Christian Brooks on track at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Exclusive Autosport rookie led the lone USF2000 practice session on Friday (Photo Courtesy Of Andersen Promotions)

By Steve Wittich

For the first time in his Road To Indy career, Exclusive Autosport rookie Christian Brooks led a practice session.

The 19-year-old Californian turned a lap at 83.218 seconds, over three-tenths-of-a-second quicker than Legacy Autosport veteran Cameron Shields. Rounding out the top five were Michael d’Orlando (Cape Motorsports), Nolan Siegel (Jay Howard Driver Development), and Reece Gold (Cape Motorsports).

TSO checked with the team, and that time was set on tires that were carried over from the event at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Only the top four drivers were within a half-second of Brooks, with the top 11 within one second.

The 21 drivers completed 939.3 miles (416 laps) of the undulating road course.

The lone 30 minute USF2000 practice session of the weekend got started promptly at 8:30 am, with the 21 entered cars quickly taking to the 2.258-Mile, 13-Turn Mid-Ohio Road Course.

The weather at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (Mid-Ohio) was decidedly fall-like, with the temperature struggling to reach 60F, a light mist/fog in the air, and a slight breeze blowing from the north.

After most drivers had completed three laps, and with eight minutes of the 30 minutes clicked off the clock, Rasmussen was the quickest of the session with a lap at 87.425 seconds.

At the halfway point of the session, at 8:45 am, the red flag came out so that a moment of silence for the victims of 9/11 could be remembered.

Teams were told that the session would still run for the complete 30 minutes.

Most drivers had completed eight or nine laps at that point in the session, and Rasmussen with a lap timed at 84.007 seconds, topped the timing screen. He was followed by Reece Gold (Cape Motorsports), d’Orlando, Kyle Dupell (Cape Motorsports), Cameron Shields (Legacy Autosport), Christian Brooks (Exclusive Autosport), Siegel, Eduardo Barrichello (Pabst Racing), Wyatt Brichacek (Jay Howard Driver Development), and Josh Green (Cape Motorsports)

The first driver to go quicker in the second half of the session was Siegel, who is looking to replicate a podium from the series first visit to Mid-Ohio.

The first driver to improve their time in the top five was Brooks. The rookie coming off his first two career USF2000 podiums, first moved to fourth quick, second quick, and then to the top of the timing screen, with the first sub-84-second lap. Brooks was able to keep going quicker, setting the fastest lap of the session on his 19th of 19 laps.

With under three minutes remaining, the timing screen was quickly lighting up green, but nobody was able to catch Brooks.

The bottom rung of the Road To Indy Presented by Cooper Tires is back on track for their first of two Friday qualifying sessions at 11:30 am.

Cooper Tires USF2000 Grand-Prix of Mid-Ohio practice results

Braden Eves leads the field to Turn 1 after streaming in front of the Cooper Tires Tower at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (Photo Courtesy Of Andersen Promotions)

By Steve Wittich

With a trio of wins at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course last week, Sting Ray Robb became the third driver to lead the Indy Pro 2000 point standings in 2020. The Juncos Racing veteran holds a 16 point advantage headed to Mid-Ohio, the track at which he scored his first career win.

“I’m glad to see Mid-Ohio back on the schedule having won my first race there last month,” said Robb. “I’m sorry Braden won’t be racing; we had some really good battles last month. I’m excited to be in the championship lead and to be in a position to challenge for the wins every race. I’m more prepared as a driver, but I think that started last year when I was challenging at the front in the last few races. We carried that into 2020 and we’re seeing the full-season effect of that preparation.

“Honestly, I want to dominate this season, but the field is so stacked that there’s no way that will happen, but I’m excited and ready for the challenge of battling it out. There are so many drivers who can win any given race, I’m really enjoying it.”

The 19-year-old has made ten previous Indy Pro 2000 starts at Mid-Ohio and has never finished outside of the top ten. Robb has one win and three podiums in his last four starts at the central Ohio circuit. When the Indy Pro 2000 series visited the circuit in July, he scored 64 points, the most of any driver.

Sting Ray Robb on the way to his first career Indy Pro 2000 win at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in July (Photo Courtesy Of Andersen Promotions)

Indy Pro 2000 points in three previous 2020 races at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course

After leading the championship after the previous five rounds of the championship, rookie Devlin DeFrancesco now trails Robb by only 16 points as the series heads back to Mid-Ohio for a pair of races. The Canadian born driver scored 61 points in the series first visit to the tricky circuit the first time they visited. That was tied for the second-most points over the three races, but he thinks that both he and the team can improve in their second visit to the flowing road course.

“Generally, I know that we need to improve in sectors two and three,” explained DeFrancesco. “I think we made progress, both myself and the team, in getting on top of those issues during the last weekend we were there. I’m really excited to get back there and see what results we can get and how we’ve improved since July.

“It’s also just a great track. The undulation of the track is really nice and the blind corners make it incredibly exciting as a driver to race at. There’s no margin for error there either.

“That, combined with the low grip, makes a good lap around there so exciting. And, we get the fans back this weekend! Even without it being a full house, it makes the atmosphere that much more enjoyable and I can’t wait to put on a show for the fans.

