The Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tire drivers and teams took to the 2.5 mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval for the first of two hour-and-a-half test sessions in preparation for the 15th edition of the Freedom 100 at 10 a.m.
The session began when all entries were allowed to make one install lap before the track opened up for a half-hour rookies only session. The quickest driver was Andretti Autosport rookie Colton Herta, who was turning laps in the 197mph range.
The yellow lights flashed on at almost exactly the halfway point of the session. Herta had upped his quickest lap speed to 198.069mph, and was followed closely by a trio of veterans in Zachary Claman DeMelo (Carlin), Juan Piedrahita (Team Pelfrey) and Santiago Urrutia (Belardi Auto Racing). Urrutia’s Belardi Auto Racing teammate Aaron Telitz rounded out the top five at the half-way point.
The majority of the laps in the second-half of the session had drivers trying to find traffic to learn more about how their turbo-charged Mazda powered Dallara IL-15s would behave in traffic.
With just over 30 minutes left in the session, Herta was the first driver to turn a lap over 200mph, when he went 200.070mph while running in traffic. The second generation driver ended up being the only driver north of ended up being the fastest lap of the session.
The last 15 minutes of practice had a large group seven or eight cars form up to simulate race running.
Near the end of the session, a number of drivers put on a fresh set of Cooper Tire slicks and made qualifying simulations. One of those was Andretti Autosport rookie Nico Jamin, who despite having only the 13th fastest lap overall, had the fastest no-tow lap at 196.277mph.
Carlin teammate Leist (196.116mph), and Claman De Mello (195.861mph) had the second and third quickest no-tow laps.
Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tire test session #1 overall time sheet
RANK
CAR NO.
DRIVER
QUICK LAP
LAPS TURNED
1
98
Colton Herta
200.070
44
2
9
Aaron Telitz
199.610
44
3
2
Juan Piedrahita
198.846
28
4
26
Matheus Leist
198.745
40
5
48
Ryan Norman
198.527
39
6
13
Zachary Claman De Melo
198.302
23
7
51
Shelby Blackstock
198.281
37
8
5
Santi Urrutia
198.196
32
9
22
Neil Alberico
197.807
27
10
31
Nicolas Dapero
197.443
52
11
18
Kyle Kaiser
197.417
32
12
28
Dalton Kellett
197.166
22
13
27
Nico Jamin
196.277
41
14
11
Garth Rickards
193.747
36
The Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tire drivers will be back on track from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.
In the first five races of the 2017 Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires season, Kyle Kaiser was the model of consistency. He finished between second and sixth in each race, but was yet to secure his first win of the year.
Kaiser changed the narrative today though to one of dominance, en route to an authoritative first win in 2017 in the No. 18 Juncos Racing Dallara IL-15 Mazda, to move into the series points lead. He began the day down three points to Colton Herta, in a tie for second with Nico Jamin (110 to 107).
The Californian snatched the pole position this morning for the second race of the Mazda Road to Indy Grand Prix Presented by Royal Purple Supporting the Lupus Foundation of America at the 2.439-mile, 14-turn Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, and controlled the race from the start.
Kaiser led all 35 laps and took the victory by 6.4768 seconds over Santiago Urrutia, who scored a season-best result of second place in the No. 5 Belardi Auto Racing with SPM car, the first podium for the now ARROW Electronics-liveried gold and black car. Kaiser is the first sophomore driver to win this year, after three rookies in Herta, Jamin and Aaron Telitz won the first five races.
Meanwhile Brazilian rookie Matheus Leist took his first career podium finish in third place in the No. 26 Carlin car, emerging ahead of teammate Neil Alberico in a spirited battle.
Another tough day for Herta saw him finish further down the order in 10th, which changes the championship standings.
Kaiser got a good launch away from the start ahead of Urrutia, who leapt to second from fourth on the grid, Leist, Herta, Jamin and Alberico.
On Lap 2 there was contact between rookies Nicolas Dapero and Ryan Norman at Turn 2, and as Dapero re-entered it allowed Shelby Blackstock to pass his teammate Telitz. Both Belardi Auto Racing cars though were then temporarily backed up by Zachary Claman De Melo, who ran off course on his own.
Blackstock then had his own off course excursion at Turn 1 on Lap 3, and that cost him a couple laps.
Kaiser’s primary challenge came on Lap 4 from Urrutia. The battle of sophomores – a rarity in a year dominated by rookies – saw Urrutia dive past to the inside and through. But Urrutia overshot his braking point and that allowed Kaiser back through, and as Urrutia came back to the line, it allowed Leist through to second.
Kaiser’s gap to Leist at that stage was 0.6638 of a second and grew to over a second a few laps later.
By Lap 10, Kaiser’s lead over Leist was 2.2783 seconds with Urrutia closing the gap down to just three tenths for second. Herta ran fourth ahead of Jamin, Alberico and Piedrahita.
The following lap Urrutia made it past Leist for second at Turn 12, and would be 3.6732 seconds behind Kaiser, but unfortunately for him he would get no closer than within three seconds.
Alberico got Jamin for position on Lap 12 and would look to close on Herta for fourth.
At halfway, Lap 18 of 35, Kaiser led Urrutia by 3.3754 second with Leist, Herta, Alberico, Jamin and Piedrahita in the top half of the field. After his and Dapero’s contact on Lap 2, Norman had rebounded nicely to eighth place.
The complexion of the championship battle and race changed again on Lap 20 as Herta slowed for a second straight day, this time with an apparent electrical issue per IndyCar Radio. The team confirmed Herta sustained a slow puncture from running over debris on Friday and called him in to pit, and there was no contact as Kaiser made his way past for position on Friday.
Alberico and Jamin got Herta, which dropped him to sixth after a lap of 1:20.5758. It got worse a lap later when Herta only ran a lap of 1:23.7084 and dropped five more positions, with Piedrahita and Norman through and then the trio of Dapero, Claman De Melo and Dalton Kellett. Herta’s woes backed him up to 11th, ahead of his St. Petersburg sparring partner Telitz.
