Archives for Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tire – TSO

Ryan Norman leads a tight final Indy Lights test before the season begins in five days.

Posted by  on Monday, March 4th 2019     

By Steve Wittich

Ryan Norman, one of three veterans in the 2019 Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires Series field, ended the final warm-up of the pre-season with the quickest lap of the day.

The 20-year-old turned in a lap of 75.1962 seconds on his 44th of 47 laps, which was 0.17 seconds ahead of his rookie teammate Robert Megennis.

Andretti Autosport’s veteran Ryan Norman led the final test before the Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires season gets under in St. Petersburg in just five days. (Photo Courtesy Of Andersen Promotions)

When we saw Norman after the session, we mentioned that ‘you won the test,’ and he quickly fired back – “Now, we have to go win the race!”

That is the perfect response after a successful test.

All ten drivers were covered by only just over a second and the four were within a half-second of Norman.

The Indy Lights Series took part in an official test at Circuit of The Americas less than one month ago, and it was Andretti Autosport rookie Oliver Askew who ended the day with the quickest time.

The 22-year-old followed that up by leading the first session in the final tune-up to the 2019 season at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

The top five drivers were all within one second of Askew. That group included Robert Megennis (Andretti Autosport), David Malukas (BN Racing), Zachary Claman (Belardi Auto Racing) and Ryan Norman (Andretti Autosport).

The ten drivers turned a total of 290 laps of the 2.1-mile, 14-turn road course.

Askew, Megennis, Malukas, Claman, and Sowery all ran one set of new tires, while Norman, Falchero, VeeKay, Kohl, and Kellett remained on a carryover set.

Much like their USF2000 and Indy Pro 2000 brethren, track time is just part of the final official test before the season-opening race in St. Petersburg. While the lower level series was on track Sunday, the Indy Lights driver were going through presentations, photo-shoots, and interviews with NBC.

The highest level American open-wheel ladder series began their final tune-up with a 90-minute session starting at 11 am. The sky was sunny, the ambient temperature was 83F, and the wind was 8mph from the Southwest.

Series returnee Claman, who is driving the No. 13 car from the Belardi Auto Racing stable was the first of the ten entries on track.

After the first 60 minutes of the 90-minute session, it was Andretti Autosport veteran Ryan Norman that was leading the way with a lap of 76.847 seconds. Claman (Belardi Auto Racing), Oliver Askew (Andretti Autosport), Julien Falchero (Belardi Auto Racing) Megennis and Malukas.

Toby Sowery is testing in a combined BN Racing / Team Pelfrey entry in a deal that came together quickly and at the last minute.

Sowery got a call from the team on Friday, and team manager Nigel Tuckey picked up the Team Pelfrey IL-15 on the same day. The No. 2 was last utilized at the Chris Griffis Memorial Test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in September, and the BN Racing crew had to thrash to get it prepared to be on track today.

Sowery’s last open-wheel experience came with the same team at Road America last year in Indy Pro 2000 where he finished second in both races to his teammate then and now, Malukas.

Toby Sowery found out about his Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires opportunity on Friday. The 22-year-old will be contesting the St. Petersburg round of the series with a joint BN Racing and Team Pelfrey entry. (Photo Courtesy Of Andersen Promotions)

The track reopened at 1:30 pm, but was quiet until 2:30 pm when VeeKay hit the 2.1-mile, 14-turn Homestead-Miami Speedway road course. The 2018 Indy Pro 2000 ran a few more laps on that set of scuff tires before bolting on a fresh set of Cooper Tire slicks and turned his quickest lap of the test at 76.466 seconds.

Norman was the second driver to head out in the heat of the day with the sun beating down, the thermometer at 85F and the track temperature above 120F.

The track was consistently busy over the last 90 minutes with the field turning a total of 396 laps (831.6 miles) in the afternoon stanza.

Each team received three sticker sets of Cooper Tire slicks for the test and all ten entries saved on set for the final fifteen minutes when the track had cooled down a little.

That was when Norman and Megennis traded quick laps a couple of times before the veteran came out on top.

Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires Homestead-Miami Speedway test combined timesheet

RANK CAR NO. DRIVER TEAM FAST LAP DIFFERENCE TOTAL LAPS
1 48 Ryan Norman Andretti Autosport 1:15.196 –.—- 79
2 27 Robert Megennis Andretti Autosport 1:15.366 0.1699 78
3 4 Julien Falchero Belardi Auto Racing 1:15.497 0.3004 68
4 13 Zachary Claman Belardi Auto Racing 1:15.751 0.5544 61
5 28 Oliver Askew Andretti Autosport 1:15.863 0.6665 77
6 21 Rinus VeeKay Juncos Racing 1:15.987 0.7903 72
7 67 Dalton Kellett Juncos Racing 1:16.133 0.9371 70
8 79 David Malukas BN Racing 1:16.227 1.0309 50
9 2 Toby Sowery BN Racing/Team Pelfrey 1:16.472 1.2755 49
10 5 Lucas Kohl Belardi Auto Racing 1:16.494 1.2977 82
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Rinus van Kalmthout (Rinus VeeKay) begins 2019 with a hard fought F3 Asian Winter Series Championship

Posted by  on Monday, February 25th 2019     

By Steve Wittich

Rinus van Kalmthout (Rinus VeeKay) began his 2019 racing season the way last season ended. By winning a championship.

VeeKay held a solid lead heading into the final event of the F3 Asian Winter Series Championship at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia, but like if often does in racing, his title chase went sideways during the first race when VeeKay’s Autotecnica powered Tatuus made contact with a teammate early in the first race of the event.