The Andretti Steinbrenner Racing driver is coming off his worst result of the year; an eighth-place finish in race #3 on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. The 20-year-old’s average finish over the first ten races of the championship is 3.7, which is just behind the Robb, who’s average finish of 3.4 is the leader in that category.

One place that DeFrancesco can make up some ground is by scoring more bonus points.

One bonus point is awarded for winning a pole, turning the fastest race lap, and leading the most laps. Robb, who scored eight of the nine bonus points in the IMS triple header, currently leads DeFrancesco by a nine to four margin.

Robb’s Juncos Racing teammate Artem Petrov, currently trails him by 49 points. Petrov, a 20-year-old from St. Petersburg, Russia, won the second race in the series first visit to the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in July.

His 61 points over those three Mid-Ohio races are the second-most points scored in the series earlier visit.

Danial Frost, who led the championship after the first four rounds, trails Robb by 57 points. The three-time Indy Pro 2000 winner and hisTurn 3 Motorsport crew led by Peter Dempsey, will need to find the pace they had earlier in the season.

Throughout the first five races of the season, all natural terrain road course races, including three races at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, the Singaporean teenager’s average quickest lap of the race was a series best 2.2. That included the fastest lap on one occasion and the second-fastest lap in another three races. At the three IMS Road Course races, that average dropped to 5.3, resulting in disappointing results.

“I’m looking forward to being back at Mid-Ohio this weekend,” said Team Owner Peter Dempsey, who had a second-place Indy Lights finish at Mid Ohio. “With Indy Pro 2000 being a support series to IndyCar, I know the drivers are all excited to be racing alongside the NTT IndyCar Series as well. Danial and Antoine had some strong races here a few weeks back, so hopefully we can return to the course this weekend challenging for wins and podiums.”

Frost has made ten previous USF2000, Indy Pro 2000, and Formula Regional Americas Championship powered by Honda starts on the 2.258-Mile, 13-Turn Mid-Ohio Road Course. His results include one podium and six top-ten finishes.

There have been six different race winners in the first 10 of 17 rounds of the 2020 Indy Pro 2000 championship, with at least three other drivers that could easily stand on the top step of the podium.

The first of those is 2019 Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship vice-champion Hunter McElrea, who has stood on the second step of the podium in four of the last six races.

When the series first visited Mid-Ohio six weeks ago, the Pabst Racing rookie entered the event 16th in points. Since that time, the American-born Kiwi has moved to fifth place in the standings. The 20-year-old trails leader Robb by 76 points and will need to go on a winning streak to have a chance to claim the advancement scholarship and seat in Indy Lights that goes with it.

McElrea has five previous Road To Indy starts at Mid-Ohio, with one win, two poles, and three podiums to show for it.

With 15 previous Road To Indy starts at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, DEForce Racing veteran Parker Thompson is the most experienced driver in the field. The 22-year-old Canadian’s Mid Ohio results include one win, one pole, five podiums, and 12 top-five finishes. Thompson.

With an 86 point deficit to championship leader Robb, Thompson will need to start winning races this weekend.

Other drivers we’re watching this weekend are Thompson’s DEForce Racing teammate Manuel Sulaiman and McElrea’s Pabst Racing teammate Colin Kaminsky.

Sulaiman ran into some bad luck at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but was quietly consistent in the series visit to Lexington, Ohio five weeks ago, finishing with fourth, fifth, and sixth place results.

Homer Glen, Ill. based driver Colin Kaminsky had a forgettable visit to the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in July but did score a pair of podiums here in USF2000.

Rounding out the field are:

• Jacob Abel (Abel Motorsports) will be making his first Indy Pro 2000 road course starts of the season. The 19-year-old Butler University student has made 15 starts across USF2000, Indy Pro 2000, Formula Regional Americas, and the F4 United States Championship Powered By Honda at Mid-Ohio. He qualified a season-best fourth at this circuit in last year’s Indy Pro 2000 Race #1.
• Nate Aranda (Juncos Racing), a series rookie that will look to continue his steady improvement as the series visits the undulating road course for a second time.
• Antoine Comeau (Turn 3 Motorsport), who made his series debut at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in 2019, had his best finish of the season during July’s visit to the circuit.
• Moisés de la Vara (DEForce Racing), who is coming off his best back to back performances of the year, a sixth and seventh-place finish in Speedway, Ind.
• Kory Enders (DEForce Racing), who had made eight previous starts at Mid-Ohio, including a season-best fifth-place finish in Race #3 in July.
• Bob Kaminsky (Pabst Racing), who continues to get quicker as he gets back into race shape.
• Charles Finelli (Fatboy Racing!), who, with the team principal Brendan Puderbach, is responsible for new sponsor Surgere to the sport. The supply chain solutions company is all in on sponsorship this weekend. The Cleveland, Ohio based company is sponsoring Indy Pro 2000 drivers Finelli and Thompson and serving as the title sponsor for the pair of Indy Pro 2000 races. They are also the primary sponsor on the No. 98 Honda driven by Marco Andretti in the pair of NTT INDYCAR® SERIES races.

