Sting Ray Robb won his fifth Indy Pro 2000 race of the 2020 season at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (Photo Courtesy Of Andersen Promotions)

The re-starting order for Indy Pro 2000 race #2 was:
1 Sting Ray Robb (Juncos Racing)
2 Parker Thompson (DEForce Racing)
3 Artem Petrov (Juncos Racing)
4 Jacob Abel (Abel Motorsports)
5 Moisés de la Vara (DEForce Racing)
6 Danial Frost (Turn 3 Motorsports)
7 Bob Kaminsky (Pabst Racing)
8 Antoine Comeau (Turn 3 Motorsports)
9 Charles Finelli (Fatboy Racing!)
10 Colin Kaminsky (Pabst Racing)
11 Manuel Sulaiman (DEForce Racing)
12 Hunter McElrea (Pabst Racing)
13 Devlin DeFrancesco (Andretti Steinbrenner Racing)
14 Kory Enders (DEForce Racing)

All drivers were credited with completing one lap and the field was set by the running order when the first yellow flag came out.

The command to re-fire the engines was given at 3pm.

The single file restart came after one re-pace lap, with Robb leading Thompson to the green flag.

There were 20 laps remaining after the green flag came out.

Robb got a good jump, getting to Turn 1 first. Thompson took a look to the inside of Robb into The Keyhole, but couldn’t make the move.

The running order after the first green flag was: Robb, Thompson, Abel, Petrov, Frost, de la Vera, Comeau, C. Kaminsky, Manuel Sulaiman, McElrea, DeFrancesco, B. Kaminsky, and Finelli. Enders did not take the restart.

Robb’s lead at the start of Lap 4 was only 0.2 seconds.

On Lap 5, 18 McElrea spun in Turn 1. The Pabst Racing rookie was able to continue, but dropped to 11th. He had just turned the quickest lap of the race.

For the next three laps, Thompson was putting constant pressure on Robb, but when they started Lap 8, the lead had grown to 0.8 seconds.

Abel was 1.4 seconds behind Thompson, and was being pressured by Petrov and Frost.

On Lap 9, pole sitter Sulaiman, who restarted 11th, got around Comeau for eighth.

At the start of Lap 10, Robb’s lead was 0.7 seconds. Further back C. Kaminsky was able to get the sixth spot from de la Vera.

At the halfway point of the race Robb’s lead was 0.7 seconds. The rest of the top ten was Abel, Petrov, Frost, Kaminsky, de la Vera, Sulaiman, Comeau, and DeFrancesco.

DeFrancesco was forced to defend against McElrea who had caught the tail end of the field after his off-track excursion.

Robb’s lead up front remained less than a second, as Thompson set the fastest lap of the race to start Lap 14.

Abel, running in third was still defending against Petrov and Frost.

With six laps remaining, Robb’s lead over Thompson was 0.6 seconds, as both drivers continued to get quicker as the race entered the final quarter.

With five laps left, the lead was 0.7 seconds, with the top seven all covered by 10 seconds.

As the leaders crossed the line to start lap 18, Robb had caught up to B. Kaminsky and Finelli who were fighting for 12th. Finelli almost spun right in front of the leaders in Turn 5, but they were able to get cleanly by them.

Thompson was within 0.4 seconds as they started the third last lap of the race. On the next lap, Robb set his quickest lap, building a 1.1 second gap as the penultimate lap got underway.

Abel was still in third, but had five drivers within two seconds of him.

After a 15-lap tussle, McElrea was able to get by DeFrancesco for the 10th spot. On the final lap, McElrea waw able to gain one more spot, getting past Comeau.

Robb’s lead when the white flag came out was 1.2 seconds, and he was able to cross the line one second ahead of Thompson.

It’s Robb’s fifth win of the season, and his lead is now 49 points.

Surgere Indy Pro 2000 GP of Mid-Ohio Race #2 unofficial results.

Jay Howard Driver Development sophomore Christian Rasmussen on track at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway last year (Photo Courtesy Of Andersen Promotions)

By Steve Wittich

After a chaotic NTT INDYCAR® SERIES qualifying session that saw former USF2000 series driver Colton Herta grab his the pole, the command to fire engines for lowest rung of the Road To Indy Presented by Cooper Tires ladder was given by race control at 11:36am. 