The unflappable VeeKay was able to finish that race, and a pair of hard-fought podiums in the final races secured his second championship in six-months.

“It was a stressful weekend,” noted VeeKay, who is supported by Jumbo, La Place, and the Dutch KNAF Talent First program. “I now realize that a weekend where the championship has to be decided is totally different from a regular race weekend. But I’m extremely happy with this title. I learned a lot, and it was great to gain some more experience. I would also like to thank Hitech GP for all of their hard work.”

Rinus van Kalmthout (Rinus VeeKay) celebrates his second championship in six-months (Photo Courtesy of Rinus Veekay)

The 18-year-old won four times and stood on the podium in eight of nine F3 Asian Championship Winter Series races to win the championship by a convincing 29 points.

The Dutch driver beat a highly touted group of junior open-wheel drivers including:

  • Yi Yifei, who won the 2016 Championnat de France F4 championship and finished third in last year’s Eurocup Formula Renault Series.
  • Alessandro Ghiretti, who has previous track experience at the host tracks of Sepang International Circuit (six races) and Buriram International Circuit (3 races) while dominating the Formula 4 South East Asia (SEA) Championship in 2018.
  • Red Bull Racing driver Dan Ticktum who is coming off a second-place finish in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship.
  • The most recent Eurocup Formula Renault Champion Max Fretwell.
  • Ralf Schumacher’s son David.

This off-season is the third straight year that VeeKay has contested a winter series. The previous pair of off-seasons had the 10-time Road To Indy Presented by Cooper Tires contesting the MRF Challenge Series.

category: Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tire - TSO
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Indy Lights testing from COTA – notebook, car count and a bunch of photos

Posted by  on Wednesday, February 13th 2019     

By Steve Wittich

A few more notes from the two-day Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires testing at Circuit of The Americas.

It’s only a test, but don’t think that ending up on top of the timesheets isn’t important to the teams and drivers.

Andretti Autosport Chief Operating Officer Rob Edwards told TSO Ladder: “It’s always important. It’s all competition. You all want to be up there. Obviously, we had two exceptional drivers last year. I think to show the depth of the team, that we can bring new drivers in and basically pick up where we ended up last year is very important. It’s always important, that’s where you want to be.

The term tire degradation doesn’t just apply to the NTT IndyCar Series, the drivers from the Indy Lights series are also experiencing fairly significant fall off with their Cooper Tire rubber. Most drivers we chatted with told us that the tires start to fall off after three or four laps.

Reigning Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires champion Rinus VeeKay told us:

There is quite a bit of degradation. I don’t think there will be issues, but it will be necessary to manage. I think it will be hard for every driver to manage that. I think it will be extra fun.

Another common refrain is that even a small mistake, especially in a crucial corner, can quickly ruin a lap.

After the final session, Marco Andretti called Oliver Askew aside to counsel him.

“It’s unbelievable,” said Askew about the opportunity to race for Andretti Autosport. “Just walking into the shop you feel the amount of experience and passion that the team has for it. All of these guys and girls work really, really hard. It means a lot, and hopefully, I can represent them well.”

Oliver Askew receives counsel from his Andretti Autosport teammate Marco Andretti (Photo Courtesy Of TSO Ladder)

Veteran Dalton Kellett was using the No. 67 during the test. The 26-year-old told us that number was chosen because it’s the year that his primary sponsor, K-Line Companies, was founded. The company is in the very high voltage (think power lines) business was started by Kellett’s grandfather.

Indy Lights car count

The most common question we are asked about Indy Lights is: “how many cars will there be?” Here’s a breakdown of what we know so far.

Seven of the drivers that are participating in the two-day test are signed for the 2019 season. That list includes Oliver Askew (Andretti Autosport), Zachary Claman (Belardi Auto Racing), Lucas Kohl (Belardi Auto Racing), David Malukas (BN Racing), Robert Megennis (Andretti Autosport), Ryan Norman (Andretti Autosport) and Rinus VeeKay (Juncos Racing),

Julien Falchero (Andretti Autosport), Dalton Kellett (Carlin) and Logan Sargeant (Carlin) are all “just” testing this week.

We talked to a team official from Carlin who told us that they are still evaluating an Indy Lights program for 2019 but made sure to emphasize that the team thinks it is essential to be a part of the series.

The last time we talked to Michael Andretti, he was reasonably confident they would have four cars.

When we asked Brian Belardi about a third car, he certainly wasn’t quick to say no. The veteran team owner did say that running a partial season with a third driver was a possibility.

Juncos Racing team owner Ricardo Juncos and BN Racing principal Bryn Nuttall both told TSO Ladder they would only be fielding a single Indy Lights car.

Larry Foyt told TSO that A.J. Foyt Racing was close to putting together an Indy Lights team, but ran out of time. The former “Road To Indy” driver did say that a ladder team is still something the team is interested in starting.

When we talked to Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports team owner Sam Schmidt in October, he still wouldn’t rule out a return to the series where the Indianapolis based team made their name. However, the last IL-15 departed the shop and made its way to BN Racing.

We are also hearing rumors that another team might be joining the series for a limited schedule.

Where does that leave us?

Somewhere between 9 to 11 full-time entries and a few other drivers/teams contesting a few races.

Indy Lights are back on track (officially) on March 4, 2019, on the 2.21-mile, 14-turn Homestead-Miami Speedway road course before the season begins four days later in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Here are some pictures from testing at Circuit of The Americas.