With 10 laps to go Kaiser and Urrutia maintained the top two positions with more than five seconds separating them but the battle was shaping up for third between the Carlin teammates, Leist and Alberico, for the final podium position.
As of Lap 34, Kaiser led Urrutia by 6.3819 seconds with Leist third, Alberico in fourth and Jamin, Piedrahita and Norman within striking distance.
Alberico closed a bit on Leist but not enough to properly complete a pass. He damaged his front wing while running behind the Brazilian and began the tour of his final lap with debris shedding on the front straight and smoke from the damage. A piece of debris nearly struck Piedrahita, running in his own repaired Team Pelfrey chassis, as he tried to evade the stricken Alberico as he opted not to pit.
Jamin made it past for fourth, with Piedrahita making it past later in the lap for fifth. Alberico limped home to the line for sixth over Norman by just 0.063 of a second, after a final lap at 1:21.6959 – more than 3.4 seconds slower than Kaiser up front.
But indeed it was Kaiser who had none of the drama the others in this race did, with the victory margin north of six seconds over Urrutia, and Leist on the podium.
Jamin salvaged a fourth after starting seventh with Piedrahita a season-best fifth – a fitting result for his 100th career start in the Mazda Road to Indy presented by Cooper Tires. His best prior to today was 10th in St. Petersburg race two.
Alberico was sixth ahead of Norman, who also turned in a season-best result of seventh. The driver of the No. 48 Flip Side entry for Andretti Autosport had a best result of eighth on Friday in race one; this is his fifth top-10 finish in six starts in what is quickly becoming a quietly consistent season.
Dapero and Kellett were next with Herta only 10th, after he and Kellett got around the ailing Claman De Melo in the final few laps.
Garth Rickards ended 12th ahead of Telitz in 13th, who endured something of a second straight nightmare weekend, and Shelby Blackstock completed the runners.
Kaiser was worried about the start but once he got through that, said he was thrilled with the performance the rest of the race. Because he’s been with Juncos several years, there is a chemistry with his crew – especially as he now lives in Indianapolis – that comes from frequently attending the shop. The team has improved its setup and performance at Indianapolis over the years to where there’s a confidence now that perhaps didn’t exist in the past.
For Urrutia, the runner-up finish was not the easiest to accept, because while his car had pace, the rest of his Belardi team did not seem to this weekend. He said they need to dig deep to understand the gap to some of the other teams for the following races.
Leist drove smartly in his run to his first podium finish, and said it was nice to finally get a result after having pace but not necessarily results in the opening two weekends. A potential podium in St. Petersburg went begging with mechanical issues.
Indy Lights’ next race is the Freedom 100 from the IMS oval on Friday, May 26, Carb Day – a marquee event for the series and its drivers given its propensity for close, grandstand finishes.
Two of the three leading contenders for the Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires championship will start in the top two positions on the grid for the second race of the Mazda Road to Indy Grand Prix Presented by Royal Purple Supporting the Lupus Foundation of America weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.
Kyle Kaiser has his second pole position of the season for Juncos Racing, as the driver of the No. 18 Dallara IL-15 Mazda set the only sub-1:15 lap around the 2.439-mile, 14-turn circuit in Saturday morning’s 30-minute qualifying session, at 1:14.9629.
Kaiser has finished between second and sixth in all five races thus far and enters three points behind Andretti/Steinbrenner Racing rookie Colton Herta, like Kaiser a fellow Californian, ahead of today’s race. Herta put his No. 98 entry into second on the grid at 1:15.1339.
The two will be looking for a smoother start today then the last time they qualified first and second at Barber race one. There, Kaiser and Herta had the front row but a bunched up start coming to the line saw Herta damage his front wing while trying to slot in behind Kaiser going into the downhill, left-handed Turn 1. Herta ultimately fell to 10th while Kaiser was in some respects happy to be frustrated with second behind eventual winner Nico Jamin.
Jamin, the Andretti Autosport driver and Friday winner, who like Kaiser is also three points behind Herta entering today’s race (110-107), was only able to manage seventh on the grid today.
Brazilian Matheus Leist was best of the Carlin quartet in his No. 26 entry and will start third, ahead of Belardi with SPM driver Santiago Urrutia and Juan Piedrahita, impressing with fifth in the repaired No. 2 Team Pelfrey entry.
The Colombian driver will be set to make his 100th career start in the Mazda Road to Indy presented by Cooper Tires this afternoon, thanks to the Gary Neal-led team’s work in repairing the car. Neal told TSO the team was at the track until 8:30 p.m. on Friday following Piedrahita’s accident in practice, which saw him lose control through the chicane and sustain significant right side damage.
Neil Alberico was sixth ahead of Jamin, Dalton Kellett, Friday runner-up Zachary Claman De Melo and Shelby Blackstock. Aaron Telitz, the St. Petersburg winner, struggled to only 13th on the grid of 14 cars.
The feature race of the weekend sets sail this afternoon in the 1:15 to 2:25 p.m. window.
Nico Jamin’s roll of winning has continued in the first of two Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires races at the 2.439-mile, 14-turn Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, with his sixth win in his last seven overall starts between three series. This capped off nine sessions of activity for the Mazda Road to Indy presented by Cooper Tires today as part of the Mazda Road to Indy Grand Prix Presented by Royal Purple Supporting the Lupus Foundation of America weekend.
Crucially though, this is the second win in his last three starts in Indy Lights, and will move him within a handful of points of his Andretti Autosport teammate, Colton Herta, for the championship lead.
The Frenchman dominated the 30-lap sprint race from pole in the No. 27 DuraMAX Powered by RelaDyne Dallara IL-15 Mazda, en route to his second win this season and third at the IMS road course. He swept the pair of USF2000 races in 2015 with Cape Motorsports, in a year when he won that series championship.
Jamin had to hold off a challenge from the surprisingly quick, and tenacious, Zachary Claman De Melo. The teenaged Canadian had by far his best day in Indy Lights to date, starting and finishing second although it was not as straightforward as the results would indicate.
Californians Kyle Kaiser (Juncos Racing) and Neil Alberico (Carlin) were third and fourth on the day, after starting fourth and third, respectively. Brazilian rookie Matheus Leist completed the top five for Carlin for his second top-five finish this year.
