David Malukas on track in the HMD Trucking sponsored No. 79 prior to making contact with the concrete barrier in the final corner of the circuit during practice Photo credit: Gavin Baker Photography/Road to Indy
By Steve Wittich
A couple of updates after a quick walk in the Indy Lights paddock.
The HMD Motorsports crew is hard at work repairing the No. 79 HMD Motorsports machine of points leader David Malukas. While the hit didn’t look that bad, the rear end of the car hit the concrete wall at just the right (wrong) angle to transfer a large portion of the crash’s energy to the internals. As a result, the car will require a new 2.0L turbocharged AER power plant, a new gearbox, a new floor, and both corners on the left side of the car.
The team expects to have the car ready for qualifying.
There has been an engineering change at Juncos Racing. Engineer Tim Neff and the Speedway, Ind.-based team have parted ways.
The multi-championship Indy Lights winning engineer started his own team, TJ Speed Motorsports, during the off-season and has entered four cars for the first two rounds of the Formula Regional Americas Championship Powered By Honda. Along with an investor, the Australian purchased the Belardi Auto Racing Indy Lights equipment and is expected to enter the top rung of the Road To Indy Presented by Cooper Tires next season.
Team owner Ricardo Juncos has taken over the engineering duties for the m-start/Kumpf sponsored No. 51 of Toby Sowery.
Toby Sowery wheels the m-start/Kumpf sponsored No. 51 Juncos Racing machine around the 2.35-mile, 14-turn Raceway at Belle Isle Park street circuit during Indy Lights practice Photo credit: Gavin Baker Photography/Road to Indy
We talked with a couple of drivers about their first impressions of the 2.35-mile, 14-turn Raceway at Belle Isle Park street circuit, and the responses were pretty uniform. It’s slippery, bumpy, but also ‘fun.’
While some of the setup parameters from the St. Petersburg and Exhibition Place street circuits transfer, it’s the Sebring International Raceway that most accurately mimics the Belle Isle track. It sounds like hitting on the correct ride height will be paramount to qualifying upfront.
Qualifying is set to roll off at 2:30 pm.
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