The No. 98 Surgere Honda that Marco Andretti will pilot in the pair of NTT INDYCAR® SERIES races this weekend at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (Photo Courtesy Of Andersen Promotions)

Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires championship standings.

Indy Pro 2000 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course

• The pair of Surgere Indy Pro 2000 Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio races will be the 23rd and 24th visits the middle rung on the Road To Indy Presented by Cooper Tires has made to the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
• Only twice, in 2006 and 2014, has a race winner at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course not gone on to win the Star Mazda/Pro Mazda/Indy Pro 2000 championship.

In 2005 Rafa Matos won a Indy Pro 2000 (then Star Mazda) race at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course before going on to win the season long championship (Photo Courtesy Of Andersen Promotions)

• Cape Motorsports and Juncos Racing are tied with five wins each. Other entered teams with wins at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course are Andretti Autosport (3) and Exclusive Autosport (1)
• The pole-sitter has won 16 of the previous 22 races and has an average finishing position of 2.0.
• The lowest starting position of a race winner is fifth. That feat has happened twice. In 2004 with current NASCAR Cup Series driver Michael McDowell and in the last race at the track five weeks ago, when Sting Ray Robb won from the fifth starting spot.
• Juncos Racing leads all teams with four starts from the inside of the front row at Mid-Ohio. Active teams Andretti Autosport (2) and Exclusive Autosport (2) also have poles at the circuit.
• The pole sitter’s average finishing position is 2.8, and they have stood on the podium in 16 of the previous 22 races.
• The worst finishing position for a pole winner happened in the last race at Mid-Ohio in July, when Jacob Loomis was disqualified.
• Only two of seven Indy Pro 2000 races since the introduction of the PM-18, have gone caution-free.
• Race #1 in July saw Braden Eves cross the line 0.3024 seconds ahead of Danial Frost, the second closest Indy Pro 2000 finish in the history of the circuit. Current Cape Motorsports driver coach Matthew Brabham crossed the finish line only 0.155 seconds ahead of Diego Ferreira in 2013 Race #2.

Matthew Brabham on track at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in 2013 (Photo Courtesy Of Andersen Promotions) 

A few milestones this weekend

• Jacob Abel will be making his 25th Road To Indy Presented by Cooper Tires start this weekend.
• Colin Kaminsky will be making his 50th Road To Indy Presented by Cooper Tires start this weekend.
• Parker Thompson will be making his 90th Road To Indy Presented by Cooper Tires start this weekend.

Braden Eves will not be racing in his home event this weekend, but the New Albany, Ohio native, will be in attendance to support his partners and team.

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

By Steve Wittich

After a string of five podiums in six races that included three-runner up finishes, Cape Motorsports sophomore Reece Gold broke through for his first USF2000 win with a brilliant last lap set-up and execution to get past the race leader.

“This is awesome, exclaimed a pumped up Gold. “It feels so good to get the win after so many seconds and thirds! I was happy to make it through the first lap: this is the kind of track where you have to gain spots and get away from the mess because, with the draft, things happen. Thankfully, we got a great start and just focused forward. Halfway through the race, I didn’t think we could get there, but something happened mid-race, and we started to reel Jack in. From there, I was able to take advantage of the chance to grab the lead. I’m really happy to finally get the win.”

The win for Cape Motorsports is the Brownsburg, Ind. based teams tenth win on the IMS Road Course.

Gold’s win, combined with Barrichello’s fifth-place finish, moves him into second place. Gold’s stellar weekend means that he has knocked 37 points off Rasmussen’s title lead, with the gap going from 87 points to 50 points.

After another strong opening lap that propelled Exclusive Autosport rookie Christian Brooks from seventh to fourth place, the 19-year-old could take advantage of other’s mistakes and finish with his best career result of second. With a pair of podium finishes at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Santa Clarita, Calif. driver has moved into fourth place in the championship and is now the highest place rookie, with a five-point advantage of Josh Green (Cape Motorsports).

“In the second race, I was chasing down Gold and Miller until that late incident,” said the driver of the Hot Wheels/Chaco Flato/Bell Helmets No. 44). “We started P7 and to get up to second; we’re steadily getting there. We have a race car that can contend up front, so first and foremost, thanks to Exclusive Autosport – the progress we’ve made over the past weeks and even over the past day, they’ve been working so hard to give me the best car they could. We’ve been searching for this first podium for a few races so now we’re shooting for the top step.

“And of course, I’m thinking about (Indy Pro 2000 driver) Braden Eves. He’s a teammate and a good friend and to see what happened to him yesterday, I’m glad he’ll be okay. That really hurt but I know he’d be proud of me and I’m glad to put this trophy in the truck for him.”

After leading 17 laps, Jack William Miller (Miller Vinatieri Motorsports) lost that lead on the last lap, crossing the start-finish line. However, the 17-year-old was penalized five-seconds for an improper re-entry to the track and fell back to fourth.

