2011 Firestone Indy Lights Thread

All about the IRL Indy Pro Series and the Atlantic Championship

Moderators: Ed, mlittle

mlittle
Forum Hall of Fame
Forum Hall of Fame
Posts: 11205
Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2005 12:51 pm
Location: At the F1 Idiots Bar.............where else?
Contact:

Versus To Begin Indy Lights Coverage at Barber in 2011

Post by mlittle » Sun Apr 10, 2011 5:04 pm

Image

---VERSUS’ live coverage of the 2011 Firestone Indy Lights season takes the green flag with the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama from Barber Motorsports Park at 1 p.m. (ET) April 10.

The IZOD IndyCar Series television window on VERSUS will expand to five hours to include the live broadcasts of Firestone Indy Lights events at Barber Motorsports Park, the streets of Long Beach, Iowa Speedway, streets of Toronto, Edmonton City Centre Airport, streets of Baltimore and Kentucky Speedway. The Firestone Indy Lights standalone event – the Grand Prix of Trois Rivieres on the streets of Trois Rivieres, Quebec – will be taped for air at a later date.

Kevin Lee will host the broadcast with Mike King as the main announcer and Willy T. Ribbs as analyst. Jake Query will serve as pit reporter for the telecasts.

King, the lead announcer for the IMS Radio Network since 1999, has been a member of the Firestone Indy Lights broadcast team since 2007. He served as a pit reporter for Firestone Indy Lights telecasts for the 2007-08 season and was the lead announcer for Firestone Indy Lights TV broadcasts in 2009.

In his nearly 25 years of professional auto racing, Ribbs has achieved many firsts, including being the first African-American to qualify and compete in the Indianapolis 500 as well as Indy car. He also has competed in both NASCAR & Trans-Am competition.

Query, an Indianapolis native who has worked in local television and radio since 2001, is a veteran of the IMS Radio Network, calling IZOD IndyCar Series races since 2007.

Lee has covered the IZOD IndyCar Series since 2001 as part of the IMS Radio Network and has served as a pit reporter for VERSUS’ broadcasts of IZOD IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights coverage since 2009. He also hosts a weekly motorsports radio show in Indianapolis.
The Sci-Fi Station Come by and visit when you get the chance. :)
The Wayward Tarheel I'm even in the blogosphere.... :shock:

mlittle
Forum Hall of Fame
Forum Hall of Fame
Posts: 11205
Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2005 12:51 pm
Location: At the F1 Idiots Bar.............where else?
Contact:

Wire-To-Wire For Garcia in Dixie.........

Post by mlittle » Mon Apr 11, 2011 4:26 pm

Image

---BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- For 36 laps and through two restarts at Barber Motorsports Park, Victor Garcia had his hands full with Stefan Wilson.
The No. 5 Andretti Autosport car was a constant in the mirrors of Garcia, whose largest lap advantage following a Lap 20 restart was 0.8261 of a second and the smallest 0.1663 of a second on Lap 38 of 40. But the Spaniard, who turned 21 on March 10, prevailed in what turned out to be a two-car race.

“He was trying to overtake me, but this track is quite difficult. I was pushing, pushing, pushing and was thinking that I cannot make any mistakes,” said Garcia, the pole sitter who led every lap to win the Firestone Indy Lights race.

Garcia, making his second start in the No. 22 TMR-Xtreme Coil Drilling car, held off Wilson by 0.3125 of a second on the 2.38-mile, 17-turn natural-terrain course. The drivers also dueled in the season opener on the streets of St. Petersburg, Fla., on March 27 with a different result. Their cars tangled on the first lap and Garcia, who started seventh, wound up 15th. Wilson, who started fourth, fell to 16th.

“This is a great win for Team Moore after the season opener in St. Petersburg,” Garcia said. “It is an interesting week because in St. Pete I crashed with Stefan and today we finished first and second. I am looking forward to taking this momentum to Long Beach.”

Wilson jumped to second on the first lap after front-row starter Esteban Guerrieri in the No. 7 Lucas Oil/Sam Schmidt Motorsports car made tire contact with the No. 11 car driven by Josef Newgarden and then was tapped by the No. 3 Nevoni/Sam Schmidt Motorsports car driven by Victor Carbone.

Wilson was within two car lengths of Garcia from Lap 30 on. “I knew it was going to be hard, but I didn't realize quite how hard,” said Wilson, brother of IZOD IndyCar Series driver Justin Wilson. “I pushed him as hard as I could, and it wasn't enough. I brought pressure to him, but he did a really good job. He didn't make any mistakes, and he made it really tough for me to pass.”

Peter Dempsey, who started eighth in the No. 36 Pulse/02 Racing car, finished third and Jorge Goncalvez advanced 10 positions to fourth in the No. 4 Beladi Auto Racing Special. Mikael Grenier was fifth in the No. 63 Cell Safety/02 Racing entry and Newgarden rallied to grab sixth in the No. 11 Robo-Pong/Sam Schmidt Motorsports car.

