Archives for Cooper Tires USF2000 powered by Mazda – TSO

MRTI in Toronto – Friday – Qualifying #1 – Oh Canada! Thompson and Exclusive Autosport snag home pole

Posted by  on Friday, July 14th 2017     

By Steve Wittich

Oh Canada! Canadian driver Parker Thompson, and Canadian team Exclusive Autosport will start on pole for the first of two Cooper Tires USF2000 Grand Prix of Toronto Presented by Allied Building Products.

Thompson’s quickest lap of 1 minute 12.816 seconds was just quick enough to pip current points leader Oliver Askew by 0.0689 seconds, to take his second pole of the season and fifth of his MRTI career.

Starting behind Thompson is Askew’s closest competition for the Mazda Motorsports Advancement Scholarship, Rinus VeeKay. A pair of rookies, David Malukas and Kaylen Frederick round out the top five.

Jose Sierra, who is making his USF2000 debut with DEForce Racing this weekend with start outside of the third row for his maiden race.

For the first 10 minutes of the 20 minute session, Parker Thompson and Oliver Askew quickest laps, and halfway through the session, and it was Thompson who had the quickest lap time at 1 minute, 13.053 seconds.

With eight minutes left in the session, Road America race #1 pole sitter David Malukas went to the provisional pole. That didn’t last long before first Askew, and then Thompson went quicker yet.

With just over four minutes left in the session, DEForce Racing rookie Moisés de la Vara made contact with the concrete barriers in Turn 6. When it became obvious that the Holmatro Safety Team would not be able to get the No. 12 of the young Mexican driver cleaned up, the red flag turned into the checkered flag, handing the pole position to Parker Thompson.

Cooper Tires USF2000 Grand Prix of Toronto Presented by Allied Building Products Qualifying #1 Results

RANK CAR NO. DRIVER QUICK LAP GAP
1 90 Parker Thompson 1:12.816 –.—-
2 3 Oliver Askew 1:12.885 0.0689
3 21 Rinus VeeKay 1:12.937 0.1202
4 79 David Malukas 1:13.041 0.2245
5 81 Kaylen Frederick 1:13.187 0.3707
6 10 Jose Sierra 1:13.538 0.7217
7 80 Robert Megennis 1:13.558 0.7412
8 4 Alex Baron 1:13.575 0.7584
9 22 Calvin Ming 1:13.878 1.0615
10 7 Devin Wojcik 1:14.125 1.3085
11 11 Kory Enders 1:14.162 1.3451
12 23 Lucas Kohl 1:14.593 1.7769
13 12 Moises de la Vara 1:14.678 1.8614
14 36 Darren Keane 1:14.739 1.9223
15 93 Jayson Clunie 1:15.824 3.0077
16 92 Dev Gore 1:15.880 3.0633
17 2 Ricky Donison 1:52.758 39.9418

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category: Cooper Tires USF2000 powered by Mazda - TSO, USF2000 News/Results
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MRTI in Toronto – Friday – USF2000 Practice #1 – Thompson leads at home

Posted by  on Friday, July 14th 2017     

By Steve Wittich

In what shouldn’t come as a huge surprise, the driver’s that have raced on the 1.786 mile, 11-Turn Exhibition Place street circuit, were among the quickest in the first, and only USF2000 qualifying session this afternoon.

Canadian Parker Thompson led the way with a quick lap that was timed at 1 minute, 13.820 seconds. The Red Deer, Alberta driver is making his second start in Toronto, finishing third in the first race last year, and first in the second race.

The other three drivers that have made starts in Toronto, all ended in the top-half of time sheet.

Lucas Kohl, who is also making his second start in Toronto, ended up with the third quickest lap. Robert Megennis, who had two top fives at this event last year, led the first half of the session, before ending up sixth.

A winner in Toronto in Indy Lights in 2014, ArmsUp Motorsports’ Alex Baron ended up with ninth quickest lap time.

Championship leaders Oliver Askew (second quickest), and Rinus VeeKay (fourth quickest) were also in the mix at the pointy end of the time sheet. Askew currently leads VeeKay by 32 points in the chase for the Mazda Motorsports Advancement Scholarship.

Mexican driver Jose Sierra is making his series debut with DEForce Racing on the streets of Toronto, and the debutant ended up with the seventh quickest lap.

“I’m very excited and thankful with David (Martinez), Ernesto (Martinez) and the whole DEForce Racing Team for this opportunity,” said Sierra, who will be piloting the No. 10 Mazda powered Tatuus. “I’m glad it could be done and we’ll make the most of it. The only thing left is to work hard this wend and get good results. I will do my best and I hope I can work and help my teammates>”

The 18 year-old started karting when he was only three years old, and won the FIA Mexico National Karting Championship Telmex Challenge as a 15 year-old. The Mexico City, Mexico made the jump to cars in 2015, competing in the French F4 Championship.

Garcia moved back home to race in Mexico for the next two seasons, and has twice finished as vice-champion of the FIA F4 Nacam Championship (Mexican F4). The Esscuderia Telmex backed driver has four wins, two poles, 19 podiums, and nine fastest laps across the two seasons of the FIA backed entry level championship.

You can follow Sierra’s career at the following social media channels: Twitter, Instagram and Facebook

The entire session half-hour session was run under green flag conditions, and the field was able to complete 318 laps. Thompson and Kohl turned 23 laps, the most in the 17 car field.

Cooper Tires USF2000 Grand Prix of Toronto Presented by Allied Building Products Practice #1 Results

RANK CAR NO. DRIVER FAST LAP GAP LAPS TURNED
1 90 Parker Thompson 1:13.820 –.—- 23
2 3 Oliver Askew 1:13.937 0.1166 22
3 23 Lucas Kohl 1:14.310 0.4898 23
4 21 Rinus VeeKay 1:14.464 0.6441 22
5 79 David Malukas 1:14.501 0.6806 20
6 80 Robert Megennis 1:14.621 0.8013 17
7 10 Jose Sierra 1:14.624 0.8043 17
8 22 Calvin Ming 1:14.629 0.8085 20
9 4 Alex Baron 1:14.772 0.9521 20
10 36 Darren Keane 1:14.790 0.9695 22
11 81 Kaylen Frederick 1:15.055 1.2346 20
12 7 Devin Wojcik 1:15.386 1.5659 18
13 12 Moises de la Vara 1:15.936 2.1155 17
14 2 Ricky Donison 1:16.277 2.4570 18
15 92 Dev Gore 1:16.740 2.9201 20
16 93 Jayson Clunie 1:17.411 3.5904 8
17 11 Kory Enders 1:17.740 3.9198 11

The Mazda Road To Indy presented by Cooper Tire has a fairly light schedule for the remainder of the day. USF2000 has their first qualifying session at 12:55pm, and Indy Lights has their first practice session at 1:30pm.