Instead of the customary one pace lap, the 21 drivers were given an additional lap behind the pace car to get a feel for track conditions. The clock (30 minutes) and lap counter (20 laps) was started the first time they crossed under the flag stand. All 21 cars were on slick Cooper Tires – it was a mix of used tire and sticker tires

As the the front row of Rasmussen and Sikes brought the double file field onto the front straight, the starter waved the yellow flag because the back of the field was too strung out. 

The field got lined up properly the next time by. Pole-sitter Rasmussen got a good start, getting to Turn 1 first. Sikes got a better run out of Turn 2, getting to Turn 4 first and completing the pass. Rasmussen was quickly under pressure from Gold, who was able to move up from his sixth starting spot. 

The running order after the first lap was: Sikes, Ramussen, Gold, d’Orlando, Josh Green (Cape Motorsports), Cameron Shields (DEForce Racing), Matthew Round-Garrido (Pabst Racing), Eduardo Barrichello (Pabst Racing), Jack William Miller (Miller Vinatieri Motorsports), Christian Brooks (Exclusive Autosport), Kyle Dupell (Cape Motorsports), Nolan Siegel (Jay Howard Driver Development), Kiko Porto (DEForce Racing), Christian Bogle (Jay Howard Driver Development), Yuven Sundaramoorthy (Pabst Racing), Josh Sarchet (DEForce Racing), Prescott Campbell (Exclusive Autosport), Wyatt Brichacek (Jay Howard Driver Development), Michael Myers (Legacy Autosport), Josh Pierson (Exclusive Autosport) and Max Kaeser (Miller Vinatieri Motorsports)

Sikes had built a decent gap out front over Rasmussen in the first two laps. Behind them, a trio of Cape Motorsports drivers – Gold, d’Orlando and Green – were battling for third. 

Rasmussen went to the inside of Sikes in Turn on on Lap 5. That move backfired, as d’Orlando put went side-by-side with him through the Keyhole, down the back straight, through Turn 4 and Madness, with the points leader pulling ahead before Turn 6.

On the next lap, the Jay Howard Driver Development sophomore was able to pass the Legacy Autosport driver in Turn 4, grabbing the lead. 

Just before starting Lap 7, the yellow flag came out for Josh Sarchet, who was in the gravel in Turn 4. He eventually got going on his own and the field was told they were going green on the next lap. 

The green flag came back out to start Lap 8 with Rasmussen getting a great jump. Behind the leader, d’Orlando was pressuring Sikes, passing him on the inside in Turn 4. 

Just before the halfway point of the race, Miller was defending against Porto and was warned for moving in reaction to the driver behind him. 

At the crossed flags, Rasmussen’s lead over d’Orlando was a slim 0.5 seconds, with Sikes, Gold, Round-Garrido, Shields, Green, Barrichello, Brooks and Miller rounding out the rest of the top ten

Later on that lap, d’Orlando completed an inside pass of Rasmussen, to grab the lead from the points leader. Further back in the field, Shields was able to get by Round-Garrido to move into the top five. 

d’Orlando’s lead as they crossed under the starters stand on the nest lap was 0.6 seconds. Sikes was 1.5 seconds adrift of Rasmussen, with Gold pressuring Sikes. 

As the field started Lap 13, there was just under ten minutes remaining. That means a yellow flag would mean a shortened race. 

d’Orlando started Lap 14 with a 1.2 second lead. The best battle on track was between Sikes and Gold for the final spot on the podium. 

Lap times continued to come down with Rasmussen turning the quickest lap of the race on that same lap, narrowing the gap to 1.1 seconds as they stared Lap 15. 

Later on that lap, Sikes and Gold went side-by-side through Turns 4-6, before the Legacy Autosport rookie pulled back in front. 

As the leader d’Orlando got to the exit of The Carousel, the front end of the No. 4 washed out. He kept it on track, but lost the top spot to Rasmussen, slotting back into second, over 1.5 seconds behind the Jay Howard Driver Development No. 6. 