Oliver Askew begins the 133 foot climb up to Turn 1 at Circuit of The Americas (Photo Courtesy Of TSO Ladder)

Dalton Kellett waits in his Carlin No. 67 before the delayed start of the session (Photo Courtesy Of TSO Ladder)

Wooly hats and winter coats were on full display in a sub-32F start to testing at Indy Lights Circuit of The Americas (Photo Courtesy Of TSO Ladder)

Zachary Claman heads down Circuit of The Americas pit-lane under the watchful eye of an AMR INDYCAR Safety Team member (Photo Courtesy Of TSO Ladder)

David Malukas focuses on pit road at Circuit of The Americas (Photo Courtesy Of TSO Ladder)

The helmet of Julien Falchero on pit road at Circuit of The Americas (Photo Courtesy Of TSO Ladder)

David Malukas and Lucas Kohl on the 3.427-mile, 20-turn road course at Circuit of The Americas (Photo Courtesy Of TSO Ladder)

A smoke show from Dalton Kellett (Photo Courtesy Of TSO Ladder)

Robert Megennis debriefs with veteran Indy Lights engineer Len Paskus (Photo Courtesy Of TSO Ladder)

Ryan Norman exits pit lane at Circuit of The Americas (Photo Courtesy Of TSO Ladder)

Logan Sargeant tested with Carlin (Photo Courtesy Of TSO Ladder)

 

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Indy Lights at Circuit of The Americas – final practice – Oliver Askew nips teammate Julien Falchero by just that much…

Posted by  on Wednesday, February 13th 2019     

Oliver Askew had a “solid” two hours and fifteen minutes to start his Wednesday. At 7:30 am the 22-year-old was announced as an Andretti Autosport driver and when the first official test of the 2019 Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires season ended at 9:45 am, his No. 28 Andretti Autosport machine topped the timesheet with a lap of 113.802 seconds.

“It worked out to announce this morning and go P1,” said Askew to TSO Ladder after stepping out of the car. “That was a goal. I’m really happy with the test. I’m really, really, really looking forward to the season. It’s been a long off-season putting everything together. It’s all about the people and the process that is around me and supporting me. I’m very thankful to be here, and hopefully, we can deliver some good results.”

But it wasn’t just the Askew show, as the top four drivers were covered by just over one-tenth-of-a-second and were all able to complete sub-114 second laps.

After a 30-minute delay due to chilly temperatures – I had to scrape the window on my rental car this morning, and the temperature on my way into the track read a balmy 32F – the ten Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires entries took to the track for their last session in Texas.

Andretti Autosport teammates Ryan Norman and Robert Megennis keep warm on a chilly pit road at Circuit of The Americas (Photo Courtesy of TSO – Steve Wittich)

Belardi Auto Racing veteran Zachary Claman led the majority of the shortened session, but with 20 minutes left in the session, the majority of teams took on fresh Cooper Tire rubber to finish off the test with some qualification simulations.

Times started to fall when reigning Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires champion Rinus VeeKay was the first driver out on new tires. Askew set his quick lap with around ten minutes remaining in the session and was able to withstand a last-minute hot lap by GP3 veteran and Andretti Autosport teammate Julien Falchero, who ended a scant four-hundredths behind Askew.

VeeKay spent the two Tuesday sessions struggling with brake issues. The Juncos Racing team worked overnight to correct the problem, and the Dutch driver felt more comfortable during Wednesday mornings session.

“We were a day behind from all the rivals, but being only a tenth (of a second) off on new tires is a pretty decent way to end the first test of the season,” explained the 18-year-old to TSO Ladder. “I’m very happy with the car and with the way the team worked. Let’s go a flawless test in Homestead!”

Despite the cooler temperatures, all ten drivers turned their fastest laps of the two-day test in the Wednesday morning session.

Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires at Circuit of The Americas test session #3 and combined results

RANK CAR NO. DRIVER TEAM QUICK LAP GAP TOTAL LAPS
1 28 Oliver Askew Andretti Autosport 1:53.802 –.—- 19
2 26 Julien Falchero Andretti Autosport 1:53.844 0.0424 27
3 21 Rinus VeeKay Juncos Racing 1:53.931 0.1297 30
4 48 Ryan Norman Andretti Autosport 1:53.934 0.1325 26
5 13 Zachary Claman Belardi Auto Racing 1:54.787 0.9848 22
6 27 Robert Megennis Andretti Autosport 1:54.938 1.1363 23
7 79 David Malukas BN Racing 1:55.433 1.6317 27
8 11 Logan Sargeant Carlin 1:56.117 2.3155 19
9 67 Dalton Kellett Carlin 1:56.311 2.5097 26
10 5 Lucas Kohl Belardi Auto Racing 1:56.532 2.7300 24
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Circuit of The Americas – Indy Lights Test Session #1 – Julien Falchero leads an Andretti Autosport quartet at the head of the timesheet

Posted by  on Tuesday, February 12th 2019     

By Steve Wittich

Before we get started with our Road To Indy Presented by Cooper Tires coverage for the year, we’d like to remind you that now would be a great time to download The Road To Indy TV app from the Google Play or Apple App store.

Also, we’d like to thank Cooper Tire for returning as a presenting sponsor for the second year. 2019 marks the fourth season for TSO Ladder, and it’s because of Cooper Tire that we can send one of us to the track concentrate on the Road To Indy Presented by Cooper Tires.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled program.

The more things change, the more they stay the same. After dominating the championship in 2018, Andretti Autosport started the year off where they ended last year – at the pointy end of the grid.

Julien Falchero, a GP3 veteran, led the first official test session of the season with a lap of 1:54.658, only five-hundredths ahead of teammate Ryan Norman and less than two-tenths ahead of Oliver Askew.

