IndyCars: St. Petersburg - The season begins!

[MarkyS]

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On Thursday, the first on-track stirings of the 2019 season of IndyCars will happen as they bring us the

Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg

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Every year at this time IndyCars take over the streets and a section of runway of the Albert Whitted Airport of St. Petersburg, Florida, to hold a great street race, kicking off the season. The course, at 1.8-miles and 14 turns, is considered clean but anything but easy - especially at Turn One, which seems to bite someone every year. With three long straights, the course has plenty of passing opportunities for the brave.

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Racing fans will also have plenty of opportunities, as there will be no less than 11 races over the weekend. They include:

SRO World Challenge GT4 - two races, on Saturday and Sunday
SRO World Challenge TC Americas - two races, on Saturday and Sunday
USF2000 - two races, on Friday and Saturday
Indy Pro 2000 - two races, on Friday and Saturday
Indy Lights - two races, on Saturday and Sunday

…and of course, the IndyCars will race on Sunday. Weather is expected to be gorgeous, all four days of the event.

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Let’s look at that support racing. First off, both SRO series are production based, SportsCar series and no IndyCar drivers are in them, se we will wish them happy and safe racing, and concentrate on the others.

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continued…
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M

[MarkyS]

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Support racing…

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USF2000 - The bottom rung on the ladder training system known as the Road to Indy, USF2000 uses the all-carbon Tatuus USF-17 car, powered by a 2.0 liter engine made by Elite Engines, with about 175 hp and controlled by a Cosworth SQ6 engine management system. The cars have racing slicks and adjustable wings. They are often the first such equipped cars the drivers will have driven. The transmissions are a Sadev SL75 six-speed sequential gearbox, with steering-wheel paddle shifters. The brakes are Performance Friction Brakes ZR24 4-piston monobloc caliper sets, front and rear.

The drivers are often entering formula cars for the first time, often right out of karting. They will range from 14-years-old to any age above, but youth is prevalent. Some will be rookies and some will be returning veterans and / or champions from other series. The fields are usually very large and competitive. They race hard.
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Last year’s Champ, Kyle Kirkwood, in his Tatuus USF-17

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Indy Pro 2000 - This is the middle rung of the ladder. IP2000 uses the PM-18 car from Tatuus, based on the USF-17, but with much bigger tires, much more wing, and a much more powerful engine. The Elite Engines 2.0 liter puts out 275 hp and is also managed by a Cosworth SQ6 EMC. The brakes are 274mm disc, front and rear, and bias is driver-adjustable, just like in the USF-17. Transmissions are the Sadev SL82 six-speed sequential transmission, controlled by paddle-shifters on the steering wheel. With the bigger tires and more wing, the cars have substantially more downforce that USF2000.

The fields are typically graduates from USF2000 or from European F3 and GP3 - used to more power and grip and with great racecraft. The level of competition across the board is more even, though the fields are smaller than USF2000.

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Last year’s champ, Rinus VeeKay, in his Tatuus PM-18

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Indy Lights - The car is the Dallara IL-15 and is substantially bigger and better than the PM-18. It is much closer to an IndyCar in performance and feel - a great training ground to step up to the big cars. The Dallara uses a 450 hp turbo-charged engine from AER, with engine management from Cosworth. The adjustable brakes are by PFC and are the biggest in the Road to Indy. The transmissions are Ricardo 6-speeds, with paddle-shifters on the steering wheel. The cars have much bigger wheels than the PM-18, providing much more grip. The IL-15 has one more thing - Push-to-Pass, just like on the big cars. That is, an additional burst of 50 horsepower is available to the driver under certain conditions, with the push of a button on the steering wheel.

The drivers are typically graduates of USF2000 and Indy Pro 2000, but can often come from GP3 or GP2 in Europe. These drivers are ready to make the move to the big cars by season’s end and many of the drivers in IndyCars are recent graduates of Indy Lights.

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Last year’s champ, Pato O’Ward, in his Dallara IL-15

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While gates open for the general public on Friday, USF2000 and Indy Pro 2000 will practice and qualify on Thursday, so they can race on Friday, and we will watch that action.
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Here we go!

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M

[Dissident_Aggressor]

I’ve always kind of wanted to check this out, but parking around there is terrible even when nobody is there. I can’t imagine how I’d get near that place with that going on. I’d have to leave now and I’m only 30 mins away.