Don’t miss any of the action:
• live timing – Indy Lights, Pro Mazda, USF2000, and IndyCar Race Control
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category: Cooper Tires USF2000 powered by Mazda - TSO, USF2000 News/Results
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MRTI at Iowa Speedway – USF2000 and Indy Lights race results

Posted by  on Sunday, July 9th 2017     

Full race reports to follow:

Mazda Iowa 60 USF2000 race results:

RANK CAR NO. DRIVER TEAM GAP
1 3 Oliver Askew Cape Motorsports 60 LAPS
2 21 Rinus VeeKay Pabst Racing 3.8245
3 22 Calvin Ming Pabst Racing 6.1338
4 4 Alex Baron ArmsUp Motorsports 6.4571
5 80 Robert Megennis Team Pelfrey 12.1066
6 81 Kaylen Frederick Team Pelfrey 12.2035
7 23 Lucas Kohl Pabst Racing 12.6254
8 82 Ayla Agren Team Pelfrey 21.8830
9 7 Devin Wojcik ArmsUp Motorsports 22.5290
10 12 Moises de la Vara DEForce Racing -1 LAPS
11 11 Kory Enders DEForce Racing -2 LAPS
12 90 Parker Thompson Exclusive Autosport -3 LAPS
13 92 Dev Gore Exclusive Autosport -4 LAPS

Mazda Iowa 100 Indy Lights Race Results

RANK CAR NO. DRIVER TEAM GAP
1 26 Matheus Leist Carlin 100 LAPS
2 5 Santi Urrutia Belardi Auto Racing 2.9294
3 28 Dalton Kellett Andretti Autosport 6.7115
4 98 Colton Herta Andretti Steinbrenner Racing 13.3736
5 18 Kyle Kaiser Juncos Racing 14.7353
6 13 Zachary Claman De Melo Carlin 15.9305
7 27 Nico Jamin Andretti Autosport 18.7394
8 48 Ryan Norman Andretti Autosport 21.9026
9 9 Aaron Telitz Belardi Auto Racing -1 LAPS
10 2 Juan Piedrahita Team Pelfrey -1 LAPS
11 22 Neil Alberico Carlin -1 LAPS
12 31 Nicolas Dapero Juncos Racing -1 LAPS
13 51 Shelby Blackstock Belardi Auto Racing -1 LAPS
14 11 Garth Rickards Carlin -73 LAPS
category: Cooper Tires USF2000 powered by Mazda - TSO, Indy Lights News/Results, Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tire - TSO, USF2000 News/Results

MRTI at Iowa Speedway – Sunday – USF2000 and Indy Lights qualifying notes and results

Posted by  on Sunday, July 9th 2017     

For the fourth-time this year, but the first time on oval, second generation driver Colton Herta will start on the pole in an Indy Lights race, collecting the qualifying track record that Max Chilton set in 2015.

“The track didn’t change as much as we expected, explained the Andretti-Steinbrenner Racing pilot. “Obviously the track got a little hotter as more cars ran, and that evened it out a little bit. It was a really good lap, and the car was perfect, and I think it’s the track record.”

The 17 year-old was the third driver to make a qualifying effort, and his two-lap qualifying effort of 163.670mph withstood eleven attempts.

“It’s the worst. It’s terrible. I didn’t get to feel it at Indy, (Herta qualified second for the Freedom 100 qualifying at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway) because I went second to last or last,” said Herta with a sheepish grin on his face. “It’s terrible, I hope I never have to draw in the first three again, because I felt so sick watching. ‘Am I going to get it, am I going to get it.’ It’s a little bit different. I’ve never had to experience it before, but it’s cool.”

Colton Herta will start on pole for the fourth time in his young Indy Lights career (Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)

Zachary Claman De Melo, who led the final practice, and testing two weeks ago at Iowa Speedway, managed a two-lap average of 163.290mph was the closest competitor to Herta, matching his career best second place start on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course in May.

Championship leader Kyle Kaiser was the first driver to take to the 0.894-mile oval for his two-lap qualifying effort, and the Juncos Racing veteran turned in the two-lap average of 162.968mph. After two disappointing practice sessions in which the 21 year-old could do no better than sixth and 12th, starting the Mazda Iowa 100 Presented by Cooper Tires is a big win.

Andretti Autosport rookie Ryan Norman, who is making his second career oval start, matched his season best qualifying effort of fourth that was achieved at the other oval race of the year, the Freedom 100.

Starting on the third row, are Andretti Autosport teammates, Dalton Kellett, and Nico Jamin. Kellett told TSO that he made just a slight mistake at the exit of Turn 1, and that it potentially cost him a front row starting spot.

The Indy Lights drivers we chatted with about what to expect during the race were fairly unanimous in their opinion that taking care of their Cooper Tire slicks was going to be the key to crossing the finish line in first.

Pole sitter Herta said: “It’s going to be all about saving the tires, and tire degradation, and passing at the end when tires go off.”

Mazda Iowa 100 starting line-up

RANK CAR NO. DRIVER AVERAGE SPEED (mph) 1st LAP SPEED (mph) 2nd LAP SPEED (mph)
1 98 Colton Herta 163.670 163.835 163.505
2 13 Zachary Claman De Melo 163.290 163.423 163.157
3 18 Kyle Kaiser 162.968 163.072 162.865
4 48 Ryan Norman 162.769 162.919 162.619
5 28 Dalton Kellett 162.743 162.122 163.368
6 27 Nico Jamin 162.422 162.346 162.497
7 22 Neil Alberico 162.199 162.138 162.259
8 11 Garth Rickards 162.082 161.880 162.284
9 31 Nicolas Dapero 162.014 161.967 162.062
10 26 Matheus Leist 161.930 162.110 161.751
11 5 Santi Urrutia 161.926 161.963 161.888
12 9 Aaron Telitz 161.895 161.869 161.920
13 51 Shelby Blackstock 160.749 160.466 161.033
14 2 Juan Piedrahita 160.746 160.464 161.030

The green flag for the 100 lap race falls at 2pm.

For the fifth time this season Oliver Askew will start a USF2000 race from the inside of the front row. It shouldn’t be surprising to see a Cape Motorsports driver up front on an oval, the St. Petersburg, Fla. based team has won five of the nine USF2000 oval races since 2010. However, Askew and the team struggled during Friday’s three hour test (the fourth best time), and yesterday’s 45-minute practice session (the sixth best time).

“A lot of set up changes,” explained Askew when asked about the changes the team made overnight. “The guys at Cape Motorsports, and my engineer Dominic Cape did a great job in making the right decisions for me to get pole. That was a good lap, way better than the car felt yesterday. I’m looking forward to the race.”

Rising Star Racing sponsored driver Oliver Askew will start on pole for the Mazda Iowa 60 (Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)

Askew was the fifth driver to take to the track, knocking Robert Megennis from the provisional pole, and had to withstand challenges from nine drivers, including the Pabst Racing duo of Rinus VeeKay and Calvin Ming, who had been dominant in practice and qualifying.

Ming, who was the last car on track will start beside Askew, and VeeKay will start immediately behind the driver he is chasing for the championship. Alex Baron, and Robert Megennis round out the top five.

Mazda Iowa 60 starting line-up

RANK CAR NO. DRIVER AVERAGE SPEED (mph) LAP 1 SPEED LAP 2 SPEED
1 3 Oliver Askew 131.683 131.362 132.006
2 22 Calvin Ming 131.342 131.017 131.668
3 21 Rinus VeeKay 131.089 130.688 131.492
4 4 Alex Baron 130.060 129.057 131.079
5 80 Robert Megennis 130.039 129.834 130.244
6 82 Ayla Agren 129.634 129.535 129.734
7 23 Lucas Kohl 129.533 129.213 129.854
8 81 Kaylen Frederick 129.232 128.179 130.302
9 90 Parker Thompson 128.372 127.679 129.072
10 12 Moises de la Vara 128.138 127.735 128.543
11 7 Devin Wojcik 127.678 126.772 128.598
12 11 Kory Enders 127.189 127.075 127.303
13 92 Dev Gore 123.467 123.192 123.744

The green flag for the 60 lap race falls at 1:05pm.

category: Cooper Tires USF2000 powered by Mazda - TSO, Indy Lights News/Results, Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tire - TSO, USF2000 News/Results
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MRTI at Iowa Speedway – Saturday – USF2000 and Indy Lights practice results and notes.