A total of ten Advanced Engine Research (AER) powered Dallara IL-15 Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires cars took to the 3.427-mile, 20-turn Circuit of The America’s road course for the first official session of the 2019 season.

The 105-minute session began with overcast skies and cool temperatures after an overnight drizzle.

The session had one red flag when Carlin newcomer Logan Sargeant required a tow-in.

The No. 5 of Lucas Kohl was only able to turn five laps and spent the majority of the session undergoing some work on the gearbox.

We had a chance to watch in Turn 1 and smoking tires while the driver searched for the correct line was the order of the day.

Ryan Norman locks it up in Turn 1 during Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires testing at Circuit of The Americas (TSO Photo By Patrick Stephan)

The ten cars were split between five teams with Andretti Autosport running a total of four cars.

Three of the drivers are returnees to the series.

Zachary Claman, after a partial season in the NTT IndyCar Series, will be contesting his third season of Indy Lights with Belardi Auto Racing.

The race winner at Gateway Motorsports Park is confirmed for a third season with Andretti Autosport.

Carlin returns to the Road To Indy with veteran Dalton Kellett behind the wheel. This program is strictly in the testing phase right now.

Five of the drivers testing are moving up from other Road To Indy Presented by Cooper Tires series.

Reigning Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires champion Rinus van Kalmthout (VeeKay) moves up the ladder with Juncos Racing.

2017 Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship winner and Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires race winner Oliver Askew is testing with Andretti Autosport. At present, this is only a test, with the team and driver working on putting together a program.

Robert Megennis starts his fourth Road To Indy Presented by Cooper Tires season with Andretti Autosport’s championship-winning Indy Lights program.

After three Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires wins in 2018, David Malukas and BN Racing are making a move to Indy Lights together.

Lucas Kohl has five podiums in his first three seasons on the Road To Indy Presented by Cooper Tires and is making a move up to Indy Lights.

Two of the drivers testing are making their first Road To Indy Presented by Cooper Tires appearances.

Logan Sargeant, an American from Boca Raton, Fla. is testing with Carlin after spending the last two seasons in Europe. The 18-year-old won a pair of races and finished third in the 2017 F4 British Championship. In 2018, Sargeant won three races and finished fourth in the highly contested Eurocup Formula Renault Series.

Sargeant is only testing Indy Lights, and TSO would be surprised if he didn’t return to Europe for his 2019 season.

Falchero, who also tested at Homestead-Miami Speedway with Andretti Autosport in December has spent the last two seasons in GP3.

TSO Ladder had a chance to ask the French driver what the difference was between Indy Lights and GP3 and he enthusiastically told us that the IL-15 had more power and downforce. The 21-year-old was also super impressed with the PFC Brakes.

Timesheet from the first Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires

RANK CAR NO. DRIVER TEAM QUICK LAP DIFFERENCE TOTAL LAPS
1 26 Julien Falchero Andretti Autosport 1:54.658 –.—- 33
2 48 Ryan Norman Andretti Autosport 1:54.716 0.0580 32
3 28 Oliver Askew Andretti Autosport 1:54.846 0.1881 29
4 27 Robert Megennis Andretti Autosport 1:55.631 0.9733 29
5 21 Rinus VeeKay Juncos Racing 1:55.674 1.0168 31
6 13 Zachary Claman Belardi Auto Racing 1:55.723 1.0652 30
7 11 Logan Sargeant Carlin 1:56.161 1.5036 28
8 67 Dalton Kellett Carlin 1:56.791 2.1336 32
9 79 David Malukas BN Racing 1:56.943 2.2849 25
10 5 Lucas Kohl Belardi Auto Racing 2:22.105 27.4477 5
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A quintet of drivers turned their first laps in an Indy Lights car on Saturday – we talked to them about their experiences

Posted by  on Sunday, September 23rd 2018     

By Steve Wittich

A quintet of familiar Mazda Road To Indy Presented by Cooper Tires pilots got their very first taste of an Indy Lights race car on Saturday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Oliver Askew, Lucas Kohl, David Malukas, Robert Megennis, and Parker Thompson all turned their first laps in the 450 HP turbocharged Mazda powered Dallara machines on the 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course during the eighth-annual Chris Griffis Memorial Test.

Thompson, along with Askew won their tests by finishing in the top three of the 2018 Pro Mazda Presented By Cooper Tire championship. Rinus VeeKay also won a test, but since he tested an Indy Lights car last year, he won’t be included in this story.

We had a chance to talk to four of those drivers after they got out of their respective rides on Saturday evening and one thing was obvious, they all had ear to ear grins.

Askew, the 2017 USF2000 champion was the quickest of the newbies (and second fastest overall on Saturday) in the car that Patricio O’Ward drove to the Indy Lights championship this year. Askew and the No. 27 from the Andretti Autosport stable turned a lap at 75.0060 seconds, just over a hundredth of a second slower than his experienced teammate Ryan Norman.

Askew told us:

“Initial thoughts right away. Oh my gosh, this turbo has so much power!!

“The longer wheelbase makes the driving style quite a bit different compared to the Tatuus, especially around here. That took a couple of laps to get used to. We led most of the first session on used tires. We ended up quickest, unofficially with my in-lap. Second overall today, can’t be disappointed in that. Big thanks to the crew at Andretti Autosport. It’s an experience that I’ll always remember.”