That moved DEForce Racing rookie Kiko Porto onto the podium for the second time during the event. Despite missing the first round of the season at Road America, the Brazilian moved into a tie for ninth in points after a strong weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

“Rasmussen had a problem at the start and I had to really get on the brakes to avoid him, so I lost time,” said Porto after being informed he was being promoted to the podium. “I was able to make a few passes, but Christian (Brooks) and Reece were quicker than me on new tires. On the last lap, I was able to get third position. I’m very happy with the weekend, to get two third-place finishes and two poles, so thank you to the team. It was great to share this with Dudu, he’s more than a friend – he’s a brother. I’m so happy for him, it’s a big part of my weekend. Hopefully more podiums together.”

As the front row of Barrichello and Rasmussen brought the field onto the front straight, the JHDD, CSU | One Cure/Lucas Oil sponsored No. 6 of the championship leader, was hit from behind by Michael d’Orlando.

When the green flag flew, and Rasmussen hit the go pedal, it didn’t go. Thankfully, the rest of the field could get around him, and he limped back to the pits.

The Jay Howard Driver Development crew quickly went to work to fix the damage to the car’s left rear corner. The Dane could get back out on the track but was three laps down, and with no further retirements, finished the race in last place, scoring only a single point.

The Jay Howard Driver Development crew work on the left rear of Christian Rasmussen’s car (Photo Courtesy Of Steve Wittich – TSO)

The No. 4 of d’Orlando also came to the pit road to replace the damaged nose when he made contact with Rasmussen.

The outside front row starter’s issue gave pole-sitter Barrichello the opportunity to arrive at the ever-dangerous Turn 1 with a significant gap to the rest of the field.

Eduardo Barrichello leads after the Turn 1, Lap 1 in USF2000 Race #3 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Photo Courtesy Of Andersen Promotions)

The top five as they crossed the ‘yard of bricks’ for the first time were Barrichello, Miller, Gold, Brooks, and Porto.

Also of note on the first lap was the move by Legacy Autosport newcomer Simon Sikes, who put pressure on Porto for fifth. However, race control judged that Sikes and Kyle Dupell (Cape Motorsports) both jumped the initial start, and they were forced to serve drive-through penalties.

On Lap 2, Miller quickly caught the winner of the first two USF2000 races of the event and began Lap 3, right under the second-generation driver’s gearbox.

In a power move, Miller went to the outside of Barrichello in Turn 1, staying beside the Pabst Racing driver and having the preferred line in Turn 2. That allowed Miller to complete the pass and lead for the first time in his Road To Indy career.

Barrichello was immediately under attack from Gold, Brooks, and Porto, falling to fifth by the time they got to Turn 12.

After two laps out front, the Indy Dental Group/LLC/Lumist sponsored No. 40 with Miller behind the wheel had already built a one-second gap to Gold.

For the next five laps, things calmed down out front, with driver’s biding their time.

The running order to start the second half of the 20 lap race was Miller, who held a one-second lead over Gold, followed by Brooks, Porto, Barichello, Green, Shields, Round-Garrido, Kaeser, Garg, Campbell, Sundaramoorthy, Brichacek, Siegel, Peirson, Bogle, Myers, Sikes, Dupell, d’Orlando, and Rasmussen.

On Lap 13, Miller’s lead over Gold was 1.2 seconds. Brooks was within a second of Gold, but also had his mirrors full of Porto, who was eying his second podium of the weekend.

Miller’s lead over the next two laps was 1.5 seconds and 1.3 seconds, with five laps remaining.

Jack William Miller leads Reece Gold during USF2000 Race #3 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Photo Courtesy Of Andersen Promotions)

Behind the top three, Barrichello was putting pressure on his best friend Porto for the fourth spot.

Gold was able to eat into Miller’s lead by 0.3 seconds on the next lap, with the gap dropping to one second on Lap 16.

As Lap 17 began, Miller’s lead was down to 0.8 seconds, with the first three covered by less than 1.5 seconds.

Gold made up ground on Miller in Turns 7 through 14, and the next time the top two crossed the start/finish line, the gap was down to 0.5 seconds, with two more laps of the 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course to complete.

When he was shown the white flag from the starter’s stand, Miller’s lead was down to 0.3 seconds, with Gold’s Ticket Clinic sponsored No. 3 closing quickly on the long run down to Turn 1.

Gold, who was looking for his first career win in 24 starts, faked a move to the inside of Miller before moving back in line. That distracted Miller, who was also looking for his first win, who was too late and the brakes and missed the corner.

After the race, Gold told TSO Ladder that all of his podium finishes in the last month had taught him patience, never give up, and what moves to make to win.

Miller took the escape road, but instead of following it to get back on track, he cut through the grass and gravel, bounding back onto the asphalt behind Gold and just in front of Brooks.

In Turn 7, Brooks was able to execute on over-under move, getting past Miller for the second step on the podium.

Miller crossed the line in third and visited the podium, but after the race, the second-generation racer was told over the radio that a visit to the race director was required.

After the race, Miller was penalized five seconds for an unsafe re-entry, dropping him to fourth and elevating Porto to his second podium finish of the event.

Miller was also penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct and put on probation.

Behind the top four, the early leader and pole-sitter Barrichello crossed the line only 0.0083 seconds ahead of green for fifth.

Cooper Tires Indy Pro 2000 Indy Grand Prix race #3 results

The bottom rung of the Road To Indy Presented by Cooper Tires ladder will be back in action again in a few days for their fourth, fifth, and sixth races of the year at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

By Steve Wittich

With Braden Eves’ massive incident in an Indy Pro 2000 race in Turn 11 of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, the topic of more robust cockpit protection for the Road To Indy chassis is something that warrants discussion.

The first question TSO Ladder had when we got to the track today was whether the current Tatuus safety cell shared by the USF2000 and Indy Pro 2000 series could be retrofitted with a halo?

Tony Cotman, RTI Competition Director, and USF2000 Race Director informed us that, unfortunately, no, the halo could not be added to the Tatuus AP T-016 tub that serves as the safety cell the USF2000 and Indy Pro 2000 series.

The USF-17 was first unveiled at the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Trade Show in December 2015, over a year before the FIA first testing the halo driver crash protection system, and two years before the halo was mandated for use in Formula 1, Formula 2, Formula 3 and Formula E.

Unfortunately, in this case, the timing for introducing the new chassis to be utilized in the bottom two rungs of the Road To Indy ladder came a year too early. As such, it was not designed to be able to accept the halo.

When TSO Ladder asked Dan Andersen, Owner, and CEO of Andersen Promotions, if he was considering a new chassis, the answer was an immediate and emphatic yes. The former team owner and long-time series promotor went on to tell TSO Ladder that over a week ago, before Eves incident, he had asked Tatuus to provide him with a proposal for a new safety cell featuring cockpit protection.

Andersen then explained that after Eves’ accident, he asked Tatuus to get him that information as quickly as possible.

The Italian manufacturer currently has a chassis, the Tatuus F.3 T-318, equipped with a halo. That chassis is utilized in the F3 Asian Championship, Formula Regional European Championship, W Series, Formula Renault Eurocup, and New Zealand’s Toyota Racing Series.

The Tatuus F.3 T-318 based F.Toyota FT-60 utilized by the Toyota Racing Series, a Road To Indy partner (Photo Courtesy of Tatuus)

Unfortunately, that car is not suitable for the Road To Indy because it only has a single bulkhead and lacks a few other protective measures required for racing in North America. The lack of a double bulkhead to protect a driver in the event of a severe oval crash is a non-starter for Andersen, who made it clear that the Road To Indy drivers’ safety was his only priority.

The unsuitability of the current Tatuus chassis with a halo means a new safety cell will need to be designed and constructed.

Andersen told TSO Ladder that the intention is for all of the current parts, outside of the safety cell, used by the teams on the current USF-17 and PM-18 cars, would move over to a new tub.

There is no definite time frame, but Andersen made it clear that it was an urgent matter.

We had the chance to ask a few team owners their thoughts on having to purchase a new safety cell sooner than they expected. The response in all three cases was an immediate -” of course” – even though that means an unexpected capital expenditure.

One owner described it as short term pain for long term gain and explained that having cockpit protection significantly expands his pool of potential drivers.

According to a few reliable TSO sources, the first piece of driver cockpit protection added to all three levels of the Road To Indy Presented by Cooper Tires during offseason, the Cockpit Frontal Protection device, likely helped protect Eves from further injury.

A good look at the Cockpit Frontal Protection device on the PM-18 of Sting Ray Robb (Photo Courtesy Of Andersen Promotions)

Cockpit protection for the Road To Indy is a story that TSO Ladder will be following up on often.

Steve’s thoughts:

With the success of the Aeroscreen in the NTT INDYCAR® SERIES and, more to the point, the addition of cockpit protection to every other junior formula series above Formula 4, the Road To Indy needs cockpit protection as soon as possible to remain relevant with young drivers. Thankfully, Andersen understands that fully.

Sting Ray Robb, who won Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires race #2 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, on track near the museum (Photo Courtesy Of Andersen Promotions)

By Steve Wittich

For the second straight race, Juncos Racing veteran was the first driver to cross the iconic yard of bricks, leading flag to flag after starting on the pole and leading all 20-laps.

The just-turned 19-year-old is the first Indy Pro 2000 driver to win three races this season, and a ‘max’ point haul has moved the Idahoan to within four points of championship leader Devlin DeFrancesco.

Robb’s win is the Speedway, Ind. Juncos Racing’s seventh win at their hometown track.

Robb had the quickest lap of the race and will start the event’s final race from the pole.

With a terrific first lap, DeFrancesco moved from fourth to second, grabbing his fifth podium of the season. The 20-year-old had the third quickest lap of the race and will start race #3 from the inside of the second row.

Rounding out the Race #2 podium was Artem Petrov; it’s his fourth podium of 2020.

Pabst Racing rookie Hunter McElrea had the second quickest lap of Race #2 and will start outside of Robb, his best starting spot of the season.

The call to fire the 275hp engines for the Cooper Tires Indy Pro 2000 Grand Prix race #2 came a few minutes late at 1:02 pm.

The pace car brought the field through the first 12 turns of the 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course before turning things over to the front row of Robb and Petrov.

Robb got a significant jump, getting to Turn 1 first and grabbing the lead. DeFrancesco, who started fourth, was able to move up to the second spot.

Just as they finished the first lap, Colin Kaminsky came to pit road for a quick repair. He was able to get back on track on the lead lap.

