Archives for Mazda Road To Indy PR

CAPE MOTORSPORTS’ PRO MAZDA PILOTS CONSISTENT ON INDY ROAD COURSE

Posted by  on Thursday, May 19th 2016     

Cape Motorsports with /WTR logo

CAPE MOTORSPORTS’ PRO MAZDA PILOTS CONSISTENT ON INDY ROAD COURSE

Jamin and Eidson continue to improve pace during rookie season

INDIANAPOLIS, IN (May 18, 2016) – Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing returned to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course last week (May 11-14) for the fifth and sixth rounds of the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires, and their rookie drivers Nico Jamin and Jacob Eidson turned in solid performances to solidify their positions in the top six of the championship point standings.  Jamin, the reigning Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda series champion, posted a pair of top-five results that have moved him into fifth in points, while Eidson finished sixth and seventh in the doubleheader and now sits sixth overall in the title chase.  The team improved its pace throughout the road course event and now has its sights set on the Carb Night Classic at Lucas Oil Raceway on May 27, the first of two oval events on the Pro Mazda schedule.

“We’re extremely pleased with our drivers, as we got another good solid performance from our guys,” offered Dominic and Nicholas Cape. “We’ll just keep working as hard as we can to close the gap.”

Cape’s Pro Mazda duo ran two one-hour sessions on the track’s 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course in an official Promoter’s Test on Wednesday and continued to make progress during both of Thursday’s 30-minute practice opportunities as well.  On Friday, Jamin and Eidson began the day with qualifying in the cooler morning hours, warmed by sun and blue skies, and the speed’s reflected the ideal conditions. Jamin was seventh quickest in his #2 Soul Red Mazdaspeed Pro Mazda, while Eidson was eighth at the end of the half-hour timed session.

The opening race of the weekend went caution-free, and despite that fact that Jamin’s car had a little too much downforce to allow for maximum straightaway speed, he was still able to overtake two competitors to move from seventh to fifth at the end of the 40-minute race.   Eidson was able to advance early and grab a couple of spots, and although he would give one up later in the race after a minor miscue in Turn 7, he was rewarded with a strong sixth place finish.

In the second main event, which was held early Saturday morning in chilly 45-degree temperatures, Jamin was able to hustle his car after dropping two spots at the green flag.  After making adjustments to the aero levels on the car, Nico was happy with the added straight-line speed and was able adjust to the decreased grip to advance three positions back to fifth just past the midway point, setting up a battle with Juncos Racing’s Garett Grist.  Jamin made a stunning last lap move on Grist to take over the position, and finished fourth.  This was his sixth consecutive top-six finish and has advanced him to fifth in the championship standings, just four points out of third.  Eidson was embroiled a thrilling battle for sixth, battling three-wide in a few corners, and at the checkered flag, he finished in the middle of the fight with two Juncos Racing drivers to take seventh.

The 2016 Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires will head back to Indianapolis on May 26-27 for the Carb Night Classic at the banked 5/8-mile Lucas Oil Raceway where Cape’s Pro Mazda drivers will compete in the annual Freedom 90 event.

For more information on Cape Motorsports, please visit www.capemotorsports.com.

DRIVER PERFORMANCE – ROUNDS 5/6

INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY – INDIANAPOLIS, IN

 

NICO JAMIN – #2

Qualifying: 7th – 1:23.961

Race #1: 5th

Race #2: 4th

Driver Quote: “It was great to be back in The Racing Capital of the World and have the chance to race at Indianapolis. I enjoyed every second of it, and we had a pretty good weekend overall with fifth and a fourth place finishes. It was big in terms of points for the championship and I am getting closer to the podium of the drivers’ standing. I am very excited to race on the oval at Lucas Oil Raceway during Carb Day before the 100th running of the Indy 500. We have high expectations, and I am definitely looking to get the first oval win of my career.”

 

JACOB EIDSON – #3

Qualifying: 8th – 1:24.214

Race #1: 6th

Race #2: 7th

Driver Quote: “We battled a lot of obstacles at the Grand Prix of Indy last weekend. It was a very challenging few days of racing for both the team and myself, but we handled it very well and made great progress in Race 1 and Race 2. I also love being able to race at the legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway and can’t wait for our first oval race at Lucas Oil Raceway.”