“This was a great finish after being so sick all week prior to today,” said Dempsey, who also was third at St. Pete. “I knew it was going to be a difficult race for me, but I had to keep my nose clean and bring the car home without getting into trouble. You never know where you can end up but it feels great to be on the podium."

Top-10 from the heart of Dixie.........
1st} Victor Garcia, Team Moore Racing, 40 laps
2nd} Stefan Wilson, Andretti Autosport, -0.313 sec
3rd} Peter Dempsey, O2 Racing Tech., -16.325 sec
4th} Jorge Goncalvez, Belardi Auto Racing, -19.487 sec
5th} Mikael Grenier, O2 Racing Tech., -22.007 sec
6th} Josef Newgarden, Sam Schmidt Mtrspts., -23.413 sec
7th} Duarte Ferreira, Bryan Herta Autosport, -26.452 sec
8th} Juan Pablo Garcia, Jensen Mtrspts., -28.408 sec
9th} Anders Krohn, Liberty Eng. Racing, -32.976 sec
10th} James Winslow, Andretti Autosport, -33.306 sec
The Sci-Fi Station Come by and visit when you get the chance. :)
The Wayward Tarheel I'm even in the blogosphere.... :shock:

mlittle
Forum Hall of Fame
Forum Hall of Fame
Posts: 11205
Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2005 12:51 pm
Location: At the F1 Idiots Bar.............where else?
Contact:

Post by mlittle » Mon Apr 11, 2011 4:30 pm

Current 2011 Firestone Indy Lights Standings
Event: Alabama Grand Prix[rd.2 of 13]


1st} Josef Newgarden, 80 pts(1 win)
2nd} Peter Dempsey, 70 pts
3rd} Victor Garcia, 68 pts(1 win)
4th} Conor Daly, 59 pts
5th} Mikael Grenier, 56 pts
6th} Stefan Wilson, 54 pts
7th} Anders Krohn, 52 pts
8th} Jorge Goncalvez, 51 pts
9th} Duarte Ferreira, 50 pts
10th} David Ostella, 49 pts
The Sci-Fi Station Come by and visit when you get the chance. :)
The Wayward Tarheel I'm even in the blogosphere.... :shock:

mlittle
Forum Hall of Fame
Forum Hall of Fame
Posts: 11205
Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2005 12:51 pm
Location: At the F1 Idiots Bar.............where else?
Contact:

Guerrieri Leads Opening Practice At the Beach

Post by mlittle » Sat Apr 16, 2011 10:20 am

Image

----LONG BEACH, Calif. – Esteban Guerrieri joked that he was first and last on the Timing & Scoring sheet for the lone Firestone Indy Lights practice session on the 1.968-mile, 11-turn Long Beach street course.
Sure it was an anomaly. Guerrieri was quickest in the 60-minute session with a lap of 1 minute, 15.6670 seconds in the No. 77 Mazda Road to Indy/Sam Schmidt Motorsports car – filling the seat of teammate Conor Daly, who was traveling from Europe. It was fortuitous for the young Argentinian.

“I had a mechanical issue with the (No. 7 Lucas Oil/Sam Schmidt Motorsports) car,” said Guerrieri, who has started on the front row in both of the races this season. “The driveshaft broke so I only did one lap. Unfortunately, my teammate isn’t here because of his GP3 commitments, so his car was available. I had to know the track and it was useful for the team because his car needed to be shaken down. We went out and put some laps together to get familiar with everything and in the end we were first.”

Daly is expected at the venue in time for the 45-minute session that precedes the hour-long qualifying April 16. “It was good to shake it down for the (No. 77) team and for me,” Guerrieri added. “It was a good 10 laps and now we have information for tomorrow.”

James Winslow, driving the No. 26 Andretti Autosport car, was second quick (1:16.0106) and Gustavo Yacaman was third (1:16.0227) in the No. 2 TMR-Tuvacol-Xtreme Coil Drilling entry. “We ran on old tires so I am very pleased to be the second fastest in the practice session,” who has consecutive 10th-place finishes. “I feel like we still had a lot left in the car. The team did a fantastic job and the car is really good this weekend. I am hoping that I can turn this into a good result for tomorrow’s qualifying.”

Another Sam Schmidt Motorsports driver, Josef Newgarden, was fourth on the chart (1:16.1137) and Stefan Wilson, runner-up at Barber Motorsports Park earlier in the week, was fifth (1:16.3644).
The Sci-Fi Station Come by and visit when you get the chance. :)
The Wayward Tarheel I'm even in the blogosphere.... :shock:

mlittle
Forum Hall of Fame
Forum Hall of Fame
Posts: 11205
Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2005 12:51 pm
Location: At the F1 Idiots Bar.............where else?
Contact:

Post by mlittle » Sun Apr 17, 2011 9:08 am

Image


----LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Esteban Guerrieri was seventh on the time chart with 20 minutes left in Firestone Indy Lights qualifications on the streets of Long Beach. With 5 minutes remaining in the hour-long session, the driver of the No. 7 Lucas Oil/Sam Schmidt Motorsports car wasn't even in the top 10 of the tight pack. But that changed in the next few laps on the 1.968-mile, 12-turn circuit.

