Gateway, Braden Eves, is 32 points adrift of championship leader Rasmussen and will start directly behind the Danish driver in fifth.

Starting outside of Eves is Jack William Miller (Miller Vinatieri Motorsports).

With precipitation possible, the ten drivers quickly got to business, jockey for clean race track on their out laps.

After five minutes and two laps, McElrea held the provisional pole by a significant three-tenths-of-a-second.

Like, USF2000, drivers set their quickest laps on their first or second lap on sticker Cooper Tires.

After only four laps, most drivers made the trip to pit lane to make adjustments and mount fresh Cooper Tires for a second run. McElrea was the quickest on the first set of tires, followed in the top five by Rasmussen, Gold, Jack William Miller (Miller Vinatieri Motorsports), and Braden Eves (Exclusive Autosport).

The first driver to improve their lap time was the provisional pole sitter McElrea, who went a tenth of a second quicker on each of his next two laps, lowering the provisional pole to 73.5323 seconds.

That left the American-born Kiwi with a half-second advantage of Rasmussen and Gold.

With eight minutes remaining, reports of a light mist were reported around the track.

The following drivers to improve were the Juncos Racing rookie duo of Kyffin Simpson and Reece Gold. The Ticket Clinic No. 55 went quicker on his seventh and eighth laps, grabbing the provisional pole away from McElrea with five minutes remaining in the session.

Also improving on their final runs was World Wide Technology Raceway At Gateway pole-sitter Roe, who moved into fourth.

In the second half of the 20-minute session, Petrov was stuck on pit road, getting back on track with three minutes to go, allowing him two laps to improve from tenth on the grid. However, the Russian could not go any quicker and should be fun to watch as he attempts to come through the field.

Indy Pro 2000 Grand Prix Presented by The Andersen Companies Qualifying #1 results

The first Indy Pro 2000 race of the weekend gets the green flag at 4:30 pm.

The S team Motorsports sponsored No. 22 of Yuven Sundaramoorthy on track during testing at New Jersey Motorsports Park Photo credit: Gavin Baker Photography/Road to Indy

By Steve Wittich

For the fourth time in 2021, Pabst Racing veteran Yuven Sundaramoorthy will start a Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship race from the pole. The 18-year-old converted two of those poles into wins at Barber Motorsports Park and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.

A Pabst Racing veteran, Eduardo Barrichello, also won the pole for Pabst Racing in Race #1 at New Jersey Motorsports Park in 2020. Cooper Tires USF2000 Grand Prix Race #1 marks the 26th time a driver representing Pabst Racing will start a USF2000 from the inside of the front row.

Championship leader Kiko Porto had his string of consecutive USF2000 pole streak end at five, falling a slim 0.0605 seconds shy of Sundaramoorthy. The DEForce Racing sophomore will start on the front row for the seventh time in 2021.

Starting on the inside of the second row is Christian Brooks (Exclusive Autosport), his best starting spot since the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.

Joining Brooks in row two is Josh Green, who led yesterday’s test session. The fourth-place starting spot matches the Mount Kisco, N.Y. driver’s best starting position this season.

Row three consists of championship contenders Josh Pierson (Pabst Racing) and Michael d’Orlando (Cape Motorsports).

The top six were within four-tenths-of-a-second of pole winner Sundaramoorthy, and the top 15 were within one second of the pole sitter.

After five minutes and two laps, Brooks was the early provisional pole-sitter with a lap at 77.5804 seconds. That lap was already six-tenths-of-a-second ahead of the morning’s quickest time and within four-tenths of the New Jersey Motorsports Park USF2000 track record.

At the halfway point of the 20-minute qualifying session, Brooks’ lap was still held the provisional pole. In the top ten, he was joined by Pierson, Green, Sundaramoorthy, Porto, Jace Denmark (Pabst Racing), d’Orlando, Nolan Siegel (DEForce Racing), Myles Rowe (Force Indy), and Prescott Campbell (DEForce Racing).

Most drivers came to pit road for fresh Cooper Tire slicks around the halfway point of the session.

The first driver to improve their lap time was Sundaramoorthy, who jumped to the provisional pole with seven minutes remaining.