With five to go, Gold was able to complete the pass of Sikes through Turn 4 and Turn 4, moving to the final spot on the podium. 

As they crossed the line with three laps remaining, d’Orlando turned his quickest lap of the race dropping the gap to 1.4 seconds. The best battle on track was for sixth, with Round-Garrido defending against Barrichello and brooks. 

The gap when they crossed the line to start the penultimate lap was down to 1.3 seconds. 

As he crossed under the white flag, Rasmussen reset the quickest lap of the race, leading d’Orlando by 1.6 seconds. He went even quicker on the next lap, crossing the line 2.2 seconds ahead of d’Orlando. 

It’s the Dane’s seventh win of the season, but more importantly, after five races of moving in the wrong direction, he was able to grow his points lead back to 14 over Gold. 

Cooper Tires USF2000 Grand-Prix of Mid-Ohio Race #2 unofficial results 

Reece Gold celebrates his first USF2000 win at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway ((Photo Courtesy Of Andersen Promotions))

Drivers were given the command fire the 21 Indy Pro 2000 engines for their second race of the day at 1:05pm.

The field was slow get in pair of teenagers, Gold and Barrichello brought the field to the green flag.

Gold grabbed the lead on the run to Turn 1, with the rest of the field fanning out on the run up the hill to Turn 2.

In turn 5, there was contact that knocked Nolan Siegel down the running order to 14th after starting fifth. He was able to recover to finish ninth.

On Lap 2, it appeared that there was contact between Rasmussen and Shields in The Keyhole.

As the No. 6 got to the braking zone, he locked up the front tires, spinning into the grass. He tried to get going, but got high sided on the curbs trying to get back on track.

That forced race control to throw the yellow flag to allow the AMR INDYCAR Safety Team to push the Jay Howard Driver Development veteran back onto the track.

The green flag came out to start Lap 4, with Gold, Barrichello, Green, Shields, Round-Garrido, Miller, Brooks, Porto, Bogle and Sundaramoorthy.

On Lap 5, Gold’s lead over Barichello was less than half-of-a-second.

Later in the lap, Sikes went off in Turn 4. He was able to get back underway keeping the track green, but fell from 14th to 20th.

On Lap 8, Barrichello was starting to put immense pressure on Gold, starting lap nine only a half-second behind Gold.

At the halfway point of the race, Gold’s lead over Barrichello, was just over a half-second. The rest of the top ten were: Green, Shields, Round-Garrido, Brooks, Miller, Porto, Sundaramoorthy, and Duppell.

On Lap 11, Round-Garrido was warned for blocking, as the Pabst Racing sophomore was defending against Brooks.

As they started Lap 12, Barrichello was only six-tenths behind Gold. The top four were only separated by two-seconds.

Round-Garrido, was holding up a number of cars, with Brooks, Miller, Porto, and Dupell.

Round-Garrido and Brooks were side-by-side through Madness. Behind them, Dupell spun at the exit of Turn 4 and like Rasmusson was ended up high siding the No. 8 as he tried to get back on track.

The AMR INDYCAR Safety Team tried to get him going without throwing a full course yellow.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t possible and the yellow came out. The safety car was not utilized, and the green flag came back out with three laps remaining.

Barrichello got a great run to the green, and tried to make the outside pass in Turn 2. He was unable to make that work, but the two went side-by-side into the braking zone of Turn 4, with Barichello once again taking the outside line. The two went side-by-side through Madness, before Gold pulled ahead in Turn 6.

Behind them, Josh Green, who was running in third ended up in China Beach, moving Shields to the final spot on the podium.

Later on that lap, Brooks was able to move around Round-Garrido to move up to fourth.

When Gold took the white flag, his lead was a half-second. The driver who was looking for his second win in the last three race, was able to hold off the second generation racer for the win.

On the last lap, Sundaramoorthy, who was battling Miller for the sixth spot, went wide at the exit of Turn 2, bouncing across the grass and dropping to 14th.