The 14-car grid, which was already down by one with Pato O’Ward not appearing this weekend, suffered another hit before the race. Juan Piedrahita was unable to start after an accident in practice, which left Team Pelfrey without a driver and the field at an unlucky 13 cars.
Both Herta and Aaron Telitz (Belardi Auto Racing) advanced four spots from sixth and eighth on the grid up to second and fourth by the end of Lap 1 after a rocket start.
At the end of the first lap, Jamin led Herta, Kaiser, Telitz, Alberico and Claman De Melo, who’d dropped four spots on the opening lap.
Dalton Kellett pitted on Lap 2. Despite improved pace in qualifying it has been a struggle for the Canadian sophomore to back that up with results thus far this year at Andretti Autosport.
The race settled into a quick rhythm over the first third of the race.
At Lap 10, the order was still Jamin, Herta, Kaiser and Alberico, with Claman De Melo having got around Telitz to get back into the top five.
On Lap 12, Nicolas Dapero went off course past Turn 7 at the Turn 8/9 back-and-forth complex. The Argentine rookie resumed after the delay. Meanwhile for position, Claman De Melo got by Alberico for fourth place.
The dramatic moment of the race took place on Lap 14. Kaiser made it past Herta with an aggressive move to the inside at Turn 10, and it appeared there may have been contact between the pair of Californians, that knocked Herta back. An opportunistic Claman De Melo also seized his chance and followed Kaiser through, to slot into third.
Herta’s plunge continued as Alberico got past him for fourth place on Lap 15. With Herta ailing, Telitz was able to get past him on Lap 17 for fifth, but the Wisconsin native who now lives in Minnesota fell victim to Leist’s advances on the same lap.
With his car struggling, Herta opted to pit on Lap 17. The team confirmed this was due to a right rear tire puncture, which was enough to drop him down the order and cost him a significant result in the process. He ultimately ended in 12th place.
After this stop, and into the final 10 laps, Jamin led Kaiser by more than two seconds with Claman De Melo, Alberico and Leist the top five. Telitz was sixth ahead of teammate Santiago Urrutia in the ARROW Electronics-liveried Belardi with SPM entry, Ryan Norman, Shelby Blackstock and Garth Rickards in the top 10.
On Lap 24, Claman De Melo got aggressive again on his former teammate at Juncos Racing, Kaiser. Drafting Kaiser, he got a run to the outside, and nearly chopped back across once he completed the pass into Turn 1. His pace was excellent so he set sail from there to catch Jamin for the win.
What seemed a certainty for the win became in doubt as Claman De Melo carved anywhere from three to eight tenths per laps out of Jamin’s lead, which had been north of 2.5 seconds but quickly dwindled to just over one second with one lap to go.
Jamin held off Claman De Melo by 0.8405 of a second at the finish, with Kaiser continuing his consistent start to the year. He’s finished no worse than sixth in any of the first five races, and this was his third podium.
Alberico banked his fourth top-five in five races with Leist continuing the good day for Carlin behind him.
Pro Mazda champion and St. Petersburg winner Telitz did not seem to have the pace today and was perhaps lucky to escape with sixth, ahead of Urrutia, Norman, Blackstock and Rickards.
With 10th place, USF2000 graduate and Mechanicsburg, Pa. native Rickards has his first top-10 in Indy Lights, completing a four-for-four top-10 day for Carlin and thus ensuring each of the 15 drivers who have started an Indy Lights race this year has at least one top-10 result.
After the race, Jamin admitted he was a bit nervous as Claman De Melo closed the gap in the final stages of the race. He had one close call as both he and Herta locked up into Turn 1 earlier on, but once Herta fell out he was a bit relieved. Jamin has been in the heart of championship battles with his teammates before – he and Telitz both drove for Cape in the year Jamin won the USF2000 title – and has a head on his shoulders to handle the pressure.
Claman De Melo said his race craft has always been strong but his qualifying hasn’t properly measured up. With second on the grid today, his first podium was the goal and was achieved. He said he is working well with his four teammates at his new team, and having switched from Juncos last year he is now meshing with the group he’s got now, as Alberico has aided his transition.
Kaiser drove another smart race. He hailed Claman De Melo’s race craft but both drivers admitted the Canadian’s pass for second was a bit risky, although it was pulled off!
The championship swing sees Herta’s points lead drop. Unofficially he has 110 points to Jamin and Kaiser’s 107 each. Telitz with 89 and Alberico with 88 complete the unofficial top five.
The second Indy Lights race of the weekend is in the 1:15 to 2:15 p.m. window on Saturday.
The Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires series hasn’t had as much track time as the other two rungs of the Mazda Road to Indy presented by Cooper Tires ladder, Pro Mazda and USF2000, through today’s first practice and qualifying sessions. One of Indy Lights’ two test sessions on Thursday was rain affected and by the time Indy Lights was out for the first time on Thursday, it had came after Pro Mazda, USF2000 and the headlining Verizon IndyCar Series had all been on the 2.439-mile, 14-turn Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.
Quick recaps of practice and qualifying before race one are below.
—
In a 30-minute qualifying session held this afternoon, but limited after an accident that caused a red flag, Nico Jamin has captured the pole position for today’s fifth round of the Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires season.
The driver of the slightly revised livery for Andretti Autosport, the No. 27 DuraMAX Powered by RelaDyne Dallara IL-15 Mazda otherwise sponsored by Synova, has the top spot with a best time of 1:15.2443.
On the front row in a surprise second place is Canadian teenager Zachary Claman De Melo in the No. 13 Carlin entry. Claman De Melo has several fourth place finishes in his Indy Lights career but has never stood on a podium. He slotted in with a best time of 1:15.3755.
Neil Alberico, Carlin’s leading driver this year, put the Rising Star Racing-supported No. 22 entry into third on the grid ahead of fellow Californian Kyle Kaiser, who led practice this morning for Juncos Racing.
The other two winners beyond Jamin this year, Colton Herta and Aaron Telitz, slot in sixth and eighth on the grid.