[MarkyS]

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Thursday at St. Pete - the Road to Indy takes to the track…

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The first guys to practice this weekend will be the kids friom USF2000 and the guys from Indy Pro 2000 and they will do it today. They will then qualify for their first races of the weekend, to be held on Friday.

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But first, a bit oif housekeeping, as we now have an entry list for each series and they include a few names that have yet to be confirmed drivers for their teams. In USF2000:

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Darren Keane topped Spring Training at Homestead-Miami, last weekend and that has him in the # 2 USF-17 for Cape Motorsports for this weekend. The Florida native is also listed as a series driver for the Capes, even though no announcement has been made by them or by Darren. At this point, we will just consider him one of their season drivers, unless and until he is not in their car.

Darren Keane

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Also on the role of entries is veteran Zach Holden, who is listed as a driver for BN Racing. This is virtually the first time Zach has made an appearance since the end of last season. Like Darren, no announcement by the team or by Zach has been fourthcoming. He is not even listed as a series driver, so this may be one and done for Holden. We’ll see.

Zach Holden

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In Indy Pro 2000, the name on the entry list not yet confirmed is American Phillippe Denes, who is listed for FatBoy Racing!. FatBoy Racing! typically fields gentlemen drivers of an age who want to race with the kids, so this is a departure, as Phillippe is just 19 years old. He has Road to Indy experience in both USF2000 and Indy Pro 2000, and WON the 24 Hour GT Series European Championship in the SPX class, last year. Phillippe is listed as a series driver, so we will keep him on the FatBoy Racing! roster until he doesn’t get in a car for them.

Phillippe Denes

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We knew that 2018 Vice-Champion Parker Thompson was going to have at least this one race for Abel Motorsports and he is indeed here. Whether or not the Canadian ace gets more outings with Abel is, as always, a matter of funding, because he proved at Homestead-Miami last weekend that he is the top driver in this field and like Darren Keane, a sure contender for a title - if he gets the chance to drive all season.

Parker Thompson

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Okay, let’s look at some pracitce times!

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(continued…)

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M

[MarkyS]

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Thursday at St. Pete - the Road to Indy takes to the track…(part 2)…

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First on track were the kids from USF2000 for the one and only practice they will have before qualifying, later today, and the guys on top are no surprise, at all. These are the guys we expect to be title contenders.

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Here was the order of speed for the USF2000 P-1 session, with times for the TOP FIVE: [R] denores rookie

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1 - Darren Keane, Cape Motorsports - time of 1:14.0561s for a speed of 87.501mph

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2 - Alex Baron, Legacy Autosport - time of 1:14.1132s for a speed of 87.434mph

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3 - Manuel Sulaiman [R], DEForce Racing - time of 1:14.2528s for a speed of 87.269mph

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4 - Braden Eves [R], Cape Motorsports - time of 1:14.3628s for a speed of 87.140mph

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5 - Colin Kaminsky, Pabst Racing - time of 1:14.3782s for a speed of 87.122mph

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6 - Hunter McElrea [R], Pabst Racing
7 - Cameron Shields [R], Newman Wachs Racing
8 - Bruna Tomaselli, Pabst Racing
9 - Jack William Miller [R], Miller Vinatieri Motorsports
10 - Eduardo Barrichello [R], Miller Vinatieri Motorsports

11 - Zach Holden, BN Racing
12 - Yuven Sundaramoorthy [R], Pabst Racing
13 - Manuel Cabrera [R], Exclusive Autosport
14 - Reece Gold [R], Cape Motorsports
15 - Anthony Famularo [R], BN Racing
16 - Nolan Siegel [R], Newman Wachs Racing
17 - Nate Aranda [R], Team E-Jay Racing
18 - Christian Bogle [R], Jay Howard Driver Development
19 - Jose Sierra, Legacy Autosport

20 - Matthew Round-Garrido [R], Jay Howard Driver Development
21 - Christian Rasmussen [R], Jay Howard Driver Development

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Notable:

• Four of the TOP FIVE were also great at Spring Training. Alex Baron wasn’t there, but we are not surprised by his performance. The French / English driver is a monster. Put him in any kind of car on any track and he is a threat to WIN.

• Cape Motorsports gets two drivers in the TOP FIVE and the “Speed Boys” at Pabst Racing get three in the TOP TEN. We are really impressed with Speed Boy Bruna Tomaselli. We have always suspected that all she needed was the confidence a great team can give you.

