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Saturday at Road America - Indy Lights hold Season Round 7…
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…and coming away the WINNER - for the fourth race in a row - was Colton Herta for Andretti Steinbrenner. P2 was points-rival and Andretti teammate Patricio O’Ward while P3 went to 1st-time Lights pole-sitter Victor Franzoni for Juncos Racing.
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On the opening lap Victor took off cleanly with everyone slotting into place behind but by the time they got to Turn 5 Colton Herta was inside and past P2 starter Santi Urrutia for Belardi, while Pato O’Ward was inside of Aaron Telitz for Belardi in Turn 5, relegating him quickly to P5. On Lap 3, O’Ward grabbed P3 from Urrutia as the two passed under the Sargento Bridge while Colton edged closer to Victor. By lap 5 Franzoni could no longer hold Herta off and he was taken in Turn 5. O’Ward was also there to pressure Franzoni and within three corners Franzoni put a wheel off, allowing Pato to get him exiting the Carousel.
Pato then attacked Colton for several laps but the American teen was more composed and never put a wheel wrong, while the young Mexican seemed frantic behind him, eventually eating up his tires and wasting his push to pass. By the closing laps he decided best to settle into P2 and concentrate instead on keeping Franzoni behind him. Colton would WIN by a comfortable 3.7 seconds as Pato kept a second ahead of Victor.
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Here is your happy podium - That’s Pato O’Ward in P2 on the left, Colton Herta in P1 in the middle and Victor Franzoni in P3 on the right:
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The Lights will hold Race 2 of the weekend on Sunday morning. Next, USF2000 hold their first race of the event. The grid for this race is in post # 11…
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