The running order at the end of the first lap was Robb, DeFrancesco, Petrov, Thompson, Frost, Hunter McElrea (Pabst Racing), Manuel Sulaiman (DEForce Racing), Jacob Loomis (BN Racing with Team Benik), Moisés de la Vara (DEForce Racing), Nate Aranda (Juncos Racing), Antoine Comeau (Turn 3 Motorsports) Kory Enders (DEForce Racing), Bob Kaminsky (Pabst Racing), and Colin Kaminsky (Pabst Racing).

After his hard crash on Thursday, Braden Eves (Exclusive Autosport) was not able to start. We’ll

On Lap 2, in Turn 1, McElrea and Sulaiman made contact, with the No. 8 DEForce Racing PM-18 of the Mexican driver going through the grass. He made it to the back straight but pulled off and out of danger, keeping the track green.

At the one-quarter pole, Robb’s lead over DeFrancesco had grown to 1.3 seconds. The Kimoa sponsored No. 17 had only a 0.7-second gap to third place Petrov. Thompson and Frost rounded out the rest of the top five.

The two best battles on track was between Frost and McElrea for fifth and also between Aranda, Loomis, and Comeau for eighth.

In the latter portions of the first half of the race, Robb was turning laps one or two tenths quicker than DeFrancesco. Right behind DeFrancesco, Petrov and Thompson were also lapping just a little quicker than the Andretti Steinbrenner Racing driver.

At the halfway point of the 20-lap race, Robb’s gap to second place DeFrancesco was 1.8 seconds, with DeFrancesco, Petrov, and Thompson separated by only 1.3 seconds. The rest of the top 10 was Frost, McElrea, de la Vara, Loomis, Aranda, Comeau, Bob Kaminsky, Colin Kaminsky, Enders, and Sulaiman.

On Lap 11, DeFrancesco was able to gain four-tenths of a second on Robb, moving to within 1.5 seconds.

On Lap 12, in Turn 1, Thompson got loose but could gather the car back up and didn’t lose a position.

Throughout the next four laps, Robb was able to pull out to a comfortable 2.1 second lead with five laps remaining.

Behind Robb, DeFrancesco was facing pressure from Petrov and Thompson for the step on the podium.

The Andretti Steinbrenner Racing driver had a 0.8-second gap to Petrov with three laps to go. The leaders were starting to encounter traffic, but all of them were able to navigate that safely.

With two laps remaining, Robb’s lead was 2.1 seconds.

Robb took the white flag with a 1.9-second gap to second place DeFrancesco, who was turning the same lap times as the two drivers chasing him.

Cooper Tires Indy Pro 2000 Indy Grand Prix race #2 qualifying results (unofficial)

Friday, September 4, 2020
4pm – 4:50pm – Indy Pro 2000 Race #3 (25 laps or 50 minutes)

Sting Ray Robb, who won the pole for Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires race #2 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on track near the museum (Photo Courtesy Of Andersen Promotions)

By Steve Wittich

For the second straight Indy Pro 2000 race, the Juncos Racing duo of Sting Ray Robb and Artem Petrov will start on the front row, but today, Race #1 winner Robb was quicker.

Petrov grabbed the pole position for Race #1 by six-hundredths of a second, and in this morning’s qualifying, it was Robb returning the favor. The Idahoan’s lap timed at 79.281 seconds was only seven-hundredths faster than his teammate.

Robb will start from the inside of the front row for the third time in his career. His pole is the tenth on the IMS Road Course for the Speedway, Ind. Juncos Racing.

Turn 3 Motorsport and Indy Pro 2000 sophomore Frost improved one spot from Thursday’s qualifying effort and will start behind the pole sitter.

Championship leader Devlin DeFrancesco improved four spots over Thursday’s qualifying effort in his first visit to the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Canadian born driver was six-tenths off the pole for race #1 but cut that down to three-tenths for race #2.

Thursday podium visitors, Hunter McElrea (Pabst Racing) and Parker Thompson (DEForce Racing) will have some work to do to repeat that feat. They start beside each other in the third row.

The 15 Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires drivers had an absolutely perfect Hoosier September morning to qualify for the second Cooper Tires Indy Pro 2000 Indy Grand Prix. The skies were brilliant blue with wispy clouds, the sun was shining, the humidity was non-existent, and the temperature was a comfortable 62F.

Robb was the early leader during the 20-minutes of guaranteed qualifying time, but with five minutes gone, McElrea moved to the provisional pole.

With 12-minutes remaining, McElrea’s Pabst Racing teammate Kaminsky grabbed the provisional pole with the first sub 79 seconds lap of the event.

Just before the halfway point of qualifying, several cars, including yesterday’s pole-sitter Petrov, yesterday’s race winner Robb, and points leader DeFrancesco were all on pit road for adjustments and fresh Cooper Tire Rubber.

Kaminsky was the quickest driver after ten minutes, he was followed in the top 10 by McElrea, Sulaiman, Robb, Danial Frost (Turn 3 Motorsport), Parker Thompson (DEForce Racing), DeFrancesco, Jacob Loomis (BN Racing with Team Benik), Petrov, and Kory Enders (DEForce Racing).