 

category: Cape Motorsports

TEAM PELFREY PRO MAZDA, USF2000 AND F1600 WEEKEND RECAP

Posted by  on Wednesday, May 18th 2016     

Team Pelfrey logo

Pro Mazda Weekend Recap

Indianapolis, IN – Team Pelfrey’s Pro Mazda Championship team of Pato O’Ward and Aaron Telitz enjoyed another successful and record breaking weekend on the road course at the historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway. For Telitz, it was his second visit to the Speedway in his No. 82 Rice Lake Weighing Systems-Team Pelfrey Mazda, after finishing on the podium in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda in 2015. O’Ward was looking to capitalize on his early season success to maintain his position at the top of the driver points standings.

After consistently finishing practice sessions at the top of the charts, the teammates were poised to make an impact on the 14-turn, 2.439-mile road course in qualifying.

Pato O'ward won both Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire races on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. (Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)

Pato O’ward won both Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire races on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. (Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)

During the 30-minute session, Pato O’Ward set a new track record with a lap time of 1 minute 22.88, clinching pole position and etching himself in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway record books. The Birchwood,Wisc. -native, Telitz, qualified in second position with a lap time of 1 minute 23.30, setting up an all Team Pelfrey front row.

In Race One, O’Ward got off to a clean start heading into the crucial turns 1-4 complex, gapping the field by almost a full second going into turn 7. Telitz battled for second place with Will Owen, before locking up the brakes in turn 7 and going off course, falling all the way back to 9th place. O’Ward held the lead and built over a six-second gap over Owen, leading every lap of the 40-minute race. Telitz managed to finish the race in 7th place. With the win, O’Ward became the youngest driver to win on the road course at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway at 17 years old and 7 days.

In Race Two, both drivers started in first and second again. O’Ward made another great start in his No. 80 Gap Guard-Team Pelfrey powered Mazda, with teammate Telitz in his rear-view mirror. The Pelfrey duo gapped the field by over 20 seconds on their way to the team’s fifth 1-2 finish of the 2016 season. With another dominant weekend in the books, O’Ward stretched his lead in the points championship by 39 points over second place, teammate Aaron Telitz.

The team’s next race will be the Carb Night Classic at Lucas Oil Raceway, May 27th. Pro Mazda qualifications begin at 4:30 p.m. EST, with the 90 lap race will beginning at 7:10 p.m. You can follow the action on ProMazdaChampionship.com, or on Team Pelfrey’s social media channels.

USF2000 WEEKEND RECAP
Indianapolis, IN – Team Pelfrey’s Cooper Tires USF2000 team of Robert Megennis, Jordan Cane, and TJ Fischer competed at the historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the first time in their young careers. The rookies first dose of the 14 turn, 2.439-mile road course came on Wednesday, competing in an open test day along with the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires and Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires series.

The early exposure to the high-speed circuit proved beneficial for the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda field, setting new track records and showcasing the most competitive racing the series has seen in 2016. For Megennis, Cane and Fischer, the Grand Prix of Indianapolis weekend was one to learn from.

In the Thursday morning qualifying session, Megennis piloted his No. 80 Palo Alto Networks-Team Pelfrey Mazda into the 14th spot on the grid while the 14-year-old Briton, Jordan Cane, qualified 12th which set them up to start on the inside of the 6h and 7th rows of the 26 car grid. For the 22-year-old Fischer, all of his recorded lap times from the 30-minute session were erased after not returning to the pits after the checkered flag was shown. Four other drivers suffered the same penalty, forcing them to start from the rear of the grid.

In Race One, the rookie trio focused forward and charged through the field on the opening laps. Fischer advanced six positions during the opening laps, eventually finishing in 9thafter passing a total of 16 cars in the 30-minute race. Meanwhile, Megennis and Cane took advantage of their inside grid positions, overtaking several cars going into the 90-degree right-hand first turn before battling with Dakota Dickerson, Ayla Agren, and Fischer throughout the race. Megennis, the 16-year-old New York, N.Y.-native managed to hold on for 8th place as tire wear became a factor on the greasy circuit, while Cane and his No. 81 #2bn1-Team Pelfrey Mazda managed to round out the top 10.

Saturday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway recorded unseasonably low temperatures, hovering around 49 degrees with gusty winds out of the west for most of the afternoon. With track and tire temperatures playing a factor in the second race of the weekend, Fischer and his No. 82 Rathbun Associates-Team Pelfrey Mazda managed to overcome the conditions after starting 17th. The Vacaville, Calif.– native made up six positions before he even completed the first lap.

Megennis started 15th and managed to make up five positions through only seven laps of green flag racing and held on for a 10th place finish. As for the youngest competitor in the Cooper Tires USF2000 field, Jordan Cane made contact with Dakota Dickerson and Cameron Das in turn seven on the first lap. After repairing the damage on pit lane, Cane finished two laps down in 21st place. Despite only contesting the first green flag laps with 8 minutes remaining, Fischer gained two more positions on his way to his second straight top 10 finish, his fourth of the year, in 9th place.

