IndyCars - Elkhart Lake: Return to the greatest road course in North America

[MarkyS]

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It’s time once again for the IndyCars to go to Road America, near Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, which to a man every driver in IndyCar who has been there declarers it to be the greatest road course in North America and their favorite track of the season. It’s time for the Kohler Grand Prix at Road America!

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It’s easy to understand why this track is so beloved by drivers and fans alike. At just over 4 miles in length the historic track has every challenge that any driver could ask for, with three long straights, a carousel, several fast sweepers and even a few 90-degree turns - all running among the rolling hills and trees of the Kettle Moraine district of Wisconsin - Fast, frightening, challenging and beautiful, Road America has it all. Among the iconic corners are:

The infamous Turn 5…the heart-breaker…

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Canada Corner, following Kettle Bottoms - Turn 12…

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Turn 14 onto the long front straight…

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…And the famous carousel, featured in the big pic above. All these and every other corner have been challenging IndyCar drivers, SportsCar drivers, motorcycle drivers and NASCAR drivers for decades. Here’s Road America:

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This will be the best-attended road race of the season and the fans who come to Road America will not only be treated to the best brats that money can buy, but will also see this year no less than 11 races over the 4-day event! They include:

Mazda Global MX5 Cup - 2 races on Friday andSaturday
Pirelli World Challenge, GT division - 2 races on Saturday and Sunday
USF2000 - 2 races on Saturday and Sunday
Pro Mazda - 2 races on Friday and Saturday
Indy Lights - 2 races on Saturday and Sunday

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…and, of course, the IndyCars will race on Sunday. One of the biggest attractions for fans are all the camping opportunities and walking opportunities and this weekend the fans will catch a great break. The weather is predicted to be dry, cloudy and with temperatures in the low 70s. IDEAL.

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Let’s take a look at all that support racing… (continued)…

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[MarkyS]

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Support Racing…

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Mazda Global MX5 Cup - This is an IndyCar-sanctioned series but is the first step for SportsCar drivers from all over the world to learn their craft. The cars are race versions of the venerable Miata SportsCar, inexpensive but fast and competitive in the one-make spec series. The fields are always HUGE because of the low cost to run a season. No IndyCar folks are in this series, however, so we will wish them safe and happy racing and concentrate on the rest.

Global MX5 Cup cars in action

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Pirelli World Challenge - One of the premiere SportsCar racing series in the world, the PWC features the most participation by the world’s auto manufacturers because it is largely a production-based series, highlighting race versions of street cars. This weekend will feature ALL of the PWC’s GT division classes, including GT, GTA, GT Cup, GTS and GTSA - all racing together at the same time. These are the TOP performers of the series. We follow the PWC because Canadian Scott Hargrove - an outstanding Mazda Road to Indy alum - is competing as a rookie in the top GT division, this season. Scott comes to Road America in 2nd place in the overall championship, and leading the GT class.

Scott Hargrove and his Porsche 911 GT3-R for Pfaff Motorsports

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USF2000 - This is the first step on the Mazda Road to Indy ladder system that develops IndyCar drivers and the cars will often be the first winged car with slicks that these young drivers will try. Despite their size, the racing is fast and furious with typically huge, international fields. Such will be the case at Road America. The cars were replaced with an entirely new version in 2017, the Tatuus USF-17, and it has been a wonder, breaking records at all the series venues. Gifted with 175 hp from its 2.0 liter Mazda MZR inline 4 cylinder, the transmissions are paddle-shifted 6-speed sequential boxes and the brakes are Performance Friction Brakes ZR24 4-piston calipers, front and rear, with a driver-adjustable bias - It’s all great stuff to learn to race with.The current points leader is Floridian Kyle Kirkwood for Cape Motorsports.

Kyle Kirkwood

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continued…
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[MarkyS]

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Support racing (part 2)…

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Pro Mazda - This is the middle car on the ladder. Entirely new for this year, it uses the same chassis as the Tatuus-USF17 but comes equipped with a much more powerful engine, much bigger tires and brakes and more wings, creating more downforce. In this iteration the car is the Tatuus PM-18. Even MORE than the USF2000 car, the PM-18 is heads and tails above the car it replaced and it too is shattering track records - sometimes by more than 4 seconds! The field is FULL of very talented kids from all over the globe, wanting to get in on the new car. Any one of ten series drivers at a minimum is capable of a WIN on any given weekend. The points leader coming to Road America is Canadian rookie Parker Thompson, driving for Exclusive Autosport.

Parker Thompson in his PM-18 for Exclusive Autosport

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Indy Lights - The Lights are the top step on the ladder and a fitting stepping stone to the big cars. The Dallara IL-15 was new in 2015, replacing a decades-old chassis. It has a 450 hp Mazda 2.0 liter turbo-charged engine that is equipped with “push-to-pass” - the button on the steering wheel that releases additional turbo boost for a limited time, adding 50 additional ponies to the engine - just like on the big cars. The tires, wheels, brakes and downforce are all bigger and more than Pro Mazda, as are all the electronics, making the IL-15 a great place to not only train drivers but also their race engineers. The series drivers are superb talents and the proof of that is that so many current IndyCar drivers are very recent Indy Lights drivers. The points leader coming to Road America is American teenager Colton Herta - son of IndyCar great Bryan Herta.

Colton Herta in his IL-15 for Andretti Steinbrenner

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Thursday already saw on-track action as Pro Mazda held their practice session and then qualified for Friday’s Race 1 of the weekend. Lets get this thing going!