Guerrieri recorded his quickest lap of the session of 1 minute, 14.0537 seconds to move to P2 -- less than one-tenth of a second behind Peter Dempsey in the No. 36 Pulse/O2 Racing car. Two laps later -- his 29th -- and with 2:20 left, Guerrieri jumped to the point with a lap of 1:13.6957. Dempsey didn't have an answer to the fastest lap of the weekend by the 17 contestants.

Guerrieri will start from the pole in the 45-lap race April 17 – his second of the young season -- looking for his first Firestone Indy Lights victory. “I like this track and I feel comfortable on it,” said Guerrieri, who logged only one lap in the No. 7 car during the lone practice April 15 because of a gearbox issue. “We were a bit slow in the beginning because we started to pick up understeer and I thought if I pushed harder that it would eliminate that, but it just made the understeer worse.

“The team put on the second set of Firestone tires and we made some slight changes to the car. I was able to go back out and in the heat of the moment get my fastest lap and claim the pole. It was a huge team effort and I think we have a good chance to win from the pole.”

Guerrieri’s pole start in the season opener on the streets of St. Petersburg translated to sixth place, and he was saddled with 15th place (contact on the first lap) at Barber Motorsports Park after starting second. “I am really enjoying being on the pole here at Long Beach considering what happened at Barber,” he said. “I couldn’t finish the race there, so turning around and getting the pole is a great accomplishment. Our car is very quick this weekend.”

Dempsey, who posted a best lap of 1:14.0014 with 10 minutes left in the session, earned his initial front-row start of the season. He's turned starting positions of fifth and eighth into consecutive third-place finishes at St. Petersburg and the Barber Motorsports Park road course. “We put on a new set of Firestone tires and then had a quick lap and were placed on the pole,” said Dempsey, of Ireland. “Josef Newgarden caught me in the middle of the session so I went back out on my last set of Firestones and held the pole for the most of the remaining session. Esteban Guerrieri took over the pole at the very end. My team did a great job and I am very pleased with qualifying on the front row for the first time this year.”

The top 10 qualifiers were separated by a second.

Josef Newgarden, the race winner at St. Pete from the inside of Row 2, will start third in the No. 11 Robo-Pong/Sam Schmidt Motorsports car (1:14.0334) and Conor Daly (1:14.1811) in the No. 77 Mazda Road to Indy/Sam Schmidt Motorsports car will join him on Row 2. Daly missed the April 15 practice session as his return flight from Spain didn’t arrive in time.

“That second set (of tires), we just got three laps in a row and it just bit us,” Newgarden said. “I just got over-zealous on the last set. I couldn’t get the time out of the last set. With the nature of this track, it’s very difficult to set a quick lap. I mean you really have to be on it. In doing that, you put yourself at risk every lap. It’s a shame we didn’t get the pole again today, but one of these days we’re going to get it.”

Anders Krohn, driving the No. 9 Liberty Engineering Racing Special for Belardi Auto Racing, and Stefan Wilson of Andretti Autosport will share Row 3. Krohn also started fifth at Barber a week earlier. Gustavo Yacaman, who briefly held P1 in the No. 2 TMR-Tuvacol-Xtreme Coil Drilling car, will start seventh, and Team Moore Racing teammate Victor Garcia will start eighth.

Juan Pablo Garcia qualified a season-high ninth in the No. 12 Freightliner Team Jensen car, and James Winslow – who was on the track in fifth place with 20 minutes left – will start 10th. The No. 26 Andretti Autosport car made left-side contact in Turn 9, which curtailed the session.
The Sci-Fi Station Come by and visit when you get the chance. :)
The Wayward Tarheel I'm even in the blogosphere.... :shock:

mlittle
Forum Hall of Fame
Forum Hall of Fame
Posts: 11205
Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2005 12:51 pm
Location: At the F1 Idiots Bar.............where else?
Contact:

Daly Prevails At The Beach.......

Post by mlittle » Mon Apr 18, 2011 12:33 pm

Image

----LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Sam Schmidt was watching two of his team’s drivers duel for the lead -- with a third less than a second behind -- anticipating a team trifecta in the 45-lap Firestone Indy Lights race on the Long Beach street circuit.

But there were still five laps remaining for Josef Newgarden, and suddenly the celebration was mixed with the team owner – a former IndyCar driver -- offering consolation to the young driver from Tennessee.

Newgarden was leading the race and Conor Daly's No. 77 Mazda Road to Indy/Sam Schmidt Motorsports car by 1.1342 seconds on Lap 41 -- looking for his second victory of the young season from the third starting position -- when the No. 11 Robo-Pong/Sam Schmidt Motorsports car's nose piled into the Turn 8 tire barrier.