Unfortunately Juan Piedrahita’s quest to make his 100th career start on the Mazda Road to Indy may have been dealt a setback with an accident in qualifying. The Colombian driver of the No. 2 Team Pelfrey entry lost control exiting Turn 4 going into Turn 5, with TSO understanding the car has likely suffered significant wing, right side and suspension damage. It will make a long bit of work ahead for the Gary Neal-led team in the quest to see Piedrahita out for today’s first race of the weekend, or if not then, for tomorrow’s second race of the weekend. Team Pelfrey is down to one car this weekend anyway with Pato O’Ward not continuing into the doubleheader weekend.
The race runs within the one-hour window from 5:50 to 6:50 p.m. this evening.
P
No
Name
FTime
1
27
Nico Jamin
1:15.244
2
13
Zachary Claman De Melo
1:15.376
3
22
Neil Alberico
1:15.451
4
18
Kyle Kaiser
1:15.487
5
5
Santi Urrutia
1:15.494
6
98
Colton Herta
1:15.581
7
51
Shelby Blackstock
1:15.586
8
9
Aaron Telitz
1:15.770
9
26
Matheus Leist
1:15.835
10
28
Dalton Kellett
1:15.915
11
48
Ryan Norman
1:15.925
12
31
Nicolas Dapero
1:16.166
13
11
Garth Rickards
1:16.692
14
2
Juan Piedrahita
1:25.379
—
Prior to qualifying, Indy Lights held its only 45-minute practice session Friday morning, following both USF2000 and Pro Mazda qualifying and then the first of two Verizon IndyCar Series practice sessions.
Kyle Kaiser looks to add his name to the winners list in Indy Lights this season and topped this first official session of the weekend, in the No. 18 Juncos Racing Dallara IL-15 Mazda at 1:15.1190.
Fellow California native and series points leader Colton Herta, in the No. 98 Andretti/Steinbrenner Racing entry, was second at 1:15.3540.
Belardi Auto Racing’s pair of Santiago Urrutia and Shelby Blackstock were next up, with Urrutia jumping to third right near the end of the session. Piedrahita of Team Pelfrey was fifth, thus making it four of the five teams in the top five.
The best of four Carlin entries was only Zachary Claman De Melo in seventh. Another driver who struggled this session was Belardi’s Aaron Telitz, only 12thh of the 14 drivers entered.
Qualifying was next up for Indy Lights, which ran from 1:45 to 2:15 p.m.
Thursday is a busy day for teams in all three rungs of the Mazda Road to Indy presented by Cooper Tires ladder, in preparation for this weekend’s six-pack of races on the 2.439-mile, 14-turn Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.
The official name of the race weekend is the Mazda Road to Indy Grand Prix Presented by Royal Purple Supporting the Lupus Foundation of America. It’s a long name but stems from an extended partnership between Royal Purple Synthetic Oil and the Mazda Road to Indy during May, which is Lupus Awareness Month. All cars are carrying a special decal and there’s also a hashtag, #RaceToEndLupus.
Prior to official track activity, there were six test sessions held on the cloudy, overcast day – two apiece per series – before USF2000 and Pro Mazda are set to hold their official first practice sessions of half an hour each. Quick notes from those and a couple other preliminary notes are below.
—
In Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires, the best times were set in the only fully dry session for the series, held from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. ET and local time this morning.
Nico Jamin, in the newly revised DuraMAX Powered by Reladyne liveried No. 27 Dallara IL-15 Mazda for Andretti Autosport, was first at 1:15.064. Kyle Kaiser was second for Juncos Racing with Neil Alberico third for Carlin, and Colton Herta and Zachary Claman De Melo completed the top five.
Jamin enters the weekend after a run of winning five of his last six overall race starts in three entirely different types of cars. In a Ligier JS P3, he won both IMSA Prototype Challenge presented by Mazda races at Sebring in March, the week after his Indy Lights debut at St. Petersburg. Then he won his first Indy Lights race last time out Barber. Lastly a week after Barber, he won both GTS class races in Pirelli World Challenge in a KTM X-BOW GT4. Both sports cars he raced were entered by ANSA Motorsports.
With rain spritzing during the second session, very few cars took the opportunity to run on a damp track. Only five of the 14 drivers entered ventured out on the circuit, and Neil Alberico posted a best time of 1:25.484. Alberico and all three of his teammates, Claman De Melo, Garth Rickards and Matheus Leist, plus Juncos Racing’s Nicolas Dapero were the only drivers to venture onto the circuit.
Session 1
1 27 Nico Jamin 1:15.064
2 18 Kyle Kaiser 1:15.093
3 22 Neil Alberico 1:15.194
4 98 Colton Herta 1:15.252
5 13 Zachary Claman De Melo 1:15.280
—
Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires saw two drivers not named Anthony Martin top the timesheets in the pair of sessions. TJ Fischer of Team Pelfrey paced the opening hour session with a best time of 1:24.015, while Victor Franzoni of Juncos Racing was fastest in the second session at 1:23.446. Martin was second in both sessions, and Carlos Cunha was third in both.
Both Fischer and Franzoni, who were third and second in the two St. Petersburg races to Martin, come into Indianapolis having been busy in the near two-month break.
Fischer completed a 63-flight climb of the Aon Center in Los Angeles in the American Lung Association’s Fight For Air Climb in Los Angeles, as part of Project O2’s #Race2TheRescue for asthma awareness.
Franzoni, meanwhile, comes to Indianapolis after racing old stock cars in his native Brazil. Franzoni made his Pro Mazda debut here for M1 Racing two years ago but last year was back in USF2000, and he also tested with Juncos at October’s Chris Griffis Memorial Mazda Road to Indy test. Franzoni told TSO there wasn’t a need to run too much this morning as he feels confident in the team’s setup and dynamic heading into this weekend, as he seeks his first Pro Mazda victory.
Session 1
1 82 TJ Fischer 1:24.015
2 8 Anthony Martin 1:24.097
3 81 Carlos Cunha 1:24.672
4 23 Victor Franzoni 1:24.729
5 80 Nikita Lastochkin 1:24.995
Session 2
1 23 Victor Franzoni 1:23.446
2 8 Anthony Martin 1:23.800
3 81 Carlos Cunha 1:23.811
4 82 TJ Fischer 1:24.185
5 15 Phillippe Denes 1:24.411
—
In a surprise to almost no one, Cape Motorsports’ dynamic rookie Oliver Askew led both Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda on top of both test sessions.