Posted by  on Saturday, July 8th 2017     

After leading the majority of the 45-minute session, Kaylen Frederick had the top spot on the time sheets taken away from him by yesterday’s test session leader Calvin Ming in the final ten minutes. However a last minute lap at 133.138mph, allowed the 15-year old Team Pelfrey rookie to recapture the top spot.

Ming, and his Pabst Racing teammates Rinus VeeKay, and Lucas Kohl went two-three-four in the final practice before qualifying, and were joined in the top five by ArmsUp Motorsports’ Alex Baron.

Oliver Askew, who currently leads VeeKay by 24 points had the sixth quickest time in his Soul Red Cape Motorsports No. 3.

The 13 entries turned a total of 646 trouble free laps.

I (Steve) went out and watched some of the practice in Turn 1 and Turn 2, and the racing has the potential to be really exciting. The Mazda powered Tatuus cars could follow very closely, and it appeared as if a second line was rubbering in.

Mazda Iowa 60 presented by Cooper Tires race practice results

RANK CAR NO. NAME TEAM FAST LAP (MPH) TOTAL LAPS
1 81 Kaylen Frederick Team Pelfrey 133.138 60
2 22 Calvin Ming Pabst Racing 133.086 54
3 21 Rinus VeeKay Pabst Racing 132.921 73
4 23 Lucas Kohl Pabst Racing 132.200 69
5 4 Alex Baron ArmsUp Motorsports 131.929 31
6 3 Oliver Askew Cape Motorsports 131.754 42
7 7 Devin Wojcik ArmsUp Motorsports 131.286 55
8 82 Ayla Agren Team Pelfrey 130.717 56
9 80 Robert Megennis Team Pelfrey 130.480 61
10 90 Parker Thompson Exclusive Autosport 129.674 48
11 12 Moises de la Vara DEForce Racing 129.571 34
12 11 Kory Enders DEForce Racing 128.971 36
13 92 Dev Gore Exclusive Autosport 121.950 27

The 45 minute USF2000 qualifying session begins at 9:15am on Sunday morning and the green flag flies to start the 60 lap race at 1:05pm.

The final Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tire practice session before tomorrow morning’s qualifying was led by Carlin sophomore Zachary Claman DeMelo. The Road America race #2 winner also led testing at the 0.894 mile oval last week.

The Canadian was followed by on the timesheet by Colton Herta, and fellow Great White North citizen Dalton Kellett.

Rookies, and championship contenders Matheus Leist and Aaron Telitz rounded out the top five.

The majority of the half-hour session was led by Leist, but in the final ten minutes, purple times started to pop up on the timing screen as drivers put on fresh rubber and made qualifying simulations.

The sticker Cooper Tire party ended with just over five minutes left in the session when a pair of Andretti Autosport decided to practice their synchronized spinning routine.

Nico Jamin took the lead, pirouetting at the exit of Turn 2, the No. 27 Synova sponsored Andretti Autosport machine just tapped the outside safer barrier before drifting down the track and coming to rest on the inside of the back straight.

Kellett, who was following his rookie teammate Jamin, had the back end of his Mazda powered Dallara break loose while trying to avoid him, and also just tapped the SAFER Barrier on the back straight.

The track did go back to green for two minutes, but nobody was able to improve on their times.

TSO had a chance to catch up with Trevor Carlin yesterday, and he admitted that he didn’t think the “boys in blue” would be as strong as they have been so far this year. That wasn’t a slam against his drivers, just an honest observation. Carlin wasn’t sure what to expect from sophomore Neil Alberico, and thought that Leist and Claman De Melo would need one year of seasoning, before running up front next year. Carlin, who has been involved in European and American junior motorsports categories for a quarter of century told us that with the natural pace that young Canadian and Brazilian drivers posses, he expected to win a lot of races – next year.

Mazda Iowa 100 Presented by Cooper Tires Indy Lights race practice #2 results

RANK CAR NO. DRIVER TEAM FAST LAP (MPH) TOTAL LAPS
1 13 Zachary Claman De Melo Carlin 162.577 30
2 98 Colton Herta Andretti Steinbrenner Racing 162.470 41
3 28 Dalton Kellett Andretti Autosport 162.014 27
4 26 Matheus Leist Carlin 161.517 25
5 9 Aaron Telitz Belardi Auto Racing 161.020 36
6 48 Ryan Norman Andretti Autosport 160.746 29
7 11 Garth Rickards Carlin 160.429 35
8 5 Santi Urrutia Belardi Auto Racing 160.374 33
9 22 Neil Alberico Carlin 160.085 14
10 27 Nico Jamin Andretti Autosport 159.759 22
11 31 Nicolas Dapero Juncos Racing 159.736 43
12 18 Kyle Kaiser Juncos Racing 159.648 42
13 2 Juan Piedrahita Team Pelfrey 159.169 34
14 51 Shelby Blackstock Belardi Auto Racing 158.369 30

The 45 minute Indy Lights qualifying session begins at 10:15am on Sunday morning and the green flag flies to start the 100 lap race at 2pm.

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MRTI at Iowa Speedway – Friday notes – Indy Lights driver not cleared to drive and USF2000 testing

Posted by  on Friday, July 7th 2017     

By Steve Wittich

A quick Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tire note before we get to Cooper Tires USF2000 Powered by Mazda testing.

According to a Belardi Auto Racing official, Chad Boat, who is scheduled to make his Indy Lights debut with the Brownsburg, Ind. based team this weekend, has not been, as of today, cleared to drive. The second generation driver took a nasty tumble during a USAC National Midget Race at Lincoln Speedway in Lincoln, Ill. on Sunday, July 2, 2017.

Boat will be reevaluated by the INDYCAR Medical staff in the morning.

 

A bakers dozen USF2000 drivers took part in a three-hour Friday afternoon test session in preparation for Sunday’s Mazda Iowa 60 presented by Cooper Tires race.

The entry list has seen one addition and one subtraction since it was first released on Wednesday. Cape Motorsports rookie Rick Donison has decided to sit out the oval round, and Ayla Agren returns to Team Pelfrey after missing the Road America rounds of the championship.

The eight oval rookies were given the first half-hour of the session to acclimatize themselves to the 0.894 mile Iowa Speedway oval.

Double Road America race winner Rinus Van Kalmthout (Rinus VeeKay) led the oval newcomers with a fastest lap of 130.856mph.

Results of the 30 minute rookie USF2000 session

RANK CAR NO. DRIVER TEAM FAST LAP LAPS TURNED
1 21 Rinus VeeKay Pabst Racing 130.856 42
2 81 Kaylen Frederick Team Pelfrey 129.390 34
3 22 Calvin Ming Pabst Racing 128.706 50
4 7 Devin Wojcik ArmsUp Motorsports 128.366 32
5 3 Oliver Askew Cape Motorsports 127.652 19
6 11 Kory Enders DEForce Racing 126.050 28
7 92 Dev Gore Exclusive Autosport 124.834 44
8 12 Moises de la Vara DEForce Racing 121.809 22

Half-an-hour after the remainder of the field took to the “Bullring,” Lucas Kohl made contact with the Turn 4 SAFER Barrier. Kohl was uninjured, but his car was not quite so lucky. The No. 23 Pabst Racing Mazda/Tatuus suffered damage to the rear wing, and the left rear corner of the car.