• We are also impressed with 14-year-old Jack William Miller, making the TOP TEN. The youngsters in USF2000 show poise and maturity beyond their age.

• Both Christian Rasmussen and Matt Round-Garrido put in no time. Teammates at JHDD, they are both excellent drivers, so this was a wasted opportunity for them and the team and they are behind the 8-ball for qualifying, later today.

left to right, Darren Keane, Christian Rasmussen and Matthew Round-Garrido

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USF2000 will qualify for Friday’s Round 1 of the season later this afternoon. Next, Indy Pro 2000 come out to practice…

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M

[MarkyS]

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Thursday afternoon at St. Pete - Indy Pro 2000 comes on track…

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…for their one and only practice before qualifying, later this afternoon. The TOP FIVE were all no mystery to us, but we did have what has to be called a beat-down in the session by the top driver.

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Here was the oder of speed for the Indy Pro 2000 P-1 session, with times for the TOP FIVE: [R] denotes rookie

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1 - Parker Thompson, Abel Motorsports - time of 1:08.7842s for a speed of 94.208mph

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2 - Rasmus Lindh [R], Juncos Racing - time of 1:09.5783s for a speed of 93.132mph

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3 - Sting Ray Robb, Juncos Racing - time of 1:09.6479s for a speed of 93.039mph

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4 - Moises de la Vara [R], DEForce Racing - time of 1:09.6489s for a speed of 93.038mph

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5 - Danial Frost [R], Exclusive Autosport - time of 1:09.7562s for a speed of 92.895mph

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6 - Kyle Kirkwood [R], RP Motorsport Racing
7 - Nikita Lastochkin, Exclusive Autosport
8 - Kory Enders [R], DEForce Racing
9 - Antonio Serravalle, Pserra Racing w/Jay Howard Driver Development
10 - Jacob Abel [R], Abel Motorsports

11 - Damiano Fioravanti [R], RP Motorsport Racing
12 - Parker Locke [R], Exclusive Autosport
13 - Charles Finelli, FatBoy Racing!

14 - Phillippe Denes, FatBoy Racing!

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Notable:

• The rest of the TOP FIVE did well against each other, but Parker Thompson DESTROYED them. He was a huge 0.7941 seconds quicker than Rasmus and more than a full mile per hour faster than the other four. This was a statement: "Get me a car, because I am the best out here. "

• As a team, Juncos racing has to be happy with both cars in the TOP FIVE - one with a determined veteran and one with a talented rookie. That’s the ideal situation for a team, as they feed off and help each other in different ways.

• Kory Enders was not at Spring Training, even though he was confirmed for the season for DEForce Racing, so it’s good to see him on track.

• Phillippe Denes put in no time for FatBoy Racing!

Parker Thompson (left) and Kory Enders

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This afternoon, Indy Pro 2000 will qualify for season round 1, to be run on Friday. Next, USF2000 qualify…

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M

[MarkyS]

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Thursday afternoon at St. Pete - BIG upset in USF2000 during qualifying…

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In the Road to Indy, each series qualifies for each race, rather than have one qualifying for the weekend, and that will be a good thing for Darren Keane for Cape Motorsports, because he did not come out to qualify for Race 1 of the weekend, despite turning in the TOP TIME of practice, this morning.

Darren will have to start Friday’s race from the back of the field, but he gets another chance at a pole when they qualify on Friday for Race 2, to be run on Saturday. Luckily for the Cape brothers, their other driver, super-karter Braden Eves, is about as fast as Keane, and he held the flag high.

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Here is the way USF2000 will grid for Race 1 of the weekend, with times for the TOP SIX: [R] denotes rookie

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Row 1

Pole - Braden Eves [R], Cape Motorsports - - time of 1:13.5277s for a speed of 88.130mph

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P2 - Hunter McElrea [R], Pabst Racing - time of 1:13.6504s for a speed of 87.983mph

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Row 2

P3 - Manuel Sulaiman [R], DEForce Racing - time of 1:13.6885s for a speed of 87.938mph

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P4 - Zach Holden, BN Racing - time of **1:13.7181s for a speed of 87.902mph

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Row 3

P5 - Colin Kaminsky, Pabst Racing - time of 1:13.7436s for a speed of 87.872mph

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P6 - Bruna Tomaselli, Pabst Racing - time of 1:13.8512s for a speed of 87.744mph