The driver of the No. 3 Tatuus USF-17 Mazda posted a best time of 1:25.784 in the morning’s first one-hour session, which was the first session of the day, and then went nearly a second faster in the afternoon at 1:24.703. With the official track and qualifying record of Anthony Martin coming last year at 1:26.1053, the track record will be set this weekend if conditions remain dry.
Askew made his USF2000 test debut here at the Griffis test in October, a week after winning last year’s Team USA Scholarship. But he tested then in Cape’s previous generation Van Diemen chassis, as the combination of the older Van Diemens joined the fresh-out-of-the-box Tatuus cars.
Dakota Dickerson was second for Newman Wachs Racing in the opening session, as the team’s only entrant this weekend, with series debutante Callan O’Keeffe of South Africa third for Team BENIK. Kaylen Frederick of Team Pelfrey and Parker Thompson of Exclusive Autosport were second and third in the second session. Pelfrey’s Ayla Agren was fifth in both, as she seeks her first top-five finish of the year this weekend.
1 3 Oliver Askew 1:24.703
2 81 Kaylen Frederick 1:25.159
3 90 Parker Thompson 1:25.211
4 22 Calvin Ming 1:25.329
5 82 Ayla Agren 1:25.369
—
Other pre-race notes from the Mazda Road to Indy paddock:
The paddock layout is changed from previous years here into just one main dividing road with teams from all three series split vertically on either side. Previously, it had been laid out horizontally, with more zigging-and-zagging between rows if you will.
Indy Lights’ car count drops by one to 14 as Pato O’Ward, who swept Pro Mazda here last year for Team Pelfrey, isn’t here. TSO understands O’Ward, who was only officially confirmed for St. Petersburg and continued into Barber, was unable to gather the necessary budget to offset crash damage from the opening two weekends.
Pro Mazda’s car count grows by one to 15 with the additions of Bob Kaminsky (Kaminsky Racing) and Steven Ford (World Speed Motorsports) to the National Class. It would have gone to 16, but Max Hanratty (ArmsUp Motorsports) is withdrawn as he is racing in a European Le Mans Series event this weekend in an LMP3 car for Eurointernational.
Incidentally, Hanratty is in the same field as past MRTI IMS road course winners Sean Rayhall (2015, 8Star Motorsports, Indy Lights) and Will Owen (2014, Pabst Racing, USF2000), both of whom won the ELMS opener in Silverstone in the LMP3 and LMP2 classes with Zak Brown and Richard Dean’s United Autosports team.
The USF2000 field drops by one to 23 following several changes from Barber. Newman Wachs, as noted, is at only one car with Dakota Dickerson. Neither Andre Castro nor Flinn Lazier is here. Callan O’Keefe replaces Toby Sowery at Team BENIK. Colin Kaminsky’s car continues under the John Cummiskey Racing banner, after initially being entered as Kaminsky Racing; Bayley Mickler, the Australian driver, is not here this weekend. Exclusive Autosport expands to a fourth car with Canadian Jayson Clunie, while BN Racing makes its first start of 2017 with Chicago native David Malukas.
Ten different drivers have stood on the top step of the podium in the ten different races occurring on two different iterations of the road course at the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway. With exactly zero of the 14 drivers entered into the twin-bill INDY LIGHTS Grand Prix of Indianapolis Presented by Royal Purple Supporting the Lupus Foundation having won in Indy Lights machinery, that streak of different winners is set to extend to 11.
Also, since the introduction of the IL-15 in 2015, four different drivers representing four different teams have visited victory lane after taking the checkered flag at the Start/Finish line of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.
Andretti Autosport (Dean Stoneman), Carlin (Ed Jones), Team Pelfrey/8Star Motorsports (Sean Rayhall), and Jack Harvey (Schmidt Peterson Motorsports) have all produced winners on the 2.439-mile, 14 Turn Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course in the last two years, putting the pressure on Juncos Racing and Belardi Auto Racing to produce the fifth (and possibly) sixth different winning team in as many races.
Indy Lights winners on the road course at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway:
Year
Driver
Team
2016 Race #2
Dean Stoneman
Andretti Autosport
2016 Race #1
Ed Jones
Carlin
2015 Race #2
Sean Rayhall
8Star Motorsports
2015 Race #1
Jack Harvey
Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
2014 Race #2
Luiz Razia
Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
2014 Race #1
Matthew Brabham
Andretti Autosport
2007 Race #2
Bobby Wilson
Brian Stewart Racing
2007 Race #1
Hideki Mutoh
Panther Racing
2006
Alex Lloyd
AFS Racing
2005
Marco Andretti
Andretti Autosport
Alex Lloyd celebrates his Liberty Challenge win during the 2006 United States Grand Prix (Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)
What to expect…
With two wins in the Deltro Energy sponsored No. 98 Andretti-Steinbrenner Racing entry, rookie Colton Herta currently holds a 15 point championship advantage over veteran Kyle Kaiser after four races.
Herta will be making his first Indy Lights appearance on the IMS road course, but the second-generation driver did contest two USF2000 races during the inaugural event in 2014, including an impressive 22nd to fifth run in the first race, and the quickest race lap in the second race.
Kaiser, who drives for Juncos Racing (who’s new 40,0000 square foot shop is just over 3,900 feet due south of the Pagoda), is taking the slow and steady approach to the championship. The 21 year-old, who has two podiums, three top-fives and not finished outside of the top six this year, will need to hope that the form showed in second Indy Lights race at IMS carries over to the 2017 event. In six previous starts on the IMS road course, Kaiser’s average finish is 7.5, and last year’s third place in the second race is his best result.
Nico Jamin and reigning Pro Mazda champion Aaron Telitz are currently within striking distance of the top two, 26 and 27 points respectively afield. Both drivers will be looking to past successes AND experience at IMS, in an effort to cut into Herta’s lead.