Rinus VeeKay, Alex Baron, and Calvin Ming all held the top spot on the time-sheet in the final half-hour of the session, but it was Ming who ended up with the quickest lap of the day. The driver from Guyana had a fastest lap of 132.399mph.

Results of the full USF2000 test session

RANK CAR NO. DRIVER TEAM QUICK LAP LAPS TURNED
1 22 Calvin Ming Pabst Racing 132.399 222
2 4 Alex Baron ArmsUp Motorsports 132.395 136
3 21 Rinus VeeKay Pabst Racing 132.383 186
4 3 Oliver Askew Cape Motorsports 131.950 145
5 7 Devin Wojcik ArmsUp Motorsports 131.695 179
6 82 Ayla Agren Team Pelfrey 131.198 150
7 23 Lucas Kohl Pabst Racing 130.950 51
8 80 Robert Megennis Team Pelfrey 130.799 127
9 81 Kaylen Frederick Team Pelfrey 130.078 168
10 90 Parker Thompson Exclusive Autosport 129.416 145
11 12 Moises de la Vara DEForce Racing 127.924 153
12 92 Dev Gore Exclusive Autosport 126.487 163
13 11 Kory Enders DEForce Racing 126.050 151

The drivers are back on track for their lone official practice session at 4:30pm on Saturday afternoon.

You can read our extensive USF2000 preview here —> USF2000 at Iowa Speedway – 2017 race preview – Championship chase takes a left turn on the way to Iowa 

category: Cooper Tires USF2000 powered by Mazda - TSO, Indy Lights News/Results, Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tire - TSO, USF2000 News/Results
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USF2000 at Iowa Speedway – 2017 race preview – Championship chase takes a left turn on the way to Iowa

Posted by  on Thursday, July 6th 2017     

For the first time since 2010, the Cooper Tires USF2000 Powered by Mazda series will be visiting the ⅞ths of a mile Iowa Speedway oval. Sage Karam, who was driving for Andretti Autosport, started from pole and lead all 50 laps, on the way to his first oval victory. The 2017 Indianapolis 500 starter, made four other starts at the Rusty Wallace designed progressively banked oval; winning twice in Pro Mazda, once in Indy lights and finishing on the last step of the podium in his lone IndyCar start in 2015.

Sage Karam won the one and only USF2000 race held at Iowa Speedway to date. (Photo Courtesy of IndyCar – Shawn Gritzmacher)

What appeared to be a “Soul Red” runaway for Mazda Road to Indy $200K Scholarship Shootout winner Oliver Askew in the chase for his second consecutive scholarship chase, became a much more exciting affair after the series made a visit to the 14-Turn, 4.014-mile Road America road course two weeks ago.

After standing on the second and third step of the podium in four of his first starts, Rinus Van Kalmthout (Rinus VeeKay) had a break-out weekend in Wisconsin, winning both races, and scoring 63 out of a possible 66 points.

Askew, who was chasing VeeKay for the lead on the eighth lap of Friday’s first race, had a camber shim pop out of the left rear of his No. 3 as he was going through the high speed Kink at Road America. The 20-year-old did a remarkable job of holding onto the car and not hitting the concrete barriers that lined that portion of the track, and was able to limp his Mazda powered Tatuss back to pit road where the Cape Motorsports crew was able to institute a quick fix.  Despite getting back on track, the championship leader was only able to recover to a disappointing, and season worst 17th place finish.  Askew started the second race of the weekend on the outside of the front row, and ran a consistent race to finish on the bottom step of the podium.

Askew has seen what looked like a fairly safe 60 point lead trimmed to a not quite meager 24 points as the series heads to The Hawkeye State for their lone oval event of the year. TSO will be watching closely how Askew handles the slight setback, but it appears that he has the right mindset to get back on track.

“I haven’t been complacent,” Askew told TSO Ladder.  “I’m not coming into every weekend expecting to dominate. That’s not how my mentality should be. I just have to take every weekend as it comes. There are going to be tracks that we (Cape Motorsports) are quick, and tracks where we aren’t.”

Sunday’s Mazda Iowa 60 presented by Cooper Tires race, will be the 10th time that reborn series has held a race on an oval. In those nine previous oval events, a driver making their first career oval start, has won only three times. Patrick McKenna in 2010, Petri Suvanto in 2011 and Aaron Telitz in 2014, all won in their first oval efforts at Indianapolis Raceway Park in Clermont, Ind.

The two championship front runners are two of those 9 drivers who will be making their first ever oval start, and both understand that it’s going to be an eye-opening experience, but the duo also think that they are in capable hands and prepared heading into the event.

“That’s going to be a different animal for sure,” explained Askew when asked if he was ready for his first oval event.

“My coach Jonatan Jorge, and the guys at Cape Motorsports have a lot of experience with oval racing, so they are preparing me as much as they can, and giving me as much knowledge as they can, so I can go in well prepared. I’m going to be watching a lot of video, and working on the simulator.”

“Yeah, very excited. I did an oval test already, and I liked it very much. I was pretty quick on the oval,” said VeeKay who thinks he might have a secret weapon in fellow Dutchman Arie Luyendyk, who has seven wins (two at the Indianapolis 500, and 20 top fives on ovals.

“I hear they call him the oval specialist (Luyendyk), so I’m going to ask the oval specialist for some specific tips that he used, and hopefully I can use them and also go for the win at Iowa Speedway.”

If VeeKay has an edge over his rival, it might come from having more familiarity with the sustained speeds and g-forces that the drivers will be confronted with over the course of the 60 lap race on the Iowa Speedway banked oval. The 16 year-old second-generation driver has contested two rounds of the much higher powered and downforced 2017 BOSS GP Championship in a Judd 4.2L V10 powered Dallara GP2/08 Evo, winning once and finishing second two other times in the Open Class.

While not quite a two-man race for the championship yet, Kaylen Frederick and Parker Thompson, who are 71 and 81 points respectively behind Askew in third and fourth place will need to start winning races, and hoping the pair of front runners run into some trouble.

With two oval starts, Exclusive Autosport veteran Thompson is the most experienced oval driver among the 13 entries. The Canadian driver, who finished sixth and second in two oval starts at Indianapolis Raceway Park, will need to use all that experience to finish the weekend ahead of the three drivers ahead of him in the chase for the $400,000 Mazda Motorsports Advancement scholarship and a seat in the 2018 Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire championship.

Fifteen year-old Frederick, will have an experienced crew led by Jonny Baker and Tom Knapp to draw knowledge from, and will also have sophomore Robert Megennis to lean-on.  Megennis, who has had a disappointing season since winning the first race of the season in St. Petersburg, was impressive in his oval debut as only a 16 year-old at Indianapolis Raceway Park in 2016. Megennis finished in sixth, as the only rookie on the lead lap, and also ended up with the third quickest lap of the race.

