Team Release:
POMPANO BEACH, Fla. (February 3, 2017) – Team Pelfrey IL is elated to announce today Juan Piedrahita will rejoin the squad for the 2017 Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires season. The 25-year-old will mark his fourth season in Indy Lights as the season commences in St. Petersburg, Fla. March 11-12.
“I couldn’t be happier to rejoin Team Pelfrey for the 2017 Indy Lights season. After working with the crew last year, I knew it was the right fit coming into this year,” said the Colombian. “Gary [Neal] and Yves [Touron] have given me a lot of confidence and they always have a very competitive car at every track. We are going be extremely competitive this year and for sure we are going to seal the deal in the Freedom 100.”
Piedrahita drove to six top-10 finishes in 2016 with Team Pelfrey IL and will return to pilot the signature yellow No. 2 Petrosur/Team Pelfrey machine.
“We are extremely happy to welcome Juan back to Team Pelfrey IL for the 2017 Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires,” stated team manager, Gary Neal. “We built a lot of momentum in post 2016 season testing with Juan and I am sure we will see some great results this season.”
Juan Piedrahita is poised to make his 100th MRTI start in 2017 (Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)
TSO Ladder Notes from Steve:
- Piedrahita is the first Team Pelfrey 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), and Matheus Leist (Carlin).
- Piedrahita made his first Mazda Road To Indy presented by Cooper Tire start at Sebring International Raceway in 2010 and has contested a total of 95 races in USF2000, Pro Mazda and Indy Lights, with 45 of those coming in the Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tire series.
- Piedrahita’s results in 2016 did not match his pace. Early in the season, he was saddled with an engine that was down on power, and he had good results taken away during the Freedom 100 and at Toronto through the aggressive driving of others.
- Even though he had a disappointing 2016, and much to Piedrahita’s credit, he never stopped smiling and kept a positive attitude throughout.
- You can follow Piedrahita on the following social media channels: Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook