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Mazda Road To Indy presented by Cooper Tire gives out $2.6mil of hope at their annual banquet

Posted by  on Monday, September 11th 2017     

By Steve Wittich

For the third straight year, the Mazda Road To Indy presented by Cooper Tire (MRTI) banquet began with a cocktail reception in the fresh air along side a picturesque body of water.  After two years of the salt water scent of Monterey Bay greeting the guests, it was the distinct fresh water bouquet of Seneca Lake that greeted the drivers, teams, families, sponsors, series personal and media.

The scene at the pre-banquet MRTI cocktail party (Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)

After an hour of mingling with friends you barely recognize because they are not wearing their usual track “uniforms,”  the group of 250+ guests entered the ballroom of Watkins Glen Harbor Hotel to tell stories, eat dinner and begin the program that included the awarding the $2.6 Million dollars worth of “hope.”

Victor Fraznoni, the 2017 Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire champion, told INDYCAR Radio’s Rob Howden after the final race, that Mazda, and the MRTI were not just giving out prize money, but giving drivers hope, and the 21 year-old echoed, and expanded on that sentiment during his banquet speech, saying:

“You made me the driver that I am today, you brought me here, and you are making my dreams come true, so thank you very much for the great job you are doing.

“You are not just giving out prize money, you are giving out hope, and that’s why I’m here, and why everybody should come to the Mazda Road To Indy – it’s amazing.”

The big driver awards and speeches were certainly the highlight of the gala, but it wouldn’t be right if we failed to single out a few other awards.

First on the docket was the induction of three new members of the MRTI Hall of Fame.

  • Bobby Oegel, a one-time USF2000 driver and prominent team owner for drivers like J.R. Hildebrand, Dane Cameron, and Charlie Kimball joins names like Dan Wheldon, J.R. Hildebrand, Charlie Kimball, Chris Simmons, Tonis Kasemets and Spencer Pigot in the USF2000 Hall of Fame.
  • NBCSN broadcaster Anders Krohn, who in 29 career Pro Mazda starts won once, and finished on the podium seven times, is joining names like Peter Dempsey, James Hinchcliffe, Jack Hawksworth, Joey Hand, Tristan Vautier, and Joel Miller in the Pro Mazda Hall of Fame.
  • Two-time Indianapolis 500 winning car owner, and first generation Indy Lights race winner Bryan Herta won the 1993 Indy Lights Championship, and joins names like “Pat” Patrick, Roger Bailey, Josef Newgarden, Paul Tracy, Scott Dixon, Josef Newgarden, Tony Kanaan, and Helio Castroneves in the Indy Lights Hall of Fame.

The drivers certainly get their fair share of attention, but thanks to the MRTI sanctioning body INDYCAR, the guys and gals that put together the cars are recognized with $1,000 award for each step on the ladder.   In USF2000 it was Jay Green from Exclusive Autosport, and for Pro Mazda is was Tom Vasi for Team Pelfrey.

Kyle Kaiser completed 637 of a possible 638 laps in 2017, well ahead of any of his competiton, and it’s fitting that A.J. Smith, his Juncos Racing mechanic won the $1,000 award from IndyCar.

Juncos Racing mechanic A.J. Smith collects his hardware at the MRTI Banquet (Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)

“My crew chief Tom, and all the mechanics – A.J., Keith, and Jimmy – you deserve a ton of credit,” said Kaiser during his acceptance speech.  “I didn’t have a single mechanical failure all season, and we were the only car to finish every race. That speaks volumes about the great work and preparation that these guys do behind the scenes.”

For many years CART and CHAMPCAR used to give away the Greg Moore Legacy award to the driver that best represented the off-track ideals of late Canadian star. Unfortunately, that award has disappeared, but the three winners of the three $5,000 prizes for Hi-Tide Boat Lifts Kids on Track Spirit Award, who have all shown a dedication to racing beyond the track. An ideal that Moore held high.

Andretti Autosport Indy Lights sophomore Dalton Kellett, who has an degree in Engineering Physics from the prestigious Queens University in Kingston, Ontario, is dedicated to volunteering with various Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) programs to share his love of those subjects.

Forty-nine year-young Bobby Eberle, a veteran Pro Mazda driver from the World Speed Motorsports stable, rededicated himself to his physical fitness and instead of competing in the National Class, was competitive with the “kids,” in the Championship Class.

Bobby Eberle collects his spirit award from Dan Andersen (Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)

Exclusive Autosport’s Parker Thompson, a veteran USF2000 pilot from Red Deer, Alberta, takes time during the season and off-season to spread his anti-distracted to driving message to tens of thousands of high school students through his Drive to Stay Alive campaign.

Kory Enders (USF2000 – DEForce Racing), Nikita Lastochkin (Pro Mazda – Team Pelfrey) and Santiago Urrutia (Indy Lights -Belardi Auto Racing) all won $5,000 prizes for completing the Royal Purple “Slickest Pass” of the year in their respective divisions.

Enders, who is from Sugar Land, Texas, an area hard hit by Hurricane Harvey, thoughtfully donated his winnings to the relief efforts.

Urrutia won the award for passing six cars during the opening three corners of the first race at Road America in June.

 

The first winner to receive their big prize was 2017 Cooper Tires USF2000 Powered by Mazda title winner Oliver Askew.  Askew, who won seven wins and 12 podiums on the way to a hard fought seven point championship over Pabst Racing rookie Rinus Van Kalmthout.

New Pro Mazda driver Oliver Askew was all smiles during his USF2000 Championship speech. (Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)

The humble, yet well spoken driver who lives in Jupiter, Fla., was quick to thank God and his family for his success, before launching into a speech that included thank you’s for: Dan Andersen and the USF2000 Series – Cooper Tires – Elite Engines – Iowa spotter Chris Wheeler – sponsors: Art Wilmes with Rising Star Racing, Jeremy Shaw with Team USA Scholarship, Bell Helmets, MC Racing, Safe Is Fast, Scott Davidson, Chris Rothke and Greg Savage.

The meat of the 20 year-old’s thank you speech was directed to his Cape Motorsports team, teammate, driver coach, spotter and Mazda Motorsports.

“Cape Motorsports – I love you guys – Nicolas, Dominic, Reggie, Collin, Will, Don, Larry, Allen, and John – thank you for an unforgettable rookie season,” praised Askew. “I am honored to win the series title this year, but even more honored to carry on you winning legacy.

“It was an unbelievable ride this year and I can’t thank you enough for your time and personal sacrifices that you all made to ensure that I was standing here in front of you this evening at USF2000 Series Champion.

“Anthony Martin— you have been the best teammate that I could ever have asked for. Even though you are in a different class, I still learned so much from you, especially because of your experience winning the USF2000 championship last year. Congratulations on a great season, and I wish you all the best in the future.

“Jonathan Jorge, who unfortunately couldn’t be here with us tonight. Thank you for being my eyes in the sky, and for being my coach. I am on such a steep learning curve, and you’ve definitely helped the curve in all aspects, both on and off the track. I could not have done it without you.

“Also, a big thanks to my friend Chris Wheeler who spotted for me at Iowa.

“Mazda Motorsports – thank you guys so much! I can not express how much you’ve done for my career. Without your help I would not be racing – period. I’m looking for to building a long relationship with you. You have made my dreams that I thought were impossible, possible. Thank you guys.”

Askew, who also won the Team USA Scholarship, and Mazda Road to Indy $200K Scholarship Shootout in the previous 12 months ended his speech, with effusive praise for Rinus VeeKay and Pabst Racing.

“I’d like to thank my competition, especially Pabst Racing and Rinus VeeKay, for pushing us hard all through the season, and for making us rise up to the challenge every weekend,” said the newest Pro Mazda driver. “I’d like to say we made each other a lot better through the season.”

In TSO’s opinion, that’s a big part of what makes the Mazda Road To Indy presented by Cooper Tire the best training ground for open wheel drivers on the planet. Whether your a team, or a driver, there always a professional competitor pushing you to get better.

The value of Askew’s championship haul is over $371,000, and includes:

  • $325,000 scholarship from Mazda
  • $23,000 tire credit from Cooper Tire to use in Pro Mazda
  • $21,000 entry fee credit from Andersen Promotions to use in Pro Mazda
  • $2,500 prize for being the Hyperco Rookie of The Year
  • USF2000 Champion’s ring from Jostens
  • Original Champion’s artwork by Jim Swintal

Every crew member, team owner, and driver that took the stage to collect their prize received a warm round of applause, but when Victor Franzoni was introduced, that applause was just a little louder, and accompanied by cheers. Proof positive that the Brazilian was a popular championship winner.

“Good evening,” began Franzoni. “It was much easer practicing in the shower. There are too many people around.”

Frazoni’s touching speech then launched into the up-and-down history of his career. TSO has talked extensively with Franzoni about his past, and especially how his 2017 championship season came together, and we’ll bring you a full story on that after some of the excitement from the IndyCar finale dies down.

Victor Franzoni’s family travel from Brazil to witness his Pro Mazda Championship victory – they, like Victor, were all smiles at the Banquet. (Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)

It was normal for Franzoni to face uncertainty heading into a racing season, and 2017 was no different. The Brazilian had signed on with the ArmsUp Motorsports squad for the first two USF2000 weekends of the season, when he got a call while working at a karting event in New Orleans, La.

“One week before the start of the season, I found a ride, and it was the best ride of my life,” explained Franzoni. “It was with Juncos Racing.

“Thank you very, very much Juncos Racing. You guys made me a champion. You guys taught me everything to learn to win a championship, and I had an amazing year with those guys. Thank you very much Ricky, Ricky Juncos. Thank you very much.

“And Jeff Green (my Juncos Racing teammate), thank you very much for everything. Without you I wouldn’t be racing this year, so thank you very much Jeff for everything.

“Oh and also thank you very much Peter Dempsey (my driver coach). Sometimes, your a pain in the ass, but it’s really nice.

“This year was awesome. It ended in the way it had to end. I think this was finally my last chance, but we did it – we won!”

The value of Franzoni’s championship haul is over $882,300, and includes:

  • $790,300 scholarship from Mazda
  • $67,000 tire credit from Cooper Tire to use in Indy Lights
  • $24,000 entry fee credit from Andersen Promotions to use in Indy Lights
  • $1,000 product certificate for winning the Quarter Master Hard Charger Award
  • Indy Lights test
  • Pro Mazda Champion’s ring from Jostens
  • Original Champion’s artwork by Jim Swintal

Even though Martin did not win the big prize, the 22 year-old does walk away with a $75,000 second place prize, the $7,500 BBS Rookie of The Year award, the choice of any Mazda street vehicle for a year, and an Indy Lights test day.  We’ll have more on Martin’s future at a later date, but expect to see the Aussie and Brazilian continue their grand rivalry in Indy Lights.

The grace with which Martin handled the disappointment of falling just short of his second straight MRTI scholarship, will certainly serve him well in the future.

The final, and largest prize of the night, the three race scholarship to race in IndyCar and 102nd Indianapolis 500 went to Kyle Kaiser.

“I’m not going to lie, I’m a little nervous right now,” began Kaiser.” I haven’t been nervous all year for a single race, but for this speech, I’ve been really nervous.”

The then 16 year-old made the first of 82 MRTI starts in a Pro Mazda one-off effort at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca with World Speed Motorsports in 2012. Kaiser spent the 2013 Pro Mazda season with World Speed Motorsports in 2013, before spending the next four seasons, one in Pro Mazda and three in Indy Lights, with Juncos Racing.

“Undoubtably, the best decision I’ve made, was to partner with Spencer (Pigot) and Juncos Racing for my second year of the Pro Mazda Championship” said Kaiser. “Being there to witness Spencer win his Pro Mazda Championship, and Indy Lights Championship back-to-back was invaluable, but most importantly, it taught me to wait for my time, and be patient.”

Over the course of his five year MRTI apprenticeship, Kaiser collected six race wins, six poles, 22 podiums, and 36 top five finishes, and gives full credit to the MRTI with his steady maturation process.

“I’ve been a part of the Mazda Road To Indy for five years now, and it’s been an eventful five years, explained the Santa Clara, Calif. native. “I’ve had many ups, and plenty of downs, but everything I’ve learned has shaped into the driver I am today. 2016 was my first championship fight, but I was still lacking some consistency, and I made a few too many mistakes to be there to win a championship at the end. After my second season in Indy Lights, I made a difficult choice. Stay another year in (Indy) Lights, or move up to IndyCar. After talking to Ricardo we made the decision to do one more year of (Indy) Lights to win the championship, and it turned out to be the right move.”

Kaiser had plenty of thanks to go around beginning with Dan Andersen and his Andersen promotions staff:

“First and foremost, I have to thank the people that make this entire series possible, because without them we wouldn’t be here doing what we love. Dan Andersen and his staff. You guys have really laid the ground work for everything we’ve done in the Mazda Road To Indy.  You’ve created the one ladder system that has gives a clear path to the Verizon IndyCar Series. I immensely thankful for all of you for running a great series week in and week out.”

Moving onto Mazda and Cooper Tire:

“Equally important, are the main sponsors for the Mazda Road To Indy, Mazda and Cooper Tire. Without their support, their is no scholarship program that allows us to graduate from this series and move up the ladder. I’d specifically thank John Doonan and Chris Pantani. Their belief in this program, and commitment to these scholarships is building the future starts of IndyCar, and I’m forever grateful for their investment into the sport.”

And his team, including team owner Ricardo Juncos, engineer Ernie Gonella, crew, and driver coach Peter Dempsey:

“Next, I’d like to thank my team, Juncos Racing. It’s a phenomenal group of guys, who’s hard work, passion and dedication to the sport are the main reason I’m up here this evening. Ricardo and Dani, what an amazing year for the team. Two championships, it’s just unbelievable.

“I’ve been part of the team for four years now, and you’ve always had faith in me. You saw all my potential. I’m just at a loss for words. You’re always honest with me, and you’re driver development program had made me the driver that I am today.

“Your love for the sport, and unrelenting desire to win has brought you so much success, and I know it will make you an incredible IndyCar team owner.

“Ernie, you’ve been working with me my entire time at Juncos, and we’ve built a great relationship on AND off the track. Each year my technical skills have advanced tremendously, and thanks to your understanding of the car, and your ability to teach me. I would not have been able to secure this championship without you.

“My driver coach, and personal friend Peter Dempsey – I know Victor has already said it, you can be a pain in the butt at times. I’ve been working with you since I came to Juncos, and you’ve always brought the most out of my driving, so thank you!

“My crew chief Tom, and all the mechanics – A.J., Keith, and Jimmy – you deserve a ton of credit. I didn’t have a single mechanical failure all season, and we were the only car to finish every race. That speaks volumes about the great work and preparation that these guys do behind the scenes. I’d also like to thank Kevin Logan for doing a great job with data analysis, and Aaron for always bring the cars and all the equipment to the track safely.”

Kaiser ended with his family:

“Lastly, I’d like to thank my family and friends for their unconditional support over the years. I’ve always had a great support system to lean on whenever the adversity or hard times happen, and it happens a lot in racing.

“I’m glad to have some of the important family members in my life here with me today. Most importantly, I’d like to thank my dad, because without him, I’d have never would have achieved what I have achieved in my racing career.”

And singled out his dad, Jeff:

“My dad was actually the one who introduced me to the sport of racing when I was just six years old. I used to go with him to Mazda Raceway (Laguna Seca) and watch him compete in Skip Barber races. After he saw me take an interest in racing, he bought me my first kart at seven years-old.

“We did the weekend warrior thing. Going to the track until I was 12 years-old. And then on my 13th birthday, I’ll never forget it, he took me to an empty parking lot at an amusement park, and taught me how to drive a stick-shift, and the led to everything I’ve achieved.

“From there, it’s been a long road, but every step of the way he was there for me and always believed in me. From helping teach me business aspects, or cheering from the sidelines, he’s undoubtably my #1 Fan. Thank you.”

Kyle Kaiser and his #1 fan Jeff Kaiser (Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)

Kaiser, who is from the San Francisco Bay area, and will be attending the Verizon IndyCar Series finale at Sonoma Raceway, ended his speech with a look into the future:

“This 2017 season has been incredible in so many ways,” exclaimed the newest IndyCar driver. “The Indy Lights field this year was full of talented drivers that were always pushing each other to the limits. This has been one of the more competitive years in Indy Lights, and it keeps getting more and more competitive every year.

“We are the future of the sport, and I look forward to racing with you guys in IndyCar!”

The value of Kaisers championship haul is over $1,055,000, and includes:

  • $1,000,000 scholarship from Mazda
  • $25,000 cash for the Cosworth Champion’s Cash Award
  • $25,000 parts credit from Dallara
  • $5,000 cash for the SS Tube Champion’s Cash Award
  • Pro Mazda Champion’s ring from Jostens
  • Original Champion’s artwork by Jim Swintal

The Mazda Road To Indy presented by Cooper Tire will be back in action at the annual Chris Griffis Memorial Test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on October 21-22, 2017.

category: Cooper Tires USF2000 powered by Mazda - TSO, Indy Lights News/Results, Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tire - TSO, Pro Mazda News/Results, Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire - TSO, USF2000 News/Results
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“Soul Red Finale” at Watkins Glen International – Telitz bookends rookie season with a win in the opener and the finale

Posted by  on Sunday, September 3rd 2017     

 

By Steve Wittich

The 2017 Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tire season ended the same way it began, with Aaron Telitz standing on the top step of the podium.

Telitz, from Rice Lake, Wisc., tamed a wet 3.37-mile, 11-Turn road course, held off his hard-charging teammate, survived a red flag and restart, and came home with his second win of the year.

Telitz gave some credit to being the only driver that took to a wet Watkins Glen International during a

Urrutia, who finished second for the sixth time this season, and on the podium for the sixth time in last seven races, will end up as Indy Lights vice-champion for the second year in a row.

Second generation driver Colton Herta ended on the podium for the seventh time during his rookie season and will end up with the third best point total in the championship.

Kyle Kaiser, who was guaranteed the championship started the race, and after an early spin, was able to recover to finish seventh to win the $1 million Mazda Motorsports Advancement Scholarship with a 20 point gap.

The green flag came out on one of the more entertaining MRTI races of the season the second time the 13 turbo-charged Mazda 2.0L powered cars came across the start/finish line. The 60 minute clock started as the field completed their first warm-up laps for the final Indy Lights race that was scheduled for 25 laps or 60 minutes.

Just as front row starters crossed the start/finish line, they were joined by inside second row starter Telitz to make it three-wide heading down the hill towards Turn 1. The trio was able to get cleanly through the first corner, with the second generation Herta leading Telitz up the hill towards the Bus Stop.

The running order at the end of the first lap was: Herta, Telitz, Urrutia, Claman De Melo, Jamin, Norman, Blackstock, Kellett, Leist, Alberico, Dapero, Kaiser, and Piedrahita.

Telitz hounded Herta for the first two laps, before making a pass into Turn 1. The two rookies traded the top spot a total of three times on Lap 3, before Telitz finally got the pass finished in Turn 9.

Urrutia was watching the battle for the lead closely from third, and on Lap 5, the Uruguayn took advantage of a mistake by Herta, who got tail happy at the exit of Turn 8, and was able to grab second spot.

Further behind the front three, Ryan Norman spun in Turn 9 and made light contact with the ARMCO barrier. The 19 year-old was able to get the No. 48 Journey sponsored Andretti Autosport entry restarted and going in the right direction.

On the next lap, Urrutia blew through the bus stop, giving back the second step of the podium to Herta.

At the start of Lap 7, the Soul Red No. 9 Belardi Auto Racing machine of Telitz, had built a 4.4 second lead over Herta, who was facing immense pressure from Urrutia. Urrutia was able to complete the pass later that lap. Championship leader Kasier spun at the exit of the “Bus Stop,” but kept the distinctive liveried off the barriers.

Telitz’s lead at the start of Lap 9 was an impressive 6.7 second lead over Urrutia. Further back in the field Leist was able to get

At just past the half-way point of the race, Urrutia had eaten into his teammates lead, beginning Lap 13 4.3 seconds behind Telitz. Urrutia had gapped Herta by 21 seconds. Leist, in

On Lap 14, the first yellow flag of the day came out when Dalton Kellett lost control of the No. 28 Andretti Autosport machine at the exit of the “Bus Stop,” and making hard contact with the tire barrier on the outside of the track. The Canadian immediately lifted his visor, and exit the car without the aid of the Holmatro Safety Team.

Kellett told IndyCar Radio that he just lost grip, but that he was not injured.

As the green flag was about to come out, the No. 51 of Shelby Blackstock came to a stop on track, and it took a lap to get him off the race track.

IndyCar radio reported that team thinks that he suffered from a broken drive-shaft.

Just as the track was about to go green, the rain intensified, and the red flag came out. The running order when the cars came to a stop on pit road the running order was: Telitz, Urrutia, Herta, Leist, Jamin, De Melo, Alberico, Kaiser, Norman, Blackstock (out), and Kellett (out).

The race restarted on Lap 18, and Urrutia took a look under his teammate in The Esses, but remembered that if the Belardi Auto Racing drivers finished first and second, the Brownsburg, Ind. based team would take home the team title.

On Lap 21, Urrutia once again put heavy pressure on Teltiz in the Boot, but could not make the pass. Urrutia began Lap 22 only six-tenths of second behind Telitz.

The Uruguayan explained that Telitz was quicker from Turn 1 through Turn 5, because the 2016 Pro Mazda champion was using a dry weather map, and he was quicker through the boot because he had a wet weather map.

With three laps left, Telitz had just turned the quickest lap of the race, and was able to grow his lead to one second. Herta was holding onto the last spot on the podium, but facing enormous pressure from Brazilian Leist.

Kaiser, who started the race in 10th was able to pass his teammate Dapero for seventh.

Telitz’s crossed the start finish line on the second last lap with a slightly more comfortable 1.4 second lead.

The gap when the front duo came under the white flag was 2.4 seconds.

RANK CAR NO. DRIVER DIFFERENCE
1 9 Aaron Telitz 25 LAPS
2 5 Santi Urrutia 2.1807
3 98 Colton Herta 9.5449
4 26 Matheus Leist 10.9795
5 27 Nico Jamin 14.2479
6 13 Zachary Claman De Melo 24.8705
7 18 Kyle Kaiser 40.9490
8 31 Nicolas Dapero 43.8622
9 2 Juan Piedrahita 53.4063
10 48 Ryan Norman 73.4386
11 22 Neil Alberico 86.4864
12 51 Shelby Blackstock -10 LAPS
13 28 Dalton Kellett -12 LAPS
14 11 Garth Rickards 1 LAPS

We’ll be back with more over the next couple of days.

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“Soul Red Finale” at Watkins Glen International – Indy Lights qualifying – Herta on pole for the seventh time

Posted by  on Saturday, September 2nd 2017     

By Steve Wittich

For the seventh time in 2017, an Indy Lights race will begin with second generation Andretti-Steinbrenner Racing driver Colton Herta starting on pole. Herta’s quickest lap of 94.439 seconds was over three-tenths of a second quicker than Belardi Auto Racing sophomore Santiago Urrutia, who will start on the front-row for the fifth straight race.

It was Herta’s seventh pole of the year, leaving the 17 year-old one shy of the season record that is held by a number of drivers, including his father Bryan.

“[Qualifying] was tough. With the tires and the cool conditions, we just kept going quicker and quicker. That’s the hardest session, you just have to keep putting in the laps consistently. I think [the race car] is good – I think we’ve had a good car all year. We just need to get a good opening lap, hopefully get ahead of the push-to-pass zone and go from there.”

Colton Herta and the Deltro Energy sponsored No. 98 from the Andretti-Steinbrenner Racing

Herta starts the race with 278 points, seven points behind Urrutia for the second spot in the championship.

Zachary Claman DeMelo who is only one point behind his teammate Matheus Leist for fourth on the points table will start fifth, four spots ahead of Brazilian teammate.

At the 10 minute mark of the 30 minute session, the top five times were held by: Colton Herta, Aaron Telitz, Neil Alberico, Ryan Norman, and Zachary Claman DeMelo.

At the half-way portion of the session, the majority of drivers were on pit road to make changes and bolt on fresh Cooper Tire rubber.

With four minutes to go in qualifying for the sole Indy Lights race of the weekend, Herta jumped to the top of the time sheet with a lap of 92.7653 seconds. The American teenager was able to improve on his provisional pole time in the next two laps to hold serve against his fellow competitors.

The top 11 drivers in qualifying were all within one second of each other.

The Belardi Auto Racing threesome of Urrutia (2nd), Telitz (3rd), and Shelby Blackstock (6th) will all start in the first three rows for the first time this year.

Kyle Kaiser, who just needs to start tomorrow’s race to wrap up the championship and collect the $1 million Mazda Motorsports Advancement Scholarship will the start his 82nd career and last ever MRTI race from outside of row five in 10th.