The drivers took a few laps to get their Coopers into the optimal operating temperature range, but with five minutes remaining in the session, times started to come down.

The first driver to go quicker on new tires was Robb. McElrea grabbed the provisional pole with four minutes remaining, but that only lasted for a few minutes as Robb went back to the provisional pole with a lap that started to flirt with Rasmus Lindh’s qualifying track record of 1:18.9953 set in May of 2019.

At the last minute, Frost put in his quickest lap of qualifying, throwing down the session’s third fastest lap.

Cooper Tires Indy Pro 2000 Indy Grand Prix race #2 qualifying results (unofficial)

Friday, September 4, 2020
9:45am – 10:15am – Indy Pro 2000 Qualifying #2
1pm – 1:50pm – Indy Pro 2000 Race #2 (20 laps)
4pm – 4:50pm – Indy Pro 2000 Race #3 (25 laps or 50 minutes)

Some crazy Indy Pro 2000 action headed into Turn 1 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Photo Courtesy Of Andersen Promotions)

By Steve Wittich

First, TSO Ladder wishes a quick recovery to Braden Eves. We hope to hear more about how the reigning USF2000 champ is getting along after his crash yesterday.

Pole sitter Artem Petrov was initially credited with a fourth-place finish but was judged by race control to have jumped the lap four restart and given a 30-second post-race penalty dropping him to 10th place.

It was a tough day for Manuel Sulaiman. The Mandala/Viva Aerobus/Telcel/La Santa sponsored No. 8 had a mechanical issue that forced him to miss qualifying. Then his DEForce Racing team was fitting a new power plant to his PM-18 and could not make the grid.

DEForce Racing’s Kory Enders missed qualifying and practice but did make it to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in time for the race. He started in the last place and was able to drive forward to seven spots to finish eighth.

Random stats and stuff

Sting Ray Robb is only the fifth Indy Pro 2000 driver in 14 Indy Pro 2000 starts to win from a position other than the pole.

Robb’s win was the sixth for the team on the IMS Road Course.

Artem Petrov’s pole was the eighth at the circuit for Juncos Racing.

Petrov’s tenth place finish is the worst finish of an Indy Pro 2000 pole sitter in any of the previous races on the IMS Road Course.

It was the 16th podium on the IMS Road Course for Juncos Racing and the first for Pabst Racing and DEForce Racing.

The six caution laps are the most since the second race had seven circuits run under yellow in 2014.

The six caution laps are the most for any Indy Pro 2000 race so far this season.

Race #1 was the seventh Indy Pro 2000 race on the IMS Road Course to have a first lap caution. That includes three of the last four.

Race #1 was the first Indy Pro 2000 race to end under caution.

The only race that points leader Devlin DeFrancesco has lost positions from his starting spot is the first race of the year at Road America, where he started on the pole and finished second.

2020 Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires points after IMS Race #1

USF2000 Notes

Eduardo Barrichello and Kiko Porto, the Brazilian two-thirds of the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship podium from Race #1 are long-time friends.

After the race, Barrichello told TSO Ladder:

We’ve raced together since day one, and he’s been my best friend since day one, so it’s really nice to race with him. But, in some ways, it’s not very cool to race against him. It’s a really weird situation because you have to very aggressive, but being aggressive against someone you like is really weird. I’m really happy for his first podium and we’ll battle again tomorrow.

Random stats and stuff

Eduardo Barrichello’s win in race #1 is the second win on the 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course for Pabst Racing. They won the first race USF2000 race held on the IMS Road Course with Will Owen behind the wheel.

For only the second time, and the first time in ten races on the IMS Road Course, it was not a Cape Motorsports driver that started on the pole.

The podiums were the third (DEForce Racing), eighth (Pabst Racing), and 18th (Cape Motorsports) for the teams on the IMS Road Course.

Race #1 was only the third caution-free USF2000 race on the IMS Road Course.

The average speed of race #1 was 100.509, the second-fastest USF2000 race held on the 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course

Barrichello’s 0.2834-second margin of victory is the closest in the 13 USF2000 races held on the IMS road course.

The sixth-place finish by Christian Rasmussen was his worst finish since a 17th place finish at Portland International Raceway last year. It’s also only the second time he’s finished off the podium in his previous 15 USF2000 starts.

Race #1 had 20 cars running at the end of the 15 lapper, and 19 of those were on the lead lap, both highs for the 2020 season.

2020 Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship points after IMS Race #1

Sting Ray Robb interviewed by Rob Howden on the victory podium after winning a Indy Pro 2000 race on his ninteenth birthday. (Photo Courtesy Of Andersen Promotions)

By Steve Wittich

Exclusive Autosport rookie Braden Eves before Thursday’s Indy Pro 2000 race (Photo Courtesy Of Andersen Promotions)

Danial Frost locks up in the Turn 1 braking zone, while the cars of Bob Kaminsky, Jacob Loomis and Moisés de la Vara limp down the Indianapolis Motor Speedway front straight. (Photo Courtesy Of Andersen Promotions)

Devlin DeFrancesco pressures Braden Eves through the infield portion of the 2.439-mile, 14-turn Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course (Photo Courtesy Of Andersen Promotions)

Eduardo Barrichello shares an embrace with his dad after winning his first USF2000 at the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Photo Courtesy Of Andersen Promotions)

By Steve Wittich

Second-generation racer Eduardo Barrichello has now matched his dad in one career endeavor. He won a race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The Pabst Racing sophomore used textbook over-under move to take the lead, leading the last two laps to win his first USF2000 race.