Cooper Tires USF2000 Grand-Prix of Mid-Ohio
Race #1 unofficial results

DEForce Racing rookie Manuel Sulaiman lead the lone Indy Pro 2000 practice at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (Photo Courtesy Of Andersen Promotions)

By Steve Wittich

Cape Motorsports’ Michael d’Orlando on track at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. The 18-year-old won his first USF2000 race during the Honda Indy 200 weekend in 2020. (Photo Courtesy Of Andersen Promotions)

By Steve Wittich

For the third time in the last four races, the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship series had a first-time winner stand on the podium’s top step.

Michael d’Orlando (Cape Motorsports) was able to get around his teammate Reece Gold in Turn 4 on Lap 1 and took advantage of a mistake by pole-sitter Christian Rasmussen, grabbing the victory in Cooper Tires USF2000 Grand-Prix of Mid-Ohio Race #1.

The win is the 29th for Cape Motorsports at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (Mid-Ohio).

Gold spent the entire race pressuring his 18-year-old teammate but could not get close enough to make the pass for the win. The second-place finish is Gold’s seventh podium of the season and fourth straight at Mid-Ohio.

Coming home with his second podium of the season at Mid-Ohio was Jay Howard Driver Development sophomore Nolan Siegel.

Christian Brooks (Exclusive Autosport) just missed out on his third straight podium, gaining nine spots from his 13th place starting spot.

The Californian was able to gain a few more points in the rookie of the year chase, with his closest competition, Josh Green (Cape Motorsports), finishing fifth.

Points leader Christian Rasmussen made a mistake on the first lap, falling to the tail of the field, and only recovering to 14th.

The Dane’s championship lead over Gold, which was 50 points before the 20-lap race started, has fallen to 33 points with seven scheduled races remaining.

The field got through the first seven corners cleanly, but then ‘all the things’ happened simultaneously.

In Turn 10, Rasmussen, who had built a solid gap up front, dropped a wheel into the wet grass, and he missed the next corner, skidding through the grass and nosing into the barriers. He was able to continue to pit road. His Jay Howard Driver Development team replaced his front wing, and he was able to remain on the lead lap but restarted in the 19th spot.

Link to the tweet

Behind the leader, Kyle Dupell and Jack William Miller, who started eighth and tenth, made contact in Turn 8. The No. 8 Cape Motorsports car of Dupell ended up nosed into the tires and required the aid of the AMR INDYCAR Safety Team to get going again.

That brought out the yellow flag before the first lap was complete.

Miller continued to pit road where his Miller Vinatieri Motorsports crew made repairs and kept the Indiana born driver on the lead lap. He was penalized for avoidable contact with Dupell and had to take the restart at the tail end of the field.

The running order at the end of the first lap was: d’Orlando, Gold, Siegel, Green, Matthew Round-Garrido (Pabst Racing), Brooks, Cameron Shields (DEForce Racing), Yuven Sundaramoorthy (Pabst Racing), Christian Bogle (Jay Howard Driver Development), Kiko Porto (DEForce Racing), Simon Sikes (Legacy Autosport), Wyatt Brichacek (Jay Howard Driver Development), Josh Sarchet (DEForce Racing), Prescott Campbell (Exclusive Autosport), Max Kaeser (Miller Vinatieri Motorsports), Josh Pierson (Exclusive Autosport), Eduardo Barrichello (Pabst Racing), Michael Myers (Legacy Autosport), Rasmussen, Dupell, and Miller.

The biggest mover on the first lap was Brooks, who moved from 13th to sixth. Over the last six races, the Santa Clarita, Calif. driver has gained an impressive 21 spots from his starting positions.

The race restarted to start Lap 4, and the field was able to get through that cleanly, settling in for a clean remainder of the race.

On Lap 8, Brooks was putting pressure on his fellow rookie of the year competitor Green, making the pass in Turn 4 and moving up to fourth.

Further back in the field, Shields was able to get past Round-Garrido for sixth.

At the halfway point of the race, d’Orlando had a 0.6 second lead over his teammate Gold. Siegel, in third, was not quite a second behind Gold. The rest of the top ten were: Brooks, Green, Shields, Round-Garrido, Porto, Sundaramoorthy, and Bogle.

