Time to get ready for today’s 90 lap Indy Lights race here at Phoenix International Raceway. The cars/drivers have not been on the track since yesterday’s qualifying session where Kyle Kaiser took the pole position over Ed Jones, Santiago Urrutia, and RC Enerson.
Kyle Kaiser picking up the check for winning the pole at PIR (IMS Photo)
Zach Veach wasn’t able to make a qualifying attempt after his practice crash yesterday, which has now been attributed to debris cutting his left rear tire.
The Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires series held their qualifying session this afternoon with Kyle Kaiser continuing his strong performance by taking his first career oval pole here on the 1-mile oval outside Phoenix. This follows up on his first career Indy Lights pole (of any kind) that came a couple weeks back in St. Petersburg.
Kaiser came in to the weekend a point behind Felix Serralles in the championship, but by virtue of taking the pole, he is now tied as they enter tomorrow’s 90 lap race.
Ed Jones timed in 2nd, followed by strong runs from Santiago Urrutia (top rookie), RC Enerson and Serralles.
Zach Veach did not make a qualifying attempt after his contact earlier in the day. Veach said that he had a left rear tire problem, sending him in to the wall. This explanation makes sense as the result of his crash seemed a bit odd. He knocked the right front corner off, early in the turn. Normally, you’d spin here, or perhaps push up at exit and catch the wall. Guessing the tire was losing pressure, which unloaded the right front corner. That in turn meant the right front wasn’t helping turn the car – so he went straight in to the wall.
Kaiser circled the track at an Average Speed of 167.872mph, about .37mph faster than Jones.
After the session, Kaiser came to the media center where he gave some pretty honest comments. He said that initially ovals were scary and intimidating to him. But, now that he’s had some time on them and this is his second season in Lights, he has built up the confidence needed to be successful on an oval.
Kaiser really seems to maturing at just the right time. Going to make for an interesting race tomorrow afternoon. He believes the car will be pretty good early, but the concern will be managing rear tire wear and then navigating traffic as the tires go away.
Jones of course was pretty please with his performance, but we mostly wanted more info on that non-wing sprint car experience. Ed said that running at the Cory Kruseman sprint car school was all set up by Chris Dyson (sports car racer and owner of AER – the engine builder for the Indy Lights series). As you’ll recall from one of the very first TSOLadder.com posts, Dyson ventured out to dirt track racing this winter – racing in the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Jones said he is seriously considering running some real dirt track races in the future. At first, he found the seating position, driving position, etc., very unusual. But, he adapted pretty quickly and then started to find similarities. He was really excited when talking about the experience, and clearly had a lot of fun. And every time he talks about driving that car, he remarks on how he now understands why some of IndyCar’s greats came from that type of racing. That tells me he is either super interested in racing history or well coached from a PR perspective – though the most likely answer is BOTH and we can truly appreciate that. Ed is one of the “good guys” for sure. He honestly loves the racing and frankly seems like he is always having fun.
Though he also noted that he told me he is searching now for that overwhelming sensation of speed. As part of the sprint car discussion he noted he has gotten used to how fast he’s going in a Lights car (and a sprint car), with things having “slowed down” for him these days. Great trait to have in a race car driver!
Ed Jones and Kyle Kaiser in the media center at PIR.
Rank Car Driver AvgSpeed
1 18 Kyle Kaiser 167.872
2 11 Ed Jones 167.507
3 55 Santiago Urrutia (R) 167.365
4 7 RC Enerson 167.306
5 4 Felix Serralles 167.244
6 17 Andre Negrao (R) 167.117
7 13 Zachary Claman De Melo (R) 167.037
8 28 Dalton Kellett (R) 166.390
9 27 Dean Stoneman (R) 166.328
10 22 Neil Alberico (R) 166.292
11 3 Scott Hargrove (R) 165.849
12 51 Shelby Blackstock 165.733
13 14 Felix Rosenqvist (R) 165.656
14 2 Juan Piedrahita 165.274
15 77 Heamin Choi (R) 164.876
16 5 Zach Veach
Practice session #2 wasn’t as clean as the first one. Oh, remember that chatter in the first practice session about Ed Jones driving a dirt sprint car – well, he tried out that skillset in Turn 4 here at PIR. Not exactly the right venue, but Jones had his car in a full out dirt track style slide for a long, long way. Don’t see that very often on a paved oval. Jones didn’t actually hit anything and frankly didn’t really even come that close. But, the yellow came out anyway and Jones brought the car back to the pits.