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M

[MarkyS]

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Thursday at Road America - Pro Mazda hold their practice session…

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A little less than two weeks ago a huge test session was held at Road America for all three of the Mazda Road to Indy series, with four test session each. MUCH was gleaned at that time and that allows IndyCar to schedule only one practice session for each MRTI series, this race-crowded weekend. Pro Mazda was the first series to practice and they did that today.

Practice is that time when the car driver and his or her race engineer work together to adjust and maximize a car for the particular track configuration, the track conditions and the weather conditions for any particular race weekend. It is essential for maximum performance on race day.

Here was the order of speed for the Pro Mazda P1 session, with times for the TOP FIVE: [R] denotes rookie

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1 - Parker Thompson [R], Exclusive Autosport - time of 02:01.8290s for a speed of 118.612mph

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2 - Rinus VeeKay [R]), Juncos Racing - time of 02:02.0612s for a speed of 118.387mph

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3 - Toby Sowery [R], BN Racing - time of 02:02.1111s for a speed of 118.338mph

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4 - David Malukas [R], BN Racing - time of 02:02.4279s for a speed of 118.032mph

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5 - Sting Ray Robb, Team Pelfrey - time of 02:02.4518s for a speed of 118.009mph

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6 - Carlos Cunha, Juncos Racing
7 - Rob Megennis [R], Juncos Racing
8 - Andres Gutierrez [R], Team Pelfrey
9 - Harrison Scott [R], RP Motorsport Racing
10 - Oliver Askew [R], Cape Motorsports

11 - Raul Guzman [R], RP Motorsport Racing
12 - Nikita Lastochkin, Cape Motorsports
13 - Charles Finelli, BN Racing / FatBoy Racing!

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Notable:

• New to the series this weekend is England’s Toby Sowery. We warned that he would be formidable in the Off-Season thread, post # 43 ad he is turning out to be just that. The rest of the TOP FIVE are the usual suspects that we are used to seeing up front.

• Also joining the fray for the first time is Mexican teen Raul Guzman, driving for RP Motorsport Racing in place of Lodovico Laurini, who has been in the # 27 Tatuus up to now,

• NOT on the grid is Anthony Martin, who tested for Team Pelfrey this month. A shame. Martin is a superb talent and deserves to be in a car.

Raul Guzman (left) and Anthony Martin - here and gone

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Later this afternoon, the Pro Mazda gang will qualify for Race 1 of the weekend, to be held on Friday…

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M

[MarkyS]

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Thursday at Road America - Pro Mazda qualify for Race 1 of the weekend…

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In the Mazda Road to Indy each race gets its own qualifying session, rather than use multiple times from one session for different races on a weekend. This allows the cars to be tailored and improved for each qualifying. It takes more time but the racing is better, as a result. Pro Mazda qualified for season Round 8 this afternoon.

Here is the way Pro Mazda will grid for Season Round 8, with times for the TOP SIX: [R] denotes rookie

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Row 1

Pole - David Malukas [R], BN Racing - time of 02:00.7814s for a speed of 119.641mph

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P2 - Parker Thompson [R], Exclusive Autosport - time of 02:00.8264s for a speed of 119.596mph

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Row 2

P3 - Rinus VeeKay [R]), Juncos Racing - time of 02:00.8691s for a speed of 119.554mph

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P4 - Toby Sowery [R], BN Racing - time of 02:00.8878s for a speed of 119.536mph

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Row 3

P5 - Harrison Scott [R], RP Motorsport Racing - time of 02:00.9711s for a speed of 119.453mph

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P6 - Carlos Cunha, Juncos Racing - time of 02:01.1114s for a speed of 119.315mph

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Row 4

P7 - Sting Ray Robb, Team Pelfrey
P8 - Raul Guzman [R], RP Motorsport Racing

Row 5

P9 - Rob Megennis [R], Juncos Racing
P10 - Andres Gutierrez [R], Team Pelfrey

Row 6

P11 - Oliver Askew [R], Cape Motorsports
P12 - Nikita Lastochkin, Cape Motorsports

Row 7

P13 - Antonio Serravalle [R], Exclusive Autosport
P14 - Charles Finelli, BN Racing / FatBoy Racing!

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Notable:

• David shattered the old track record by 3 seconds. This is his 2nd pole at Road America as he also took pole in USF2000 last year for Race 1 and ended the day P2. His father used to race at Road America and David remembers going to the track as a child.

• Watch out for Nederlander Rinus VeeKay during the race. He WON both races in USF2000 last season and knows Road America.

• Also watch Brit Harrison Scott. Although he is new to Road America he already has two WINS on the season and is eager for more and Road America is well-suited to his driving style.

• 15-year-old Canadian Antonio Serravalle - the youngest driver in this field - did not practice for Exclusive Autosport this morning but he showed up to qualify for the race.

Antonio Serravlle - racing after all

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Pro Mazda will qualify for Race 2 of the weekend on Friday morning and then hold Race 1 of the weekend later in the afternoon. This was the last on-track activity of the day

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[MarkyS]

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Friday morning at Road America - USF2000 hold practice…

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The smallest cars in the Mazda Road to Indy with the biggest field held their one and only practice session of the weekend this morning, first thing.

