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Mid-Ohio – Saturday – Indy Lights Qualifying, Pro Mazda Race #1

Posted by  on Saturday, July 30th 2016     

Doing a double dip of quick hitters this morning after a pair of sessions to kick off the day here at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, on the Saturday for the Mazda Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires.

Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires kicked off the day with a 30-minute qualifying session from 7:50 to 8:20 a.m. ET and local time, followed shortly by the first of two Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires 40-minute races – both of which will run on the same day.

Notes and tidbits to follow:

—

Indy Lights Logo

Prior to Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires qualifying for the Cooper Tire Indy Lights Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio, TSO caught up with Zach Veach of Belardi Auto Racing, who languished in 12th in Friday’s lone practice session through no fault of his own.

As it turned out, Veach noted a significant horsepower loss caused by his turbo issue. The team diagnosed and fixed the issue and Veach would be higher up the grid in qualifying, albeit not quite in pole contention.

The thus far dominant driver of the weekend has been Uruguayan Santiago Urrutia, who led Friday’s lone official practice session and was also a Pro Mazda race winner here last year for Team Pelfrey.

The Pro Mazda champion, who now drives the Soul Red No. 55 Dallara IL-15 Mazda for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, improved more than a second from his practice time on Friday (1:11.9530) to a new best time of 1:10.9428 in qualifying.

To wit, he was also nearly seven tenths quicker on the field following his first pole position of the season for the first of two races this weekend.

Urrutia enters the race in second in points, 24 behind points leader Ed Jones of Carlin.

Another Carlin driver, third-placed in points Felix Serralles, will line up second on the grid.

Andre Negrao made it two SPM cars in the top five in third, ahead of Dean Stoneman and Jones. Shelby Blackstock is a respectable sixth ahead of Veach and Neil Alberico. Past Mid-Ohio Pro Mazda and USF2000 race winner Garett Grist slots into ninth, while Juncos Racing’s Kyle Kaiser had an off session and was 12th.

Times are below.

P No Name FTime Diff
1 55 Santiago Urrutia 1:10.943 0.000
2 4 Felix Serralles 1:11.622 0.6795
3 17 Andre Negrao 1:11.735 0.7925
4 27 Dean Stoneman 1:11.821 0.8784
5 11 Ed Jones 1:11.851 0.9084
6 51 Shelby Blackstock 1:11.944 1.0012
7 5 Zach Veach 1:12.082 1.1394
8 22 Neil Alberico 1:12.135 1.1919
9 3 Garett Grist 1:12.330 1.3870
10 13 Zachary Claman De Melo 1:12.407 1.4638
11 28 Dalton Kellett 1:12.434 1.4915
12 18 Kyle Kaiser 1:12.467 1.5244

The first Indy Lights race is scheduled for later this afternoon, slotted between 3:30 p.m. and 4:20 p.m. on the schedule.

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Pro Mazda Logo

In the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires, TSO caught up with Aaron Telitz, who entered this weekend’s Royal Purple Pro Mazda Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio, after he qualified second.

The Birchwood, Wis. native indicated he felt he did have an extra tenth available in the bank in qualifying, but ran to a plan for Team Pelfrey in terms of the number of laps completed. He pitted after completing that amount of scheduled laps, but at the same moment when Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing’s Nico Jamin pipped him for pole and the track record that went with it.

With the start – like yesterday’s Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda race – moved from the backstraight into Turn 4 to the frontstraight, passing was always going to be difficult and so whoever emerged ahead from Turn 1 was likely going to have the edge.

That driver on this occasion was Jamin, who took the lead from the green flag ahead of Telitz and Owen.

Jamin was running at a ridiculously quick clip throughout the race, with a new race lap record of 1:18.598 nearly a full 1.2 seconds quicker than the previous lap record of 1:19.773, set last year by Neil Alberico.

And that actually works as a perfect segue to note that Jamin dominated the race, winning by 5.0917 seconds over Telitz, for Cape’s first Pro Mazda win since Alberico pulled off a victory here last year. The 40-minute race lasted 23 laps, and ran without a full-course caution.

For Jamin, it also adds him to the list of Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda champions who’ve now won a race in Pro Mazda as well. It’s his fourth straight victory at Mid-Ohio, having also won all three USF2000 races here last year.

Telitz, thinking more of the championship than the race win, was fully content with second place with Owen leading Juncos Racing’s efforts in third.

Jake Parsons (Juncos) ran an untroubled race to fourth while the battle on the day was for fifth.