Mazda Indy Lights Watkins Glen Grand Prix Presented by Cooper Tires qualifying results

RANK CAR NO. DRIVER QUICK LAP DIFFERENCE
1 98 Colton Herta 1:32.439 –.—-
2 5 Santi Urrutia 1:32.795 0.3553
3 9 Aaron Telitz 1:32.852 0.4126
4 27 Nico Jamin 1:32.889 0.4499
5 13 Zachary Claman De Melo 1:32.929 0.4896
6 51 Shelby Blackstock 1:32.960 0.5204
7 48 Ryan Norman 1:33.124 0.6848
8 28 Dalton Kellett 1:33.186 0.7465
9 26 Matheus Leist 1:33.200 0.7604
10 18 Kyle Kaiser 1:33.270 0.8308
11 31 Nicolas Dapero 1:33.455 1.0155
12 22 Neil Alberico 1:33.584 1.1444
13 2 Juan Piedrahita 1:34.121 1.6817
14 11 Garth Rickards No Time —

The lone Indy Lights race of the “Soul Red Finale” will roll off at 10:50am.

category: Indy Lights News/Results, Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tire - TSO
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MRTI “Soul Red Finale” at Watkins Glen International – Indy Lights practice #2 – Belardi Auto Racing is quick again

Posted by  on Saturday, September 2nd 2017     

By Steve Wittich

For the second straight Indy Lights session, it was a driver from Brian Berardi’s three-car stable that led a practice session at the 3.4-mile, 11-Turn Watkins Glen International road course. Aaron Telitz, who won the first race of the year in St. Petersburg, Fla., was the quickest driver, with a lap at 93.237 seconds.

He was followed in the top five by Colton Herta (Andretti Autosport), Nico Jamin (Andretti Autosport), yesterday’s quickest driver Shelby Blackstock (Belardi Auto Racing), and Neil Alberico (Carlin).

The second Indy Lights practice of the “Soul Red Finale” weekend at Watkins Glen International began with a cool ambient temperature of 49F and the track temperature at only 56F.

The cool temperatures immediately caused problems when Santiago Urrutia, Zachary Claman DeMelo, and Nicolas Dapero all spun on their first flying laps, bringing out the first red flag of the half-hour session.

The second red flag came out not long after the track to green when the distinctive yellow and black Team Pelfrey No. 2 made moderate contact with the ARMCO barrier entering the Heel of the Boot (Turn 8). Driver Juan Piedrahita locked up the front tires entering the uphill right-hander, forcing the left front tire into the grass, and pitching the Mazda powered Dallara straight left into the barrier. The car suffered damage to the nose and left front corner.

The top five when the track went back to green with 15 of the 30 scheduled minutes left were: Blackstock, Telitz, Jamin, Santiago Urrutia, and Dalton Kellett.

The 13 remaining entries – Garth Rickards and the No. 11 Carlin car have been forced to the sidelines after damaging the tub on the curbing  in yesterday’s first practice – tip-toed around the slick track as they got the proper amount of heat in their Cooper Tire slicks.

Herta and Urrutia both told IndyCar radio that the track was really slick this morning.

Most drivers set their quickest lap of the final Indy Lights practice of the season in their final laps as their Coopers took heat, and the track took on more rubber.

Mazda Indy Lights Watkins Glen Grand Prix Presented by Cooper Tires practice #2 results:

RANK CAR NO. DRIVER QUICK LAP DIFERENCE TOTAL LAPS
1 9 Aaron Telitz 1:33.237 –.—- 13
2 98 Colton Herta 1:33.382 0.1460 10
3 27 Nico Jamin 1:33.510 0.2739 11
4 51 Shelby Blackstock 1:33.622 0.3858 13
5 22 Neil Alberico 1:33.794 0.5576 11
6 26 Matheus Leist 1:33.852 0.6152 10
7 28 Dalton Kellett 1:34.292 1.0554 12
8 48 Ryan Norman 1:34.392 1.1554 10
9 18 Kyle Kaiser 1:34.529 1.2926 10
10 13 Zachary Claman De Melo 1:34.775 1.5390 10
11 31 Nicolas Dapero 1:35.653 2.4170 10
12 5 Santi Urrutia 1:36.832 3.5959 7
13 2 Juan Piedrahita 4:20.758 2:47.5219 1
14 11 Garth Rickards No Time — —

Indy Lights are back on track for qualifying at 2:15pm this afternoon.

category: Indy Lights News/Results, Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tire - TSO
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MRTI “Soul Red Finale” at Watkins Glen International – Saturday – my travel notes and today’s schedule

Posted by  on Saturday, September 2nd 2017     

By Steve Wittich

Good morning from a chilly Watkins Glen International – my car had a number three as the beginning number of the temperature – where the first Mazda Road To Indy presented by Cooper Tire champion of the 2107 season will be crowned this afternoon.

We’ll get into the MRTI coverage with our next update, but wanted to update you with my travel adventures.

My journey, like it always does, started in Carmel, Ind., and similar to all but two of my trips, it involved windshield time, instead of a flight. I will miss only three IndyCar events this year – Long Beach, Phoenix, and Texas – and the only events I have flown to are St. Petersburg, and to the finale at Sonoma Raceway. That means I’ve driven to: Barber, Indy (duh), Detroit, Road America, Toronto, Mid-Ohio, Pocono, Gateway, and Watkins Glen.

My normal travel partner is my wife’s trusty Honda Fit, aka Roxy, who has now travelled to at least 60 races in the last five years. Roxy was fully prepared to be put into service one last time for the trip to “The Glen,” but our good friends at Mazda made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.

My Soul Red travel partner (Photo – Steve Wittich)

My road trip partner this weekend is a brand new Soul Red Mazda CX-5. The color is fitting since this weekend is the Mazda Road To Indy presented by Cooper Tire’s “Soul Red Finale.” I’ll have a full review of the mid-size crossover at a later date, but I’m awfully impressed with the sporty ride so far.

On Wednesday afternoon/evening I drove to Erie, Pa, before completing the drive to Watkins Glen International on Thursday morning. I’m staying west of the track in Bath, N.Y., which equates to a scenic 35-minute drive through the Finger Lakes region to get to the 11-Turn, 3.4 mile road course.

On Thursday night, a colleague and I made the pilgrimage to Seneca Lodge for a pint of beer in the historic Tavern Room, and dinner in dining room. Traditionally, the food at Seneca Lodge isn’t great, and isn’t bad, and that was the same this year.  But, you don’t go to Seneca Lodge for the food, you go to soak in the history of all the legendary racing names that have celebrated at the 69 year old watering hole, and that we did.

The Tavern Room at Seneca Lodge is a must visit for any racing fan. (Photo – Steve Wittich)

On Friday night, I joined with three other friends at Jerlando’s Ristorante and Pizza Company on Franklin Street in the heart of the village of Watkins Glen. If you are in the mood for massive servings of traditional Italian dishes, this is the place to visit. It’s also the place to be if you want to see some racing celebrities. Four-time winner at “The Glen,” Scott Dixon sat a few table away from us, and many other table were filled with familiar names from the paddock.

I had the Veal Parmigiana, which was melt in your mouth good. I also hear that the Pasta Carbonara is out of this world.

All right, USF2000 qualifying begins in 10 minutes. We’ll be back with those results in half-an-hour.