Here was the order of speed for the USF2000 P-1 session, with times for the TOP FIVE: [R] denotes rookie
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1 - Rasmus Lindh [R], Pabst Racing - time of 2:09.5091s for a speed of 111.578mph

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2 - Kyle Kirkwood [R], Cape Motorsports - time of 2:09.6445s for a speed of 111.462mph

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3 - Alex Baron, Swan / RJB Motorsports - time of 2:09.8226s for a speed of 111.309mph

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4 - Lucas Kohl, Pabst Racing - time of 2:09.8529s for a speed of 111.283mph

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5 - Michael D’Orlando [R], Team BENIK - time of 209.8880s for a speed of 111.253mph

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6 - Kaylen Frederick, Pabst Racing
7 - Julian Van der Watt [R], Team Pelfrey
8 - Calvin Ming, Pabst Racing
9 - Kory Enders, DEForce Racing
10 - Kyle Dupell [R], Team Pelfrey

11 - Keith Donegan [R], BN Racing
12 - Jose Sierra [R], DEForce Racing
13 - Igor Fraga [R], Exclusive Autosport
14 - Mathias Soler-Obel [R], Sol. O Racing
15 - Bruna Tomaselli, Team Pelfrey
16 - Darren Keane, Newman Wachs Racing
17 - Colin Kaminsky, DEForce Racing
18 - Jacob Abel [R], Abel Motorsports
19 - Dakota Dickerson, ArmsUp Motorsports
20 - David Osborne [R], Newman Wachs Racing

21 - Russ McDonough [R], BN Racing
22 - Manuel Cabrera [R], Exclusive Autosport
23 - Danial Frost [R], Exclusive Autosport
24 - Oscar DeLuzuriaga [R], Newman Wachs Racing
25 - Max Peichel [R],Newman Wachs
26 - Sabre Cook [R], Team BENIK

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Notable:

• This TOP FIVE is as expected, with all very fast guys, with the exception of Michael D’Orlando for Team BENIK. Michael has shown TOP TEN speed at times in the past, but a TOP FIVE is the best yet for him, this season.

• Michael’s teammate, Sabre Cook, didn’t post any time. We’re trying to run down why she didn’t take to the track, because she is there and posted good speed at the big test a few weeks back.

• 2017 MRTI-Shootout WINNER Keith Donegan of Ireland was driving Jamie Caroline’s # 28 car for BN Racing instead of his regular mount for ArmsUp Motorsports. Keith wasn’t even listed as an entry a few days ago. We wonder if he is making a permanent move to BN Racing. No word yet. Jamie was not at the last race at Lucas Oil Raceway and is still absent.

• New to the field is Dakota Dickerson, driving a car for ArmsUp Motorsports, though not Keith’s car. Dakota showed great speed in the 2016 season but had to drop out of the 2017 season mid-way with budget problems. He raced in F4 U.S. last year, instead. It would be terrific if he could be a permanent fixture again in USF2000.

Left to right, Sabre Cook, Keith Donegan and Dakota Dickerson

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USF2000 will be qualifying for Race 1 of the weekend just a little after noon, today. Next up, Pro Mazda comes out to qualify for Race 2 of the weekend. …

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M

[MarkyS]

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Friday morning at Road America - Pro Mazda qualify for their Race 2 of the weekend…

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Though they are scheduled to do Race 1 - Season Round 8 - a little later today, the gang from Pro Mazda came out this morning to qualify for Race 2 of the weekend, to be held on Saturday.

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Here is the way Pro Mazda will grid for Season Round 9, with times for the TOP SIX: [R] denotes rookie

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Row 1

Pole - David Malukas [R], BN Racing - time of 01:59.8151s for a speed of 120.606mph

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P2 - Carlos Cunha, Juncos Racing - time of 02:00.1451s for a speed of 120.275mph

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Row 2

P3 - Raul Guzman [R], RP Motorsport Racing - time of 02:00.2509s for a speed of 120.169mph

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P4 - Rinus VeeKay [R]), Juncos Racing - time of 02:00.3012s for a speed of 120.119mph

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Row 3

P5 - Parker Thompson [R], Exclusive Autosport - time of 02:00.3863s for a speed of 120.034mph

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P6 - Toby Sowery [R], BN Racing - time of 02:00.4767s for a speed of 119.944mph

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Row 4

P7 - Andres Gutierrez [R], Team Pelfrey
P8 - Harrison Scott [R], RP Motorsport Racing

Row 5

P9 - Rob Megennis [R], Juncos Racing
P10 - Sting Ray Robb, Team Pelfrey

Row 6

P11 - Oliver Askew [R], Cape Motorsports
P12 - Nikita Lastochkin, Cape Motorsports

Row 7

P13 - Antonio Serravalle [R], Exclusive Autosport
P14 - Charles Finelli, BN Racing / FatBoy Racing!

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Notable:

• David shattered the old track record by getting pole yesterday for Race 1. Today, he broke his own new track record to get this second pole for Race 2.

• New guys on the block Englishman Toby Sowery and Mexican Raul Guzman are making statements - We’re here, so look out!

• The Pro Mazda gang are a bit melancholy this weekend as they acknowledge the death of one of their own. Pro Mazda alum Jeff Green died earlier this week. (see post # 51 in the Off-Season thread) All the MRTI cars and many of the IndyCars are carrying a special tribute decal to Jeff this weekend.

Jeff Green and the decal

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Pro Mazda will race this round on Saturday - their last race of the weekend. Next, Indy Lights hold their practice…

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M

[MarkyS]

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Friday morning at Road America - The Indy Lights hold their practice session…

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Just as with USF2000 and Pro Mazda, Indy Lights is getting in this one practice session for the weekend, following the huge 4-session test a couple weeks ago.