With Nico Dapero and TJ Fischer both getting around Pato O’Ward – Fischer being the more notable driver to do so considering he’s the third member of Team Pelfrey and not in the championship fight – the Mexican driver finished seventh, and has thus lost the points lead for the first time this season.

Although O’Ward won six of the first seven races, he’s now finished off the podium in four of the last five races. And that’s swung the title lead to Telitz for the first time.

After the race TSO caught up with all top three drivers.

Jamin said quite simply, “I just love this track!” He added that with the medium speed corners and challenge in passing, if you get on the pole, chances are very good that you’ll win the race.

That might put Telitz in the catbird’s seat for this evening’s second race of the day, set from 6 to 6:50 p.m. If it rains, Telitz said being on the pole will allow for clear vision without any spray.

Telitz focused on defending from Will Owen at the start, rather than attacking Jamin. He said he’s more or less racing O’Ward only in terms of the title, so finishing ahead of him first is most important.

Owen noted that the impressive pace throughout the field speaks to how well the Cooper Tires are coming in and gelling with the track. He’s focused on beating his teammates.

Race results for this race are below, followed by the grid for the second race.

P No Name Laps
1 2 Nico Jamin 23
2 82 Aaron Telitz 23
3 23 Will Owen 23
4 00 Jake Parsons 23
5 31 Nicolas Dapero 23
6 81 TJ Fischer 23
7 80 Pato O’Ward 23
8 13 Bobby Eberle 23
9 57 Bob Kaminsky 23

Qualifying for second race:

Rank Car Driver Time Session
1 82 Aaron Telitz 1:18.2545 Quals
2 2 Nico Jamin 1:18.3482 Quals
3 23 Will Owen 1:18.5858 Quals
4 00 Jake Parsons 1:18.5909 Quals
5 80 Pato O’Ward 1:18.8675 Quals
6 31 Nicolas Dapero 1:18.8737 Quals
7 81 TJ Fischer 1:19.3821 Race 1
8 57 Bob Kaminsky 1:20.6877 Quals
9 13 Bobby Eberle 1:20.9510 Quals

There’s three other Mazda Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires events today. The second of three USF2000 races is slotted from 1 to 1:45 p.m. ET.

Then the first Indy Lights race is at 3:30, and the second Pro Mazda race is at 6.

And there might be rain later today, which could make things even more interesting.

category: Indy Lights News/Results, Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires, Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires, Pro Mazda News/Results
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Mid-Ohio – Cooper Tires USF2000 Powered by Mazda – Race #1

Posted by  on Friday, July 29th 2016     

USF2000 logo

Perhaps luckily for the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda, the first rung of the Mazda Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires got its first of three 30-minute races in before the rains hit the 2.258-mile Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

The one driver reining at the end of the day was Australian Anthony Martin, who scored a pivotal win after a tough weekend in Toronto for Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing.

And with his title rival and teammate, Parker Thompson, out of the running following a cut right front tire, Martin turned a 20-point championship deficit into a nine-point championship lead at the end of the day.

The race didn’t get off to the best of starts with a full course caution from Laps 2 to 3 after Robert Megennis stalled on course at Turn 7. Megennis, of Team Pelfrey, resumed although down a lap.

Martin led from Thompson, with Victor Franzoni of ArmsUp Motorsports moving forward from fifth on the grid up to third.

Dakota Dickerson of Afterburner Autosport was down to fourth with Luke Gabin of JAY Motorsports in fifth.

Gabin and countryman Jordan Lloyd of Pabst Racing would eventually get around Dickerson after the restart. Dickerson, despite starting third, did not have the same amount of race pace.

The race turned on its head with Thompson stopping after puncturing his right front tire owing to debris. While he resumed a lap down in 17th, he was 17th, and thus into a season-worst position.

Contact between Yufeng Luo (Pabst) and Austin McCusker (Chastain Motorsports) would eventually bring out the second full-course caution of the race, and bring the race to a conclusion under the yellow flag.

Martin won from Franzoni and Gabin, with Lloyd and Dickerson completing the top five. This is Dickerson’s second top-five finish in a row.

Of note, Ayla Agren’s return to the series featured a 10th place finish for John Cummiskey Racing.

Results are below. The second USF2000 race of the weekend is scheduled for the same time, 1 to 1:45 p.m. on Saturday afternoon.