Jamin and Herta tested in Indy Lights equipment at IMS during the Chris Griffis Memorial Test in October 2016.
Jamin, who had the second quickest lap time, tested with Andretti Autosport, turning a total of 134 laps. Splitting his test between the now defunct Schmidt Peterson Motorsports and his current team Belardi Auto Racing, Telitz had the third quickest of the two day test while driving for the Brownsburg, Ind. based Belardi.
In six starts on the IMS road course, Jamin, a 21 year-old Frenchman has collected two wins, two poles, led 25 laps, and finished in the top 10 five times.
“I am extremely excited heading into the month of May,” said Jamin. “I feel like the team and I are in the best shape we’ve ever been in, and we’re bringing momentum from Barber (Motorsports Park) with us! We had an amazing pace when we tested in September at the Chris Griffis Memorial Test at IMS. I know we’ll have a strong car on both the road and oval courses, and I’m very excited to represent the DuraMAX Team in pursuit of victory lane.”
Telitz is still looking for his first win at IMS, but the 25 year-old does have experience running at the front of the field on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, collecting four podiums in six race starts. The average finish for Telitz, from Rice Lake, Wis., on the IMS road course is 4.7, which is better than the 7.5 average finish by Jamin.
Holding down the fifth and sixth place championship positions are MRTI veterans Neil Alberico and Shelby Blackstock. Combined, the two drivers have a total of four podiums in 13 starts at IMS, and will need to have good weekends to stay in touch with the four drivers ahead of them in the chase for the $1 million Mazda Motorsports Advancement Scholarship.
Take away a last place finish at in the second race at the season opening event in St. Petersburg, Fla., and Alberico, would handily find himself in the top three in points. Whether it’s a switch to Geoff Fickling as his engineer, working with two-time Indy Lights vice-champion Jack Harvey as his driver coach, or a combination of things (most likely), it’s clear that the Rising Star Racing sponsored, Los Gatos, Calif. born driver has rediscovered the mojo that saw him finish third in the 2013 USF2000 championship, third in the 2014 Pro Mazda Championship, and second in the 2015 Pro Mazda Championship.
Current Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tire points through the first four events
RANK
DRIVER
TOTAL
1
Colton Herta
101
2
Kyle Kaiser
86
3
Nico Jamin
75
4
Aaron Telitz
74
5
Neil Alberico
69
6
Shelby Blackstock
61
7
Pato O’Ward
58
8
Nicolas Dapero
52
9
Zachary Claman DeMelo
51
10
Matheus Leist
49
11
Santiago Urrutia
48
12
Dalton Kellett
44
13
Ryan Norman
44
14
Juan Piedrahita
38
15
Garth Rickards
34
Other drivers TSO is keeping an eye on:
Juan Piedrahita – The popular Colombian will making his 100th Mazda Road To Indy presented by Cooper Tire start on Friday (watch for an separate article highlighting his career tomorrow.)
Nicolas Dapero – Through four races, the 19 year-old average of 5.5 ranks second, behind only Herta on the quickest race lap average chart. Dapero has also raced well, making up a total of 16 spots from his qualifying position. Now, the Buenos Aires, Argentina needs to qualify better, and maybe having tested an Indy Lights car during the Chris Griffis Memorial Test in October of 2016 will help him in that regard.
Pato O’Ward – Unfortunately, the Mexican driver, who won his third straight WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Prototype Challenge race at Circuit of the Americas over the weekend, is not entered in the second Team Pelfrey car this weekend.
Feeling the heat?
Combine Colton Herta’s last name to a 15 point championship lead and the result is a 17 year-old who is garnering significant attention from fans and media. How the Valencia, Calif. native performs with and reacts to the additional pressure and attention that comes with leading the championship will certainly bear monitoring.
“I think I’m better now because I have crashed a lot in Europe trying to win championships and it didn’t work out,” explained the Herta, who finished third in both the 2015 MSA Formula Championship and 2016 Euroformula Open Championship, when asked about whether he thinks about the points when he’s on track. “I think I kind of know what to do now.”
Herta’s father Bryan, who calmly guided Alexander Rossi to Victory Lane in the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500, told TSO that he has stepped back quite a bit from Colton’s career, and will let his son come to him before dispensing advice.
“I think it’s more (team owner) Michael (Andretti) that’s always worried. He always says “Get the points, just get the points,” said Herta. “My Dad is pretty laid back about it. He has confidence in me.”
The two Ps…
With two long and wide straights, followed by heaving braking zones, passing on the 2.439 mile, 14-Turn Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course is common. Showing patience when you are passing or being passed by a competitor can go along way to determine whether you end the day on the podium or on the hook.
The start of Indy Lights race #1 on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course in 2016 shows that a driver will need to have poise and patience to make the end of the race. (Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)
For example, the box score for Indy Lights race #1 on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course from last year shows that winner Ed Jones led the 30 lap race from start to finish, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. By the time the field had got to Turn 7, Jones, Dean Stoneman, and Santiago Urrutia had all taken a turn at the front of the field. But, it was the patience and poise of Jones, who didn’t get flustered after getting passed into Turn 1, that allowed him to capitalize on mistakes by his two competitors.
“It’s a long run into Turn One so it was next to impossible not to let someone get a run on me, and Dean did,” explained eventual Indy Lights champion Jones. “We were right next to each other, with only just enough room to get through. We were pretty close to going off. I felt pretty badly, going down to third, but I could see the two guys ahead of me going at it and I knew something was going to happen. I just kept calm and picked up the pieces. It’s an amazing feeling to win at Indianapolis; it’s another thing to tick off the box! Hopefully next year, I’ll be in IndyCar and tick that off the box as well.”
Andretti Autosport resurgence
During the first two seasons of IL-15 competition, drivers from the Andretti Autosport stable were able to only win two races and stand on the podium a total nine times during difficult 2015, and 2016 seasons.
However, with three wins and five podiums through only four races in 2017, the Don Lambert led squad has seen a resurgence to form that saw them win driver championships with Raphael Matos in 2008 and J.R. Hildebrand in 2009.