Ed Jones at PIR (Credit IMS Photo)
With Kyle Kaiser leading the session most of the way, we got our next yellow when Zach Veach had an issue in Turn 3 and 4. Never got a replay, but it appears that something happened as he entered the corner and he put the right front corner in to the wall before coming to a stop against the SAFER Barrier. Veach was not injured.
Kyle Kaiser leads Practice at PIR (Credit IMS Photo)
After the session went back to green, most drivers went out for a final run on fresh tires with Kaiser retaining the P1 spot. Some interesting names though filled out the rest of the Top 5 as Zach Claman De Melo improved from 5th this morning to 2nd in the afternoon session.
The rest of the Top 5 was made up of RC Enerson, Ed Jones, and Neil Alberico.
Rank Car Driver Name Speed
1 18 Kyle Kaiser 165.546
2 13 Zachary Claman De Melo (R) 164.691
3 7 RC Enerson 164.638
4 11 Ed Jones 164.631
5 22 Neil Alberico (R) 164.591
6 4 Felix Serralles 164.544
7 27 Dean Stoneman (R) 164.014
8 2 Juan Piedrahita 163.712
9 5 Zach Veach 163.601
10 55 Santiago Urrutia (R) 163.209
11 17 Andre Negrao (R) 163.202
12 77 Heamin Choi (R) 162.738
13 28 Dalton Kellett (R) 162.641
14 14 Felix Rosenqvist (R) 161.736
15 51 Shelby Blackstock 161.005
16 3 Scott Hargrove (R) 159.778
The first Indy Lights session of the weekend ran caution free here on the 1-mile oval in Avondale, AZ.
However the session was not completely without incident. Schmidt Peterson Motorsports with Curb-Agajanian rookie Andre Negrao did tell IndyCar Radio that he made light contact with the wall, doing some damage to the right side suspension on the right side of the No. 77 Mazda/Dallara.
The session was led by Felix Serralles with a lap of 166.769mph, that’s a time of 22.0617 seconds. He was followed by Ed Jones and Dean Stoneman. Rounding out the Top-5 were Kyle Kaiser and Zach Claman de Melo.
As we noted in the preview, Ed Jones ran a non-winged sprint car earlier this week over at Perris Auto Speedway near LA. He told IMS Radio that he actually learned a lot from running that car. One part that stood out from his remarks was that he said things are so close right now that every little thing you can learn – even in a different car – can be an advantage.
Good morning race fans, this is Patrick Stephan and I will be handling TSO’s coverage of both Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires and the Verizon IndyCar Series this weekend.
Having just arrived at the track a little bit ago, I’ll go ahead and just start off our TSOLadder.com coverage with today’s schedule and the weather.
You know you are in Phoenix when… (Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)
Heck, let’s go with the weather first. As of 9am local time, we are basking in beautiful sunshine and 60 degree temperatures on our way to a forecasted high of 80 degrees. Tomorrow is expected to be a bit warmer, with temperatures in the mid 80’s, but all in all pretty dang nice.
Note that the wind is currently blowing down from down the frontstetch and perhaps a bit toward one. That will pin the nose of the cars at the exit of Turn 2, and be a crosswind at the entry of Turn 1. Yep, that’ll make things a bit tricky on an already tricky 1-mile oval here in Arizona.
Ok, today’s Indy Lights schedule is pretty straightforward.
Practice starts at 9am Mountain Standard Time (NOTE – NOT Daylight Time – they didn’t change their clocks here – so Arizona is currently the same time as Pacific Daylight). Said another way, Phoenix and Los Angeles are in the same time zone now. Phoenix and Denver – are NOT! OR – Phoenix is 3 hours behind New York!
Practice #1 – 9:00am – 9:45am
Practice #2 – 1:00pm – 1:45pm
Autograph Session – 3:00pm – 3:30pm
Qualifying – 4:30pm – 5:15pm
Posted by Steve Wittich on Wednesday, March 30th 2016
By Steve Wittich
Almost exactly 30 years ago (April 6, 1986) to the day, the forerunner to the current Indy Lights Series, the American Racing Series, made it’s debut on the 1-mile Phoenix International Raceway oval. A lot has changed in the succeeding three decades, but what hasn’t changed is the that the next to last rung of the American open wheel ladder continues to provide IndyCar with their drivers of the future.