The next race of the 2016 season will be the Carb Night Classic at Lucas Oil Raceway, May 27th. Qualifications begin at 4:00 p.m. EST, with the 75 lap race beginning at 6:10 p.m.

You can follow the action on Usf2000.com or Team Pelfrey’s social media channels

F1600 WEEKEND RECAP
Watkins Glen, NY – Team Pelfrey’s Formula F F1600 Championship Series team enjoyed a stunning weekend at the iconic Watkins Glen International facility, winning all 3 races and firmly placing Phillippe Denes, piloting the No. 81 Team Pelfrey Mygale Honda and Calvin Ming, driving the No. 82 MPS Team Pelfrey Mygale Honda, into championship contention.

Friday practice was held in mixed conditions, with the morning session interrupted by heavy rain before the track dried for the afternoon session. Denes and Ming ended practice at the top of the time sheets, and this form followed through into Saturdayqualifying with Denes claiming pole position with a time of 2:00.923 and Ming securing the third position.

Race One saw a flurry of showers before the start and the teams and drivers having to make tough decisions about which tires to start on. Both Denes and Ming opted for the dry tire option and the opening laps saw both Team Pelfrey entries fall behind multiple competitors who had opted for wet tires. However, at half distance the track was drying and both Denes and Ming began to skillfully slice their way through the field.  Having brilliantly survived the tricky conditions, Denes came through to score his first win in open wheel machinery by 10.273 seconds, with Ming bringing home his Myagle in the 4thposition.

Race Two greeted the drivers with cold and blustery conditions, and once again, Denes and Ming set about their tasks by breaking the draft and establishing their positions at the front of the field.  However, a full course caution for oil was deployed therefore neutralizing the field. With 4 laps remaining, the race went back to green for a mad dash to the checkered flag.  Ming conquered the madness to secure a hard fought victory by 0.241 seconds, and Denes came home with another podium in third having dropped as low as 5th.

The final race of the weekend was held in cold conditions once again and the Team Pelfrey duo hit the front. However, drama struck Ming at the bus stop as another driver made contact with his left rear entering the bus stop on lap 1, dropping him back to the 10thposition.  It would ignite a remarkable comeback drive that saw Ming slice his way through the field to claim a stunning podium finish which at the conclusion of the opening lap looked an unlikely prospect. Denes, meanwhile, led from the front with Neil Verhagen tracking his every move.  On the last lap, Verhagen drafted past Denes into the Bus Stop, only for Denes to dramatically grab back the initiative around the outside of turn 6.  Denes claimed his second win of the weekend, leaving him at the top of the championship standings.

The team’s next race will be at Virginia International Raceway the weekend of June 4th and 5th.  You can follow the action on Race Monitor or F1600ChampionshipSeries.com, or on Team Pelfrey’s social media channels.

category: Team Pelfrey
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Kyle Kaiser Captures 3rd in Round 7 of the Mazda Grand Prix of Indianapolis

Posted by  on Tuesday, May 17th 2016     

Juncos Racing logo

Kyle Kaiser Captures 3rd in Round 7 of the Mazda Grand Prix of Indianapolis

Speedway, Indiana (May 15, 2015) – Juncos Racing returned to the podium this past weekend with American Kyle Kaiser picking up a third place finish in Round 7 of the Indy Lights Championship Presented by Cooper Tires in the Mazda Grand Prix of Indianapolis.

The Mazda Road to Indy series saw a wild week of weather at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway with sunny warm conditions turning to rain and ending with one of the coldest races on record on the 2.439 mile, 14-Turn road course.

The Indy Lights series kicked off the week with two sessions of testing followed by two practice sessions. Kyle Kaiser (Santa Clara, California) took the fastest time in the final practice before heading into qualifying. The next day qualifying did not go as planned for Juncos Racing with Kaiser taking the sixth starting position and teammate Zach Claman De Melo (Montreal, Canada) starting 16th.

Later that afternoon Round 6 did not get off to a clean start, with multiple drivers making contact in Turn-1. Kaiser escaped any damage, but was forced to take the run off in Turn-1, moving to the back of the field. Rookie Claman De Melo did not fare as well, leaving Turn-1 with damage to the front wing, which he would battle with on track for the entire race. Kaiser was able to pull off a sixth place finish in the #18 InterVision/NetApp/ JuniperNetworks car and Claman De Melo took 13th.