P No Name Laps
1 8 Anthony Martin 19
2 9 Victor Franzoni 19
3 91 Luke Gabin 19
4 21 Jordan Lloyd 19
5 18 Dakota Dickerson 19
6 3 Nikita Lastochkin 19
7 22 Garth Rickards 19
8 4 Jordan Cane 19
9 34 Lucas Kohl 19
10 33 Ayla Agren 19
11 5 Austin McCusker 19
12 19 Michai Stephens 19
13 20 Clint McMahan 19
14 17 Christian Munoz 19
15 72 Tazio Ottis 19
16 77 Sam Chastain 19
17 2 Parker Thompson 18
18 23 Yufeng Luo 14
19 80 Robert Megennis 14
20 12 Eric Filgueiras 10
21 92 Cameron Das —
category: Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda
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Mid-Ohio – Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires – Day #1 Recap

Posted by  on Friday, July 29th 2016     

Indy Lights Logo

In a nutshell, the hope for the Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course this weekend is that the title battle between the three primary protagonists – and the three others who’ve worked their way into contention in recent weeks – doesn’t end in tears for any of them.

Last year proved a hugely pivotal weekend with the Ed Jones and Jack Harvey battle and contact, while Spencer Pigot kept his calm and cool throughout the weekend and moved into position to capture the Mazda advancement scholarship that came with winning the top rung of the Mazda Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires ladder.

RC Enerson (Schmidt Peterson Motorsports) and Sean Rayhall (8Star Motorsports) were the two race winners after the chaos.

Heading into Mid-Ohio this year, series sophomore Jones of Carlin holds a 24-point lead (268-244) on 2015 Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires champion Santiago Urrutia, of Schmidt Peterson Motorsports.

A further eight points back is one of Jones’ two Carlin teammates, Felix Serralles, who is three points clear of the stealthily lurking Kyle Kaiser (Juncos Racing) and a further three clear of Dean Stoneman (Andretti Autosport).

After those three, who sit at 236, 233 and 230 points respectively, Zach Veach still has hope alive at 221 points for Belardi Auto Racing. The Stockdale, Ohio native, who will have local support from John Deere this weekend, needs a big one if he’s to stay in the fray.

The grid is reduced to a season-low 12 cars beyond the top half of the field, with the temporary absence of Felix Rosenqvist and the perhaps longer one of Juan Piedrahita after Toronto.

Rosenqvist is racing with past Indy Lights champion Tristan Vautier (2012) and Renger van der Zande in a Mercedes AMG GT3 at the Spa 24 Hours and Belardi is down to one car.

Meanwhile Team Pelfrey, the winning entrant here last year as 8Star, is down to just Garett Grist. Still though, the talented driver out of Grimsby, Ontario is something of a Mid-Ohio specialist – he has won here in both Pro Mazda and USF2000 previously and has five Mid-Ohio poles, including both at Mid-Ohio last year. TSO would not be surprised to see Grist secure his first top-five, or perhaps his first podium, in Indy Lights in one of the two races here this weekend.

TSO thinks we could see the second Belardi car back this year with Rosenqvist, who starred in testing an IndyCar for Target Chip Ganassi Racing last week, but it remains to be seen whether the second Pelfrey car comes back.

Andretti’s other two drivers, Shelby Blackstock and Dalton Kellett, are both hugely experienced at Mid-Ohio and enter this weekend on the heels of being announced to test an Andretti IndyCar next month at Watkins Glen (along with Stoneman).

Neil Alberico is also hugely experienced and a past Mid-Ohio winner for Carlin; it’s only Andre Negrao of Schmidt Peterson who’s down on Mid-Ohio experience by comparison. But the talented young Brazilian has scored podiums at both Road America and Toronto and could be poised to do likewise again this weekend.

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Practice 1 Recap:

Times dropped as the 30-minute opening practice, run from 9:15 to 9:45 a.m., went on this morning. It makes sense given how much the high grip, 2.258-mile road course rubbers in over the course of a session.

By the end of it, Santiago Urrutia – who won one of the two Pro Mazda races here last year – was the top car as the only driver in the 1:11 bracket at 1:11.953 in the Soul Red No. 55 Dallara IL-15 Mazda for Schmidt Peterson.

Shelby Blackstock, who traditionally runs well at Mid-Ohio and scored his first career Indy Lights podium here a year ago, was second in the session in his No. 51 Starstruck entry for Andretti Autosport. He was lowest in the 1:12s at 1:12.177.

Felix Serralles, Kyle Kaiser and Andre Negrao completed the top five in the first practice.

As for the other championship contenders? Points leader Ed Jones was only sixth, with Dean Stoneman in eighth.

Zach Veach later tweeted he had a turbo issue.

Times are below:

P No Name FTime Diff Laps
1 55 Santiago Urrutia 1:11.953 0.000 16
2 51 Shelby Blackstock 1:12.177 0.2238 16
3 4 Felix Serralles 1:12.403 0.4504 18
4 18 Kyle Kaiser 1:12.549 0.5959 16
5 17 Andre Negrao 1:12.560 0.6072 20
6 11 Ed Jones 1:12.565 0.6123 14
7 28 Dalton Kellett 1:12.595 0.6418 20
8 27 Dean Stoneman 1:12.621 0.6684 19
9 22 Neil Alberico 1:12.869 0.9161 16
10 3 Garett Grist 1:13.190 1.2372 21
11 13 Zachary Claman De Melo 1:13.510 1.5566 19
12 5 Zach Veach 1:13.551 1.5984 18

Practice 2 Recap:

We’d offer a practice two recap except for one slight problem: it didn’t happen.

Heavy rains that came down during the tail end of second IndyCar practice continued into the scheduled second Indy Lights session of the day, which was supposed to run from 3:30 to 4 p.m. ET and local time.

The one thing we did discover on Friday was that the Andretti Autosport team did diagnose the mechanical issue that sidelined Stoneman’s No. 27 Stellrecht Dallara IL-15 Mazda before it even got to run at Toronto’s second race.

The next session for Indy Lights is qualifying, which is scheduled from 7:50 to 8:20 a.m. ET and local time Saturday morning.

If it rains, the grid would be set by points – a situation which occurred at Iowa Speedway earlier this month.

We’ll check back in with more tomorrow from the Indy Lights paddock, as they qualify and have their first race.

category: Indy Lights News/Results, Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires
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Mid-Ohio – Pro Mazda Presented by Cooper Tires – Day #1 Recap

Posted by  on Friday, July 29th 2016     

Pro Mazda Logo

The battle between Team Pelfrey teammates Pato O’Ward and Aaron Telitz continues to take center stage as the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires heads to the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

Entering the weekend, they’re both tied with 297 points. O’Ward has six victories to Telitz’s five in the first 11 races, with five races remaining.

But both have embarked on a series of streaks. O’Ward, the 17-year-old Mexican in the No. 80 Topo Chico/Gap Guard car, won six of the first seven, including five in a row from Barber through Lucas Oil Raceway. Telitz has now won four in a row though at Road America and Toronto in his No. 82 Rice Lake Weighing Systems car.

There’s also a tie for third in points with the surging Nico Jamin, who’s scored three straight podiums in the Soul Red No. 2 Mazda, now level with Juncos Racing’s Will Owen in his No. 23 AMR entry. Jamin swept the three USF2000 races at Mid-Ohio last year.

Elsewhere the field of 10 features Owen’s Juncos Racing teammates, the rookie pair of Nicolas Dapero and Jake Parsons, TJ Fischer in the third Pelfrey car and a trio of National class entries, Bobby Eberle, Bob Kaminsky and Kevin Davis, although Davis has been a no-show in sessions thus far. Jorge Cevallos, who was entered in a second Cape car at Toronto, is not here this weekend.

Testing took place on Thursday before official sessions took place on Friday.

—

Practice Recap:

Not a ton to report from the 30-minute first and only official practice before qualifying on Friday, run in warm, clear conditions.

Telitz topped the timesheets with a best time of 1:19.062, ahead of the three Juncos Racing entries, led by Dapero in second at a 1:19.152.

O’Ward and Fischer were fifth and sixth, with Jamin only able to clock two laps in the session.

Times are below:

P No Name FTime Diff Laps
1 82 Aaron Telitz 1:19.062 0.000 19
2 31 Nicolas Dapero 1:19.152 0.0893 20
3 23 Will Owen 1:19.823 0.7602 20
4 00 Jake Parsons 1:19.882 0.8195 19
5 80 Pato O’Ward 1:20.571 1.5087 11
6 81 TJ Fischer 1:20.673 1.6108 18
7 57 Bob Kaminsky 1:21.804 2.7419 19
8 13 Bobby Eberle 1:21.875 2.8129 18
9 2 Nico Jamin 1:24.466 5.4032 2
10 44 Kevin Davis No Time — —

Qualifying Recap:

Something weird happened in Pro Mazda qualifying at Mid-Ohio.

A track record fell for the first time in 10 years, and it wasn’t a member of Team Pelfrey on the pole position.

Indeed Nico Jamin, who won all three USF2000 races last year at Mid-Ohio, delivered a 1:18.1385 in the No. 2 Soul Red Mazda for Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing, which eclipsed a 10-year-old mark by Ryan Justice in May 2006, at 1:18.300.