Here was the order of speed for Indy Lights P-1 session, with times for all: [R] denotes rookie

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1 - Pato O’Ward [R], Andretti Autosport - time of 01:53.7809s for a speed of 127.002mph

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2 - Aaron Telitz, Belardi Auto Racing - time of 01:53.8763s for a speed of 126.896mph

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3 - Colton Herta, Andretti Steinbrenner - time of 01:54.0485s for a speed of 126.704mph

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4 - Victor Franzoni [R], Juncos Racing - time of 01:54.2341s for a speed of 126.498mph

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5 - Santiago Urrutia, Belardi Auto Racing - time of 01:54.3584s for a speed of 126.361mph

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6 - Dalton Kellett, Andretti Autosport - time of 01:54.6863s for a speed of 125.999mph

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7 - Ryan Norman, Andretti Autosport - time of 01:55.2046s for a speed of 125.432mph

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Notable:

• Any one of the TOP FIVE here are capable if winning races on any given day. That group was separated by less than .6 seconds over four miles - remarkable parity. Dalton was .9 seconds out and Ryan was only 1.4 seconds out.

• Pato O’Ward lead much of the season until just recently and wants to get that series lead back at Road America.

• Victor Franzoni crushed it at the test a few weeks back, leading three of four sessions. Look for him to exert himself.

• Aaron Telits is always good at Road America. The lad is from just up the road in Birchwood, Wisconsin, and considers Elkhart Lake to be his home track.
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Indy Lights will qualify for Race 1 of the weekend in the late afternoon. Next up, the Pirelli gang, GT/GTA/GT Cup practice…

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[MarkyS]

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Friday Morning at Road America - the Pirelli World Challenge practice…

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We’ll just quickly list the TOP FIVE in the PWC practice session that featured only the GT, GTA and GT cup classes. All five here were Pro-class drivers"

1 - Michael Christensen, Alegra Motorsports, Porsche 911GT3-R
2 - Daniel Morad, CRP Racing, Mercedes AMG GT3
3 - Alvaro Parente, K-PAX Racing, Bentley Continental GT3
4 - Toni Vilander, R. Ferri Motorsport, Ferrari 488 GT3
5 - Daniel Mancinelli, TR3 Racing, Ferrari 488 GT3

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Our guy Scott Hargrove for Pfaff Motorsports didn’t post a time, for some reason. It could be a bad transponder not sending his times or he may have a mechanical problem keeping the car off the track. We’ll try to track that down.

Scott Hargrove - missing in action

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GTS and GTSA classes will practice late today. Next up the IndyCars hold their first practice of the weekend…

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M

[MarkyS]

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Friday morning at Road America - The big cars take to the track for 1st practice…

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The IndyCars will have three practice sessions over today and tomorrow. This first session is a bit of a shake-down - a Let’s see where we’re at kind of thing. Most of the cars are checking their initial set-ups based on data they acquired at last year’s race and will begin to adjust them from there. A few are new and having to learn from scratch.

Here was the order of speed for the IndyCar P-1 session, with times for the TOP FIVE: [R] denotes rookie

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1 - Josef Newgarden, Team Penske - time of 1:43.0477s for a speed of 140.230mph

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2 - Takuma Sato, Rahal Letterman Lanigan - tme of 1:43.4727s for a speed of 139.654mph

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3 - Alexander Rossi, Andretti Autosport - time of 1:43.5603s for a speed of 139.654mph

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4 - Robert Wickens [R], Schmidt Peterson Motorsports - time of 1:43.5774s for a speed of 139.513mph

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5 - Marco Andretti, Andretti Herta - time of 1:43.8825s for a speed of 139.103mph

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6 - Tony Kanaan, A.J. Foyt Enterprises
7 - Spencer Pigot, Ed Carpenter Racing
8 - Zach Veach [R], Andretti Autosport
9 - Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing
10 - Matheus Leist [R], A.J. Foyt Enterprises

11 - Simon Pagenaud, Team Penske
12 - Ed Jones, Chip Ganassi Racing
13 - Ryan Hunter-Reay, Andretti Autosport
14 - Will Power, Team Penske
15 - Max Chilton, Carlin
16 - Sebastien Bourdais, Dale Coyne Racing w/ Vasser/Sullivan
17 - James Hinchcliffe, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
18 - Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
19 - Charlie Kimball, Carlin
20 - Zachary Claman DeMelo [R], Dale Coyne Racing

21 - Alfonso Celis {R}, Juncos Racing
22 - Gabby Chaves, Harding Racing

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Notable:

• Josef Newgarden set his fast lap very early in the session and then pleased with what they had, right off the transporter, parked the car for most of the session, to save tires.

• Andretti Autosport has 3 of their cars in the TOP TEN and AJ Foyt has both of their cars in the TOP TEN - a good start for both teams.

• See how teammates that are fast don’t always translate into speed for the other car. Robert Wickens isn’t helping James Hinchcliffe and Takuma Sato isn’t helping Graham Rahal, while Josef Newgarden isn’t yet helping Simon Pagenaud or Will Power.

• New to the big cars this race is Alfonso Celis for Juncos Racing. Alfonso started the season in the Juncos Indy Lights car but believes the big cars are a better fit, so his management is paying for this upgrade. Let’s see if he’s right.