Saturday’s “Soul Red Finale” MRTI Schedule

TIME EVENT
7am Gates Open
8am – 8:30am USF2000 Qualifying
8:45am – 9:15am Indy Lights Practice #2
11:30am – 12:15pm Pro Mazda Race #1
1:15pm – 2pm USF2000 Race
2:15pm – 2:45pm Indy Lights Qualifying
5:30pm – 5:50pm Pro Mazda Qualifying #2

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category: Cooper Tires USF2000 powered by Mazda - TSO, Indy Lights News/Results, Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tire - TSO, Pro Mazda News/Results, Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire - TSO, USF2000 News/Results

“Soul Red Finale” at Watkins Glen International – Indy Lights practice #1

Posted by  on Friday, September 1st 2017     

By Steve Wittich

Belardi Auto Racing, the team the won the Indy Lights race at Watkins Glen International last year with Zach Veach, has not lost that set-up. Three of the top six spots in the first Indy Lights practice were held by pilots from the Brownsburg, Ind. based squad.

A lap at 92.790 seconds by Shelby Blackstock, who finished sixth in last years race,was the quickest of the session, and was followed by Andretti-Steinbrenner Racing rookie Colton Herta, and Carlin rookie Matheus Leist.

Garth Rickards was the first driver to have an issue when he went on a wild ride through the grass in The Esses. He was able to drive the Luther Sponsored No. 22 from the Carlin stable back to pit road. The Carlin crew was able to make repairs to the rear wing of the car, and Rickards was able to get back on track for the final 15 minutes of practice.

At the half-way point of the session the top five were: Aaron Telitz, Neil Alberico, Zachary Claman DeMelo, Colton Herta, and Santiago Urrutia.

The entire session was run under green flag conditions, and Teltiz’s early flier of 93.092 seconds remained at the top of the time sheet until the final minute of practice, when Blackstock, Herta and Leist were able to bump Telitz’s down to fourth.

A total of seven drivers turned their fastest lap of the session on their final lap, and 11 of the 14 drivers were within one second of Blackstock’s quickest lap.

The 14 drivers were able to complete a total of 276 laps through

Mazda Indy Lights Watkins Glen Grand Prix Presented by Cooper Tires practice # 1 results

RANK CAR NO. DRIVER FASTEST LAP DIFFERENCE TOTAL LAPS
1 51 Shelby Blackstock 1:32.790 –.—- 21
2 98 Colton Herta 1:32.996 0.2052 20
3 26 Matheus Leist 1:33.081 0.2903 22
4 9 Aaron Telitz 1:33.092 0.3014 21
5 22 Neil Alberico 1:33.218 0.4278 21
6 5 Santi Urrutia 1:33.301 0.5107 20
7 18 Kyle Kaiser 1:33.321 0.5304 19
8 48 Ryan Norman 1:33.337 0.5465 21
9 13 Zachary Claman De Melo 1:33.514 0.7238 20
10 28 Dalton Kellett 1:33.536 0.7461 19
11 27 Nico Jamin 1:33.683 0.8923 20
12 31 Nicolas Dapero 1:34.073 1.2823 17
13 2 Juan Piedrahita 1:34.279 1.4887 20
14 11 Garth Rickards 1:37.314 4.5235 15

The Indy Lights teams and drivers are back on track for a second practice at 8:45am, and they will qualify at 2:15pm.

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Gateway Motorsports Park – Pro Mazda and Indy Lights qualifying

Posted by  on Saturday, August 26th 2017     

Pro Mazda qualifying order

  • 1 —> No. 31 — Brenden Puderbach
  • 2 —> No. 80 — Nikita Lastochkin
  • 3 —> No. 60 — Jeff Green
  • 4 —> No. 23 — Victor Franzoni
  • 5 —> No. 81 — Carlos Cunha
  • 6 —> No. 8 — Anthony Martin
  • 7 —> No. 14 — Sting Ray Robb
  • 8 —> No. 13 — Bobby Eberle
  • 9 —> No. 82 — TJ Fischer

Qualifying begins at 1pm (CT) / 2pm (ET)

Indy Lights qualifying order

  • 1 —> No. 11 — Garth Rickards
  • 2 —> No. 26 — Matheus Leist
  • 3 —> No. 22 — Neil Alberico
  • 4 —> No. 84 — Chad Boat
  • 5 —> No. 31 — Nicolas Dapero
  • 6 —> No. 5 — Santiago Urrutia
  • 7 —> No. 48 — Ryan Norman
  • 8 —> No. 2 — Juan Piedrahita
  • 9 —> No. 27 — Nico Jamin
  • 10 —> No. 98 — Colton Herta
  • 11 —> No. 9 — Aaron Telitz
  • 12 —> No. 51 — Shelby Blackstock
  • 13 —> No. 13 — Zachary Claman DeMelo
  • 14 —> No. 28 — Dalton Kellett
  • 15 —> No. 18 — Kyle Kaiser

Qualifying begins at 1:45pm (CT) / 2:45 (ET)

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category: Indy Lights News/Results, Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tire - TSO, Pro Mazda News/Results, Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire - TSO

Gateway Motorsports Park – Indy Lights practice

Posted by  on Friday, August 25th 2017     

Santiago Urrutia, who desperately needs to score maximum points this weekend, led the lone Indy Lights qualifying session before qualifying. The Uruguyan’s fastest lap was at 162.438mph, that’s 2.5mph quicker than the track record set by NBC Sports Network’s Townsend Bell in 2000.

Fellow sophomore Dalton Kellett turned in the second quickest lap and was joined by his Andretti Autosport teammate Nico Jamin (3rd) and Colton Herta (5th) in the top five. Team Pelfrey’s Juan Piedrahita who had the fourth quickest time, was the final pilot in the top five.

The lone Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tire series practice for the Mazda St. Louis Indy Lights Oval Challenge Presented by Cooper Tires began at 7:45pm with temperatures of

Halfway through the practice and the top five speeds were held by: Kaiser, Dapero, Zachary Claman DeMelo, Juan Piedrahita, and Santiago Urrutia.

The final half of the session saw teams and drivers bolt on fresh Cooper Tire rubber, and complete a mix of qualifying simulations and race running.

Points leader Kyle Kaiser, who led much of the session ended up with the seventh quickest time of the session. When TSO chatted with Kaiser’s team owner Ricardo Juncos after the session, he was really happy with how the session went, and explained to us that they did not do any new tire runs or qualifying simulations.