That race name though…
May is Lupus Awareness Month, and Royal Purple Synthetic Oil and the Mazda Road to Indy have joined forces to help bring attention to this mysterious chronic autoimmune disease which sees 16,000 new cases reported each year. All 50-plus cars across the three series will carry a decal in support of the Lupus Foundation of America, and a special hashtag – #RaceToEndLupus – will be utilized throughout the event. Fans can show their support by donating on behalf of their favorite drivers via a special page on the national Lupus Foundation website.
Belardi Auto Racing, spearheaded by team owner Brian Belardi and team manager John Brunner, has been a staunch supporter of the Lupus Foundation of America.
“When close friends of our team, Emilee Hunt and Addie, were diagnosed with lupus, we decided to put the Lupus Foundation of America decals on our Indy Lights cars to help raise awareness each May,” said Brunner. “That was 2014, and when we heard many other competitors commenting about how lupus affected someone in their lives as well, we at Belardi Racing contacted our partners at the Mazda Road to Indy to propose a much bigger campaign that highlights this disease during the Indy Grand Prix weekend. Since the official color of Lupus Awareness is purple, the folks at Royal Purple Synthetic Oil saw an opportunity and stepped up to share their sponsorship of the [MRTI Indy GP] with the Lupus Foundation of America.”
INDY LIGHTS Grand Prix of Indianapolis Presented by Royal Purple Supporting the Lupus Foundation schedule:
Thursday, May 11, 2017 (closed to the public)
10:30am – 11:30am –> Test Session #1
3:45pm – 4:45pm –> Test Session #2
In 2013, Indy Lights staged one of the most dramatic finishes in racing history at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with a four-wide photo finish to the Freedom 100, won by Peter Dempsey.
In 2016, the Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires made a Kodak moment on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course with arguably one of the most dramatic restarts in recent memory in the closing laps of the Mazda Indy Lights Grand Prix of Indianapolis, won by Ed Jones.
Watch the 2016 Mazda Indy Lights Grand Prix of Indianapolis Presented by Cooper Tires Race #1
There’s no shortage of talent in the 2016 Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires series and another of those drivers who seemed on the verge of a victory, Andretti Autosport’s Dean Stoneman, broke through Saturday to become the sixth winner in seven races to start the year.
Watch 2016 Mazda Indy Lights Grand Prix of Indianapolis Presented by Cooper Tires Race #2
The 400th Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tire race was won by second generation Indy Lights competitor Colton Herta. The Andretti-Steinbrenner Racing rookie, who’s Dad Bryan won the 1993 Indy Lights title, led all 35 laps and cruised to a comfortable 9.145 second win over Kyle Kaiser.
Herta also received a unique trophy for winning the 400th race.
The second place finish was the second in a row for Kaiser, who solidified his spot directly behind Herta in the championship.
After winning Saturday, Jamin stood two steps lower on the podium, but did move into third place in the season long chase for the $1 Million Mazda Motorsports Scholarship and a guaranteed seat in three Verizon IndyCar Series including the 102nd Indianapolis 500.
Colton Herta, Kyle Kaiser, and Nico Jamin celebrate on the 400th Indy Lights podium (Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)
Herta, who started on pole after qualifying was cancelled due to rain and the grid was set by points, beat yesterday’s pole sitter Kaiser to Turn 1. The 15 drivers were able to get through the first two corners cleanly before Zachary Claman DeMelo pushed wide in Turn 3 and made contact with the No. 3 Team Pelfrey car of Pato O’Ward. The two cars got hooked together and found themselves in the gravel trap. DeMelo was able to keep his No. 13 Mazda powered Dallara rolling, but, O’Ward need help from the Holmatro Safety Team to get re-fired and back on track. DeMelo was forced to come for repairs but ended up retiring after one lap. The car of O’Ward was also forced to retire with damage.
With qualifying cancelled this morning, 14 of the15 entries Mazda Indy Lights Grad Prix of Alabama Presented by Cooper Tire all started on sticker Cooper Tire slicks. The drivers were afforded an extra warm-up lap to allow them to get some extra heat into their tires.
The top 10 when they crossed the line were: Colton Herta, Kyle Kaiser, Nico Jamin, Aaron Telitz, Neil Alberico, Nicolas Dapero, Dalton Kellett, Matheus Leist, Shelby Blackstock, and Santiago Urrutia.
The 35 lap race restarted on Lap 4 and Herta was able to jump out to a big lead as the cars rolled through the “Alabama Roller Coaster” single file.
On the Lap 5, Urrutia’s front wing just touched the rear of the Belardi Auto Racing red No. 51 of Blackstock while fighting for ninth. Urrutia looped the car, but was able to keep it fired, falling back to 13th. The striking black and gold ARROW sponsored No. 5 was forced to pit for that damaged front wing, falling a lap behind and finishing the race in a disappointing 13th.
Alberico, who gained one spot on the first lap was able to pass the 2016 Pro Mazda Champion Telitz for the fourth spot.
By Lap 10, Herta’s lead over Kaiser was a comfortable 2.3 seconds, while Jamin was another 1.5 seconds back.
Nearing the half-way point of the race, Dapero and Leist, a pair of rookies were putting extreme pressure on veteran Andretti Autosport pilot Kellet for sixth. Dapero, who’s sixth place finish was the best of his short four race career, was able to get by Kellet on Lap 17, and Leist was able get by Kellett on the very next lap.
With 10 laps remaining, Herta’s lead had grown to 5.2 seconds over Kaiser, who had Jamin three seconds behind him. Alberico, who was looking for his third podium on four races, was running quicker laps than Jamin. Alberico was able to close to within half-a-second of Saturday’s winner Jamin, but the American was not able to get by the Frenchman.
Jamin did tell TSO that he knew Alberico was coming, but was managing the gap and his tires just in case their was a late race yellow flag and restart.
Mazda Indy Lights Grad Prix of Alabama Presented by Cooper Tires Race #2 – recap and results.