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Row 4

P7 - Alex Baron, Legacy Autosport
P8 - Yuven Sundaramoorthy [R], Pabst Racing

Row 5

P9 - Christian Rasmussen [R], Jay Howard Driver Development
P10 - Manuel Cabrera [R], Exclusive Autosport

Row 6

P11 - Reece Gold [R], Cape Motorsports
P12 - Anthony Famularo [R], BN Racing

Row 7

P13 - Nolan Siegel [R], Newman Wachs Racing
P14 - Jose Sierra, Legacy Autosport

Row 8

P15 - Nate Aranda [R], Team E-Jay Racing
P16 - Christian Bogle [R], Jay Howard Driver Development

Row 9

P17 - Jack William Miller [R], Miller Vinatieri Motorsports
P18 - Cameron Shields [R], Newman Wachs Racing

Row 10

P19 - Darren Keane, Cape Motorsports
P20 - Eduardo Barrichello [R], Miller Vinatieri Motorsports

Row 11

P21 - Matthew Round-Garrido [R], Jay Howard Driver Development

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Notable:

• It turns out to be transponder problems that kept Darren Keane from being able to qualify. Without a working transponder there was no way to track Keane’s time as he circulated. Also putting in no time were Eduardo Barrichello and Matt Round-Garrido for reasons as yet unknown.

• Alexandre Baron’s qualifying record from last year still stands, at 1:12.2574s (89.679mph)

• Pabst Racing got three cars in the first three rows - outstanding. This is Bruna Tomaselli’s best qualifying in her Road to Indy career.

• For someone just walking onto the scene today, Zach Holden well-earned his keep at BN Racing.

• Jack William Miller and Cameron Shields both lost their best laps for bringing out red flags during qualifying. Cam had the most to lose and he lost it. He will have to work very hard to get up front, as will Darren, but both will push it hard.

left to right, Braden Eves, Cameron Shields and Jack William Miller

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Race 1 for USF2000 is scheduled for just before noon, on Friday. right after the IndyCars hold their first practice. Next, Indy Pro 2000 qualify for Race 1…

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M

[MarkyS]

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Thursday afternoon at St. Pete - Indy Pro 2000 qualify for Race 1 of the weekend…

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…and it went just about as we expected it would, with Canadian veteran Parker Thompson taking his first pole of the year, with all the other fast guys right behind him.

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Here is the way Indy Pro 2000 will grid for Race 1 of the weekend, with times for the TOP SIX: [R] denotes rookie

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Row 1

Pole - Parker Thompson, Abel Motorsports - time of 1:08.4137s for a speed of 94.718mph

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P2 - Rasmus Lindh [R], Juncos Racing - time of 1:08.5906s for a speed of 94.474mph

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Row 2

P3 - Kyle Kirkwood [R], RP Motorsport Racing - time of 1:08.6137s for a speed of 94.442mph

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P4 - Sting Ray Robb, Juncos Racing - time of 1:08.6962s for a speed of 94.328mph

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Row 3

P5 - Moises de la Vara [R], DEForce Racing - time of 1:09.1036s for a speed of 93.772

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P6 - Danial Frost [R], Exclusive Autosport - time of 1:09.1112s for a speed of *93.762mph

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Row 4

P7 - Kory Enders [R], DEForce Racing
P8 - Nikita Lastochkin, Exclusive Autosport

Row 5

P9 - Antonio Serravalle, Pserra Racing w/Jay Howard Driver Development
P10 - Phillippe Denes, FatBoy Racing!

Row 6

P11 - Damiano Fioravanti [R], RP Motorsport Racing
P12 - Jacob Abel [R], Abel Motorsports

Row 7

P13 - Parker Locke [R], Exclusive Autosport
P14 - Charles Finelli, FatBoy Racing!

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Notable:

• While Thompson took the pole he didn’t do it with the incredible beat-down he showed in practice, but rather beat Rasmus by 0.1769 seconds. It was likely a cautious approach that simply secured the pole, without risking the car.

• Five different teams in the first three rows show the great competitiveness of Indy Pro 2000.

• Oliver Askew’s 2018 qualifying record remains, at 1:08.1032s (95.150mph)

• Everyone turned laps, so good for Phillippe Denes, who missed practice.

Parker Thompson

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Indy Pro 2000 will race on Friday afternoon, right after the USF2000 race. This qualifying was the last on-track activity of the day.