When we chatted with the teams and drivers after the session, the one constant was that qualifying will take A LOT of commitment. The Cooper Tire slicks take at least five laps to come up to optimal temperatures, so expect teams to compensate by starting out with super high pressures.

Mazda St. Louis Indy Lights Oval Challenge Presented by Cooper Tires practice results

Santiago Urrutia, who desperately needs to score maximum points this weekend, led the lone Indy Lights qualifying session before qualifying. The Uruguyan’s fastest lap was at 162.438mph, that’s 2.5mph quicker than the track record set by NBC Sports Network’s Townsend Bell in 2000.

Fellow sophomore Dalton Kellett turned in the second quickest lap and was joined by his Andretti Autosport teammate Nico Jamin (3rd) and Colton Herta (5th) in the top five. Team Pelfrey’s Juan Piedrahita who had the fourth quickest time, was the final pilot in the top five.

The lone Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tire series practice for the Mazda St. Louis Indy Lights Oval Challenge Presented by Cooper Tires began at 7:45pm with temperatures of

Halfway through the practice and the top five speeds were held by: Kaiser, Dapero, Zachary Claman DeMelo, Juan Piedrahita, and Santiago Urrutia.

The final half of the session saw teams and drivers bolt on fresh Cooper Tire rubber, and complete a mix of qualifying simulations and race running.

Points leader Kyle Kaiser, who led much of the session ended up with the seventh quickest time of the session. When TSO chatted with Kaiser’s team owner Ricardo Juncos after the session, he was really happy with how the session went, and explained to us that they did not do any new tire runs or qualifying simulations.

When we chatted with the teams and drivers after the session, the one constant was that qualifying will take A LOT of commitment. The Cooper Tire slicks take at least five laps to come up to optimal temperatures, so expect teams to compensate by starting out with super high pressures.

Mazda St. Louis Indy Lights Oval Challenge Presented by Cooper Tires practice results

RANK CAR NO. DRIVER QUICK LAP TOTAL LAPS
1 5 Santi Urrutia 162.438 61
2 28 Dalton Kellett 162.138 54
3 27 Nico Jamin 161.705 50
4 2 Juan Piedrahita 161.413 54
5 98 Colton Herta 161.348 66
6 13 Zachary Claman De Melo 161.245 54
7 18 Kyle Kaiser 161.170 50
8 48 Ryan Norman 161.078 52
9 31 Nicolas Dapero 160.976 44
10 22 Neil Alberico 160.343 42
11 26 Matheus Leist 160.324 51
12 51 Shelby Blackstock 159.873 54
13 11 Garth Rickards 159.381 50
14 9 Aaron Telitz 158.414 57
15 84 Chad Boat 156.778 50
category: Indy Lights News/Results, Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tire - TSO
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Indy Lights at Gateway Motorsports Park – Preview – Kaiser looking to be first driver to clinch early since Newgarden 2011

Posted by  on Thursday, August 24th 2017     

By Steve Wittich

As the Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tire series travels to the 1.25 mile oval for the seventh time, all eyes are on junior Juncos Racing driver Kyle Kaiser.

Kaiser, who currently holds a 42 point championship advantage over Belardi Auto Racing sophomore Santiago Urrutia, and Andretti-Steinbrenner Racing rookie Colton Herta, is attempting the first Indy Lights driver to guarantee themselves the $1 million Mazda Motorsports Advancement Scholarship before the final race of the season since 2011. That year, current Verizon IndyCar Series championship leader Josef Newgarden clinched the title at Kentucky Motor Speedway, one race before the Las Vegas finale.

The easiest way for Kaiser to clinch early is to bring the No. 18 Juncos Racing Mazda/Dallara across the finish line in fourth or better in Sunday evening’s 75 lap Mazda St. Louis Indy Lights Oval Challenge Presented by Cooper Tires.

If Kaiser finishes outside the top four on Sunday, he can still celebrate if Valencia, Calif. native Herta, and Miguelete, Uruguay denizen Urrutia finish off the podium and fail to collect any bonus points.

Phew… got all that.

Here are what the three combatants are saying:

Kaiser: “Going into Gateway, I feel very confident. We had a really strong test day and I know we’re going to have a good baseline starting the weekend. I know we have a car to win, so if everything falls in place that’s the result I’m expecting. I’m aware of the championship implications but that isn’t the focus for this race. I’m going to go out and drive the best I can and let the rest take care of itself.”

Urrutia: “I feel the test went very well at Gateway, I drove it to the edge to get everything out of my car.  I’m going into the race with confidence, ready to win, and then head to Watkins Glen winning there too, to win the Championship.”

Herta: “I’m really excited to get back on an oval, this weekend at Gateway. It sounds like the repaving went very well and I loved Gateway when I tested there. I’m looking forward to the race and hoping for another good weekend.”

The series recently held a test at Gateway Motorsports Park on August 10, 2017, and from all reports it was certainly “interesting.”

Urrutia, who is still looking for his first MRTI oval victory, unofficially led the testing, but from all reports the lap times were really tight.

Championship contenders Herta and Matheus Leist both hit the wall, and three cars had a coming together on the tight pit road.

The 18 year-old Leist still has an outside chance at the championship, and the Brazilian who won at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Iowa Speedway will be attempting to complete an oval sweep. The only other Indy Lights driver to accomplish that was Greg Moore, who won at Phoenix International Raceway, Nazareth Speedway, The Milwaukee Mile, and New Hampshire International Speedway in 1995.

With only 22 points separating Herta and Urrutia in second, and Aaron Telitz in seventh, each and every position could move a driver up or down the championship table.

Zachary Claman DeMelo, who has finishes of first, second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth in his last six races, has scored the most points of any driver over the last half-dozen races, and with a pair of good finishes, could easily move into second place in the championship.

Heralded rookies Nico Jamin (3 wins) and Aaron Telitz (1 win) have both struggled with power plant issues at times during the season. They are both outside of championship contention, but adding to their win totals will only help boost their already high stocks.

Neil Alberico, Shelby Blackstock, Dalton Kellett, and Juan Piedrahita are veterans who have shown well on ovals in the past, and the foursome will be hungry for their first Indy Lights win.  Don’t expect any of them to roll over.

Chad Boat, who had his Indy Lights debut at Iowa Speedway in July put on hold after a tumble in his USAC National Midget at Lincoln (Ill.) Speedway, will instead make his first Indy Lights start at Gateway Motorsports Park in the Pristine Auction sponsored No. 84 from the Belardi Auto Racing stable.

Boat made his return to USAC action on August 1st at Jefferson County Speedway in Fairbury, Neb., and since then has won three times in eight starts, including a win at the Bellville Midget Nationals and two victories during Pennsylvania Midget Week.