Oliver Askew after his first day behind the wheel of an Indy Lights car with Andretti Autosport (Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)

The Mazda/Dallara is the first turbocharged race car that the 21-year-old with an MRTI podium percentage of 53.5% has driven, and that sensation was something he took particular note of, saying:

“Until you have an understanding of when it comes in. By muscles memory, feeling and the harmonics of the car then you kind of predict it coming in and be smoother on the throttle. I’ve never really experienced that kind of power before.”

The second quickest time from the newcomers during Saturday’s three sessions was turned in by Robert Megennis. The New Yorker, who finished fifth in this year’s Pro Mazda championship was on cloud nine all day, and told us:

“It’s so much fun! It’s such a fun car to drive. You really have to manhandle it because it’s a bigger car. You’re going a lot faster; you’ve got more horsepower, you’ve got the turbo. It’s overall really fun to drive. I haven’t had this much fun testing a race car before. I just love all of it.”

Robert Megennis behind the wheel of the No. 98 Mazda/Dallara (Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)

Team Pelfrey is making their first appearance in Indy Lights since the Freedom 100 in May and has Parker Thompson at the wheel. Thompson, who has ten Mazda Road To Indy Presented by Cooper Tires wins finished second in the Pro Mazda championship with Exclusive Autosport last year.

After the final session on Saturday, the Canadian told us:

“Pretty Cool! At the end of the day, I never thought I’d see P. Thompson on the side of an Indy Lights car, so you have to smile on a day like today. I’ve had a ton of fun, learned a lot. Early we mixed it up with the top five right off the bat. Had a ton of confidence. Then we got humbled a little bit towards the end of the day. Obviously, I have a lot to learn. How to drive this Indy Lights car. It definitely takes a different style that I’m not familiar with after driving the Pro Mazda. These Pelfrey guys are outstanding though, and we’ll do our homework tonight, and we’ll be better for tomorrow.”

P. Thompson on the side of an Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires car (Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)

Lucas Kohl, who has spent the last three seasons at the wheel of a Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda machine was one of three drivers that turned laps for Belardi Auto Racing on Saturday. The leap from USF2000 to Indy Lights is a big one, but the Brazilain certainly didn’t look out of place and after the three test sessions told us:

“It’s very different from anything I’ve ever done before. A lot more power, a lot more everything. Honestly, I’m still getting used to it. The Belardi team is helping me a lot. We’re getting up to speed, and we’re improving the car. We did some changes, and it got better. Now I have to get my driving better, and it should be better tomorrow.”

Lucas Kohl getting his first taste of Indy Lights with Belardi Auto Racing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)

David Malukas, a three-time winner in Pro Mazda in 2018, was also at the wheel of a Belardi Auto Racing machine but was only able to complete 31 laps after an incident in the second session on Saturday.

The Chicago, Ill. pilot made contact with the barriers at the exit of Turn 6, suffering a decent amount of damage on the left-hand side of the car.

The Chicago, Ill. driver was checked, released and cleared by the medical crew at IMS. Malukas told us that he bottomed out on the curb at the exit of the quick left-right chicane and when the tires made contact with the pavement again the wheel had turned and shot him straight into the wall.

David Malukas during the Chris Griffis Memorial Test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2018 (Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)

Malukas didn’t run in the final session on Saturday but will be back behind the wheel again on Sunday.

Make sure to come back to this story after Sunday’s action when we’ll update it.

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TSO Ladder presented by Cooper Tires – MRTI – Chris Griffis Memorial Test – Saturday – Update #3 – Indy Lights session #1 and Andretti Autosport drivers

Posted by  on Saturday, September 22nd 2018     

By Steve Wittich

Four drivers representing four teams topped the first Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires test of the Chris Griffis Memorial Test, and the top six drivers were all within one second of Victor Franzoni’s (Belardi Auto Racing) quick lap of 75.307 seconds.

Rinus VeeKay, the new Pro Mazda Presented By Cooper Tire champion had the second quickest time after moving into the “Soul Red” car that Franzoni occupied at Juncos Racing last year.

The remainder of the top five were: Oliver Askew (Andretti Autosport), Parker Thompson (Team Pelfrey) and Robert Megennis (Andretti Autosport).

A total of 9 drivers representing four teams turned laps during the first of three Saturday sessions.

The entire session ran under green flag conditions with the nine drivers turning a total of 195 laps.

Andretti Autosport and Askew, Megennis and Ryan Norman

Andretti Autosport drivers won 14 of the 17 Indy Lights races during the 2018 season, and with Patricio O’Ward, Colton Herta and Norman finished in first, second and fourth in the championship. The team also started on pole in 14 of 17 races and stood on 32 of 51 possible steps of the podium.

J.F. Thorman told TSO Ladder this morning that the goal is to run four Indy Lights cars next year. The Andretti Autosport President said to us that if not for European racing schedules (see note on that later) they would have a few European drivers testing this weekend.

Norman, who finished fourth in this year’s competitive Indy Lights championship has one win, one pole, four podiums, and 14 top-five finishes in 34 Indy Lights starts. Unfortunately, the 20-year-old was not able to turn any laps in that session due to a mechanical issue with the No. 48.

Askew, the 2017 Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda champion is testing the No. 27 that Patricio O’Ward drove to the Indy Lights championship. Over the course of the last seven races of the season, the Jupiter, Fla. native moved from sixth in points to third, with one win, four podiums and a worst finish of sixth.

Oliver Askew is getting his first taste of Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires machinery (Photo by Steve Wittich)

Megennis, who finished fifth in the 2018 Pro Mazda Presented By Cooper Tire championship, with six podiums, is driving the No. 98 for the Indianapolis, Ind. based team. The New Yorker was grinning from ear-to-ear before and after he got out of the car.