Alfonso Celis

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The IndyCars will hold another practice later this afternoon. The next thing we’ll take a look at is USF2000 qualifying for Race 1 of the weekend, just before 1:00 pm this afternoon…Stay tuned…

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M

[MarkyS]

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Friday afternoon at Road America - the Kids from USF2000 qualify for Race 1 of the weekend.

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Following an autograph session and lunch, the drivers from USF2000 collected their thoughts, jumped in their cars and qualified for Season Round 6 - Their first race of the weekend.

Here is the way USF2000 will grid for Season Round 6, with times for the TOP SIX: [R] denotes rookie

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Row 1

Pole - Rasmus Lindh [R], Pabst Racing - time of 02:09.2583s for a speed of 111.795mph

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P2 - Kyle Kirkwood [R], Cape Motorsports - time of 02:09.2789s for a speed of 111.777mph

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Row 2

P3 - Calvin Ming, Pabst Racing - time of 02:09.4615s for a speed of 111.619mph

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P4 - Kaylen Frederick, Pabst Racing - time of 02:09.5252s for a speed of 111.564mph

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Row 3

P5 - Igor Fraga [R], Exclusive Autosport - time of 02:09.8730s for a speed of 111.266mph

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P6 - Lucas Kohl, Pabst Racing = time of 02:09.8770s for a speed of 111.262mph

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Row 4

P7 - Kory Enders, DEForce Racing
P8 - Julian Van der Watt [R], Team Pelfrey

Row 5

P9 - Kyle Dupell [R], Team Pelfrey
P10 - Keith Donegan [R], BN Racing

Row 6

P11 - Michael D’Orlando [R], Team BENIK
P12 - Jose Sierra [R], DEForce Racing

Row 7

P13 - Alex Baron, Swan / RJB Motorsports
P14 - Darren Keane, Newman Wachs Racing

Row 8

P15 - Bruna Tomaselli, Team Pelfrey
P16 - Mathias Soler-Obel [R], Sol. O Racing

Row 9

P17 - Max Peichel [R],Newman Wachs
P18 - Colin Kaminsky, DEForce Racing

Row 10

P19 - Jacob Abel [R], Abel Motorsports
P20 - Dakota Dickerson, ArmsUp Motorsports

Row 11

P21 - Manuel Cabrera [R], Exclusive Autosport
P22 - David Osborne [R], Newman Wachs Racing

Row 12

P23 - Sabre Cook [R], Team BENIK
P24 - Russ McDonough [R], BN Racing

Row 13

P25 - Oscar DeLuzuriaga [R], Newman Wachs Racing
P26 - Danial Frost [R], Exclusive Autosport

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Notable:

• This is Swedish Karting champion Rasmus Lindh’s first series pole and he broke the track record to get it. Pabst Racing - “the speed boys” - is based in Oconomowoc, just up the road from Elkhart Lake. The team has FOUR of the TOP SIX spots - Speed boys, indeed.

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Round 6 for USF2000 is scheduled to happen on Saturday. USF2000 will qualify for Round 7 later today. Next, Pro Mazda hold Race 1…

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[MarkyS]

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Friday afternoon at Road America - Pro Mazda Race!..

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The first round of the weekend is in the books and David Malukas for BN Racing takes his first Pro Mazda WIN from pole. P2 was his new teammate, England’s Toby Sowery while another Brit, Harrison Scott, took the P3 spot for RP Motorsport Racing.

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Dave Malukas in total control

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Malukas, from pole, made a perfect start and immediately gapped the field in Turn 1, but behind him several cars tried to occupy the same space and a big shuffle occurred as a result. Parker Thompson for Exclusive Autosport got the worst of it, dropping from P2 to P6. Toby Sowery took over P2 from his P4 start while Harrison Scott went from P5 to P3. The podium was thus set and never changed again. Thompson’s championship rivals, Rinus VeeKay and Carlos Cunha - both for Juncos Racing - got into P4 and P5 respectively, ahead of Parker. Rob Megennis for Juncos was able to go from P9 to P7, while Sting Ray Robb for Team Pelfrey went from P7 to P9, with Raul Guzman for RP Motorsport Racing maintaining his P8 start.

On lap 4 Oliver Askew for Cape Motorsport put Sting Ray back to P10. On lap 6 Rob Meggenis over-cooked it in Turn 5 and allowed Raul Guzman to take P7 from him. Meanwhile, Parker Thompson was on a mission to catch and pass the Juncos boys, Cunha and VeeKay. By lap 9 the Canadian got by Carlos in Turn 5. By lap 12 he was hounding VeeKay all the way through the Carousel, into the Kink and down Kettle Bottoms. The two were side by side as they entered Canada Corner at Turn 12. VeeKay took his line and that pushed Parker into the rumble strips, getting him airborne. He lost momentum and had to begin again to catch up to VeeKey.

By lap 14 he was hounding Rinus again up the front straight, but Carlos had caught up to Parker and it became a three-way fight for P4. As the cars went all the way to Turn 5 together, they went up the hill under the Corvette Bridge as a gaggle. Cunha was able to get by Parker in Turn 6, putting him back to P6 again. But Thompson held onto him and was by him again by the time they exited Canada Corner at Turn 12.

On the final lap Parker was again all over Veekay for the P4 spot and by the time the two cars were running up the front straight off Turn 14 to the checkered flag Parker was ahead to regain P4. Malukas, meanwhile, crossed the finish line about 1.4 seconds ahead of Sowery and Scott was 9 seconds back in P3.

A very exciting race for position and points!

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Notable:

• Parker started the race with a 40-point lead over Rinus and 41 points lead over Carlos. He will extend his lead as a result of the race, but Harrison Scott, 4th in points, got a little closer to him.