Barrichello, who started at the tail of the field in 21st, had worked his way up to 12th spot, pressuring Brichacek for 11th. He was able to make that pass on the next lap.

At the start of lap 12, d’Orlando’s lead was 0.8 seconds. On that lap, DEForce Racing’s Shields turned the quickest lap of the race to that point, while starting to put pressure on Green for fifth.

Shields went even quicker on the next lap, moving to within one-second of Green. Upfront, d’Orlando ran a lap one-tenth of a second quicker than Gold, with the lead growing to 0.9 seconds.

On Lap 14, Brooks made a mistake, turning a lap eight-tenths of a second slower than Green, allowing the fellow rookie back into the fight.

With five laps remaining, the lead upfront for d’Orlando was 0.8 seconds. The quickest driver on that lap, setting the fastest lap of the race, was Porto.

The lead with four laps remaining was 0.7 seconds. Further back in the field, championship leader Rasmussen set the race’s quickest lap and gained one spot to 15th.

On the next lap, the pair of Cape Motorsports drivers both ran 81.7-second laps. Brooks was again starting to pressure Siegel for the final spot on the podium.

Later on that lap, the No. 1 of Campbell spun in Turn 5. With d’Orlando starting the final lap with a 0.4 second lead of Gold, the green flag remained out.

d’Orlando held on for his first win, crossing under the checkered flag 0.5 seconds ahead of Gold.

On the last lap, Barrichello could get past Bogle to grab the final spot in the top 10.

The lowest rung of the Road To Indy Presented by Cooper Tires will be back on track for their second race of the day at 1:05 pm.

Cooper Tires USF2000 Grand-Prix of Mid-Ohio Race #1 unofficial results

DEForce Racing rookie Manuel Sulaiman will start on the pole in Indy Pro 2000 race #2 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (Photo Courtesy Of Andersen Promotions)

By Steve Wittich

For the third time this season, DEForce Racing rookie Manuel Sulaiman will lead the Indy Pro 2000 field to the green flag.

After missing out on the pole in Race #1 by five-hundredths of a second, the 20-year-old from Mexico City, Mexico returned the favor, beating current championship leader Sting Ray Robb (Juncos Racing) to the pole by two-hundredths of a second.

Starting in the second row are Hunter McElrea (Pabst Racing) and Parker Thompson (DEForce Racing).

The third row features Race #1 pole winner Danial Frost (Turn 3 Motorsport) and Devlin DeFrancesco (Andretti Steinbrenner Racing).

The top nine times were within one second of Sulaiman’s pole-winning lap time.

The sixth and final Road To Indy Presented by Cooper Tires session of track activity, an Indy Pro 2000 qualifying session, got underway at 4:10 pm.

Much like the earlier qualifying session, the DEForce Racing duo of Manuel Sulaiman and Parker Thompson were the quickest drivers early.

Just after the eight-minute mark of the session, the red flag came out for Artem Petrov, who made contact with the barriers and came to a stop on the edge of the track surface in Turn 10.

When the green flag came out with six minutes remaining, the Sulaiman had a few-hundredths in hand over his DEForce Racing teammate Thompson.

Over the last 90 seconds of the qualifying session, Robb and Sulaiman traded the provisional pole position twice.

The track continued to get better until the final lap of qualifying, with eight drivers setting their quickest laps on their last lap. McElrea, Frost, DeFrancesco, and de la Vera (DEForce Racing) all improved their starting spots on their final lap.

Jacob Abel (Abel Motorsports) and Charles Finelli (Fatboy Racing!) both had mechanical issues during qualifying and will start together on the final row.

The first Indy Pro 2000 race of the weekend rolls off at 12:15 pm on Saturday.

Surgere Indy Pro 2000 Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio Qualifying #2 unofficial results

Pole winner for USF2000 race #2, Reece Gold, on track in front of his Cape Motorsports teammates (Photo Courtesy Of Andersen Promotions)

By Steve Wittich

After starting on the outside of the first row in six of the last eight USF2000 races, Reece Gold, the pilot of The Ticket Clinic sponsored No 3, will start on the pole for the first time in his USF2000 career.