The title is likely out of the question for the Megennis, but a top three championship finish is still in the picture for the New York, New York native – if he can finish the last seven races of the year strongly.

Rick Donison, Askew’s Cape Motorsports teammate, and Calvin Ming & Lucas Kohl, Veejay’s Pabst Racing teammates all have the opportunity to play an important role in the driver and team championships (see below for an update on the team championship).

All three drivers have shown that they have the pace to finish on the podium, and in the process steal valuable points from Askew and VeeKay. Don’t be surprised to see the teammate of that trio of driver(s) that finds consistency first collecting the big prize at the end of the season.

The DEForce Racing duo of Kory Enders, and Moisés de la Vara both have the opportunity to finish in the top 10 in points. An impressive feat for a pair of rookies with a brand new team. The team and drivers received help during oval testing from the experienced Peter Dempsey, and will be looking for finishes in the top half of the field to help get the final portion of the season started on the right foot.

It appears that the switch to kickstart stand-out karter Dev Gore’s season was turned to the ON position at Road America. The 19 year-old had improved pace in both qualifying and both races, and his 12th and 11th place finishes were the best of his season.

Rumors regarding a return to the Mazda Road To Indy presented by Cooper Tire (MRTI) by talented young Frenchman Alex Baron began circulating just before the season opener in St. Petersburg, but it took until this weekend’s race at Iowa Speedway to come to fruition. The 22 year-old who’s last MRTI race was an Indy Lights victory in Toronto with Belardi Auto Racing in 2014, will return to America with ArmsUp Motorsports’ USF2000 program. In a dozen starts between USF2000 and Indy Lights the 2012 French F4 Champion has three wins, two poles and six podiums, but he has been out of the car for two seasons while trying to put together an opportunity to return to the U.S.A.

Baron will team with John Walko, the experienced Arms Up engineer who was able to guide Victor Franzoni to third in the USF2000 championship in 2016. Walko also helped Aaron Telitz win in his first USF2000 oval race at Indianapolis Raceway Park in 2014.

22 year-old Frenchman Alex Baron will rejoin the MRTI for the USF2000 race at Iowa Speedway. His last appearance in North America was an Indy Lights victory in Toronto in 2014. (Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)

Baron should help the Brent Borland led team to move their USF2000 program forward, and will be able to serve as a mentor to current Devin Wojcik. The 17 year-old Wojcik is coming off his best USF2000 weekend of the year at Road America, scoring two top tens, and moving from up two spots in the points standings. Don’t be surprised if the up-state New Yorker, who has shown steady progress so far in 2017, takes that next step forward with under the tutelage of the more experienced Baron.

The USF2000 teams have all done some oval testing with their drivers. The two most popular locations were the fairly flat 0.686 mile oval at Indianapolis Raceway Park, and the moderately banked 0.75 mile oval at Memphis International Raceway.

But, a very big but, the foot-to-floor variably banked Iowa Speedway should be a completely new experience for every single one of these drivers.

The driver that most quickly comes to grips with the constant speed, while learning not to slide their Cooper Tire slicks, will be the driver that visits victory lane on Sunday afternoon.

The drivers will get their first look at the ⅞ths of mile Iowa Speedway during a three-hour promoter test session on Friday afternoon. Make sure to check back on Friday evening for our full report on that session.

On Saturday, the drivers will have an autograph session at 2:45pm in the Verizon IndyCar Series Fan Village before taking to the track for a 45-minute practice session at 4:30pm. Qualifying for the 60 lap race is at 9:15am on Sunday, and the green flag for the Mazda Iowa 60 Presented by Cooper Tires flies at 1:05pm.

Team championship battle heats up

While the driver’s championship has tightened up, the team championship also bears watching. The last five consecutive prizes handed out for the top USF2000 team at the annual awards banquet have gone to Cape Motorsports, and the St. Petersburg, Fla. based team entered the Road America weekend with a 23 point advantage over Team Pelfrey and a 31 point gap to third place Pabst Racing.

However, after winning twice and snagging four of the six trophies on offer at their “home” race, Pabst Racing heads to Iowa Speedway with a 30 point lead over friendly rivals Cape Motorsports, and a 37 point lead over third place Team Pelfrey.

No, their isn’t “huge bucks” on the line (it was $4,000 last year), but their always pride, and more importantly bragging rights to help you sell your team to potential drivers. Definitely a fun side battle to watch over the last seven races of the season.

Also, a quick shoutout to Exclusive Autosport. The Saskatoon, Saskatchewan based team that is lead by Michael and Kimberly Duncalfe currently sits fourth in the team championship, and is the highest placed of the four “new for 2017” teams.

Cooper Tires USF2000 Powered by Mazda Team Points Thru Road America

RANK TEAM TEAM POINTS
1 Pabst Racing 200
2 Cape Motorsports 170
3 Team Pelfrey 163
4 Exclusive Autosport 117
5 Newman Wachs Racing 67
6 DEForce Racing 47
7 John Cummiskey Racing 34
8 RJB Motorsports 32
9 ArmsUp Motorsports 31
10 Benik 26

 

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MRTI at Road America – Saturday – USF2000 Race #2 – Quick notes and results

Posted by  on Saturday, June 24th 2017     

As the 19 entires came up the hill to start the final USF2000 race of the weekend, third place starter David Malukas was able to quickly grab the lead. He was able to hold that lead for until they crossed the line to start the second lap.

At the completion of the first lap, the top 10 were: David Malukas, Rinus VeeKay, Oliver Askew, Parker Thompson, Kaylen Frederick, Robert Megennis, Calvin Ming, Colin Kaminsky, Lucas Kohl, and Kory Enders.

VeeKay was able to get by Malukas for the lead before the yellow flag came out for Darren Keane and Jacob Loomis, who made contact in Turn 6. Neither the Newman Wachs Racing nor Team Pelfrey driver who started in ninth and 10th, were not able to continue.

The race restarted on Lap 4, with VeeKay holding off Malukas into Turn 1. Malukas was able to get better run off Turn 1 and the two drivers went side-by-side from Turn 3, down the Moraine Sweep, and through Turn 5 before VeeKay was able to pull ahead of the Chicago, Ill. driver.

Directly behind the leading twosome, Thompson made a move on Askew for third, but was not able to make the pass, losing momentum and fall down to the seventh.

With 10 minutes left in the race and seven laps complete, VeeKay held only a 0.37 second lead over Malukas, who was not able to fully concentrate on the driver in front of him as Askew was pressuring the black and white No. 79 BN Racing entry.

Robert Megennis, who won the first race of the year in St. Petersburg, had contact on Lap 7. The New York, N.Y. based driver who was battling with Thompson at the time was forced pit road for repairs and ended up finishing a disappointing …th.

VeeKay was able to pull a slight gap up front while Malukas, Askew and Ming were all running nose to tail in a great fight for the final spot on the podium.

VeeKay led the field under the white flag, with Malukas, Askew and Ming forming a train of three cars battling for the final two spots on the podium. Ming, who had just turned the quickest lap of the race, was able to get by Askew, and immediately began to put pressure on Malukas. The 16 year-old was able to hold off Ming until the final corner when the rookie spun, handing the second step of the podium to Ming and allowing Askew to sneak back onto the podium, his seventh in eight races.