Temperatures lingering in the high 40’s for the final day of the Mazda Grand Prix of Indianapolis proved to be a game changer for the Indy Lights series, as the 16 car field looked to get their Cooper Tires up to temperature for the final race of the weekend. Kaiser took the 11th starting position and Claman De Melo started 15th for the 35 lap race. Kaiser was able to battle his way through the field at the start of the race to run inside the Top-5 and ended the day on the podium with a third place finish. Claman De Melo’s was making his way up to the Top-5 when his day ended early on lap 18, after making contact with two other drivers forcing his #13 Adidas/Seven for All Mankind car to finish 14th.

Kaiser’s third place finish in Round 7 marked his fourth podium of the 2016 season, moving him into second in the Indy Lights Championship standings.

“After a rough start to the weekend I was very pleased with the results in both races,” said Kaiser. “In such a tight championship, I know its weekends like this that make the difference at the end of the season. I’m very thankful for the team working hard this weekend to give me a great car in both races. I’m excited to get back on the oval in a couple of weeks for the biggest race of the year!”

Even though Claman De Melo did not get the results he was looking for, the young Canadian was able to take away a lot of experience in his first running at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

“Overall it wasn’t the weekend we were hoping for,” said Claman De Melo. “The results did not show what we were capable of, we were faster and I know we had the speed to finish in the Top-10. In Round 7 I was running just outside the Top-5, but a small mistake on my part costs us a great finish. I know we will bounce back as the season continues and will show the speed we have.”

Juncos Racing Team Principle Ricardo Juncos was pleased to see Kaiser pick up another podium finish and is confident the team will carry this strong momentum onto the famous 2.5 mile oval at Indianapolis Motor Speedway later this month.

“I am really proud of the results we were able to obtain after we struggled here last season,” said Juncos. “Kaiser did a fantastic job moving all the way up to a third place, after starting back in 11th. He (Kyle Kaiser) has stayed so focused this season and that has really shown with the multiple podiums and win his has earned. Zach (Claman De Melo) has continued to show great speed, despite not getting the results he deserves. At each event this year he has passed multiple cars, which is very impressive for such a young rookie. I am especially pleased to see how tight of a battle we have for the Indy Lights Championship, after six drivers have won in seven races. This really shows how competitive this series is and the high caliber of drivers the Mazda Road to Indy program takes in. I of course want to thank the team for all of their hard work, and for the fast cars they give these drivers, to the sponsors for all of their support, and to the families who make up Juncos Racing for all of their dedication to the team.”

The 2016 Indy Lights Championship Presented by Cooper Tires season continues May 27th with Round 8  on the famous 2.5 mile oval at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. For more information please visit juncosracing.com and indylights.com.

category: Juncos PR

American Will Owen Earns Double Podium Finishes at the Grand Prix of Indianapolis

Posted by  on Tuesday, May 17th 2016     

Juncos Racing logo

American Will Owen Earns Double Podium Finishes at the Grand Prix of Indianapolis
Rookie Jake Parsons Claims First Podium in the Pro Mazda Championship

Speedway, Indiana (May 15, 2016) – Juncos Racing collected three podium finishes this past weekend in Rounds 5 and 6 of the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis. Will Owen picked up two of the podiums, while teammate Jake Parsons earned his first podium finish since joining the Mazda Road to Indy series this year.

The third weekend of the 2016 Pro Mazda Championship started off with warm sunny conditions during the two test sessions followed by two practice sessions on the 2.439 mile, 14-Turn road course located at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Canadian Garett Grist kicked off the week running second in the first test session. Teammate Will Owen would take the second quickest time in the second practice session followed by Grist in third.

Juncos Racing would go on to qualify side by side for rows two and three of Round 5, with Owen taking the third starting position followed by Jake Parsons in fourth, Grist fifth, and Nicolas Dapero in sixth.

Later that afternoon Round 5 of the Pro Mazda Championship would go green from start to finish in the 40 minute timed race. Owen drove the #23 AMR car to its best finish of the season, taking second. Teammate Parsons picked up his first podium since joining the Mazda Road to Indy series, finishing third. Grist, driver of the #5 Lander Property Management/Mac Tools car, took fourth and rookie Dapero finished eighth.

The final day saw some of the coldest race conditions on record on the road course at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway with temperatures running in the high 40’s. Round 6 would mirror Round 5 going caution free for the entire 40 minute timed race. Owen took home his second podium of the weekend, claiming third and moving him into third in the Pro Mazda Championship standings. Grist took a Top-5 finish finishing fifth. Parsons, driver of the #00 Smart Minds car took sixth. Dapero drove the #31 Federal Seguros car to run in the fourth position for the first part of the race, but would fall back later to finish eighth.