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Here is your happy podium - That’s Toby Sowery in P2 on the left, David Malukas in P1 in the middle and Harrison Scott in P3 on the right:

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Pro Mazda will hold Race 2 on Saturday. Next, the IndyCars take to the track for their P-2 session…

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M

[MarkyS]

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Friday afternoon at Road America - The IndyCars hold their P-2 session…

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It was evident that all the teams took what they learned in the P-1 session and made improvements, as several cars that had been hopeless in P-1 were now fast in P-2, usurping some of the early leaders. Most of the cars went faster in P-2.

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Here was the order of speed for the two IndyCar sessions COMBINED, with times for the TOP FIVE: [R] denotes rookie; the driver’s best session is in ( )

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1 - Josef Newgarden, Team Penske - time of 01:42.6279s for a speed of 140.804mph (2)

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2 - Robert Wickens [R], Schmidt Peterson Motorsports - time of 01:42.9025s for a speed of 140.428 mph (2)

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3 - Sebastien Bourdais, Dale Coyne Racing w/ Vasser/Sullivan - time of 01:43.0020s for a speed of 140.292mph (2)

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4 - Will Power, Team Penske - time of 01:43.0545s for a speed of 140.221mph (2)

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5 - Simon Pagenaud, Team Penske - time of 01:43.1599s for a speed of 140.078mph (2)

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6 - Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan (2)
7 - Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing (2)
8 - Takuma Sato, Rahal Letterman Lanigan (1)
9 - Ryan Hunter-Reay, Andretti Autosport (2)
10 - Alexander Rossi, Andretti Autosport (1)

11 - Marco Andretti, Andretti Herta (2)
12 - Tony Kanaan, A.J. Foyt Enterprises (2)
13 - James Hinchcliffe, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports (2)
14 - Zach Veach [R], Andretti Autosport (2)
15 - Zachary Claman DeMelo [R], Dale Coyne Racing (2)
16 - Jordan King [R], Ed Carpenter Racing (2)
17 - Spencer Pigot, Ed Carpenter Racing (1)
18 - Ed Jones, Chip Ganassi Racing (2)
19 - Matheus Leist [R], A.J. Foyt Enterprises (2)
20 - Max Chilton, Carlin (2)

21 - Gabby Chaves, Harding Racing (2)
22 - Charlie Kimball, Carlin (1)
23 - Alfonso Celis {R}, Juncos Racing (2)

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Notable:

• Josef got the TOP TIME in the P-1 session by simply holding down the push-to-pass button for the whole lap, but his P-2 session time is more representative of what his car is capable of, and he was able to help get his teammates up the grid, too.

• Rookie Alfonso Celis went off track at Turn 13 and clouted the wall fairly hard, breaking off the rear wing and bringing out a red flag early in the session. From the looks of it, the car is repairable. Let’s hope his weekend isn’t over before it really starts.

Josef Newgarden (left) and Alfonso Celis - ends of the spectrum.

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The IndyCars will be back on track for their final practice before qualifying tomorrow, at 11:00 am. They will then qualify in the afternoon. Next, the Indy Lights qualify for Race 1 of their weekend…

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[MarkyS]

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Friday afternoon at Road America - The Indy Lights qualify for Race 1 of their weekend…

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The Lights followed the IndyCars on track to qualify for Season Round 8, to be run on Saturday, at noon, and the guy who dominated the 4-session test a few weeks ago came to the top, today.

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Here is the way the Indy Lights will grid for Season Round 7, with times for all: [R] denotes rookie

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Row 1

Pole - Victor Franzoni [R], Juncos Racing - time of 01:53.1884s for a speed of 127.667mph

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P2 - Santiago Urrutia, Belardi Auto Racing - time of 01:53.2826s for a speed of 127.561mph

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Row 2

P3 - Colton Herta, Andretti Steinbrenner - time of 01:53.3622s for a speed of 127.471mph

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P4 - Pato O’Ward [R], Andretti Autosport - time of 01:53.5814s for a speed of 127.225mph

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Row 3

P5 - Aaron Telitz, Belardi Auto Racing - time of 01:53.9516s for a speed of 126.812mph

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P6 - Ryan Norman, Andretti Autosport - time of 01:54.1113s for a speed of 126.634mph

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Row 4

P7 - Dalton Kellett, Andretti Autosport - time of 01:55.3158s for a speed of 125.312mph

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Notable:

• This is an emotional pole for Victor - his first in Indy Lights - because it also comes on the same weekend he is mourning the loss of his former teammate and very good friend Jeff Green. Victor credits Green for making his 2017 season in Pro Mazda possible, and with it a championship that has allowed him to race in the Lights.

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The Lights will qualify for Race 2 early on Saturday morning and then do Race 1, for which this grid applies, later in the day. Next, USF2000 qualify for their Race 2 of the weekend…

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M

[MarkyS]

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Friday afternoon at Road America - USF2000 hold their 2nd qually for the weekend…

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The kids of USF2000 came out following the Lights to do their 2nd qualification of the day - this one for Season Round 7 to be run on Sunday.