Cooper Tires Grand Prix of Road America Powered by Mazda Race #2 Results

RANK CAR NO. DRIVER TEAM GAP
1 21 Rinus VeeKay Pabst Racing
2 22 Calvin Ming Pabst Racing 1.6698
3 3 Oliver Askew Cape Motorsports 2.2994
4 81 Kaylen Frederick Team Pelfrey 4.0501
5 90 Parker Thompson Exclusive Autosport 7.4081
6 23 Lucas Kohl Pabst Racing 9.3499
7 11 Kory Enders DEForce Racing 10.2433
8 27 Colin Kaminsky John Cummiskey Racing 11.5303
9 7 Devin Wojcik ArmsUp Motorsports 16.7750
10 2 Ricky Donison Cape Motorsports 22.1585
11 92 Dev Gore Exclusive Autosport 24.0193
12 97 Bruna Tomaselli ArmsUp Motorsports 25.5443
13 12 Moises de la Vara DEForce Racing 57.3040
14 79 David Malukas BN Racing -1 Lap
15 80 Robert Megennis Team Pelfrey -1 Lap
16 93 Jayson Clunie Exclusive Autosport -2 Laps
17 20 Chandler Horton RJB Motorsports -2 Laps
18 82 Jacob Loomis Team Pelfrey -11 Laps
19 36 Darren Keane Newman Wachs Racing – 11 Laps
category: Cooper Tires USF2000 powered by Mazda - TSO, USF2000 News/Results
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USF2000 at Road America – Friday – Rinus VeeKay and Pabst Racing on a roll – score win and pole in a four hour span

Posted by  on Friday, June 23rd 2017     

Race #1 report

After five straight wins by Oliver Askew, it was Pabst Racing rookie Rinus VeeKay who led 11 laps on the way to his first Cooper Tires USF2000 Powered by Mazda victory. Askew, the pilot of the Mazda sponsored Soul Red machine, and the current championship leader ran into trouble for the first time this season.

“It feels so great to finally win,” exclaimed winner VeeKay.  “When I was coming up the hill to the finish, I was just screaming on the radio – my engineer must have pain in his ears! I was so happy for me and for the team, to finally get a win and for it to be here, at their home race.

“I learned to be very patient in this race. I was behind Oliver (Askew) and David (Malukas) early and sometimes when I made a move, it worked and sometimes I made a little mistake. But I learned from it. It was a great battle – we touched wheels but it was very fair, a real fight like you want to have. I love this track, it reminds me of Spa, with the long straights with very technical corners. It really brings the driving part of you out. I can’t wait for tomorrow!”

VeeKay’s victory (and pole for Race #2), combined with Askew’s problems, has allowed the 16 year-old to close within 33 points of the points leader.

After a surprise pole, David Malukas led his first three MRTI laps, and was able to bring his No. 79 machine home in second spot. This was only the third USF2000 race for the 16 year-old karting standout, who is also taking part in a full season of the ADAC Formul 4 (German Formula 4) Championship. Malukas plans to contest the remainder of the 2017 USF2000 season, as long as it doesn’t interfere with his European plans.

Pabst Racing sophomore Lucas Kohl rounded out the podium, besting his best previous USF2000 finish of sixth last year on the road course at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Kohl told TSO that his first USF2000 podium was better late than never, and that the series is so competitive and that he’s taken his time getting comfortable and this was the weekend that he put everything together.

Calvin Ming brought his Pabst Racing No. 22 home in the fourth spot, meaning the Oconomowoc, Wisc. team bagged three of the top four spots, bringing plenty of smiles to the team that considers Road America it’s home track.

Team founder Augie Pabst, Jr has extensive experience at Road America winning two SCCA US Road Racing Championship races in 1963 and 1964. Current team principal Augie Pabst, III, raced at Road America in Sports Car Club of America events and was also a winner at Road America in a Shelby Can-Am car. The team-wide success has not just been limited to team ownership. Engineer and driver coach Tonis Kasemits has one Atlantic Series win to go along with two additional podiums. The Estonian born Kasemits has also has made one IndyCar and two USF2000 starts at Road America.

Rinus VeeKay, and his Pabst Racing family celebrate a win at their home track of Road America (Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)

Both VeeKay and Kohl explained to TSO that Kasemits with his many laps around the 14-Turn, 4.014-mile Road America road course, has been a huge help in giving them both tips to extract those last few tenths-of-a-second from the historic circuit.

Both drivers also credit Kohl’s mentor Roberto Moreno for helping them get quicker.

Points leader Askew got the jump on pole sitter, and was able to hold off the karting stand-out until Turn 5, when the Mazda powered No. 79 BN Racing Tatuus of Malukas was able to get back around the Rising Star Racing sponsored driver.

The top ten at the end of the first lap were: Malukas, Askew, VeeKay, Lucas Kohl, Moisés de la Vara, Parker Thompson, Robert Megennis, Kaylen Frederick, Devin Wojcik, and Colin Kaminsky.

On Lap 2, VeeKay led the first of his race high 11-laps, but on the next lap the Dutch driver made a mistake, letting Malukas back by him and falling to fourth.

Askew immediately put the pressure on the Malukas, who made a few questionable defensive moves that drew a warning from Race Control. The Soul Red No. 3 of Askew had a great run on Malukas and attempted to go around the outside in Canada Corner. Askew was not able to complete the pass, and fell back to fourth.

Rinus VeeKay leads David Malukas and Oliver Askew early in the first USF2000 race of the weekend at Road America (Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)

At the start of Lap 5, the top five were: Malukas, VeeKay Kohl, Askew and Thompson. Later that lap, VeeKay was able to slipstream his way back to the lead, and was able to pull out to a half-second lead.

On the same lap, Moisés de la Vara went wide and through the gravel trap at the exit of Turn 14, the DEForce Racing rookie was running in sixth place, and fell back to

Over the next two laps, VeeKay was able to pull out a slight gap over Maluskas. Behind the leader, Askew began to move forward again, passing Kohl for third on Lap 7 and Maluskas for second on the next lap.

After a hectic first half of the race, things settled down at the front of the field, but Ming, Megennis, Frederick, and Kaminsky were having a  battle for sixth through ninth place.

Ming, who started the race in the 15th after a disappointing qualifying effort, was able to finish the race in fourth. The 11 spots gained by the driver from Guyana, was the most of any driver in the field.

It was on Lap 10 that Askew was forced to pit road. The two drivers that were right behind Askew at the time, Malukas and Kohl, told TSO that Askew got sideways through Canada Corner and both were able to get past him coming up the hill to Billy Mitchell Bend (Turn 13). TSO was able to confirm with Cape Motorsports that the No. 3 lost a camber shim.

The team was able to make repairs, but Askew lost a lap and finished the race in a disappointing 17th place, his worst result so far in 2017. One slight consolation for the 20 year-old was that he was able to set the quickest lap of the race, collecting the single bonus point that goes with that.

With three laps to go, VeeKay had built his lead to 3.6 seconds over Malukas, while Kohl was another few seconds behind. Behind the spread out top 3, there were some fantastic battles. Ming was pressuring Thompson for fourth, and Frederick, Meggenis, Kaminsky, and Wojick were running together looking for the sixth spot.

Frederick after having two offs and and falling down to 15th, was able to recover to finish sixth.  Wojick, in eighth, and Kaminsky in ninth, both had their best results of the year.