The incident created a full-course caution, and Daly went on to take the checkered flag under caution. “This is probably the toughest moment I have had in my career,” said Newgarden, who was credited with 13th place. “It is not something you can plan for. It is certainly the first time this has happened to me and it isn’t a fun feeling to have. I think I just caught the drain ditch and it popped me up on the ground. I hadn’t hit it all weekend, so it caught me off-guard when it happened.

“It just caught the front end up and it was very difficult to save it. It is too bad for all the guys. I thought we were going to have a great weekend here and it is unfortunate that it finished the way it did. There is a long season ahead of us and I am anxious to test on an oval this week (at Las Vegas Motor Speedway).

Daly became the third first-time winner in as many races this season and grabbed the series points lead. But it will be short-lived as Daly is committed to the GP3 schedule he’ll run, starting in early May, with his next Firestone Indy Lights race scheduled for mid-August in Quebec. In fact, Daly missed the initial practice session of the weekend because of travel back from testing in Spain.

“I wish I could have run the first session but just missed it,” said Daly, whose father won the 2000 Pro category of the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race on the 1.968-mile, 11-turn circuit. “The car was fantastic again and that made it just a little bit easier to kind of jump in and find the limit.

“The whole race I was really just learning the track still. I kind of saw a few things Josef was doing and my car was really consistent through the whole race, so I was able to find little bits here and there and just be able to start putting quicker and quicker laps together.

“Unfortunately, he went off and it was tough to see that when Sam Schmidt Motorsports was in that position for one, two, three, but I'll take it.”

Newgarden’s incident was similar to the one involving race leader Peter Dempsey in Turn 9 of Lap 10, which profited Newgarden. “We were leading with three Sam Schmidt Motorsports cars behind me and pulling away comfortably and pushing the limit to be there,” Dempsey said. “Unfortunately, I just made my first mistake of the season at the most unfortunate time.”

Esteban Guerrieri, the pole sitter in the No. 7 Lucas Oil/Sam Schmidt Motorsports car, finished second. Stefan Wilson, who started sixth in the No. 5 Andretti Autosport car, grabbed his second consecutive podium finish. Gustavo Yacaman was a season-high fourth in the No. 2 TMR-Tuvacol-Xtreme Coil Drilling car.

James Winslow, who had a pair of 10th-place finishes, advanced five positions to finish fifth in the No. 26 Andretti Autosport entry. Victor Carbone, driving the No. 3 Nevoni/Sam Schmidt Motorsports car, posted a season-high sixth place (also moving up five positions). "We had a front-row car but after my mistake in qualifying yesterday, we started 10th and just had to pick up places,” Winslow said. “We ran a bit too much downforce and weren't able to overtake anyone in a straight line. I'm fairly happy with today, but a podium would have been that much better."


Top-10 from the Beach.............
1} Conor Daly, Sam Schmidt Mtrspts., 43 laps
2} Esteban Guerrieri, Sam Schmidt Mtrspts., -0.930 sec
3} Stefan Wilson, Andretti Autosport, -1.388 sec
4} Gustavo Yacaman, Team Moore Racing, -1.805 sec
5} James Winslow, Andretti Autosport, -2.011 sec
6} Victor Carbone, Sam Schmidt Mtrspts., -2.670 sec
7} Mikael Grenier, O2 Racing Tech., -4.044 sec
8} Anders Krohn, Belardi Auto Racing, -5.473 sec
9} David Ostella, Jensen Mtrspts., -6.960 sec
10} Jorge Goncalves, Belardi Auto Racing, -7.743 sec
The Sci-Fi Station Come by and visit when you get the chance. :)
The Wayward Tarheel I'm even in the blogosphere.... :shock:

mlittle
Forum Hall of Fame
Forum Hall of Fame
Posts: 11205
Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2005 12:51 pm
Location: At the F1 Idiots Bar.............where else?
Contact:

Post by mlittle » Mon Apr 18, 2011 12:36 pm

Current Firestone Indy Lights Top-10 Standings
Event: Long Beach Grand Prix[rd.3 of 13]


1st} Conor Daly, 109 pts(1 win)
2nd} Josef Newgarden, 99 pts(1 win)
3rd} Stefan Wilson, 89 pts
4th} Victor Garcia, 86 pts(1 win)
5th} Esteban Guerrieri, 85 pts
6th} Peter Dempsey, 83 pts
7th} Mikael Grenier, 82 pts
8th} Anders Krohn, 76 pts
t-9th}[9]David Ostella, 71 pts
t-9th}[10]Jorge Goncalves, 71 pts
The Sci-Fi Station Come by and visit when you get the chance. :)
The Wayward Tarheel I'm even in the blogosphere.... :shock:

mlittle
Forum Hall of Fame
Forum Hall of Fame
Posts: 11205
Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2005 12:51 pm
Location: At the F1 Idiots Bar.............where else?
Contact:

Teams Test On The Oval at Las Vegas

Post by mlittle » Tue Apr 26, 2011 1:25 pm

Image


----LAS VEGAS – More than a dozen Firestone Indy Lights teams converged on Las Vegas Motor Speedway’s 1.5-mile oval to test in preparation for the Oct. 15-16 IZOD INDYCAR World Championships.
Sam Schmidt, who had four drivers participating in the private test, won the 1999 Vegas.com 500 at LVMS.