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Here is the way that USF2000 will grid for Season Round 7, with times for the TOP SIX: [R] denotes rookie

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Row 1

Pole - Rasmus Lindh [R], Pabst Racing - time of 02:09.4077s for a speed of 111.666mph

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P2 - Kaylen Frederick, Pabst Racing - time of 02:09.5409s for a speed of 111.551mph

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Row 2

P3 - Lucas Kohl, Pabst Racing - time of 02:09.6850s for a speed of 111.427mph

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P4 - Kyle Kirkwood [R], Cape Motorsports - time of 02:09.6864s for a speed of 111.426mph

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Row 3

P5 - Julian Van der Watt [R], Team Pelfrey - time of 02:09.9330s for a speed of 111.214mph

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P6 - Keith Donegan [R], BN Racing - time of 02:10.0400s for a speed of 111.123mph

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Row 4

P7 - Michael D’Orlando [R], Team BENIK
P8 - Colin Kaminsky, DEForce Racing

Row 5

P9 - Kory Enders, DEForce Racing
P10 - Kyle Dupell [R], Team Pelfrey

Row 6

P11 - Alex Baron, Swan / RJB Motorsports
P12 - Jose Sierra [R], DEForce Racing

Row 7

P13 - Igor Fraga [R], Exclusive Autosport
P14 - Dakota Dickerson, ArmsUp Motorsports

Row 8

P15 - Calvin Ming, Pabst Racing
P16 - Mathias Soler-Obel [R], Sol. O Racing

Row 9

P17 - Jacob Abel [R], Abel Motorsports
P18 - Max Peichel [R],Newman Wachs

Row 10

P19 - Manuel Cabrera [R], Exclusive Autosport
P20 - Russ McDonough [R], BN Racing

Row 11

P21 - Darren Keane, Newman Wachs Racing
P22 - Sabre Cook [R], Team BENIK

Row 12

P23 - David Osborne [R], Newman Wachs Racing
P24 - Bruna Tomaselli, Team Pelfrey

Row 13

P25 - Danial Frost [R], Exclusive Autosport
P26 - Oscar DeLuzuriaga [R], Newman Wachs Racing

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Notable:

• Its three of the Pabst Racing speed boys in the top three positions with the 2nd pole of the day for Sweden’s 17-year-old karting superstar, Rasmus Lindh. Ras had great pre-season testing, but has only shown occasional brilliance since then. It looks like he finally has the handle on the car.

• We’re very gratified to see South African Julian Van der Watt also in the TOP SIX. Julian absolutely crushed the competition in F1600 in South Africa last year and we knew it was only a matter of time before he started to show that talent.

• We’re equally gratified to see 2017 MRTI Shootout WINNER Keith Donegan in the TOP SIX. He has struggled in the car with ArmsUp Motorsports 'til now. Maybe this move to BN Racing is the reason he is shining this weekend. Maybe it’s a permanent move, too.

• As we suspected, karting multi-champion Sabre Cook’s “no-show” in the P-1 practice session was due to a bad transponder and not a bad car.

Sabre - in it all, after all

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The race for this grid will be on Sunday morning. Next up, the Pirelli World Challenge boys, GT, GTA and GT Cup classes, hold their 2nd practice of the day…

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M

[MarkyS]

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Friday afternoon at Road America - the Pirelli guys all come out for another practice…

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Following their mid-morning practice (see post # 9) the Pirelli World Challenge GT division drivers came out around noon for a second practice and then around 6:30 in the evening for their third practice. As we noted, IndyCar driver Scott Hargrove did not come out for the P-1 session but he was certainly on track for both P-2 and P-3
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Here were the TOP FIVE in the P-2 session:

1 - Alvarao Parente, Bentley Continental GT3 for K-PAX Racing
2 - Daniel Mancinelli, Ferrari 488 GT3 for TR3 Racing
3 - Toni Vilander, Ferrari 488 GT3 for R. Ferri Motorsport
4 - Scott Hargrove, Porsche 911 GT3 R (991) for Pfaff Motorsports
5 - Michael Christensen, Porsche 911 GT3 R (991) - Alegra Motorsports
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The P-3 session went even BETTER for Scott:

1 - Scott Hargrove, Porsche 911 GT3 R (991) for Pfaff Motorsports
2 - Alvarao Parente, Bentley Continental GT3 for K-PAX Racing
3 - Daniel Morad, Mercedes-AMG GT3 for CRP Racing
4 - Toni Vilander, Ferrari 488 GT3 for R. Ferri Motorsport
5 - Rodrigo Baptista, Bentley Continental GT3 for K-PAX Racing
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Scott posted a time of 02:06.199 seconds in the # 96 Porsche and that was a hefty 0.823 seconds faster than K-PAX Racing’s Alvaro Parente. We’re feelin’ a little bit better, now.

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The Pirelli gang will hold a final practice on Saturday morning, just before they qualify for their races, the first of which will be Saturday afternoon. Their P-3 session was the last on-track activity of this busy day at Road America

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Racer magazine’s Marshall Pruett and Robin Miller wrap up the day…

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…and they also talk a lot about the already-started Silly Season, due to the possibility of McLaren becoming an IndyCar team, the future prospects of the series and its drivers and the state of things - which is GREAT!..Enjoy!

RACER: Friday Road America IndyCar Report

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[MarkyS]

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Saturday morning at Road America - The Indy Lights qualify for Race 2 of the weekend…

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Bright and early - first guys on the track, as the weekend camping crowd waken to the sound of turbo-charged power - the Lights qualified for Season Round 9, to be run on Sunday.