Team Principle, Ricardo Juncos was thrilled to see Owen pick up not one, but two podiums along with Parsons taking home his first podium since joining the team this year.

“Overall we had a very successful weekend here at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway,” said Juncos. “Three of our four drivers were battling for a podium finish at some point between both races. Even though they did not all finish on the podium, I am very pleased with the great pace each one showed. We are just going to work even harder now to catch up with the pace of the yellow Pelfrey cars. Will (Owen) had two solid runs this weekend, earning his top finish of the season so far and following that up with another podium.  He (Owen) was very consistent behind the wheel and I know he will be a top contender as the season continues.  Jake (Parsons) did a great job this weekend and has really developed quickly behind the wheel of the Pro Mazda car in a short time. Even though Garett (Grist) did not get on the podium this weekend, I am confident he will bounce back as we move onto the first oval where he has had great success in the past. Nicolas (Dapero) really came alive in Round 6 this weekend, making his way to run third. Despite not finishing in fourth, he (Dapero) earned a lot of experience running with the front of the field. The weather really played a big role this weekend and I want to give a big thank you to the crew for working to keep the cars on pace with the consent changing conditions. I also want to thank everyone who came out to watch the race and to those who could not make it for all of their positive messages and support.”

 

Driver Quotes: 

Nicolas Dapero (Buenos Aires, Argentina):”It was a great weekend for me. I really improved a lot and gained a ton of experience battling with all types of conditions. I have also really started to understand the car and have really stepped up on the feedback I am giving to our mechanics and engineers. My pace really improved and allowed me to run with the front of the field. I still have a lot of improvements to make, but I am happy with where I have come so far this season. I want to thank all of the Juncos Racing crew for the awesome job they have done. Without a doubt we will come back stronger for the oval race at Lucas Oil Raceway!”

Garett Grist (Grimsby, Ontario, Canada): “Overall a rough weekend for us. We had great pace in practice, but when it came time for qualifying we were a second off and we were a second off in both races. We are going to take a look at things and see where we can figure out what’s going on. I’m still the only car to start on the front row besides the yellow ones. We have had some positives, but just not enough to take out of this weekend. In the first race I felt like I was just doing some laps and for the second race I went off on the first lap moving me to back to seventh. I was able to make some great passes in Turn-1 and Turn-2 which gave me some excitement. After that the race settled down and I pushed as hard as I could and stayed as consistent as I could be. Lucas Oil Raceway is coming up next, it’s a track I dominated at my rookie year in Pro Mazda. I’m hoping this year will be like my first year there, as it’s a track I really enjoy and my favourite oval we compete on”

Will Owen (Castle Rock, Colorado, USA): “We had a really good weekend. We achieved our goal which was to finish ahead of my teammates, and I was able to do that in both races which I am really happy about and a huge step in points. Now I am actually third in points, rather than seventh so that’s a huge step. We made a lot of improvements to the car over the weekend from where we started to where we finished out the weekend. We still our looking for the speed that Pelfrey has, but we are going to keep doing everything we can and working as hard as possible to get to their speed. I’ve got to thank my team Juncos Racing, and all of my sponsors for a great weekend!”

Jake Parsons (Melbourne, Australia): “I took my first podium in Pro Mazda this weekend, so this was a great weekend for me. We had a few mechanical issues to overcome at the start of the week, but we got it all on track and were able to show great speed and have a great first race. The second race of the weekend was a little bit tougher. The start was a bit frantic and I lost some spots.  I was able to fight my way back from eighth and was challenging for fifth by the end. I think I was more consistent in Round 6, I took it up a level which allowed me to have a good comeback. We have a test  coming up which will be my first time on an oval, so I am really looking forward to that and preparing for the first oval race at Lucas Oil Raceway later this month.”

The Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires continues with Rounds 6 and 7 of the Indianapolis Grand Prix on the 2.43 mile road course located at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. For more information please visit juncosracing.com and promazdachampionship.com

category: Juncos PR
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Parker Thompson wins at famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway and maintains USF2000 points lead

Posted by  on Tuesday, May 17th 2016     

THOMPSON VICTORIOUS AT THE INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
Canadian pilot scores two USF2000 podiums on IMS road course to extend championship lead

INDIANAPOLIS, IN (May 16, 2016) – They call it ‘The World’s Greatest Race Course’ and, on Saturday (May 14), the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway was the location for a masterful performance by Canadian Parker Thompson, as he scored his third win of the year in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda.  The 18-year-old took full control of the second race of the weekend doubleheader, which was held on the facility’s 2.439-mile 14-turn road course, and bested his teammate Anthony Martin by 0.514 seconds to extend his lead in the championship standings.  The Red Deer, Alberta high school senior kicked off a successful weekend in his quest for the series title by finishing second in the first race of the event on Friday afternoon.