“I am ecstatic to be back here at Las Vegas Motor Speedway,” Schmidt said. “It brings back good memories of winning the race in 1999. Coming back here on the oval is very long overdue. It’s really cool to come out here and watch our cars do a 30-lap side-by-side-by-side run. Everything went smoothly just as expected with the banking here and with the grip.

The grip – the downforce of our cars – will be extremely exciting for the fans. Both IndyCars and Lights will be two- and three-wide all day long. I think it’ll be a great show for the fans.”

Twenty-one-year-old Bryan Clauson of Noblesville, Ind., the 2010 USAC National Drivers Champion, joined Sam Schmidt Motorsports and tested. “I was here in 2008 with the (NASCAR) Nationwide Series,” said Clauson, “but it’s a lot different with these cars. The cars are really secure and stable and it’s going to make for some wild racing in October. It’s going to be an exciting weekend.”

Clauson is no stranger to open-wheel racing, having competed successfully in the USAC National Sprint Car Series and USAC National Midget Series. “It’s great to be a part of a multi-car team,” he said. “There’s a lot of information going around. With tests like these you can run through a lot of stuff and learn a lot more than if you were trying to do it by yourself.

“We’re running the white line (inside groove) here with the Indy Lights cars, when you’re running the stock car you’re on the fence, as close as you can get to the wall. Racing Nationwide Series cars is a different animal, but racing principles are racing principles. You draft up on a guy, you have to have the run to shoot to the outside. If you’re drafting, you have to push – two cars are faster than one. It’s a different animal, but getting some laps and knowing the layout definitely helps.“
The Sci-Fi Station Come by and visit when you get the chance. :)
The Wayward Tarheel I'm even in the blogosphere.... :shock:

mlittle
Forum Hall of Fame
Forum Hall of Fame
Posts: 11205
Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2005 12:51 pm
Location: At the F1 Idiots Bar.............where else?
Contact:

Wilson Leads Way In Lights Open Test At IMS

Post by mlittle » Sat May 14, 2011 5:33 pm

Image

---INDIANAPOLIS -- Stefan Wilson hopes that a good test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is an indication of things to come later this month.
The Englishman led the 18 drivers who participated in the one-day Open Test on the famed 2.5-mile oval with a lap of 190.571 mph in his No. 5 Andretti Autosport car.

“We had a bit of help to get (the fastest) lap, but at the end of the day, everyone had a bit help to get their fastest lap,” Wilson said. “The car felt really good. We had a few laps in traffic at the end, and the car felt even better. We were working hard all day and tried to run by ourselves for most of the day. When I got the fastest lap, it was the only time I had an actual tow.”

Team Moore Racing’s Gustavo Yacaman was the only other veteran in the top five on the speed charts, posting the second-fastest lap (189.841 mph). Yacaman’s teammate Victor Garcia, Sam Schmidt Motorsports’ Josef Newgarden and Bryan Herta Autosport’s Duarte Ferreira rounded out the top five.

Yacaman was happy to run up front, but knows things can change very quickly at Indianapolis. “We were on top (of the speed charts) for most of the day, but at the end of the day it doesn’t matter,” Yacaman said. “Last year, I was the fastest here, but at the race I was dead last because the car wasn’t good on Race Day. Today was good. The car was good in traffic, but we’ll see if we’re still good come race day.”

In all, drivers turned nearly 1,300 laps of incident-free testing. Rookie’s Rusty Mitchell (Team E) and Jorge Goncalvez (Belardi Auto Racing) each turned 88 laps, most of any drivers.

Solid debut
Spain’s Victor Garcia continues to adapt to ovals very quickly.
The Team Moore Racing driver, who claimed his first Firestone Indy Lights win at Barber Motorsports Park earlier this year, experienced the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the first time in the Firestone Indy Lights Open Test.

“I like this track a lot,” Garcia said. “It is very different from Chicago. Although I was fast there, I didn’t like that track as much as here. This is more like a road course with four turns.”

Garcia had the third-fastest time of the test and will return to Spain to complete university exams before returning for the Firestone Freedom 100.