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M

[MarkyS]

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Friday morning at St. Pete - USF2000 come out for another qually…

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In the Road to Indy each race of a series gets its own qualifying session. It takes more time and costs a little more, but it also gives teams a chance to adjust their cars between sessions, making for more exciiting qualifying and more chances to succeed. This morning, the kids from USF2000 came out bright and early to qualify for their 2nd race of the weekend, to be run on Saturday.

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Here is the way they will grid for USF2000 Race 2, with times for the TOP SIX: [R] denotes rookie

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Row 1

Pole - Darren Keane, Cape Motorsports - time of 1:12.6534s for a speed of 89.191mph

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P2 - Braden Eves [R], Cape Motorsports - time of 1:13.0161s for a speed of 88.748mph

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Row 2

P3 - Christian Rasmussen [R], Jay Howard Driver Development - time of **1:13.0177s for a speed of 88.746mph

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P4 - Alex Baron, Legacy Autosport - time of 1:13.2316s for a speed of 88.486mph

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Row 3

P5 - Hunter McElrea [R], Pabst Racing - time of 1:13.2393s for a speed of 88.477mph

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P6 - Colin Kaminsky, Pabst Racing - time of 1:13.2509s for a speed of 88.463mph

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Row 4

P7 - Zach Holden, BN Racing
P8 - Cameron Shields [R], Newman Wachs Racing

Row 5

P9 - Bruna Tomaselli, Pabst Racing
P10 - Yuven Sundaramoorthy [R], Pabst Racing

Row 6

P11 - Matthew Round-Garrido [R], Jay Howard Driver Development
P12 - Jose Sierra, Legacy Autosport

Row 7

P13 - Manuel Cabrera [R], Exclusive Autosport
P14 - Reece Gold [R], Cape Motorsports

Row 8

P15 - Nate Aranda [R], Team E-Jay Racing
P16 - Anthony Famularo [R], BN Racing

Row 9

P17 - Nolan Siegel [R], Newman Wachs Racing
P18 - Jack William Miller [R], Miller Vinatieri Motorsports

Row 10

P19 - Christian Bogle [R], Jay Howard Driver Development
P20 - Manuel Sulaiman [R], DEForce Racing

Row 11

P21 - Eduardo Barrichello [R], Miller Vinatieri Motorsports

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Notable:

• The top spot was held by Alexandre Baron for most of the session, but in the last few minutes it changed hands several times between the top performers, finally settling with Darren Keane.

• Cape Motorsports goes 1, 2 and Pabst Racing gets all four cars in the TOP TEN. These two teams always battle for supremacy in USF2000.

• Both Manuel Sulaiman and Eduardo Barrichello put in no time, for reasons as yet unknown.

Manuel Sulaiman (left) and Eduardo Barrichello

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Next up for the morning, the Indy Lights hold their practice session…

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M

[MarkyS]

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Friday mornong at St. Pete - The Indy Lights hold their practice session…

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Like the other Road to Indy series, the Indy Lights will get this one practice session before they have to qualify later today for their Race 1 of the weekend. There are ten contenders on the grid, with the addition this weekend of England’s Toby Sowery, who has a one-race deal with BN Racing. The car is supplied by Team Pelfrey, so this is a combo deal for the two teams. Toby is top flight, so hopefully, he will get more opportunities than just this weekend.

Toby Sowery

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

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1 - Ryan Norman, Andretti Autosport - time of 1:05.9662s for a speed of 98.232mph

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2 - Oliver Askew [R], Andretti Autosport - time of 1:06.1055s for a speed of 98.025mph

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3 - Zachary Claman, Belardi Auto Racing - time of **1:06.3228s for a speed of 97.704mph

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4 - David Malukas [R], BN Racing - time of 1:106.4630s for a speed of 97.498mph

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5 - Robert Megennis [R], Andretti Autosport - time of 1:06.4692s for a speed of 88.477mph

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6 - Toby Sowery [R], BN Racing / Team Pelfrey
7 - Rinus VeeKay [R], Juncos Racing
8 - Julien Falchero [R], Belardi Auto Racing
9 - Dalton Kellett, Juncos Racing
10 - Lucas Kohl [R], Belardi Auto Racing

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Notable:

• The TOP SPOT changed hands several times before settling on veteran Ryan Norman. Nobody is running away with this and the competition level is high.