Aaron Telitz was actually first to eclipse the track record mark at 1:18.207 before Jamin got ahead by that half a tenth.

The pole position for Jamin is his first in Pro Mazda and ends a run of pole positions for the Team Pelfrey team that’s lasted the entire year. Team Pelfrey has won each of the first 11 races, while Jamin has come closest to ending that run with the three podiums in a row entering Mid-Ohio.

In the Team Pelfrey internal battle, Telitz still emerged ahead in second while Pato O’Ward was only fifth, and TJ Fischer seventh.

Jake Parsons led Juncos Racing’s trio of drivers with a solid third; the Australian seeks a clean weekend after a couple incidents in Toronto.

Qualifying times are below.

P No Name FTime Diff Laps
1 2 Nico Jamin 1:18.138 0.000 16
2 82 Aaron Telitz 1:18.207 0.0686 15
3 00 Jake Parsons 1:18.580 0.4412 20
4 23 Will Owen 1:18.586 0.4473 18
5 80 Pato O’Ward 1:18.748 0.6098 12
6 31 Nicolas Dapero 1:18.752 0.6136 20
7 81 TJ Fischer 1:19.119 0.9803 15
8 57 Bob Kaminsky 1:20.661 2.5223 18
9 13 Bobby Eberle 1:20.708 2.5695 19

—

Pro Mazda is next on track for Round 12 of its season and its first race of the weekend. It runs from the 8:35 to 9:25 a.m. ET and local time window, with a 40-minute race scheduled.

category: Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires, Pro Mazda News/Results
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Mid-Ohio – Cooper Tires USF2000 Powered by Mazda – Day #1 Pre-Race

Posted by  on Friday, July 29th 2016     

USF2000 logo

Thursday was the busiest day of the weekend for the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda, which prepares for a pivotal three-race weekend as it usually does at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

On Thursday, three test sessions were scheduled ahead of the first and only official practice session. Qualifying took place then on Friday morning before the first race of the weekend.

The story heading into the weekend is the championship battle between Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing drivers Parker Thompson and Anthony Martin, with the Canadian sophomore getting the upper hand on the Australian second-year driver after Thompson’s trip home to Canada.

Though he hails from Red Deer, Alberta and not in Toronto proper, Thompson banged out a third and a win in his two races. Meanwhile Martin crashed during Friday’s practice, which left him fighting a hand injury for the remainder of the weekend. He fought through the rest of it but crashed out late in Saturday’s race one, before rebounding to second place in race two.

The two had entered Toronto tied but leave Mid-Ohio separated by 20 points (270-250), Thompson now ahead before the Mid-Ohio triple – a race weekend swept by Cape’s Nico Jamin last year.

The 22-car grid for the weekend featured a few changes. Notably, Ayla Agren is back after missing Toronto in the lead No. 33 John Cummiskey Racing entry. That car had been utilized by Jordan Lloyd of Pabst Racing in Toronto in Agren’s absence; TSO will have more on the JCR/Pabst “musical car” swap later in the weekend.

Elsewhere Christian Munoz has been added in a second Afterburner Autosport entry. Blake Mount was listed to run the test sessions only for ArmsUp Motorsports and Joey Selmants, a local driver, had tested here a few weeks ago and was initially set to debut in the National class, but was withdrawn once the formal entry list came out.

Practice Recap:

Martin and Thompson led the way in the unofficial test sessions, and therefore those two along with Cape teammates Nikita Lastochkin and Jordan Cane didn’t actually set times in the official first practice later today. Neither did the last two Mazda scholarship recipient drivers, Dakota Dickerson (Afterburner) and Luke Gabin (JAY Motorsports).

The fact no Cape cars took official times shouldn’t have detracted from Agren’s great first day back in the car after missing the Toronto race. The talented young driver of Norwegian and Swedish background topped the official charts Thursday with a best time of 1:22.1304, which wasn’t even as quick as she ran in testing.

This is a track where Agren had success in the F1600 ranks in the past, and coupled with that and on the heels of her best result this season (fourth at Road America race two) makes her a candidate to finally secure her first career USF2000 podium this weekend – and the first for the team since Martin did so at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in 2015.

ln second was Victor Franzoni (ArmsUp), and the Brazilian who sits 42 points back of the Cape twins needs a big weekend to properly mount a championship charge as the third and really last realistic driver with a shot.

Young 16-year-old Robert Megennis, who on Thursday was also named a candidate for Jeremy Shaw’s Team USA Scholarship, continued with his good run of form by ending in third for Team Pelfrey.