Of Note
IZOD IndyCar Series driver Justin Wilson was on pit lane watching his younger brother Stefan Wilson test…Three-time Firestone Freedom 100 winner Wade Cunningham, who will make his IZOD IndyCar Series debut with Sam Schmidt Motorsports at Texas, was on the spotter stand helping all four of Sam Schmidt Motorsports Firestone Indy Lights drivers…Sam Schmidt hopes to move Victor Carbone from Miami to Indianapolis to be closer to the team in the near future. The 18-year-old is due to graduate from high school later this month.
The Sci-Fi Station Come by and visit when you get the chance. :)
The Wayward Tarheel I'm even in the blogosphere.... :shock:

mlittle
Forum Hall of Fame
Forum Hall of Fame
Posts: 11205
Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2005 12:51 pm
Location: At the F1 Idiots Bar.............where else?
Contact:

Post by mlittle » Fri May 27, 2011 5:00 pm

American Freedom 100 Practice Session Top-10
1} Stefan Wilson, Andretti Autosport.............47.389 sec
2} Duarte Ferreira, Bryan Herta Autosport.....47.621 sec
3} Josef Newgarten, Sam Schmidt Mtrspts.,...47.713 sec
4} Bryan Clauson, Sam Schmidt Mtrspts.,......47.720 sec
5} James Winslow, Andretti Autosport...........47.767 sec
6} Mikael Grenier, O2 Racing Tech.,...............47.801 sec
7} David Ostella, Jensen Mtrspts.,.................47.903 sec
8} Rusty Mitchell, Team Enerson....................47.922 sec
9} Esteban Guerreri, Sam Schmidt Mtrspts.,...47.934 sec
10} Jorge Goncalvez, Belardi Auto Racing......48.012 sec
The Sci-Fi Station Come by and visit when you get the chance. :)
The Wayward Tarheel I'm even in the blogosphere.... :shock:

mlittle
Forum Hall of Fame
Forum Hall of Fame
Posts: 11205
Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2005 12:51 pm
Location: At the F1 Idiots Bar.............where else?
Contact:

Clauson Takes Lights Pole At Indy

Post by mlittle » Fri May 27, 2011 5:03 pm

Image

----Bryan Clauson turned only eight laps of practice at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 26, but he was rewarded by the car he will race for the first time in the Firestone Freedom 100. The 21-year-old resident of Noblesville, Ind., was awarded the Sunoco Pole Award and its $5,000 prize after qualifying was rained out and the field was set by entrant points. The 2010 USAC National Drivers Championship title holder earned the top starting spot thanks to Conor Daly, who leads the Firestone Indy Lights standings and served as driver No. 77 Mazda Road to Indy for the first three races of the season.

“We didn’t get to qualify and get the pole but that’s part of being a part of a great team and having great teammates like Conor Daly to put us up front,” said Clauson, who tested at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 13. “Starting from the front kind of heightens your expectations a little bit. Now you don’t have to work traffic. I’ve got a couple teammates in the lead pack. We watched a lot of race tape with Wade (Cunningham) and saw how teammates can make things happen. Obviously, I want to win but the big key is being there at the end. The first few laps are going to be key.”

Sam Schmidt Motorsports teammate Josef Newgarden will line up on the front row while Andretti Autosport’s Stefan Wilson and Team Moore Racing’s Victor Garcia will grid on the second row for the 40-lap race (12:30 p.m. ET on VERSUS and the IMS Radio Network broadcast on indycar.com, Sirius 212 and XM 94).

Sam Schmidt Motorsports’ Esteban Guerrieri and O2 Racing Technology’s Peter Dempsey will make up the third row. “I think we’re going to be in a strong position tomorrow, but we really wanted to qualify,” Newgarden said. “I think everyone wanted a shot at the pole and we didn’t get that opportunity. We proved in testing that we had a strong car. Sam Schmidt Motorsports is a good Indy Lights team and they have a lot of history in the series and a lot of experience and knowledge to draw from. The (IZOD) IndyCar Series side did a phenomenal job last weekend, and I’m confident that we can handle the job on our end.”

Teams got in about 10 minutes of practice before rains fell over Indianapolis' 2.5-mile oval. Wilson, who was fastest in the Open Test, led the brief practice session turning a lap at more than 189 mph before the caution flew. “Kind of mixed feelings about how today went,” Wilson said. “Happy to be starting P3, but we were pretty quick on the test day, and I felt we had a decent chance to start on the front row and a shot at battling for the pole. But at the same time, I am happy to be starting at the sharp end of the grid.” Teams will have a 30-minute final practice session at 9 a.m.
The Sci-Fi Station Come by and visit when you get the chance. :)
The Wayward Tarheel I'm even in the blogosphere.... :shock:

mlittle
Forum Hall of Fame
Forum Hall of Fame
Posts: 11205
Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2005 12:51 pm
Location: At the F1 Idiots Bar.............where else?
Contact:

Post by mlittle » Fri Jun 17, 2011 2:48 pm

(from 27 May 2011)


Image
---Josef Newgarden says the strong showing by Sam Schmidt Motorsports in the Firestone Freedom 100 is a good omen for the 100th anniversary Indianapolis 500, which has SSM’s Alex Tagliani on the pole. That would be another record.