How many of the 16 hopefuls that will take to the track this weekend for the Indy Lights Grand Prix of Phoenix will end up competing in the Verizon IndyCar Series? Only time will tell, but of the 14 drivers that started that inaugural race three decades ago, nine of them (Jeff Andretti, Fabrizio Barbazza, Billy Boat, Steve Bren, Wally Dallenbach, Jr., Stan Fox, Mike Groff, Sammy Swindell, & Desiré Wilson) made at least one start in an Indy Car.
You know you are in Phoenix when… (Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)
The same 16 cars that were entered in St. Petersburg have made the 2000+ mile trip out west, however, there is one driver change. The No. 77 Schmidt Peterson Motorsports with Curb-Agajanian entry that was piloted by Scott Anderson at the first event of 2016, will be driven this weekend by Heamin Choi.
Choi, a native of Busan, Korea will be making his third Indy Lights start after taking part in the 2015 double-header finale at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Unlike some of his fellow rookies, Choi is not completely laking in oval experience. The 32 year-old started an impressive 6th in his lone turn left only start at Lucas Oil Raceway Park while competing in USF2000 in 2012. Choi also took part in Indy Lights testing on February 25th and ran 208 trouble free laps while posting the 10th quickest lap.
The odds-on favorite heading into the weekend is Schmidt Peterson Motorsports with Curb-Agajanian sophomore driver RC Enerson. The New Port Richey, Florida native led February testing on the Phoenix International Raceway oval with a top speed of 168.214mph and was also the top scoring Indy Lights driver on the ovals in 2015. Enerson, who just turned 19, used 2nd (Milwaukee Milie), 3rd (Iowa Speedway) and 4th (Indianapolis Motor Speedway) place finishes to score 67 total points on the three ovals in 2015, 15 points clear of his nearest returning competitor.
2015 Indy Lights oval points (returning drivers)
RC Enerson —> 67
Felix Serralles —> 52
Ed Jones —> 50
Juan Piedrahita —> 50
Kyle Kaiser —> 48
Shelby Blackstock —> 35
Keeping Enerson honest in the desert should be sophomore Carlin teammates Ed Jones and Felix Serralles.
Serralles is coming off a memorable weekend in St. Petersburg, Florida, where the Ponce, Puerto Rico native scored a win, 4th place finish and the early championship lead. Last year’s winner on the oval at the historic Milwaukee Mile, the 23 year-old is coming off a successful Phoenix test where he placed 4th on the final time-sheet.
Jones had a disappointing weekend on the shores of the Tampa Bay, and will be looking to channel a steaming hot July trip to the corn-fields of Iowa. It took until the third oval race of the season for the 21 year-old to wrap his head around ovals, but a 2nd place finish and 13 laps led at Iowa Speedway (the track with the most similarity to Phoenix International Raceway), should have the Dubai, UAE confident heading into the weekend.
In what can only be considered an ode to the U.S.A.C. Bobby Ball Memorial races that took place on the dirt oval at the Arizona State Fairgrounds, Phoenix International Raceway’s predecessor, Jones took to the half-mile clay oval at Perris Auto Speedway in a non-wing sprint car on Tuesday afternoon. A great experience in adaptability for the young driver who grew up with road racing.
If oval experience means anything, and it should, don’t count out the pair of wily third year drivers Zach Veach (Belardi Auto Racing) and Juan Piedrahita (Team Pelfrey).
Coming off a mixed weekend in St. Petersburg that included a last place finish in race one on Saturday and a podium in race two on Sunday, Veach will attempt to use the experience he’s gained in 14 Mazda Road To Indy oval starts, the most oval starts of any driver in the field. Exactly half (7) of the 21 year-olds oval starts have resulted in podiums, including an Indy Lights win on the Milwaukee Mile oval.
The Team Pelfrey No. 2 suffered an engine failure during the February test at Phoenix International Raceway, and the 23 year-old Piedrahita will need to use everything he has learned in 12 oval starts if he wants to stand on an oval podium for the fifth time.
Juncos Racing sophomore Kyle Kaiser is another driver to watch this weekend. The Santa Clara, California native, who is coming off two podiums in the season opening event, has had decent, but not great results on ovals in the past. The 20 year-old’s best oval finish was 4th place at Iowa Speedway in last years Indy Lights race. Currently second on the championship table, only one point behind Serralles, Kaiser was the 6th quickest driver in testing at Phoenix last month.