Proving the Cummiskey pace wasn’t a fluke, Brazilian rookie Lucas Kohl was fourth with Lloyd fifth on the charts.

Of note and as discovered by the voice of the Mazda Road to Indy, Rob Howden, USF2000 veteran Jake Eidson also made a comeback in a setup and advisory for RJB Motorsports, to help the rookie team that runs Michai Stephens and Clint McMahan.

Practice times are below. Of the 15 cars that did take official times, all ran between 10 and 17 laps.

P No Name FTime Diff Laps
1 33 Ayla Agren 1:22.130 0.000 13
2 9 Victor Franzoni 1:22.165 0.0345 10
3 80 Robert Megennis 1:22.196 0.0654 16
4 34 Lucas Kohl 1:22.307 0.1764 15
5 21 Jordan Lloyd 1:22.376 0.2453 16
6 92 Cameron Das 1:22.406 0.2758 10
7 22 Garth Rickards 1:22.539 0.4082 17
8 23 Yufeng Luo 1:22.914 0.7832 16
9 77 Sam Chastain 1:22.940 0.8095 15
10 5 Austin McCusker 1:22.954 0.8234 16
11 72 Tazio Ottis 1:23.240 1.1101 15
12 19 Michai Stephens 1:23.913 1.7824 14
13 20 Clint McMahan 1:23.965 1.8346 17
14 17 Christian Munoz 1:24.104 1.9732 14
15 12 Eric Filgueiras 1:24.424 2.2940 10
16 2 Parker Thompson No Time — —
17 3 Nikita Lastochkin No Time — —
18 4 Jordan Cane No Time — —
19 8 Anthony Martin No Time — —
20 18 Dakota Dickerson No Time — —
21 91 Luke Gabin No Time — —

Qualifying Recap:

Perhaps as expected, the Cape twins resumed back on top of the timesheets once it came time to qualify for the first of three USF2000 races at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

Martin seized the momentum over Thompson, with the driver of the No. 8 car clocking in a 1:21.047 best time to secure the pole position. Thompson was second in the No. 2 car at 1:21.319.

In third, and scoring what is easily his best qualifying position of his rookie season, is Afterburner’s Dakota Dickerson in the No. 18 car. Dickerson posted a 1:21.654 to edge Garth Rickards, top of the three Pabst Racing entries, in fourth at 1:21.681.

Franzoni (ArmsUp) completed the top five, ahead of Australians Gabin and Lloyd. Official practice one leader Agren clocked in a perhaps disappointing 12th place in the session.

The first of three 30-minute USF2000 races runs in the 1:00 to 1:45 p.m. window later this afternoon, with the potential of rain hitting around the 2 p.m. hour.

Qualifying times are below.

P No Name FTime Diff Laps
1 8 Anthony Martin 1:21.047 0.000 19
2 2 Parker Thompson 1:21.319 0.2713 19
3 18 Dakota Dickerson 1:21.654 0.6066 15
4 22 Garth Rickards 1:21.681 0.6335 17
5 9 Victor Franzoni 1:21.791 0.7440 17
6 91 Luke Gabin 1:21.949 0.9015 17
7 21 Jordan Lloyd 1:21.991 0.9434 18
8 80 Robert Megennis 1:22.029 0.9819 18
9 3 Nikita Lastochkin 1:22.096 1.0482 19
10 4 Jordan Cane 1:22.126 1.0790 17
11 23 Yufeng Luo 1:22.193 1.1456 18
12 33 Ayla Agren 1:22.264 1.2171 20
13 92 Cameron Das 1:22.365 1.3171 15
14 34 Lucas Kohl 1:22.401 1.3534 19
15 5 Austin McCusker 1:22.474 1.4263 19
16 77 Sam Chastain 1:22.759 1.7119 16
17 72 Tazio Ottis 1:23.269 2.2217 19
18 17 Christian Munoz 1:23.274 2.2268 16
19 19 Michai Stephens 1:23.298 2.2506 13
20 20 Clint McMahan 1:24.268 3.2206 12
21 12 Eric Filgueiras 1:24.566 3.5190 13
category: Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda
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Dates Set for Sixth Annual Chris Griffis Memorial Open Test

Posted by  on Wednesday, July 20th 2016     

New Mazda-Powered Tatuus USF-17 to Begin Team Testing

PALMETTO, Fla. (July 20, 2016) – All three levels of the acclaimed Mazda Road to Indy – Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires, the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires and the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda – will converge on Indianapolis Motor Speedway on October 8/9 for the sixth annual Chris Griffis Memorial Open Test. The test is named in honor of Chris Griffis, a longtime member of the motorsports community who led the Schmidt Peterson Motorsports w/ Curb-Agajanian Indy Lights organization before passing unexpectedly in September of 2011.