Locating enough space among the 23 entries on the short 2.14-mile circuit was the key to putting in a good lap, especially with tires only good for one super-quick lap.

Championship leader Porto was the next driver to go quicker, completing a lap only six-hundredths of a second shy of Sundaramoorthy.

Campbell, Green, and d’Orlando all turned their quickest laps later in the session, but nobody could touch Sundaramoorthy and the S team Motorsports No. 18.

Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship qualifying #1 results

The first race of the New Jersey Motorsports Park weekend is scheduled to get the green flag for Race #1 at 2:30 pm.

Christian Rasmussen and the JHDD, CSU | One Cure/Lucas Oil sponsored No. 1 on track at the New Jersey Motorsports Park Photo credit: Gavin Baker Photography/Road to Indy

By Steve Wittich

A lap of 74.4936 seconds turned by championship leader and Jay Howard Driver Development rookie Christian Rasmussen led the lone Indy Pro 2000 practice session at the New Jersey Motorsports Park.

The top five drivers in the session were within one-tenth-of-a-second of each other, making the always entertaining qualifying even more critical.

Hunter McElrea (Pabst Racing), Wyatt Brichacek (Jay Howard Driver Development), Braden Eves (Exclusive Autosport), and Reece Gold (Juncos Racing) rounded out the top five.

At the session’s halfway point, McElrea held the top spot, followed by Eves and Gold.

Three drivers – Rasmussen, Brichacek, and Jacob Abel (Abel Motorsports) had yet to complete a lap.

It didn’t take long for the Jay Howard Driver Development rookies to get up to speed, with the points leader going to the top of the timing screen on only his second lap of the half-hour session.

With seven minutes left in the session, Eves continued to get quicker, getting to within one-tenth-of-a-second of Rasmussen on his 11th lap of practice.

Late in the session, McElrea went back on track, turning his quickest lap on his 12th circuit on the 2.14-mile, 12-turn road course.

Both Jay Howard Driver Development drivers ended their sessions early, turning only four (Rasmussen) and seven laps (Brichacek).

Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires at New Jersey Motorsports Park Practice Results

The middle rung of the Road To Indy is back on track for qualifying at 1 pm.

Kiko Porto on track at the New Jersey Motorsports Park in the Banco Daycoval/Petromega sponsored No. 12 Photo credit: Gavin Baker Photography/Road to Indy

By Steve Wittich

Championship leader Kiko Porto started the penultimate Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship weekend as the quickest of the 23 entries at the New Jersey Motorsports Park. The DEForce Racing veteran and Brazilain turned in a lap of 78.1749 seconds to lead the first and only practice session.

Leading the opening practice doesn’t always equate to success, with only one driver that lead practice in the first six events winning on that same weekend.

Joining Porto at the top of the practice timesheet were his DEForce Racing teammate Nolan Siegel and Prescott Campbell, who went second and fourth quickest.

Christian Brooks (Exclusive Autosport) was the third quickest driver, while Turn 3 Motorsport rookie Christian Weir went fifth quick.

Porto’s closest championship contender, Cape Motorsports veteran, was the sixth quickest in practice, almost a half-second slower than Porto.

The early part of the lone thirty-minute practice session was dominated by those DEForce Racing drivers, who, at one point, held the top three spots.

After 16-minutes of action, the red flag came out for Exclusive Autosport rookie Billy Frazer, who had just turned the seventh quickest lap of the session on his eighth lap of the day. The team reported that it was light contact and that the Kiwi was uninjured.

At that point in the 30-minute session, the quickest driver was championship leader, Porto, with a lap timed at 78.1749 seconds. Porto was joined in the top ten by Siegel, Brooks, Campbell, Weir, d’Orlando, Frazer, Kohlbecker, Garg, and Sundaramoorthy.

The green flag came back out with six minutes remaining, with the track quickly packed with the 23-entries taking the opportunity to work on their cars one more time.

Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship at New Jersey Motorsports Park Practice Results

The bottom rung of the Road To Indy Presented by Cooper Tires is back on track for qualifying at 10:15 am.