Red Deer, Alberta's Parker Thompson won his third Cooper Tires USF2000 Powered by Mazda race of the year at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to extend his points lead. (Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)

Red Deer, Alberta’s Parker Thompson won his third Cooper Tires USF2000 Powered by Mazda race of the year at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to extend his points lead. (Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)

Coming off a stellar performance at Barber Motorsports Park in mid-April, where Parker swept the weekend to record the first two USF2000 wins of his young career, Thompson was greeted to warm temperatures and sunny skies when he hit the track for two test sessions on Wednesday.  He led the first session of the day and finished up second in the final run.  The unique schedule for the IndyCar Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis would see Parker running official practice sessions on Thursday, Timed Qualifying and Race 1 on Friday, and Race 2 on Saturday.  Practice and qualifying went well and Thompson would qualify second, putting him on the outside of row one for the start of the first 30-minute race.  His consistency in qualifying paid off as he gained the pole position for Race 2 thanks to having the fastest second-qualifying lap in the field.

Friday’s race saw Parker drop to third at the green flag, but after an opening lap caution, he took full advantage of the restart to move back to second.  He quickly tucked in behind Martin’s rear wing as the Cape duo stretched away to a commanding advantage at the checkered flag, as the remainder of the race went to the checker free of caution periods.  Thompson was just a half-second behind the race winner and was a full 2.5 seconds ahead of third place.  This was Parker’s third straight podium finish and extended his point lead even further.

Saturday dawned extremely cool with temperatures in the mid-40s, conditions that would certainly challenge the talented Canadian.  Thompson’s Cape Motorsports squad made the right adjustments to his #2 Weyburn Energy / Uber / #AlbertaStrong Van Diemen so that it would handle the extremely low track temperature, and he would take the lead from the green flag after starting from the pole position.  Parker paced the field through the opening lap, but contact between three cars in Turn 7 brought out a quick yellow flag.  Just as he did at Barber, Thompson handled the restart expertly and was again able to maintain the lead, holding the top spot for the remainder of the race add another USF2000 victory to his resume.

For the Mazda Grand Prix of Indianapolis, Thompson had much of his heart back in Alberta as he was also focused on his efforts to raise awareness of the recovery program surrounding the devastating fires that have destroyed Fort McMurray, along with other upper Albertan communities. Parker ran a logo for the #AlbertaStrong hashtag on the side of the #2 Cape Motorsports entry, and all week long, he was campaigning for donations towards the cause.

“It was another extremely successful weekend for myself and the entire Cape Motorsports organization,” commented Thompson, who now leads the series standings by 28 points. “It feels great to put the team where they belong, on the top step of the podium. At the same time, grabbing my first win at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is something that I won’t soon forget. It was extra special putting the #2 #AlbertaStrong car in victory lane in support of the wildfires that have taken Fort McMurray, Alberta. I can’t thank Weyburn Energy, Uber and my remaining partners enough for putting me in this position. There’s still a long way to go in the championship, but we will be looking to maintain this form headed into the midway point of the season.”

The talented Canadian will return to Indianapolis later this month positioned as the championship point leader of the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda for the series’ only oval race of the year, taking to the banked 5/8-mile Lucas Oil Raceway for the Carb Night Classic on Friday, May 27.  Thompson finished sixth in his rookie run on the challenging speedway last year, and will return focused on a win in the Freedom 75.

Parker is thankful for the opportunities provided to him by his valued partners, including Weyburn Energy, Uber, Sylvan Lake RV, Bell Helmets, OMP Racing, Lapizta Watches, Openhwy, Mazda and Cooper Tires.

The on-track sessions from the Carb Night Classic and the Freedom 75 at Lucas Oil Raceway will be broadcast live on roadtoindy.tvand can be streamed through the Mazda Road to Indy app, which is available on iTunes and Google Play for Android devices.  Parker Thompson fans can also find these shows available on Apple TV, Amazon Fire and Roku TV on the new Road to Indy channel.