Saturday – Indy Lights – Chris Griffis Memorial Test session #1 results

RANK CAR NO. DRIVER TEAM QUICK LAP DIFFERENCE TOTAL LAPS
1 6 Victor Franzoni Belardi Auto Racing 1:15.307 –.—- 23
2 21 Rinus VeeKay Juncos Racing 1:15.534 0.2274 24
3 27 Oliver Askew Andretti Autosport 1:16.051 0.7439 24
4 2 Parker Thompson Team Pelfrey 1:16.150 0.8434 26
5 98 Robert Megennis Andretti Autosport 1:16.240 0.9326 24
6 5 David Malukas Belardi Auto Racing 1:16.266 0.9593 23
7 4 Lucas Kohl Belardi Auto Racing 1:16.553 1.2456 24
8 7 Heamin Choi Juncos Racing 1:17.664 2.3569 25
9 48 Ryan Norman Andretti Autosport 4:52.404 3:37.0968 2

Indy Lights is back on track at 2:15 PM and 5:15 PM for 45-minute sessions.

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Carlin closing in on a return to Indy Lights

Posted by  on Saturday, September 15th 2018     

By Steve Wittich

In 2018, Indy Lights Championship winning team Carlin, took a hiatus from the top level of the American Open Wheel Ladder to focus on their freshman Verizon IndyCar Series program.

TSO Ladder had a chance to catch up with Trevor Carlin today, and he confirmed that the Delray Beach, Fla. based team is getting close to rejoining the Indy Lights grid with a two-car team for the upcoming 2019 season.

The familiar blue livery of Carlin is close to making their return to the Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires series. (Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)

When Carlin moved to the United States four years ago to compete in Indy Lights, they made an immediate splash, winning the first three races of the IL-15 era in 2015.

The team’s drivers collected a dozen wins in their three seasons of Indy Lights competition and in 2016 they won the team championship and driver’s championship with Ed Jones.

The Carlin gang celebrate the 2016 Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires championship (Photo courtesy of INDYCAR)

In Europe, Carlin competes in the Euroformula Open Championship, the BRDC British Formula 3 Championship, the FIA European Formula 3 Championship, and FIA Formula 2 Championship.

The team is currently leading the FIA F2 team championship, and Formula 1 bound Lando Norris with fellow Brit George Russel for the driver’s title.

Ten of the drivers in this weekends INDYCAR Grand Prix Of Sonoma have piloted a junior open-wheel machine for Carlin. That list includes Max Chilton, Jack Harvey, Colton Herta, Ed Jones, Charlie Kimball, Jordan King, Matheus Leist, Josef Newgarden, Will Power, and Takuma Sato.

The Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires series will be back on track on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course next weekend (September 22 & 23, 2018) for the Chris Griffis Memorial Test. TSO Ladder expects Andretti Autosport, Belardi Auto Racing, Juncos Racing and Team Pelfrey to all have entries.

 

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MRTI at Portland International Raceway – Sunday – Patricio O’Ward caps off Indy Lights season style with ninth win, Portland sweep

Posted by  on Sunday, September 2nd 2018     

Patricio O’Ward capped off the 2018 Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires season in style. The newly crowned champion swept the weekend at Portland International Raceway, with an incredible run from sixth place to win his ninth race of the season.

Saturday’s qualifying for race two of the Cooper Tires Indy Lights Grand Prix of Portland saw a jumbled grid thanks to two incidents, both Patricio O’Ward and Victor Franzoni going off course.

At the end of the chaotic session, Ryan Norman scored his first career pole ahead of Aaron Telitz, Santi Urrutia, Colton Herta, Franzoni, Dalton Kellett, O’Ward and Heamin Choi.

The Advance Auto Parts INDYCAR Radio Network reported in temperatures of 61 ambient and 79 track prior to this race.

With nothing to play for and the championship decided, today’s 35-lap race was poised to feature a lot of action. And it started immediately.

The green flag flew with Norman and Telitz side-by-side, and the field going almost six-wide into the Festival Curves.

We went full-course caution after a crazy amount of contact into the opening turns.

Urrutia went down the inside and locked up to move into the lead. Franzoni then locked up behind on the inside, bounded over the curb, and hit Norman, who hit Herta, and left Herta stranded. Norman and Kellett both went through the runoff area, with Kellett then collecting two of the IndyCar signs – and launching into the air before landing his car – after losing his front wing. Kellett came out with the lead but would have to limp his car back.

Herta, Norman and Kellett all pitted for repairs, making it a very busy pit lane among the Andretti Autosport teammates.

With the chaotic start, the revised order was Telitz having got ahead of his Belardi Auto Racing teammate, then Urrutia, O’Ward, Choi, Franzoni and Herta. Norman and Kellett remained in the pits with damage.

The race was meant to resume at the conclusion of Lap 4, start of Lap 5.

Telitz restarted with a gap over Urrutia and O’Ward, with Franzoni and Herta both able to pass Choi, and Kellett then resuming in the race after extended repairs.

The start was waved off due to Choi jumping out of line, and another yellow flag flew. But by Lap 6 the race properly restarted.

Herta tried down Franzoni’s inside at Turn 10 but fell back in behind the Brazilian, in his last race in the Soul Red Mazda for 2018. Herta made it by for fourth into Turn 1.

At Lap 7, Telitz led Urrutia by 0.4351 and O’Ward by 0.8655 with Herta fourth, having just set the fastest race lap, and Franzoni fifth. Choi was sixth ahead of Kellett, three laps down, while Norman was the only car forced to retire from the first turn fracas. The DNF ended Norman’s run of eight consecutive top-five finishes.