The top five in points after the race are:

1 – Oliver Askew 193

2 – Rinus VeeKay (-34)

3 – Kaylen Frederick (-68)

4 – Parker Thompson (-76)

5 – Robert Megennis (-97)

Results of the Cooper Tires Grand Prix of Road America Powered by Mazda USF2000 Race #1

RANK NO. DRIVER TEAM GAP
1 21 Rinus VeeKay Pabst Racing 14 laps
2 79 David Malukas BN Racing 5.9845
3 23 Lucas Kohl Pabst Racing 7.3351
4 22 Calvin Ming Pabst Racing 9.3385
5 90 Parker Thompson Exclusive Autosport 11.5644
6 81 Kaylen Frederick Team Pelfrey 12.5771
7 80 Robert Megennis Team Pelfrey 15.2694
8 7 Devin Wojcik ArmsUp Motorsports 16.8060
9 27 Colin Kaminsky John Cummiskey Racing 17.0293
10 36 Darren Keane Newman Wachs Racing 18.6206
11 82 Jacob Loomis Team Pelfrey 22.3908
12 92 Dev Gore Exclusive Autosport 30.4820
13 12 Moises de la Vara DEForce Racing 34.3241
14 93 Jayson Clunie Exclusive Autosport 43.0954
15 2 Ricky Donison Cape Motorsports 22.3536
16 11 Kory Enders DEForce Racing – 1 LAP
17 3 Oliver Askew Cape Motorsports – 1 LAP
18 20 Chandler Horton RJB Motorsports – 1 LAP
19 97 Bruna Tomaselli ArmsUp Motorsports – 2 LAPS

Race #2 qualifying

The USF2000 teams only had four hours between the end of the first race of the weekend and their second qualifying session of the day. That time period wasn’t long enough to cool down Rinus VeeKay and Pabst Racing, who continued their hot streak by taking the pole for the second USF2000 race of the weekend.

Rinus VeeKay scored his first pole of his Mazda Road To Indy presented by Cooper Tire career (Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)

VeeKay’s quickest lap clocked in at 2 minutes,10.640 seconds, and just pipped the qualifying track record of 2 minutes,10.762 seconds that was set by current Verizon IndyCar Series driver Spencer Pigot in 2011. This is the first pole of the year for the second-generation driver from Hoofddorp, in the Netherlands.

Championship leader Oliver Askew will start on the outside of the front row for the second straight race. Race #1 pole-sitter Malukas will start his fourth career USF2000 race on the inside of the second row, and will joined on that row by veteran Canadian USF2000 competitor Parker Thompson.

Cooper Tires Grand Prix of Road America Powered by Mazda qualifying for race #2

RANK CAR NO. DRIVER TEAM QUICK LAP GAP
1 21 Rinus VeeKay Pabst Racing 2:10.640 –.—-
2 3 Oliver Askew Cape Motorsports 2:10.818 0.1779
3 79 David Malukas BN Racing 2:10.973 0.3326
4 90 Parker Thompson Exclusive Autosport 2:11.039 0.3989
5 22 Calvin Ming Pabst Racing 2:11.193 0.5525
6 81 Kaylen Frederick Team Pelfrey 2:11.272 0.6314
7 23 Lucas Kohl Pabst Racing 2:11.317 0.6766
8 80 Robert Megennis Team Pelfrey 2:11.330 0.6902
9 11 Kory Enders DEForce Racing 2:11.556 0.9154
10 82 Jacob Loomis Team Pelfrey 2:11.861 1.2210
11 36 Darren Keane Newman Wachs Racing 2:11.879 1.2386
12 27 Colin Kaminsky John Cummiskey Racing 2:11.952 1.3123
13 12 Moises de la Vara DEForce Racing 2:12.112 1.4716
14 2 Ricky Donison Cape Motorsports 2:12.410 1.7700
15 92 Dev Gore Exclusive Autosport 2:12.648 2.0079
16 97 Bruna Tomaselli ArmsUp Motorsports 2:12.745 2.1050
17 7 Devin Wojcik ArmsUp Motorsports 2:12.959 2.3186
18 93 Jayson Clunie Exclusive Autosport 2:13.838 3.1977
19 20 Chandler Horton RJB Motorsports 2:15.197 4.5573

The final USF2000 race of the weekend rolls off on Saturday at 1:10pm.

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MRTI at Road America – Friday – USF2000 and Pro Mazda Qualifying – Indy Lights Practice

Posted by  on Friday, June 23rd 2017     

Qualifying notes and results for the first of two Cooper Tires Grand Prix of Road America Powered by Mazda

Parker Thompson, Oliver Askew, Rinus Van Kalmthout and David Malukas were all on point during a hectic five minutes of qualifying, and in a somewhat of a surprise it was Malukas’ lap of 2 minutes, 12.797 seconds that ended up being the quickest of the session.

After starting on pole in four straight races, championship leader Oliver Askew had to settle with an outside front row, but it could have been much worse. Askew was one of the last drivers to get a timed lap in before the checkered flag, and started that lap down in seventh place.

Rinus Van Kalmthout, who is in second place in the championship will start the race in third, and DEForce Racing rookie Moisés de la Vara rounds out a front two rows comprised completely of first year drivers. The fourth place start is the best of de la Vara’s MRTI career.

If they weren’t already awake, the early arriving campers for the KOHLER Grand Prix received an 8 a.m. wake-up call when the buzzing Mazda 2.0L engines of the USF2000 took to the 14-Turn, 4.014-mile Road America road course for their first qualifying session.

After heavy overnight rains there were still some damp spots, especially around Turn 3 and on the backside of the course through the Kettle Bottoms and Canada Corner, forcing the drivers to be cautious. There were still some early spinners, but the drivers were able to keep the engines lit and there were no red flags.

At the half-way point of the session, the top five were Kaylen Frederick, Parker Thompson, Robert Megennis, Rinus Van Kalmthout, and Moisés de la Vara.

Early lap times were in the 2 minute, 25 second range, but quickly began to fall, and with five minutes left in the times had fallen into the 2 minute, 16 second range, before dropping another four seconds on the drying track in the final four minutes.

Qualifying results for the first Cooper Tires Grand Prix of Road America Powered by Mazda

RANK CAR NO. DRIVER TEAM QUICK LAP GAP
1 79 David Malukas BN Racing 2:12.797 –.—-
2 3 Oliver Askew Cape Motorsports 2:13.698 0.9005
3 21 Rinus VeeKay Pabst Racing 2:14.078 1.2812
4 12 Moises de la Vara DEForce Racing 2:14.363 1.5657
5 23 Lucas Kohl Pabst Racing 2:14.404 1.6070
6 80 Robert Megennis Team Pelfrey 2:14.487 1.6899
7 90 Parker Thompson Exclusive Autosport 2:14.733 1.9362
8 7 Devin Wojcik ArmsUp Motorsports 2:15.276 2.4784
9 92 Dev Gore Exclusive Autosport 2:15.489 2.6920
10 11 Kory Enders DEForce Racing 2:15.511 2.7132
11 82 Jacob Loomis Team Pelfrey 2:15.564 2.7663
12 81 Kaylen Frederick Team Pelfrey 2:15.654 2.8569
13 36 Darren Keane Newman Wachs Racing 2:15.829 3.0322
14 27 Colin Kaminsky John Cummiskey Racing 2:17.074 4.2771
15 22 Calvin Ming Pabst Racing 2:17.127 4.3293
16 93 Jayson Clunie Exclusive Autosport 2:17.744 4.9463
17 2 Ricky Donison Cape Motorsports 2:18.226 5.4292
18 20 Chandler Horton RJB Motorsports 2:19.076 6.2784
19 97 Bruna Tomaselli ArmsUp Motorsports 2:20.356 7.5591

 

Qualifying notes and results for the second Pro Mazda Grand Prix of Road America Presented by Allied Building Products

The second Pro Mazda qualifying session the KOHLER Grand Prix weekend at Road America was a great reminder of why waiting to go out to set a quick lap in qualifying is a smart policy.