RANK
CAR #
DRIVER
TEAM
QUICK LAP
GAP
1
98
Colton Herta
Andretti Steinbrenner Racing
1:14.731
35 laps
2
18
Kyle Kaiser
Juncos Racing
1:15.099
9.1465
3
27
Nico Jamin
Andretti Autosport
1:15.269
11.1006
4
22
Neil Alberico
Carlin
1:15.015
11.7478
5
9
Aaron Telitz
Belardi Auto Racing
1:15.404
18.3005
6
31
Nicolas Dapero
Juncos Racing
1:15.175
21.1618
7
26
Matheus Leist
Carlin
1:15.305
23.7575
8
51
Shelby Blackstock
Belardi Auto Racing
1:15.442
33.1064
9
48
Ryan Norman
Andretti Autosport
1:15.739
35.4034
10
28
Dalton Kellett
Andretti Autosport
1:15.613
36.5591
11
2
Juan Piedrahita
Team Pelfrey
1:15.666
40.2940
12
11
Garth Rickards
Carlin
1:15.860
40.6538
13
5
Santi Urrutia
Belardi Auto Racing
1:14.577
69.8029
14
13
Zachary Claman De Melo
Carlin
2:06.743
-32 laps
15
3
Pato O’Ward
Team Pelfrey
2:10.140
-33 laps
The Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tire Series has the next two weekends off before a double header on the 2.439-mile, 14-Turn Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 12 and May 13, 2017.
After a downpour right before Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tire qualifying was set to begin at 8am, the series decided to cancel qualifying, and the 15 drivers will line up via Championship Standings, meaning Colton Herta will start the race on pole for the 400th Indy Lights Race.
With too much standing water on track, qualifying is cancelled. We will line up by points #MRTI#TeamCooperTire#IL400th
Posted by Steve Wittich on Saturday, April 22nd 2017
The Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tire series 399th race began with chaos and ended with calm when Nico Jamin won his first Indy Lights race, becoming the third different rookie to win in the first three races of the 2017 season.
Aaron Telitz, who qualified a disappointing 13th after having power plant issues in qualifying, started the chaos by driving into the back of teammate Shelby Blackstock, forcing the starter to abort the start and throw the yellow flag, causing multiple incidents with the outside row.
Aaron Telitz gets out of line at the start of Barber Motorsports Park race #1 causing a yellow flag and aborted start (Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)
Herta, who had ducked in behind Kaiser from his outside front row starting spot in an attempt to try and get a run on him into Turn 1, hit the back of the No. 18 Juncos Racing Mazda/Dallara when Kaiser got off the gas for the aborted start. The contact damaged the right front wing, forcing the 17 year-old second generation driver to pit for a new front wing.
“Barely,” explained pole-sitter Kaiser when asked if he felt Herta hit him. “I thought that maybe I felt a nudge.”
Further back the chaos intensified when sixth place qualifier Pato O’Ward ran up and over the back of Santiago Urrutia, the driver who started immediately in front of him on the outside of the front row. The Team Pelfrey rookie’s No. 3 rode the back of the black and gold Arrow Electronics sponsored No. 5 before dismounting and taking Urrutia’s rear wing with him as they went off course at the exit of Turn 1.
Herta, Urrutia, O’Ward, and Urrutia were all forced to pit road with varying levels of damage.
Kaiser led for the first four corners after a Lap 3 single file start, but lost the lead to Jamin, who slotted into second when Herta pitted, in “Charlotte’s Web” (Turn 5). Jamin, the 2015 Cooper Tires USF2000 Powered by Mazda champion got a great run out of the “Alabama Roller Coaster” and was able out brake Kaiser on the inside and complete the pass as they exited the corner.
“Absolutely, especially around this fast and flowing track,” explained Jamin when asked if he knew he had to get a pass done on the start. “If you spend four or five laps close to another driver, you are going to damage your tires quite a bit. So, I wanted to get it done really early to not overheat my tires, and I was able to get it done in Turn 5 with a good run and push-to-pass.”
I let my guard down, I thought I had more room behind me than I did,” said Kaiser, explaining the Jamin’s pass for the lead. “I’ve seen guys go to the inside and get a ton of rubber and lock it up and make that mistake of defending so much when they didn’t have to. I did a lazy middle of the road defend to discourage him from making a move, but he had a good run on me and he was closer than I thought and he made a nice clean pass. I need to be more committed in that situation. Now I’m looking back and saying I wish I would have moved my car over. It’s my mistake, I’ll learn from it, I’ll grow and won’t make it again.”
The top 10 at the end of the first green flag lap were: Nico Jamin, Kyle Kaiser, Neil Alberico, Matheus Leist, Dalton Kellett, Zachary Claman DeMelo, Shelby Blackstock, Juan Piedrahita, Nicolas Dapero, and Pato O’Ward.
Lap 10 marked the one-third mark of the 30 lap race. Jamin held a 2.6 second lead over Kasier, who had a one second advantage over third place Alberico. Alberico’s Carlin teammates Leist and Claman De Melo rounded out the top five.
The race settled in after the hectic start, with some good battles back in the pack. Carlin teammates Leist, and Claman de Melo were never separated by more than a second while fighting for fourth place. Further back Blackstock, O’Ward, Dapero, Herta and Piedrahtia remained nose to tail from seventh through 11th.
Herta who made a pass of teammate Ryan Norman on lap 8 and a struggling Juan Piedrahita with three laps left, was able to recover to finish 10th. With Teltiz’s struggles, the Valencia, Calif. native was able to maintain his 10 point championship lead, with Kaiser taking Telitz’s place as his closest chaser.
Urrutia was able to rejoin the field 3 laps down, and turned four off the pace laps before coming returning to the Belardi Auto Racing pits to repair suspension damage. Urrutia was able to head back out on track, but returned to pit-lane and retired after turning 17 laps.
Jamin joins Sage Karam, Spencer Pigot, Matthew Brabham, and Aaron Telitz as the fifth driver to win on all three rungs of the Mazda Road To Indy presented by Cooper Tire ladder since it was founded in 2010.
Nico Jamin celebrates his first of what he hopes is many Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tire races (Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)
The same 15 drivers are back on track bright and early at 8am on Sunday morning to qualify for the second Mazda Indy Lights Grad Prix of Alabama Presented by Cooper Tires of the weekend.