Franzoni then took the fastest race lap a lap later, as he was within 2.6325 seconds of the lead in fifth place.

The fun in this race continued by Lap 9. Urrutia had the lead by Lap 9 ahead of Telitz and O’Ward, having made a bold move at the end of the backstraight on the inside into Turn 10, and O’Ward following though not too long after.

So by Lap 10 the revised order was Urrutia, O’Ward, Telitz, Herta and Franzoni covered only by 2.2502 seconds.

O’Ward went around Telitz on the outside into Turn 1, Telitz having lost momentum and nearly falling into Herta’s clutches at Turn 1. Herta meanwhile locked up trying to avoid Telitz.

Just 0.2497 of a second covered Urrutia and O’Ward by Lap 11, and O’Ward somehow was that close to the lead after starting sixth in this race.

Urrutia locked up under braking at Turn 1 on Lap 13 defending from O’Ward, and Telitz, only 0.9574 of a second behind, had a front row seat to the action.

O’Ward now tried to the outside of Urrutia at Lap 14, Urrutia then defending through the corner. Telitz was all over O’Ward’s rear wing out of the Festival Curves into the Turns 3, 4 and 5 complex.

Just 2.7402 seconds covered the top five at the end of Lap 14. Urrutia pulled a little bit of a gap by Lap 15.

O’Ward was incredibly close to Urrutia at the end of Lap 16, and goes over under to get past Urrutia at the Festival Curves into Turn 1 for the lead. Urrutia moved to the center of the road to try to defend, while O’Ward crossed him up by going outside, then inside to complete the pass.

At Lap 18, O’Ward led by 0.7874 seconds over Urrutia, with Telitz third, Herta and Franzoni still fourth and fifth. Choi pitted for a drive-through to fall one lap down, but remained sixth ahead of Kellett.

O’Ward banked the lead to 1.9482 seconds by Lap 20, as the top five began to spread out. It grew to 2.6319 seconds by Lap 21.

Urrutia and Telitz appeared slower than Herta and Franzoni behind them as the race went to its final 13 laps.

On Lap 25, Telitz gets by on the inside with a slight lock up of his right front Cooper Tire but gets up to second, past his Belardi teammate. Alas the American is down to just one Push-to-Pass remaining.

Urrutia locks up on Lap 26 and blows the Festival Curves chicane from third place. He comes back on in front of Herta and Franzoni, but he’ll have his hands full the next lap.

In theory, anyway. Franzoni went in deep on the inside of Herta at Turn 7 but lost the rear end, and it knocked Herta off the road in the process with contact from Franzoni’s left rear tire to Herta’s right sidepod.

O’Ward’s lead over Telitz is now 5.7996 seconds, with Urrutia third, then Franzoni fourth and Herta fifth now significantly further back.

At Lap 28, there are just seven laps to go. O’Ward lead is 5.8539 seconds over Telitz, with Urrutia third, Franzoni fourth and Herta fifth. Might penalties be coming for either or both of Urrutia or Franzoni for their off-course excursions in recent laps, yet both are still ahead of Herta? The IndyCar Radio Network reports the Andretti-Steinbrenner Racing team is talking to officials on pit lane to explain the situation.

Gap is north of 6 seconds at Lap 29 between O’Ward and Telitz. But Franzoni is now just 2.4 seconds behind Urrutia for third, and Herta’s only 0.8 of a second behind Franzoni for fourth.

Herta takes care of the Franzoni position issue as he passed the Brazilian on the inside at Turn 1 at the Festival Curves with four laps to go. Race officials deemed Franzoni needed to give the position up. However Franzoni remains right behind Herta and he’ll try to get him again before the checkered flag. There had been contact between Herta and Franzoni, Herta’s right front to Franzoni’s left front, on the run down to Turn 10 but they avoided a more significant clash.

Two to go and O’Ward’s gap is 7.4369 seconds over Telitz. Urrutia is still third, hoping to hold off Herta and Franzoni for the final podium position.

White flag and O’Ward now has the gap of 7.5275 seconds. Urrutia only has 0.4 over Herta while Franzoni is just 1.4 back.

Checkered flag and O’Ward brings it home in style with a final margin of victory of 7.7855 seconds over Telitz. Urrutia holds off Herta and Franzoni for the podium. O’Ward does victory donuts down at the Festival Curves.

Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires – Race #2 Unofficial Results

P No Name Laps Diff
1 27 Patricio O’Ward 35
2 9 Aaron Telitz 35 7.7855
3 5 Santi Urrutia 35 13.2693
4 98 Colton Herta 35 13.7012
5 23 Victor Franzoni 35 14.1265
6 7 Heamin Choi 33 1 LAPS
7 28 Dalton Kellett 32 3 LAPS
8 48 Ryan Norman 1 Contact
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MRTI at Portland International Raceway – Saturday – Patricio O’Ward claims the Indy Lights title with dramatic win in Portland Race 1

Posted by  on Saturday, September 1st 2018     

Mexican driver Patricio O’Ward has claimed the Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires championship and the $1 million Mazda Motorsports advancement scholarship that comes with it to move into the Verizon IndyCar Series in 2019.

O’Ward won his eighth race of the season in dramatic fashion at Portland International Raceway, following a culmination of his season-long title battle with Andretti Autosport teammate Colton Herta.

The pair started on the front row with O’Ward up front in his No. 27 Dallara IL-15 Mazda, and Herta second in the No. 98 Andretti-Steinbrenner Racing entry.