PARKER THOMPSON – SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS:

category: Cape Motorsports
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Stoneman Fends Off Race-Long Pressure for First Indy Lights Win

Posted by  on Sunday, May 15th 2016     

Englishman Becomes Sixth Different Winner in Seven Races this Season INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Englishman Dean Stoneman made light of bitterly cold, windy conditions today at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course to win another exciting Mazda Grand Prix of Indianapolis Presented by Cooper Tires. The cancer survivor and former FIA Formula 2 champion took the…

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category: Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires

Thompson Extends USF2000 Championship Lead with Indy Victory

Posted by  on Sunday, May 15th 2016     

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Parker Thompson this afternoon underlined the importance of confidence in auto racing. Since scoring his first Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda victory at Barber Motorsports Park last month, the young Canadian has been riding the crest of a wave. His second victory came just a day after his first, and…

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category: Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda

MAZDA INDY LIGHTS GRAND PRIX OF INDIANAPOLIS RACE 2 REPORT

Posted by  on Sunday, May 15th 2016     

Today’s Mazda Indy Lights Grand Prix of Indianapolis Race 2 was once again filled with action from start to finish. The nail-biting race had the entire crowd on their feet as Dean Stoneman jumped from fifth position to first by Lap 3. The rookie led 33 of the 35-Laps and held off two other competitors…

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category: Andretti Autosport

Team Pelfrey and O’Ward Secure Pro Mazda Clean Sweep at Indianapolis

Posted by  on Sunday, May 15th 2016     

Five Wins out of Six Ensure Commanding Points Lead for Mexican Teenager INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The weather turned distinctively cooler today at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but Patricio “Pato” O’Ward continued his hot streak by dominating this morning’s Pro Mazda Grand Prix of Indianapolis Presented by Cooper Tires. O’Ward, 17, from Monterrey, Mexico, repeated his…

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category: Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires

Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course – Indy Lights – Race #2

Posted by  on Saturday, May 14th 2016     

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There’s no shortage of talent in the 2016 Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires series and another of those drivers who seemed on the verge of a victory, Andretti Autosport’s Dean Stoneman, broke through Saturday to become the sixth winner in seven races to start the year.

The driver of the No. 27 Stellrecht supported Dallara IL-15 Mazda started fifth but was in the lead at the end of the first green flag lap on Lap 3.

Why Lap 3, you ask? Because the craziness on a cold day at the 2.439-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course began before the green flag even flew.

Here was the starting grid, and then here’s how the race evolved from there.

Rank Car Driver Time
1 11 Ed Jones 01:15.0014
2 55 Santiago Urrutia 01:15.0914
3 4 Felix Serralles 01:15.1006
4 14 Felix Rosenqvist 01:15.1164
5 27 Dean Stoneman 01:15.1669
6 7 RC Enerson 01:15.1987
7 5 Zach Veach 01:15.4457
8 77 Scott Anderson 01:15.4825
9 3 Scott Hargrove 01:15.5652
10 51 Shelby Blackstock 01:15.5707
11 18 Kyle Kaiser 01:15.6489
12 17 Andre Negrao 01:15.7930
13 28 Dalton Kellett 01:15.8319
14 22 Neil Alberico 01:15.8718
15 13 Zachary Claman De Melo 01:15.9174
16 2 Juan Piedrahita 01:15.9856

RC Enerson spun out of sixth on the grid exiting the final turn, Turn 14, but resumed without damage. Not as fortunate was his teammate at Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, rookie Andre Negrao, who made a notable error by losing control of his car on the front straight when warming up his tires. He crashed into the outside retaining wall, knocking off his front wing and damaging both his left front suspension and left front Cooper tire in the process. Negrao limped back to pit lane and apologized to his team afterwards, while Enerson made it to Lap 3 before retiring with mechanical issues.

The first green flag lap, Lap 3, was equally as chaotic as the infamous – or perhaps legendary – Lap 27 in Friday’s first of two races where the lead changed hands three times following a restart.

Polesitter Ed Jones led away from Carlin teammate Felix Serralles and Stoneman, who started fifth, made it up to third. Serralles locked his brakes going in too deep into Turn 1, then proceeded to run through the grass, and claimed he got punted into the corner.

https://twitter.com/felixserralles/status/731552934471839749

Jones and Stoneman looked set to advance into first and second but Stoneman lost the second position to Belardi Auto Racing’s Felix Rosenqvist, who’d started fourth but made it up to second by corner exit.

Serralles, meanwhile, re-entered the course at driver’s left exiting Turn 2, and the field did well to stay right and avoid the stricken Carlin driver as he resumed back to speed.