Newgarden’s victory under caution in the 40-lap Firestone Indy Lights race in front of a large and enthusiastic crowd at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, coupled with the second-place finish by Sam Schmidt Motorsports teammate Esteban Guerrieri, was the first 1-2 finish by teammates in the race’s history. "It's an unbelievable achievement for the team," said Newgarden, of Nashville, Tenn., the first American to win the race since Ed Carpenter prevailed in inaugural race in 2003. "I'm so grateful, and I have to thank Esteban because he helped me the whole race. It's not really the way I wanted to win it, but I'll take it."

An incident Lap 34 involving the No. 4 Belardi Auto Racing Special of Jorge Goncalvez and the No. 9 Liberty Engineering Racing Special of teammate Anders Krohn prevented the race to be completed under green.

The cars were running three-wide with the No. 77 Mazda Road to Indy/CURB Records/Sam Schmidt Motorsports car entering Turn 1 of the 2.5-mile oval when Krohn's car -- running on the bottom of the racetrack -- spun and made contact with the outside wall. Goncalvez's car, in the middle of the pack, spun almost simultaneously and made initial right-side contact with the SAFER Barrier. It then darted across the track and made heavy contact with the inside wall. Goncalvez, who was alert and was transported to IU Health Methodist Hospital for evaluation, was released about five hours later. Krohn was checked and cleared at the IU Health Emergency Care Center.

“I’m so disappointed for the guys as Belardi Auto Racing because we really had the fastest car today,” said Krohn, who led seven laps. “It would have been the easiest thing to at least be on the podium or potentially win the race. We could run up, down low; it didn’t matter. At the same time I think we’ve shown people where our speed is so hopefully we can come back next year and dominate this race.”

Newgarden, starting on the front row, overtook pole sitter Bryan Clauson entering Turn 1 at the start and led Victor Garcia, who started fourth in the No. 22 TMR-Xtreme Coil Drilling car, by 0.0100 of a second. By the completion of Lap 5, there were four other passes for the lead (Krohn’s car nosing ahead at the start/finish line). Newgarden regained the point for good on Lap 15, though Guerrieri was constantly in position to pounce on an opportunity.

“It was fun for a while and a bit slow the rest of the race,” he said. “It was a lot of yellows, we didn’t expect so many, but I’m happy to win second of course. What we were trying to do was work with my teammate, Joseph, to try to pull away and make the gap larger toward third. Then we could finish the race like me and him to race against each other, but unfortunately all the guys crashed.”

Newgarden, who also won the season opener on the streets of St. Petersburg, Fla., took over the championship points lead with 151. Guerrieri has 125 and Stefan Wilson, who finished fourth in the No. 5 Andretti Autosport car, has 121.

“The team was able to make me quick and I got up to speed right away,” Newgarden said. “This is the biggest win I think I have ever had. To win the Firestone Freedom 100 in front of this crowd at this famous racetrack is incredible. This has been a really fun experience trying to come in and absorb all of the information that my team has to offer.”
Garcia finished third and Bryan Clauson, the reigning USAC National Drivers Championship title holder, was fifth in his first Firestone Indy Lights start.

“I’m pretty happy to all my crew and I have to thank all of them because although we haven’t had a normal weekend it has been really good and we finished third,” said Garcia of the rain that canceled qualifications May 26 and set the 18-car grid by entrant points. “I think we could have won because we had what it takes to win, but we didn’t have the laps to do it.”

Top-10, American Freedom 100
note......race finished under caution
1st} Josef Newgarden, Sam Schmidt Mtrspts.
2nd} Esteban Guerrieri, Sam Schmidt Mtrspts.
3rd} Victor Garcia, Team Moore Racing
4th} Stefan Wilson, Andretti Autosport
5th} Bryan Clauson, Sam Schmidt Mtrspts.
6th} Peter Dempsey, O2 Racing Tech.
7th} Rusty Mitchell, Davey Hamilton Racing
8th} David Ostella, Jensen Motorsport
9th} Chase Austin, WTR Racing
10th} Mikael Grenier, O2 Racing Tech.
The Sci-Fi Station Come by and visit when you get the chance. :)
The Wayward Tarheel I'm even in the blogosphere.... :shock:

mlittle
Forum Hall of Fame
Forum Hall of Fame
Posts: 11205
Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2005 12:51 pm
Location: At the F1 Idiots Bar.............where else?
Contact:

Post by mlittle » Fri Jun 17, 2011 2:52 pm

Current Firestone Indy Lights Top-10 Standings
Event: American Freedom 100[rd. 4 of 14]