In addition to providing opportunities to “audition” new talent, gain a headstart on 2017 campaigns and earn valuable testing time on the 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course at the iconic Brickyard, the outing will be of special significance as teams will turn their first laps with the new Mazda-powered Tatuus USF-17.

A highly successful prototype testing program concluded July 1 with rave reviews by development drivers Joel Miller (Mazda sports car talent and USF2000 driver coach) and Matthew Brabham (a graduate of all three levels of the Mazda Road to Indy and USF2000/Pro Mazda champion who made his Verizon IndyCar Series debut in May). With a rolling chassis priced at $51,800, the Tatuus USF-17 will serve as the base car for the PM-18 to help control operational costs.

To date, 28 of the initial 30 chassis ordered have been purchased with additional orders pending. The first shipment of 15 cars will be delivered to teams in September. A list of current USF-17 teams can be found at http://usf2000.com/teams-drivers/usf-17-teams.

In addition to the USF-17, the test will be open to current USF2000 Championship and National Class entries.

“We are thrilled to be able to return to Indianapolis Motor Speedway for our sixth Chris Griffis test,” said Dan Andersen, Owner and CEO of Andersen Promotions. “This is a key round in our regular season schedules and the perfect venue to see our USF-17 make its debut in the hands of our teams. The test is one of my favorite events as we watch our graduates take the next step on the ladder and welcome new talent to experience the Mazda Road to Indy.”

The Chris Griffis Memorial Open Test will also serve as a “rewards” program in USF2000 for two finalists in the Mazda Road to Indy and MAXSpeed Group Driver Advancement Program. Entering its third year, the partnership provides the opportunity for karters to sample the next step in their career. In addition, an alliance with the Australian Formula Ford Series established in 2014 will see its champion participate in the two-day test.

Registration information for the Chris Griffis Memorial Mazda Road to Indy Open Test will be available on the respective series’ websites in the coming weeks as well as a detailed schedule. Live Timing and Scoring will be available throughout the test.

category: Andersen Promotions PR

Pro Mazda Expands Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca Schedule

Posted by  on Friday, July 1st 2016     
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Pro Mazda Expands Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca Schedule
Iowa Speedway Round Moves to Mazda Road to Indy Season Finale Weekend
PALMETTO, Fla. – The season finale for the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca will become a tripleheader event as Round 10 originally scheduled for Iowa Speedway moves to the northern California venue. A decision to alter the schedule was made between Andersen Promotions and Iowa Speedway after a lower than anticipated field was set to contest the 40-minute race slated for July 10.
“I want to thank [Iowa Speedway President] Jimmy Small for giving us the option to move our race off of next weekend’s schedule,” said Dan Andersen, Owner and CEO of Andersen Promotions. “Iowa Speedway produces some great oval racing and it is unfortunate that we didn’t have what we felt was a viable car count to meet not only the track’s expectations but the fans as well. At this stage we will look forward to what is a pivotal round in the Indy Lights championship on July 10 and a return for Pro Mazda in 2017.”
Pro Mazda will next head to the streets of Toronto for a doubleheader event on July 15-17.
The Indy Lights Iowa Challenge Presented by Cooper Tires will take place at 2:15 pm CDT on July 10 leading up to the Verizon IndyCar Series feature race – the Iowa Corn 300 – at 4:35 pm.
category: Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires
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Tatuus USF-17 Prototype Road Course Testing Concludes

Posted by  on Wednesday, June 29th 2016     

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. – The road course portion of the rigorous Tatuus USF-17 prototype development program wrapped up yesterday at Road America with accolades for the state-of-the-art next-generation chassis that will form the backbone for the first two steps on the Mazda Road to Indy ladder system – the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by…

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category: Andersen Promotions PR

Telitz Doubles Up for Team Pelfrey in Home-State Pro Mazda Romp

Posted by  on Saturday, June 25th 2016     

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. – Aaron Telitz, from Birchwood, Wis., bounced back into contention for the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires – and the chase for a Mazda Scholarship to graduate to Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires, the next level of the Mazda Road to Indy, in 2017 – following an impressive double…

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category: Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires

Veach Dominates at Road America to Become Seventh Indy Lights Winner

Posted by  on Saturday, June 25th 2016     
ELKHART LAKE, Wis. – Zach Veach has developed quite an affinity for the state of Wisconsin. Almost two years on from his most recent race win – at the historic Milwaukee Mile oval – the 21-year-old from Stockdale, Ohio, bounced back to prominence today at Elkhart Lake’s equally renowned Road America circuit by scoring an emphatic victory in the Mazda Indy Lights Grand Prix of Road America Presented by Cooper Tires.
Veach qualified his Belardi Auto Racing Dallara-Mazda IL-15 squarely on the pole, then led from flag to flag in the 40-minute, 20-lap race around the challenging 4.048-mile road course. England’s Dean Stoneman, driving for Andretti Autosport, and Carlin’s Felix Serralles, from Ponce, Puerto Rico, rounded out the podium.
Indy Lights’ eagerly awaited return to rural Wisconsin following a 25-year hiatus was witnessed by a huge crowd basking in warm sunshine. Veach made hay in the early stages while the remainder of the field fought for every inch of real estate in his mirrors. Points leader Ed Jones (Carlin) drafted past front row qualifier Santi Urrutia (Schmidt Peterson Motorsports with Curb-Agajanian) on the run toward Turn One, but worse was to come for the winner of the 2015 Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires when Urrutia found himself squeezed over the curbs at Turn Five by Stoneman. Urrutia resumed in ninth, while Stoneman continued his charge by displacing Jones with an audacious pass on the uphill run toward Turn 13 on Lap Two.
Brazilian Andre Negrao (Schmidt Peterson) also was in the midst of the thrilling battle for second. Jones managed to regain the position with a fine move into Turn One on the third lap, whereupon Negrao’s attempt to overtake Stoneman under braking for Turn Five resulted in him being unceremoniously edged out onto the curb. An aggrieved Negrao resumed in 10th, while Stoneman was assessed a five-second penalty by the race stewards for his part in the incident.
The shuffling continued as Stoneman once again overtook Jones, this time on the approach to Canada Corner on Lap Seven. By then Veach’s advantage had grown to more than five seconds, although that was negated after seven laps when the full-course caution flags flew following a spin by Dalton Kellett at the exit of Canada Corner.
The interruption proved to be but a minor inconvenience to Veach, who again romped clear at the restart to become the seventh different winner in nine races in this year’s Indy Lights Championship Presented by Cooper Tires. Stoneman couldn’t match the leader’s pace but did enough to retain second place – and pull out a sufficient margin over his pursuers to overcome his five-second penalty.
Serralles managed to find a way past Carlin teammate Jones to complete the podium, while Jones struggled with a broken front wing yet still managed to maintain fourth at the checkered flag.
Urrutia crossed the line in fifth but he, too, had been assessed a five-second penalty following contact with Juan Piedrahita (Team Pelfrey) in Turn Five which resulted in a spin for the Colombian and relegated him to ninth. Canadian rookie Zachary Claman De Melo inherited the position for Juncos Racing, but it was no more than he deserved after posting an impressive fastest race lap, at an average speed of 115.4403 mph, with just two laps remaining.
Jones now leads the championship standings by a margin of 23 points, 204-181, over Stoneman as the series heads next to the Iowa Speedway oval onJuly 9-10.
Zach Veach (#5 Belardi Auto Racing): “I have to say, 2016 has been quite a learning experience with the new car having come so close to winning the championship two years ago in the old car. I’ve had to completely change everything except the tracks I’m driving on, so I’m happy to finally turn it around. I was trying to build a gap early on, so I got a little worried when the second yellow came out. I was pretty comfortable, I thought I’d be able to drive it home from there. I’m really happy to be at Road America; I love this place. I raced here with USF2000 so I have to thank the Mazda Road to Indy for that.”

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Pos Car Driver Laps Points
1 5 Zach Veach 20 32
2 27 Dean Stoneman (R) 20 25
3 4 Felix Serralles 20 22
4 11 Ed Jones 20 19
5 13 Zachary Claman De Melo (R) 20 18
6 18 Kyle Kaiser 20 15
7 3 Garett Grist (R) 20 14
8 45 James French (R) 20 13
9 55 Santiago Urrutia (R) 20 12
10 17 Andre Negrao (R) 20 11
11 22 Neil Alberico (R) 20 10
12 2 Juan Piedrahita 20 9
13 51 Shelby Blackstock 20 8
14 28 Dalton Kellett (R) 6 7

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Zach Veach Celebrates his win in Race 1 at Road America

Zach Veach Celebrates his win in Race 1 at Road America

category: Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires
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