The pole win is the 28th for Cape Motorsports, breaking an eight race Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (Mid-Ohio) pole-winning drought of eight races.

Eduardo Barrichello, a Pabst Racing sophomore, recovered from a mechanical issue in the first qualifying session and will start Saturday afternoon’s race from the outside of the front row.

Starting on the second row will be DEForce Racing’s Cameron Shields and Exclusive Autosport’s Christian Brooks.

The top six drivers were within a half-second of pole winner Gold, with the top 14 only a second adrift of the top spot.

The first five spots in qualifying for Race #2 includes drivers from five different teams.

With tires limited for the triple-header weekend, two-thirds of the field was still on pit road after the first five minutes of available qualifying time. The quickest driver at the point of the session was Sundaramoorthy.

Times were falling quickly, and at the halfway point of the session, it was Rasmussen, Round-Garrido, d’Orlando, Siegel, Barrichello, Shields, Sundaramoorthy, Green, Dupell, and Sikes that held down the top ten spots on the timing screen.

At just past the session’s ten-minute mark, the red flag came out for an incident involving d’Orlando. The Focused Project Management/DB Collaborative No. 4 ended up in the tire barriers in Turn 6 with reasonably heavy damage. The Hartsdale, New York native, was able to climb from his stricken car under his power.

d’Orlando was transported to the medical center and quickly checked, released, and cleared to drive.

The AMR INDYCAR Safety Team got the incident cleared, and the green flag came out with ten minutes remaining in the qualifying session.

The first driver to improve in the second half of the session was Gold, who moved to second on the timing screens, before grabbing the provisional pole on his next lap.

On their final laps, Barrichello, Shields, Brooks, and Siegel were all able to move into the top five, pushing Rasmussen to sixth.

After an incident in Qualifying #1, Miller Vinatieri Motorsports driver Max Kaeser could not make qualifying. The Keystone, Colo. based driver visited the medical center. He was checked, released, and cleared to drive.

The lowest rung of the Road To Indy Presented by Cooper Tires has a pair of races on Saturday. The first rolls off at 8:30 am, and the second is scheduled for 1:05 pm.

Cooper Tires USF2000 Grand-Prix of Mid-Ohio Qualifying #2 Unofficial Results

Danial Frost, winner of the pole for the Surgere Indy Pro 2000 Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio Race #1 on track at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (Photo Courtesy Of Andersen Promotions)

By Steve Wittich

The 2020 Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires season has featured close racing and a tight championship race, so it should come as no surprise that a vital qualifying session had the top three drivers separated by five-hundredths of a second. 

Starting on pole and scoring a much-needed bonus point was Turn 3 Motorsport sophomore, Danial Frost. The 18-year-olds lap at 76.214 seconds ended up besting DEForce Racing’s Parker Thompson and Manuel Sulaiman by only 0.0415 and 0.0557 seconds. 

It’s Frost’s first pole of the season, first pole at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (Mid-Ohio), and the fourth in his Indy Pro 2000 career. It’s the first pole for the Peter Dempsey led Turn 3 Motorsport. 

The second and third place starting spots for DEForce Racing are a significant improvement at MId-Ohio for the Texas-based team. Thompson qualified fourth, sixth, and tenth in the first three races at Mid-Ohio five weeks ago, while Sulaiman started fifth, seventh, and 11th. 

Championship points leader Sting Ray Robb (Juncos Racing) will start from the outside of the second row. Robb’s closest championship contender Devlin DeFrancesco (Andretti Steinbrenner Racing), will begin on the inside of row four. 

The top seven drivers were all within a half-second, while the top 11 were all within one second of Frost.

The first of two Friday Indy Pro 2000 qualifying sessions for the Surgere Indy Pro 2000 Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio doubleheader got underway at 1:30 pm. 

Early in the session, with 20-minutes of guaranteed qualifying time, it was Thompson and Sulaiman, that traded the top spot on the timing screen. 

