Christian Brooks scored the win from pole in USF2000 Race 1 from St. Pete. Photo credit: Gavin Baker Photography/Road to Indy

By Steve Wittich

For the first time this season, double race-winner Christian Brooks (Exclusive Autosport) led the lone practice session of a race weekend.
The 26 entries (minus one driver) for the USF2000 Grand Prix Of Indianapolis Presented by Cooper Tires triple-header took to the 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course at 2:30 pm for their lone practice session of the race weekend.
Unfortunately, Jay Howard Driver Development rookie Jackson Lee missed the practice session. Due to COVID protocols, the USF2000 and Indy Pro 2000 are not in the bubble with the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and Indy Lights and only have one opportunity to get to pit lane. If that opportunity is missed, the driver has to sit out that session. Lee missing practice was not the first time that a driver missed a session today. Let’s hope for the driver’s sakes; it’s the last.
Drivers utilized a carry-over set of tires, so times aren’t terribly representative of what to expect during qualifying.
Brooks held the top spot on the timing screens early in the session, holding onto that spot for the entire session.
After fifteen of 30 minutes, Brooks best lap time was 85.0219 seconds, almost two-tenths-of-a-second quicker than Spike Kohlbecker (Ignite Autosport w/Cape Motorsports), who was followed in the top five by Yuven Sundaramoorthy (Pabst Racing), Michael d’Orlando (Cape Motorsports), and Josh Green (Turn 3 Motorsport).
Because drivers were on used tires, the usual last-minute fliers were not as common, with a pair of DEForce Racing drivers – Nolan Siegel and Kiko Porto – the only drivers to crack into the top ten in the second half of the session.
USF2000 Grand Prix Of Indianapolis Presented by Cooper Tires Practice Session #1 Timesheet
RANK CAR NO. DRIVER TEAM QUICK LAP DIFFERENCE TOTAL LAPS
1 44 Christian Brooks Exclusive Autosport 1:25.0171 —— 16
2 5 Spike Kohlbecker Ignite Autosports w/Cape Motorsports 1:25.1897 0.1726 18
3 10 Nolan Siegel DEForce Racing 1:25.1986 0.1815 16
4 22 Yuven Sundaramoorthy Pabst Racing 1:25.2122 0.1951 20
5 4 Michael d’Orlando Cape Motorsports 1:25.4402 0.4231 17
6 33 Josh Green Turn 3 Motorsport 1:25.4771 0.4600 17
7 24 Josh Pierson Pabst Racing 1:25.4821 0.4650 21
8 12 Kiko Porto DEForce Racing 1:25.5018 0.4847 15
9 99 Myles Rowe Force Indy 1:25.5057 0.4886 16
10 92 Matt Round-Garrido Exclusive Autosport 1:25.5949 0.5778 15
11 19 Simon Sikes Legacy Autosport 1:25.6080 0.5909 15
12 34 Dylan Christie Turn 3 Motorsport 1:25.6618 0.6447 17
13 2 Thomas Nepveu Cape Motorsports 1:25.6997 0.6826 18
14 91 Billy Frazer Exclusive Autosport 1:25.7309 0.7138 18
15 29 Erik Evans Velocity Racing Development 1:25.7912 0.7741 15
16 11 Prescott Campbell DEForce Racing 1:25.7963 0.7792 15
17 6 Bijoy Garg Jay Howard Driver Development 1:25.7968 0.7797 16
18 23 Jace Denmark Pabst Racing 1:25.8252 0.8081 19
19 9 Peter Vodanovich Jay Howard Driver Development 1:25.8444 0.8273 13
20 1 Ely Navarro DEForce Racing 1:25.8950 0.8779 16
21 63 Trey Burke Joe Dooling Autosports 1:26.0948 1.0777 17
22 16 Kent Vaccaro Miller Vinatieri Motorsports 1:26.1308 1.1137 16
23 3 Evan Stamer Ignite Autosports w/Cape Motorsports 1:26.1961 1.1790 19
24 42 Michael Myers Michael Myers Racing 1:26.2308 1.2137 14
25 90 Grant Palmer Exclusive Autosport 1:26.2909 1.2738 20
26 8 Jackson Lee Jay Howard Driver Development No Time — —

Testing

The series had 100-minutes of testing earlier today, with Sundaramoorthy leading both sessions. The American-born Indian driver asked fans to help support the relief effort for the horrible COVID situation in India.

 

Sundaramoorthy, Porto, d’Orlando, Siegel, Kohlbecker, Josh Pierson (Pabst Racing), and Green were the drivers in the top ten during both test sessions.
The bottom rung of the Road To Indy ladder is back on track at 5 pm for qualifying.