Jones led Rosenqvist before Stoneman made a move of Rosenqvist on the outside for second on the run to Turn 7.

Then it all went haywire there at the second of two notable 90-degree turns, like Turn 1. Jones ran wide on corner exit and fell to eighth; behind them, Zach Veach clipped his teammate Rosenqvist into a spin to knock the Swede back in the field.

In the chaos, Stoneman led with Santiago Urrutia, who’d fallen back to fourth off his initial second starting position, back into second with Scott Anderson having survived all the madness and running third in the No. 77 Schmidt Peterson entry – easily his best lap of the season.

The order was Stoneman, Urrutia, Anderson, Serralles and Scott Hargrove the top five with Kyle Kaiser, Shelby Blackstock, Jones, Juan Piedrahita and Zachary Claman De Melo the top 10.

Serralles quickly got around Anderson, who didn’t have the pace to remain as high up.

On Lap 7 Anderson ran wide ahead of Jones and De Melo and continued to drop.

Urrutia started closing a bit on Stoneman as the race progressed. The gap was 0.6375 of a second on Lap 8 and 0.3120 a lap later. The tightening at the top also allowed Serralles, who was often two to three tenths of a second quicker per lap, to close on Urrutia.

On Lap 12 Jones set what had been the fastest lap of the race to date as he tried to recover.

Serralles made it by Urrutia for second on Lap 14 around the outside into Turn 1.

The order on Lap 15 was Stoneman up by 0.7806 of a second over Serralles with Urrutia, Kaiser and now Jones in the top five. Rosenqvist, Hargrove and Anderson completed the top half of the field.

Hargrove, Anderson and De Melo ran seventh through ninth and got a bit too racey from there. Going into Turn 4 on Lap 18 De Melo tried a three-wide passing attempt and speared Hargrove, with Anderson stuck on the outside with nowhere to go. All three went into the gravel but the only driver to retire from the accident was De Melo. The race stayed green.

On Lap 22, Veach pitted for a new front wing, his primary wing having taken a battering from hitting Rosenqvist on the opening lap.

Up front Stoneman held the gap from Serralles and Urrutia.

The final dramatic moment of the race came on Lap 29. Serralles closed to within 0.4477 of a second on Lap 28, but a lap later went in too deep at Turn 12 and ran off course. That gave Stoneman more than a one-second buffer over Urrutia and promoted Kaiser to third with Serralles back to fourth.

Jones got Serralles for fourth a lap later, on Lap 30. Dalton Kellett and Neil Alberico also had off course excursions in the same time frame, with Alberico also sustaining front wing damage.

Urrutia closed to within half a second of Stoneman but got no closer.

Hargrove was on the tail end of the lead lap but did not come into play ahead of the leaders.

Stoneman came through 0.8659 of a second clear of Urrutia to claim the win over Kaiser in third, with Jones and Serralles completing the top five.

Post-race Stoneman was more relieved than anything, noting how much better the team has gotten despite no testing in preseason prior to Phoenix. He said he learned from his dramatic battle with Urrutia on Friday and defended expertly throughout the day.

Urrutia said he let Serralles by because he thought Serralles was faster, but he otherwise drove a smart race free of drama.

For Kaiser, the difference was using an extra set of sticker Cooper tires, noting many in the field hadn’t gone for that strategy throughout the weekend. Considering he said the Juncos Racing team didn’t have the outright fastest car this weekend, he was very pleased to come away with a podium. Having three years of track experience also meant he knew where the trouble spots were, and he was smart to avoid trouble throughout the weekend.

Jones maintained his points gap and unofficially leads Kaiser and Urrutia by 21 (160-139, with the latter two tied), while Stoneman moves into a tie with Serralles for fourth on 125 points. Rosenqvist (108), Veach (103) and Enerson (101) are also over the century mark in points before the series races the Freedom 100 on May 27.

Unofficial results are below.

P No Name Laps
1 27 Dean Stoneman 35
2 55 Santiago Urrutia 35
3 18 Kyle Kaiser 35
4 11 Ed Jones 35
5 4 Felix Serralles 35
6 14 Felix Rosenqvist 35
7 51 Shelby Blackstock 35
8 77 Scott Anderson 35
9 3 Scott Hargrove 35
10 5 Zach Veach 34
11 2 Juan Piedrahita 34
12 28 Dalton Kellett 34
13 22 Neil Alberico 29
14 13 Zachary Claman De Melo 18
15 7 RC Enerson 3
16 17 Andre Negrao —

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category: Indy Lights News/Results, Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires
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