By Steve Wittich
With two-hours of test time yesterday, the tire strategies for the teams and drivers in the 14 car Pro Mazda Presented By Cooper Tire field varied considerably.
Points leader Parker Thompson, who had the quickest lap at 75.942 seconds used the entire session to work on his race car, turning a total of 17 laps.
Juncos Racing’s Rinus VeeKay, who set the second quickest time sat early in the session, turning seven laps.
David Malukas, who won the last two Pro Mazda races on a natural terrain course, didn’t turn any laps.
Carlos Cunha, Oliver Askew, and Robert Megennis completed the top five and were all within a half-second of Thompson.
RP Motorsport pilot Felipe Drugovich was the quickest of the newcomers.
The top nine drivers were all within a second of the leading Exclusive Autosport driver.
The Pro Mazda Presented By Cooper Tire drivers head back to their paddock through the Friday crowds at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. (Photo Courtesy of Patrick Stephan)
For an interesting comparison, the pole lap the last time the Toyota Atlantic Series visited was 72.97 seconds by Jonathan Summerton in a Mazda powered Swift in 2009. In that first session, the PM-18 was only three-tenths off A.J. Allmendinger’s pole lap of 75.668 seconds.
The Pro Mazda Presented By Cooper Tire drivers are back on track for qualifying at 2 PM.
Cooper Tires Pro Mazda Mid-Ohio Grand Prix Practice #1 Results
| RANK | CAR NO. | DRIVER | QUICK LAP | DIFFERENCE | TOTAL LAPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 90 | Parker Thompson | 1:15.942 | –.—- | 17 |
| 2 | 2 | Rinus VeeKay | 1:16.082 | 0.1405 | 7 |
| 3 | 1 | Carlos Cunha | 1:16.341 | 0.3993 | 14 |
| 4 | 3 | Oliver Askew | 1:16.444 | 0.5022 | 17 |
| 5 | 9 | Robert Megennis | 1:16.475 | 0.5330 | 17 |
| 6 | 82 | Sting Ray Robb | 1:16.633 | 0.6907 | 15 |
| 7 | 10 | Felipe Drugovich | 1:16.687 | 0.7446 | 15 |
| 8 | 27 | Mathias Soler-Obel | 1:16.971 | 1.0292 | 17 |
| 9 | 81 | Andres Gutierrez | 1:16.999 | 1.0569 | 15 |
| 10 | 78 | Kris Wright | 1:17.198 | 1.2555 | 11 |
| 11 | 8 | Nikita Lastochkin | 1:17.704 | 1.7625 | 17 |
| 12 | 83 | Charles Finelli | 1:19.333 | 3.3908 | 16 |
| 13 | 12 | Moises de la Vara | No Time | — | — |
| 14 | 79 | David Malukas | No Time | — | — |
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