“I am looking forward to my first Indy Lights race and using what I learned at the test to have the best possible race weekend,” explained the second generation driver. “The repave at Gateway has made the track very smooth, so it should make for some great racing. I know the Belardi Auto Racing team will have a great car prepared for the event. None of this would be possible without Pristine Auction and all of our sponsors.”

Some other interesting Indy Lights at Gateway Motorsports Park notes:

  • The first race in 1997 was won by Lee Bentham, who is currently a driver coach/spotter for Ed Carpenter Racing.
  • Chris Simmons, who is Scott Dixon’s race engineer, sat on pole for the inaugural race in 1997.
  • Current Verizon IndyCar Series drivers Helio Castroneves and Tony Kanaan both started the 1997 race and finished third and 10th respectively.
  • Two of the six previous winners – Townsend Bell in 2000 and Ryan Hampton in 2002 – started from pole.
  • The winner in six races has never started outside of the front two rows.
  • NBC Sports Network IndyCar analyst Townsend Bell led 146 laps in two Indy Lights starts.
  • Townsend Bell holds the track record at 28.625 seconds or 157.205 mph set during qualifying in 2000.
  • Current Gateway Motorsports Park owner Curtis Francois started third and finished fifth in the No. 9 Sam Schmidt entry in 2002.
  • Ed Carpenter made two Indy Lights starts, finishing third in 2002, and fourth in 2003.
  • The average number of cautions in the six races is 2.3 per race, and the average number of caution laps is 19.3.

The first Indy Lights action is a practice session at 7:45pm on Saturday. The 15 entries qualifying at 1:45pm on Sunday, and the 75 lap race rolls off at 6pm on Sunday.

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MRTI at Mid-Ohio – Sunday – Indy Lights Race #2

Posted by  on Sunday, July 30th 2017     

For the sixth time in his last seven visits to the 2.258-mile, 13-Turn Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Nico Jamin made a visit to the top step of the podium.

This was the third win of the season for the 21 year-old driver from Rouen, France, and the fifth of the year for his Andretti Autosport team.

The 38-lap Cooper Tires Indy Lights Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio Powered by Mazda got under way when pole sitter Colton Herta quickly got to the gas as  he and Urrutia entered the start zone, and it appears that Herta caught the sophomore Uruguayan a little off guard.

Herta easily led the 14 car field to Turn 1, and his No. 98 Andretti-Steinbrenner Racing car was followed closely by his teammate Jamin, who was able pass Urrutia for second.

On the field’s first run down to Turn 4, Jamin made a power move around the outside of Turn 4, leaving him on the preferred line in Turn 5 and allowing him to grab the lead for the first time.

Further back in the field, Dalton Kellett and Garth Rickards made contact exiting Madness. Both drivers were able to keep going, but Rickards was forced to retire with damage, and Kellet finished one lap down.

The top 10 at the completion of the hectic first lap were: Jamin, Herta, Urrutia, Shelby Blackstock, Nicolas Dapero, Zachary Claman DeMelo, Juan Piedrahita, Ryan Norman, Kyle Kaiser, and Aaron Telitz.

Herta grabbed the lead back on the next lap, utilizing his push-to-pass to get by Jamin on the inside of Turn 4.

After the race, Jamin, Urrutia, and Blackstock all described the track as being super slippery for the first few laps, and on Lap 3, it was leader Herta who was caught out, losing the rear end going over the crest of the hill at the apex of Turn 10 and looping the car to the inside of the corner.

The rest of the field was able to safely get by Herta, and the second generation driver was able to keep the his turbo charged 2.0L Mazda power plant spooled up and got his car pointed in the right direction and was able to remain on the lead lap, but fell back to 12th.

With five laps complete, Jamin’s gap had grown to 1.7 seconds over Urrutia.  Urrutia’s Belardi Auto Racing teammate was another 2.5 seconds in arrears.

Things remained fairly stagnant until Lucky Lap 13.

Dapero, Piedrahita, and Kaiser were battling for fifth, sixth and seventh when Piedrahita tried to get by Dapero in Turn 4, slowing both drivers, allowing Kaiser to enter the picture. Dapero held on to the fifth spot, but Piedranhita’s No. 2 had a late entry into Turn 5, creating a sliver of daylight that Kaiser unwisely drawn towards.

Kaiser was only able to get a quarter of his No. 18 beside Piedrahita’s No. 2 going over the hill in Turn 5, and both drivers spun into the grass on the inside of Madness. Both drivers were able to keep going, and ended up finishing outside of the top 10.

Despite a pair of 12th place finishes this weekend, Kaiser only gave up ten points to his closest championship contender. When the weekend began, the Californian began the weekend 52 points ahead of Matheus Leist, and after two disappointing races, has a 42 point gap to Colton Herta and Santiago Urrutia.

By the time the race hit Lap 21, Jamin was able to build a comfortable 2.7 second lead, but over the course of the next nine laps the 2016 Indy Lights vice-champion turned his quickest laps of the race and was able to cut the Frenchman’s lead to 0.7 seconds.

Jamin immediately responded and turned his quickest lap of the race on the 32nd lap of the race, growing the lead to just under a second.

Further back in the field, it was Herta, who was on a furious comeback drive, that was making the moves, passing Alberico, Norman, and Dapero in a five lap span, ending the race in sixth.

With five laps to go, Urrutia started to cut into Herta’s lead again, and looked outside of Jamin on the outside of Turn 4 with four laps remaining. Both drivers broke deeply and went through the banked right hander side-by-side, but Jamin was able to pull ahead in Turn 5.

Urrutia was not able to get close enough to Jamin over the last three laps, and had to settle for his 22nd second career MRTI podium.

Cooper Tires Indy Lights Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio Powered by Mazda Race #2 Results

RANK CAR NO. DRIVER DIFFERENCE
1 27 Nico Jamin 38 laps
2 5 Santi Urrutia 0.5026
3 51 Shelby Blackstock 13.8909
4 13 Zachary Claman De Melo 14.3358
5 9 Aaron Telitz 25.1355
6 98 Colton Herta 26.9240
7 48 Ryan Norman 34.4449
8 31 Nicolas Dapero 35.3834
9 22 Neil Alberico 36.0207
10 26 Matheus Leist 40.3761
11 2 Juan Piedrahita 53.6766
12 18 Kyle Kaiser -1 LAP
13 28 Dalton Kellett – 1 LAP
14 11 Garth Rickards -37 LAPS
category: Indy Lights News/Results, Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tire - TSO
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