O’Ward made it back out for this race following great repairs from the Andretti team. He’d had an incident in qualifying for race two, earlier Saturday morning.

Seven of the eight cars rolled from pit lane for the two warm-up laps, with ambient temperatures of 71 degrees and track temperatures of 107 degrees. Heamin Choi, the eighth car, took the start from pit lane.

The field of seven moved out of the final turn and took the green flag. O’Ward got the jump from pole, Telitz locked up trying for second and Herta swept around the outside. Urrutia went through the runoff at Festival Curves after missing the corner.

O’Ward led Herta by 0.4019 of a second after the first lap with Franzoni up to third, then Urrutia, Telitz, Norman and Kellett. Choi started but was already more than 23 seconds behind on the first lap.

Herta locked up on the inside on Lap 4 on O’Ward and tried to go down the inside, but O’Ward defended enough to withstand the challenge.

He tried again on Lap 5, and this time made it past on the inside under braking into the Festival Curves to take the lead.

The Lap 5 order saw Herta clear of O’Ward by 0.8752 of a second, then Franzoni, Urrutia, Telitz, Norman, Kellett and Choi still in the same positions. Herta used more of his Push-to-Pass to get through to the lead.

Choi pitted on Lap 7 when ahead of the two leaders, to serve a drive-through as the field went past.

Norman closed on Telitz and attempted to pass him going into the Turn 10 chicane, but the Gateway winner was unable to get past.

Herta extended the lead to more than a second by the end of Lap 8 to 1.0995 seconds.

Norman tried again on Lap 10 to the outside heading into the Festival Curves.

O’Ward (27) takes title over Herta (98). (Photo: Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)

O’Ward closed back on Herta to within 0.4633 of a second by Lap 11. He was nearly on Herta’s gearbox at the end of Lap 12.

Ultimately the most dramatic moment of the race – and the championship battle – came a lap later on Lap 13.

O’Ward went down Herta’s inside on Lap 13, and Herta bounded over the curbs once O’Ward was past! O’Ward hit the inside apex curbs at Turn 1 but regained track position, while Herta lost time to be able to do come back on the racing line. There appeared to be very light contact between O’Ward’s left rear tire and Herta’s right sidepod. As Herta re-entered the course, Franzoni closed right down to Herta’s gearbox.

Andretti Autosport’s Rob Edwards told the Advance Auto Parts INDYCAR Radio Network’s Rob Howden that O’Ward and Herta were “close” to exceeding the limits of what they could do as teammates.

“They were told to make sure to look after their teammate… that was close to the line!” Edwards said. “They’ve raced close all year. No team orders. Race hard… but look after each other as well.

“We’ve said it all year. The Lights field hasn’t been great in quantity but it has been in quality. Pato and Colton have done a great job all year. Santi has been a great benchmark for us all year too in his third year. It’s super competitive.”

At halfway, Lap 18 of 35, the order was O’Ward by 2.4577 seconds over Herta, then Franzoni, Urrutia, Telitz, Norman, Kellett and Choi.

The gap stabilized at 2.3 seconds between the two Andretti teammates with 15 laps to go.

With 10 to go, O’Ward still had a 2.2 second lead on Herta. Franzoni and Urrutia were next with Telitz still working to hold off Norman.

Alas by Lap 29, Norman had pressured Telitz enough to get past into Turn 1, having used his last Push-to-Pass to do so. Telitz still had two pushes remaining to use for the final five laps.

O’Ward kept Herta at bay with five to go, still outside that 1.5-second window where Push-to-Pass can be utilized. The gap was just over 1.9 seconds between the two teammates.

The gap remained between 1.8 and 1.9 seconds into the final few laps.

O’Ward took the white flag at the end of Lap 34 holding the gap to Herta by 1.7924 seconds.

He took the final corner, headed for the checkered flag and grabbed the win and the championship. The final margin of victory was 1.6867 seconds.

The Mexican driver becomes Andretti Autosport’s first Indy Lights champion since JR Hildebrand in 2009.

O’Ward was ecstatic, Herta understandably disappointed, following the checkered flag in their immediate interviews with IndyCar Radio.

“I am speechless man. It’s been such a hard fought year. What a great battle with Colton. He’s been so quick. Andretti has given us awesome cars. Mazda and Cooper Tires have treated us so well,” O’Ward told Rob Howden.

“I’m so proud of this team – mechanics, engineers, Andretti tent. It’s been amazing. I’m ready to go up to IndyCar man. I’m excited. I can’t wait to jump in one of these bad boys. It’s been a dream year.”

About the pass on Herta, O’Ward said, “I wanted to win this race. Colton did late one on me, so I returned the favor.”

Herta was less than thrilled telling Dan Rusanowsky, “Yeah I passed him nice and clean and I thought I’d receive the same respect back. But obviously not. He smacked me right off the track. I hope it was a mistake. I hope it wasn’t on purpose, because it’d make me really mad if it was.”

Tomorrow’s second race has nothing to play for but will still be fun to watch.

TSO Ladder presented by Cooper Tires will have more to come following O’Ward’s title clinch.

Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires – Race #1 Unofficial Results

P No Name Laps Diff
1 27 Patricio O’Ward 35
2 98 Colton Herta 35 1.6867
3 23 Victor Franzoni 35 12.0945
4 5 Santi Urrutia 35 14.9667
5 48 Ryan Norman 35 17.1972
6 9 Aaron Telitz 35 24.9107
7 28 Dalton Kellett 35 25.4577
8 7 Heamin Choi 30 5 LAPS
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