1st} Josef Newgarden, 151 pts(2 wins)
2nd} Esteban Guerreri, 125 pts
t-3rd}[3]Victor Garcia, 121 pts(1 win)
t-3rd}[4]Stefan Wilson, 121 pts
5th} Peter Dempsey, 111 pts
6th} Conor Daly, 109 pts(1 win)
7th} Mikael Grenier, 102 pts
8th} David Ostella, 95 pts
9th} Anders Krohn, 94 pts
10th} Jorge Goncalves, 91 pts
The Sci-Fi Station Come by and visit when you get the chance. :)
The Wayward Tarheel I'm even in the blogosphere.... :shock:

mlittle
Forum Hall of Fame
Forum Hall of Fame
Posts: 11205
Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2005 12:51 pm
Location: At the F1 Idiots Bar.............where else?
Contact:

2011 Schedule Expands With Twin-Bill in Edmonton

Post by mlittle » Fri Jun 17, 2011 2:55 pm

Image

----The Firestone Indy Lights schedule has expanded with the addition of a second race during the Edmonton Indy race weekend July 22-24 at the new City Centre Airport circuit. The first race of the doubleheader will precede IZOD IndyCar Series qualifications July 23, and the second race will take the green flag a few hours before the IZOD IndyCar Series feature July 24.

“We are glad to host two rounds of the Firestone Indy Lights Series at this year’s Edmonton Indy,” said François Dumontier, president of Octane Motorsports Events, the Montreal-based event promoter. “Our spectators will get a real open-wheel racing treat, no less than 12 hours of track time with IndyCar and Indy Lights racing. With this doubleheader, coming to Edmonton is now very attractive for teams and drivers."

Canadian James Hinchcliffe, who graduated this season to Newman/Haas Racing in the IZOD IndyCar Series, won last year’s Firestone Indy Lights race on the temporary circuit.

Octane Motorsports Events also announced the return this year of the NASCC Eurasia GT Invitational and of the Canadian Drift Mania Championship programs.
The Sci-Fi Station Come by and visit when you get the chance. :)
The Wayward Tarheel I'm even in the blogosphere.... :shock:

mlittle
Forum Hall of Fame
Forum Hall of Fame
Posts: 11205
Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2005 12:51 pm
Location: At the F1 Idiots Bar.............where else?
Contact:

1-2-3 SSM Sweep In Milwaukee Qualifying

Post by mlittle » Mon Jun 20, 2011 5:00 am

Image

---WEST ALLIS, Wis. -- Esteban Guerrieri set a Firestone Indy Lights track qualify record of 149.005 mph (49.0454 seconds) at the Milwaukee Mile to claim the Sunoco Pole Award for the David Hobbs 100 on June 19 and leading a Sam Schmidt Motorsports sweep of the first three positions.

It is the third pole start this season for Guerrieri, driver of the No. 7 Lucas Oil/Sam Schmidt Motorsports car who has been the runner-up the past two races. He also delivered the 40th earned pole for Sam Schmidt Motorsports in Firestone Indy Lights.

"We ran really close to the wall and it worked for us and the entire team, qualifying 1-2-3," Guerrieri said. "Big congratulations to Sam Schmidt. I’m happy for my crew."

Sunoco Pole Qualifying consists of two warm-up laps followed by two green-flag laps, with the cars ranked in order of quickest cumulative time.
Josef Newgarden in the No. 11 Copart/Score Big/Robo-Pong/Sam Schmidt Motorsports car will make his second consecutive front-row start after averaging 148.175 mph over the two laps. He started second and won the Firestone Freedom 100 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 27.

“Today was my first time qualifying on an oval after the Freedom 100 qualifying was cancelled a few weeks ago due to rain," he said. "It was unfortunate, but luckily Bryan Clauson and I started first and second for the race. We were just discussing qualifying earlier today and strategizing because we had a rough time in practice yesterday. We didn’t think we should be that far off so we were struggling to figure out why this was the case. This will be great for us during the race to be up front together."

Clauson, the reigning USAC National Drivers' Championship title-holder who is making his second Firestone Indy Lights start, will start from the inside of Row 2 in the No. 77 Mazda Road to Indy/Curb Records/Sam Schmidt Motorsports car. He averaged 147.258 mph.

The Noblesville, Ind., driver, who celebrated his 22nd birthday on June 15, also competed in the 100-mile USAC Traxxas Silver Crown race and the 25-mile USAC Mopar National Midget feature later in the day. “This qualifying is different from anything I have ever done before," Clauson said. "Driving the Firestone Indy Lights car on this oval has been a learning curve for me. After the first practice session today, I felt like I had a good handle on things but then I went into the second practice session and I was struggling to understand why I was off on my pace.
"We started to gain speed at the end of the last practice and then Josef Newgarden’s qualifying run gave me hope. We made some of the similar adjustments and we weren’t able to get quite as much out of our run, but we are starting in third and I feel that this is a great way to start the weekend.”

Gustavo Yacaman, driving the No. 2 TMR-Tuvacol-Xtreme Coil Drilling car, recorded a season-high fourth starting spot (147.169).
The Sci-Fi Station Come by and visit when you get the chance. :)
The Wayward Tarheel I'm even in the blogosphere.... :shock:

Post Reply