“I will never forget this race,” an emotional Barrichello exclaimed after the podium ceremony. “I’ve been waiting for this for so long; I’ve been working so hard for this; me and my dad. Fortunately, it’s the first time this year that he’s here with me. It has been three months since I’ve seen him, and he surprised me a week ago. I’m really fortunate for this win, and I can’t believe my eyes.”

On the podium, the 18-year-old dedicated the victory to his mom.

Just missing out on his first win was Cape Motorsports sophomore Reece Gold, who finished on the podium for the sixth race in a row.

“I think we had the winning car, the pace was really good,” explained Gold after getting out his car.” I tried a little too hard. I wanted to get around him (Porto) before Barrichello got mixed up with us. I went in too deep and lost a spot, but I’m happy to recover to second. It’s the fifth podium in a row and really good points.”

With points leader, Jay Howard Driver Development veteran Christian Rasmussen finishing in sixth and his Cape Motorsports, Gold moved into second place in points and gained 11 points on Rasmussen.

Finishing in third place, after starting on the pole, was DEForce Racing rookie Kiko Porto. The Brazilian was making only his fifth career Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship start.

The command to fire the 22 USF2000 engines was given by race control at 2:26 pm, with Kiko Porto leading the field off pit road behind the Road To Indy Presented by Cooper Tires pace car.

The ambient temperature was 82F, and the skies were partly sunny as the front row of Porto, and Reece Gold brought the field slowly to the green flag.

The field could get cleanly through the first turn, but in the second turn, points leader Rasmussen got sideways, falling through the field to 13th. Just missing the spinning Dane was Barrichello, who took to the grass to avoid him.

Points leader Christian Rasmussen spins in Turn 2 of the first lap of a USF2000 race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Photo Courtesy Of Andersen Promotions)

On the first lap, Jack William Miller (Miller Vinatieri Motorsports), who started fourth, was able to go around the outside of Gold in Turn 7 to move up to second.

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

On Lap 2, behind leader Porto, Gold, Barichello, Siegel, and Miller went four-wide down the front straight with Miller missing the braking zone in Turn 1. The Hoosier driver was forced to use the escape route, falling down the running order and retiring due to contact a lap later.

When crossing the line to start the fourth lap, Porto had a comfortable 2.2 second lead over Gold. Barrichello, in third, had a second over Green, who was followed by Green and Siegel in the top five.

On Lap 6, Rasmussen, who had moved back up to seventh, popped to the inside of d’Orlando on the run down to Turn 7; Rasmussen locked up his right front, which forced the No. 4 Cape Motorsports machine off the track and into the grass where he fell down the running order to 12th and fell to 20th when he came to pit road for repairs.

At the halfway point of the race, Gold had whittled Porto’s lead down to one-second and was closing quickly. The rest of the top ten were Barrichello, Green, Siegel, Rasmussen, Round-Garrido, Brooks, Sundaramoorthy, and Shields.

After the race, Porto told TSO Ladder that the car was really good over a single lap and that they made a mistake in the car’s balance, and it was challenging to drive, but they made the most of what they had.

The best battle on the track was between Brooks and Sundaramoorthy, with the Pabst Racing sophomore passing Brooks in Turn 7 on the next lap to move up to the eighth spot.

With five laps left, Gold had caught up to Porto, putting pressure on the Brazilian into Turn 1 and Turn 7, but was not able to get by him. That let Barrichello back into the fight.

The threesome went three-wide on the run down to Turn 1 just after starting the fourth lap. Gold pulled in front for a few feet but ran wide at the corner exit, allowing Porto to regain the lead and Barrichello to move to second.

When they crossed the line to begin Lap 13, Porto’s lead was 0.5 seconds over his fellow Brazilian. The threesome made it cleanly through the next lap, but as they started the penultimate lap, the second generation Pabst Racing driver executed a textbook over under to take over the lead.

After the race, Barrichello told TSO Ladder: “I was just driving really, really hard to catch the leaders. Once I found myself battling, I just had to make an aggressive move and think ahead. It worked out, and I’m very proud of myself.”

Barrichello was able to stretch his lead just a little as Gold could get by Porto for second in Turn 7.

After the race, Barrichello confirmed to TSO that he was thrilled to see Gold and Porto battling because The Ticket Clinic sponsored No. 3 of Gold had more pace.

Gold, Porto, and Green were able to close up on the Ale sponsored No. 22 of Barrichello, but he could hold on for what he and his dad both called the “longest laps of their lives” to grab his first Indy Pro 2000 win. Gold crossed the line 0.2 seconds behind the winner, and the top four covered by only 1.1 seconds.

On the last lap, Miller Vinatieri Motorsports rookie Kaeser was able to get around Shields to grab his first top ten finish.

Cooper Tires USF2000 Indy Grand Prix unofficial race results