After a miserable season on ovals in 2015, Andretti Autosport and sophomore pilot Shelby Blackstock have to be excited that the calendar has turned, and also have to be encouraged with testing times at Phoenix that are competitive with their competition. A Nashville, Tennessee native, Blackstock was very competitive on ovals in a Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire machine and if the team has regained their mojo, he should regain the podium form he has shown in the past.
Nine of the 16 drivers will be making their first Indy Lights oval start when the green flag flies on Saturday afternoon, but, not all Indy Lights oval rookies are created equally.
Five Mazda Road To Indy veterans; Carlin’s Neil Alberico (six oval starts with one win and two podiums), Andretti Autosport’s Dalton Kellett (five oval starts with one podium) Team Pelfrey’s Scott Hargrove (three ovals starts with two podiums), Schmidt Peterson Motorsports with Curb-Agajanian’s Santiago Urrutia (two ovals starts) and Choi (one oval start), all have at least “some” oval experience and should face a shorter learning curve.
Phoenix International Raceway has been very kind to young Canadians in the past, so if you believe in destiny, don’t be surprised to see 21 year-old Canadian Scott Hargrove pulling into victory lane on Saturday afternoon. In 1988 it was 19 year-old Paul Tracy who won his first Indy Lights race, and in 1994, it was 19 year-old Greg Moore who won his first Indy Lights race.
That leaves rookies Zachary Claman de Melo (Juncos Racing), Felix Rosenqvist (Belardi Auto Racing), Andre Negrao (Schmidt Peterson Motorsports with Curb-Agajanian), and Dean Stoneman (Andretti Autosport) as the four drivers with absolutely zero oval race experience. How have rookies done in their debut oval races after arriving from Europe? Recently, it was current Andretti Autosport IndyCar driver Carlos Munoz who tasted early oval success when he crossed the finish line in 2nd place at the 2012 Freedom 100. One very big positive for all four drivers is that each one of them has at least one very experienced teammate to help reassure them on ovals.
Which of the oval newbies has a chance to surprise during the race on Saturday? European veterans Andre Negrao (3rd quickest) and Dean Stoneman (5th quickest) were both impressive in testing at Phoenix, but raw speed doesn’t always translate to results. The top oval newbie, will be the driver who shows the most patience during first half of the race, before putting what he has learned to use in the second half of the 90 lap race.
Unless qualifying is rained out, the Indy Lights track record should be lowered by a significant margin during qualifying on Friday afternoon. The fastest qualifying lap of 160.755mph was set in 1995 by Claude Bourbonnais and the fastest race lap of 158.402mph was set by Greg Moore in 1995. The top lap turned by Enerson in testing last month was 168.214mph.
Previous winners at Phoenix International Raceway include: Paul Tracy (2), Greg Moore (2), Steve Millen, Fabrizio Barbazza, Jeff Andretti, Mike Groff, Robbie Groff, Adrian Fernandez, Sandy Brody, Mark Taylor, Thiago Medeiros and Jon Herb.
The only current Indy Lights team with a victory in the desert is Schmidt Peterson Motorsports with Curb-Agajanian, who won the 2004 Phoenix 100 with Thiago Medeiros at the wheel.
Our video of the day is the 1988 ARS race from Phoenix International Raceway. It features expert analysis from Bobby Rahal and a inaugural Indy Lights victory for a 19 year-old Canadian who will be in the NBC Sports Network TV Booth as an analyst this weekend.
By Bart Ewer We finally got our first chance to see how an ultra-competitive and highly unpredictable Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires field would shake itself out once a wheel was turned in anger. The 40-minute sprint race turned into an unpredictable and entertaining affair, with drama up and down the field throughout the…
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By Bart Ewer There’s no rest for the weary in the Mazda Road to Indy today, as a very busy schedule means a lot of back-to-back action. Immediately after Pro Mazda qualifying was completed, the Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires field took to the track in anger for their qualifying session. Belardi Auto Racing…
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By Patrick Stephan Welcome to TSO’s Saturday coverage from the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. Quick reminder that the action gets started early today with Pro Mazda qualifying, followed by Indy Lights Qualifying at the top of the hour. Right now the temperature 68 degrees, with a thin layer of haze out there and…
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By Bart Ewer Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires was next on track, following an unpredictable and entertaining battle for the top spot in the first practice session that was ultimately won by Belardi Auto Racing’s Felix Rosenqvist. In a session interrupted by two red flags, it was Rosenqvist who found himself quickest again. As…
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