With seven minutes gone in the session, the Juncos Racing duo of Robb and Artem Petrov came to pit road for adjustments and sticker Cooper Tires. 

Just before the session’s halfway point, Hunter McElrea and then Frost took over the provisional pole. 

When the Pabst Racing driver set his quickest lap, the four DEForce Racing cars, along with DeFrancesco, were in pit road for adjustments and fresh rubber. 

After 10 minutes, Frost, with a lap of 76.434 seconds, held the provisional pole. McElrea, Sulaiman, Thompson, and Kaminsky made up the rest of the top five. At the halfway point, championship contenders Robb and DeFrancesco were in the sixth and ninth spots. 

With just over five minutes remaining in the session, the red flag came out. The Slick Lock sponsored No. 19, Colin Kaminsky, had an off in Turn 1. The Pabst Racing rookie nosed the car into the tire barriers. The AMR INDYCAR Safety Team was able to pull the car out of the tire barrier, and Kaminsky was able to drive back to the pit road with damage to the front wing. 

Kaminsky’s teammate McElrea had just turned his quickest lap of the session, only nine-hundredths behind Frost. 

When the red flag came out, the top ten were Frost, McElrea, Sulaiman, Thompson, Robb, Comeau, Petrov, de la Vera, DeFrancesco, and Enders. 

The green flag came out with just over five minutes remaining in the session. Robb led the field back out on the track. 

The first driver to improve on his time was Sulaiman, who turned a lap that was timed at only three-hundredths slower than Frost. 

With just over a minute remaining in qualifying, Thompson grabbed the provisional pole. The Canadian’s hold on the pole only lasted a few seconds, when Frost grabbed the top spot back. 

The duo traded quick laps again the next time they crossed the timing line just after Turn 10—their final laps of the session. 

The middle rung of the Road To Indy is back on track at 4:10 pm for their second qualifying session of the afternoon. 

Surgere Indy Pro 2000 Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio Qualifying #1 unofficial results

DEForce Racing rookie Manuel Sulaiman lead the lone Indy Pro 2000 practice at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (Photo Courtesy Of Andersen Promotions)

By Steve Wittich

If the lone practice session for the Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires series is an indicator of how the race weekend could go, the championship could take another turn.

Three of the top five times in the practice, Manuel Sulaiman (first), Parker Thompson (second), and Kory Enders (fifth), were set by DEForce Racing drivers.

The top two drivers in the championship, Sting Ray Robb (Juncos Racing) and Devlin DeFrancesco (Andretti Steinbrenner Racing), could only manage the sixth and eighth quickest times.

The first and only Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires practice session of the weekend, got the green flag right on time at 10:30 am.

The temperature when the session began was 62F, and the sky was still cloudy, but the fog and mist had disappeared.

The first driver to turn a lap at speed was points leader Robb.

Early in the session, the quickest driver was Artem Petrov, a Juncos Racing pilot who won at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in July.

Times started to fall just before the halfway point of the half-hour session. The first driver to break the 79-second barrier was Danial Frost (Turn 3 Motorsport) and the first driver to go under 78 seconds was Manuel Sulaiman (DEForce Racing).

With a lap timed at 77.030 seconds, Sulaiman was the quickest driver after 15-minutes of action, followed by Hunter McElrea (Pabst Racing), Frost, Petrov, and Colin Kaminsky (Pabst Racing) in the top five.

With 10-minutes remaining in the session, Sulaiman was the first driver in the 76-second range.

Other drivers started to set their quickest laps of the practice, but with five minutes remaining, nobody was within four-tenths of the 20-year-old DEForce Racing driver.

With just under three minutes remaining, the red and checkered flag came out simultaneously, for Bob Kaminsky, who was of the track in Turn 12.

The transponders of DEForce Racing’s Parker Thompson and Moisés de la Vara were not working in the first half of the session, but both drivers got those working later in the session, with Thompson setting the second-fastest lap and de la Vara, the seventh quickest lap.

The middle rung of the Road To Indy Presented by Cooper Tires is back on track at 1:30 pm for the first of two Friday qualifying sessions.

Surgere Indy Pro 2000 Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio practice results