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Here is the way they will grid for Season Round 9, with times for all: [R] denotes rookie

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Row 1

Pole - Pato O’Ward [R], Andretti Autosport - time of 1:52.6078s for a speed of 128.325mph

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P2 - Victor Franzoni [R], Juncos Racing - time of 1:53.0792s for a speed of 127.790mph

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Row 2

P3 - Santiago Urrutia, Belardi Auto Racing - time of 1:53.0938s for a speed of 127.774mph

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P4 - Colton Herta, Andretti Steinbrenner - time of 1:53.1579s for a speed of 127.701mph

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Row 3

P5 - Aaron Telitz, Belardi Auto Racing - time of 1:53.3245s for a speed of 127.513mph

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P6 - Ryan Norman, Andretti Autosport - time of 1:53.6797s for a speed of 127.115mph

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Row 4

P7 - Dalton Kellett, Andretti Autosport - time of 1:54.2959s for a speed of 126.430mph

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Notable:

• Victor Franzoni had just posted a time that beat his own pole speed of yesterday when Patricio laid down a monster lap to take pole away from him. Pato’s lap is almost .5 seconds faster than Victor’s and is the 5th pole of the season for the Mexican teen.

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.The Lights will run this race on Sunday. At Noon today they will run their Race 1 of the weekend. Next, the Pirelli World Challenge gang hold final practice before qualifying…

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[MarkyS]

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Saturday morning at Road America - The Pirelli World Challenge come onto the track…

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…for a final practice before qualifying. The TOP FIVE in the P-4 practice were all in the GT class and they were:

1 - Alvaro Parente, Bentley Continental GT3 - K-PAX Racing
2 - Toni Vilander, Ferrari 488 GT3 - R. Ferri Motorsport
3 - Rodrigo Baptista, Bentley Continental GT3 - K-PAX Racing
4 - Michael Christensen, Porsche 911 GT3 R (991) - Alegra Motorsports
5 - Daniel Mancinelli, Ferrari 488 GT3 - TR3 Racing

Our guy in the PWC, MRTI alum Scott Hargrove, didn’t participate in this practice. Following the P-4 practice the GT, GTA and GT Cup classes qualified.
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Here are the TOP SIX qualifiers, with their times:
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Row 1

Pole - Daniel Mancinelli, Ferrari 488 GT3 - TR3 Racing - time of 2:04.960s

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P2 - Michael Christensen, Porsche 911 GT3 R - Alegra Motorsports - time of 2:05.014s

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Row 2

P3 - Alvaro Parente, Bentley Continental GT3 - K-PAX Racing - time of 2:05.033s

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P4 - Scott Hargrove, Porsche 911 GT3 R (991) - Pfaff Motorsports - time of 2:05.250s

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Row 3

P5 - Rodrigo Baptista, Bentley Continental GT3 - K-PAX Racing - time of 2:05.299s

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P6 - Toni Vilander, Ferrari 488 GT3 - R. Ferri Motorsport - time of 2:05.467s

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Notable:

• Scott’s nearest championship rival is Finland’s Toni Vilander, who is 2 points ahead of him in the overall and 8 points behind him in the GT class.

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The first race of the weekend for the PWC will be the last on-track action of this day, following IndyCar qualifying. Next, the IndyCars hold their final practice of the weekend…

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M

[MarkyS]

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Saturday morning at Road America - the IndyCar hold their final practice…

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The big cars got their last chance to check their mounts before qualifying, later today. Some cars are checking their qualifying set-up while others are working on their race set-up. It all depends on the program each car and each team is following. Therefore, it’s always hard to gauge what final practice will mean for qualifying.

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Here was the order of speed for the IndyCars P-3 session, With times for the TOP FIVE: [R] denotes rookie

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1 - Robert Wickens [R], Schmidt Peterson Motorsports - time of 1:42.9915s for a speed of 140.307mph

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2 - Ryan Hunter-Reay, Andretti Autosport - time of 1:43.1725s for a speed of 140.061mph

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3 - Simon Pagenaud, Team Penske - time of 1:43.1793s for a speed of 140.051mph

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4 - Alexander Rossi, Andretti Autosport - time of 1:43.1832s for a speed of 140.046mph

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5 - Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan - time of 1:43.1966s for a speed of 140.028mph

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6 - Will Power, Team Penske
7 - Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing
8 - Zach Veach [R], Andretti Autosport
9 - James Hinchcliffe, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
10 - Sebastien Bourdais, Dale Coyne Racing w/ Vasser/Sullivan

11 - Takuma Sato, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
12 - Ed Jones, Chip Ganassi Racing
13 - Josef Newgarden, Team Penske
14 - Marco Andretti, Andretti Herta
15 - Spencer Pigot, Ed Carpenter Racing
16 - Jordan King [R], Ed Carpenter Racing
17 - Tony Kanaan, A.J. Foyt Enterprises
18 - Zachary Claman DeMelo [R], Dale Coyne Racing
19 - Matheus Leist [R], A.J. Foyt Enterprises
20 - Charlie Kimball, Carlin

21 - Max Chilton, Carlin
22 - Alfonso Celis {R}, Juncos Racing
23 - Gabby Chaves, Harding Racing

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Notable:

• Of the TOP TEN cars - top twelve, actually - there are only two Chevys and both from Team Penske.

• Andretti has three cars in that TOP TEN and Schmidt Peterson has both cars in the TOP TEN.

• Juncos Racing was able to get Alfonso Celis’ car back together, following his off-course excursion in Turn 13.

Robert Wickens (left) and Alfonso Celis.

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The IndyCars will qualify late in the day. Next, the Indy Lights hold Race # 1 of the weekend. The grid for this race is in post # 14…

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