Reigning Cooper Tires USF2000 Powered by Mazda Champion Anthony Martin will start on the pole for the third time this year, and for the 10th time in his three season MRTI career.

Martin, who started the weekend six points behind championship leader Victor Franzoni but fell seven points behind after the Juncos Racing Brazilian earned one point for scoring an easy pole in yesterday afternoon’s qualifying session.

However, Franzoni will have a lot of work to do in Saturday’s second Pro Mazda race, as the 21 year-old was not able to turn a hot lap during the session.

With ten-minutes left in the session, Frazoni had just took to the 14-Turn, 4.014-mile Road America road course, but during Franzoni’s out lap, Bob Kaminsky spun in Turn 3, bringing out the red flag. At just past the half-way point of the qualifying session the top five were Martin, TJ Fischer, Nikita Lastochkin, Carlos Cunha, and Max Hanratty.

The track went green again with only five-and-a-half minutes left, giving Franzoni just enough time for one out lap and one flyer. However, just before Franzoni passed the timing line on what would have been a pole winning pole lap that of 2 minutes, 8.452 seconds, Kris Wright spun and hit the tire barriers in the tricky Turn 3. Therefore, Fraznoni’s lap didn’t count, and he will start dead last in the 15 car field.

TJ Fischer, who made his Pro Mazda debut on this weekend last year, will start on the outside of the front row for the third straight race.

Fisher’s two Team Pelfrey teammates, rookies Carlos Cunha and Nikita Lastochkin will start on the second row.

Qualifying results for the second Pro Mazda Grand Prix of Road America Presented by Allied Building Products

RANK CAR NO. DRIVER TEAM QUICKEST LAP GAP
1 8 Anthony Martin Cape Motorsports 2:08.586 –.—-
2 82 TJ Fischer Team Pelfrey 2:09.418 0.8318
3 80 Nikita Lastochkin Team Pelfrey 2:09.960 1.3743
4 81 Carlos Cunha Team Pelfrey 2:10.051 1.4648
5 6 Max Hanratty ArmsUp Motorsports 2:13.210 4.6242
6 14 Sting Ray Robb World Speed Motorsports 2:13.521 4.9346
7 13 Bobby Eberle World Speed Motorsports 2:13.594 5.0082
8 60 Jeff Green Juncos Racing 2:15.023 6.4367
9 12 Kris Wright JDC Motorsports 2:15.355 6.7687
10 57 Bob Kaminsky Kaminsky Racing 2:16.702 8.1156
11 31 Brendan Puderbach FatBoy Racing 2:17.699 9.1129
12 2 Dave Zavelson Unfair Advantage Motorsports 2:18.708 10.1214
13 5 Kevin Bury Unfair Advantage Motorsports 2:24.273 15.6867
14 83 Charles Finelli FatBoy Racing 2:35.078 26.4915
15 23 Victor Franzoni Juncos Racing 5:08.698 3:00.1114

 

A quick note from yesterday’s Pro Mazda qualifying session. A total of seven drivers were penalized two grid positions for doing an extra lap after getting the checkered flag. Those drivers were Bobby Eberle, Sting Ray Robb, Bob Kaminsky, Jeff Green, TJ Fischer, and Charles Finelli. While this might seem harsh, when you have six different series running between 8am through 5:40pm with short breaks, keeping on schedule can be a challenge and “blowing the checkered” on a 4.014 mile road course steals three or four minutes from schedule.

The new starting order for the first Pro Mazda race that will roll off later this afternoon is.

  1. Victor Franzoni – Juncos Racing
  2. Anthony Martin – Cape Motorsports
  3. Carlos Cunha – Team Pelfrey
  4. Nikita Lastochkin – Team Pelfrey
  5. Kris Wright – JDC Motorsports
  6. TJ Fischer – Team Pelfrey
  7. Brenden Puderbach – Fat Boy Racing
  8. Sting Ray Robb – World Speed Motorsports
  9. Max Hanratty – ArmsUp Motorsports
  10. Bob Kaminsky – Kaminsky Racing
  11. Bobby Eberle – World Speed Motorsports
  12. Jeff Green – Juncos Racing
  13. Dave Zavelson – Unfair Advantage Motorsports
  14. Kevin Bury – Unfair Advantage Motorsports
  15. Charles Finelli – Fat Boy Racing

USF2000 is next on track for their first race of the weekend at 11:45am (Central), and Pro Mazda is next on track at 1:35pm (Central) for their first of two races doing the KOHLER Grand Prix.

Practice notes and results for the Mazda Indy Lights Grand Prix of Road America Presented by Allied Building Products

Current championship leader Kyle Kaiser, with a lap of 1 minute, 53.876 seconds, led the lone Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tire practice before the highest rung of the MRTI qualifies for their first race of the weekend later this afternoon.

Carlin sophomore Zachary Claman DeMelo, who did his first Verizon IndyCar Series test with Schmidt Peterson Motorsports at Road America last week, had the second quickest lap, and his Carlin teammate Neil Alberico had the third quickest lap. Wisconsin driver Aaron Telitz and Freedom 100 winner Matheus Leist rounded out the top five.

Championship contender and two-time race winner Colton Herta was not able to turn any laps during the 45 minute session after his Andretti-Steinbrenner Racing crew found a fuel leak on the Deltro Energy sponsored No. 98.

Practice times for the Mazda Indy Lights Grand Prix of Road America Presented by Allied Building Products

RANK CAR NO. DRIVER TEAM QUICK LAP GAP
1 18 Kyle Kaiser Juncos Racing 1:53.876 –.—-
2 13 Zachary Claman De Melo Carlin 1:54.001 0.1249
3 22 Neil Alberico Carlin 1:54.098 0.2220
4 9 Aaron Telitz Belardi Auto Racing 1:54.200 0.3234
5 26 Matheus Leist Carlin 1:54.387 0.5106
6 2 Juan Piedrahita Team Pelfrey 1:54.547 0.6710
7 48 Ryan Norman Andretti Autosport 1:54.642 0.7660
8 31 Nicolas Dapero Juncos Racing 1:54.646 0.7703
9 27 Nico Jamin Andretti Autosport 1:54.654 0.7783
10 28 Dalton Kellett Andretti Autosport 1:54.766 0.8899
11 11 Garth Rickards Carlin 1:55.080 1.2042
12 51 Shelby Blackstock Belardi Auto Racing 1:55.101 1.2247
13 5 Santi Urrutia Belardi Auto Racing 1:55.196 1.3201
14 98 Colton Herta Andretti Steinbrenner Racing No Time —

The Indy Lights drivers will be back on track at 2:30pm for their first qualifying session.

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category: Cooper Tires USF2000 powered by Mazda - TSO, Indy Lights News/Results, Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tire - TSO, Pro Mazda News/Results, Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire - TSO, USF2000 News/Results
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