• Rookie Dave Malukas continues to impress. David had one year of USF2000, getting several podiums. Then one year of Indy Pro 2000, where he WON races. Now, he is jumping into the Lights and is already up to speed. David believes in pushing himself outside of his comfort zone, and it’s paid off.

Ryan Norman

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The Lights will qualify later this afternoon for Race 1 of their weekend, to be run on Saturday. Next, the big cars take to the track for the first time this weekend for their P-1 session.

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M

[MarkyS]

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Friday, mid-day at St.Pete - the IndyCars come out for their first practice…

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The big cars will have three full practice sessions, this weekend - two today and one on Saturday. There will also be a Sunday morning warm-up - a fan favorite.

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

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1 - Felix Rosenqvist [R], Chip Ganassi Racing - time of 1:01.8215s for a speed of 104.818mph

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2 - Ryan Hunter-Reay, Andretti Autosport - time of 1:02.0636s for a speed of 104.409mph

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3 - Marcus Ericsson [R], Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports - time of 1:02.0811s for a speed of 104.380mph

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4 - Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing - time of 1:02.1309s for a speed of 104.296mph

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5 - Alexander Rossi, Andretti Autosport - time of 1:02.1470s for a speed of 104.269mph

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6 - Takuma Sato, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
7 - Josef Newgarden, Team Penske
8 - Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
9 - Zach Veach, Andretti Autosport
10 - Will Power, Team Penske

11 - Sebastien Bourdais, Dale Coyne Racing w / Vasser Sullivan
12 - Simon Pagenaud, Team Penske
13 - James Hinchcliffe, Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
14 - Spencer Pigot, Ed Carpenter Racing
15 - Charlie Kimball, Carlin
16 - Jack Harvey, Meyer Shank Racing with Arrow SPM
17 - Colton Herta [R], Harding Steinbrenner Racing
18 - Marco Andretti, Andretti Autosport
19 - Tony Kanaan, A.J. Foyt Enterprises
20 - Matheus Leist [R], A.J. Foyt Enterprises

21 - Santino Ferrucci [R], Dale Coyne Racing
22 - Max Chilton, Carlin
23 - Ed Jones, Ed Carpenter Racing
24 - Ben Hanley [R], DragonSpeed Racing

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Notable:

• Two rookies exert themselves right out of the box, as Felix Rosenqvist and Marcus Ericsson come in P1 and P3.

• That’s two Ganassi cars and two Andretti cars in the TOP FIVE, while both Rahal Letterman Lanigan cars and two Penske cars make the TOP TEN, as does a third Andretti car.

• Predicatbly, Ben Hanley is last, as he literally just got his DragonSpeed Racing car for the first time a few days ago. He will improve, but his schedule is limited, so it may take some time.

Felix Rosenqvist (left) and Ben Hanley

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The IndyCars will practice again, late today - last thing on track. Next, USF2000 holds Race 1 of the weekend. The grid for this race is in post # 7…

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M

[Dissident_Aggressor]

Here’s an article from a local news outfit about this. It includes some videos.

6 Things to Know About the Grand Prix in Downtown St. Pete

[MarkyS]

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Friday afternoon at St. Pete - USF2000 hold their first race of the year…

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The first race of the year in the Mazda Road to Indy started off with a bang, literally, as the field streamed down to Turn 1, and finished with a story we are familiar with: Cape Motorsports WINS the first race of the season in USF2000, as rookie Braden Eves led from green flag to checkers. P2 was Manuel Sulaiman for DEForce Racing, who started in P3, while P3 went to Hunter McElrea for Pabst Racing, who started in P2

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Baden Eves leads Manuel Sulaiman at St. Pete

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On the opening lap as the field funneled down into Turn 1, Alexandre Baron for Legacy Autosport was pinched from his P7 starting spot until he was pitched upward on another car and spun through the air - a complete barrel-roll that had him end up on his wheels - Okay but out of the race, and bringing out a full-course caution. In the same corner, Sulaiman passed McElrea for the P2 spot, as Hunter evaded the spinning car, and the podium was already set.

At the same time, Christian Rasmussen for Jay Howard jumped from P9 to P4. As the field came around to complete the lap under caution, Nate Aranda for Team E-Jay Racing clipped the outside wall in Turn 14. Nate reported some back pain, so the race was red-flagged as the safety crew carefully extracted him from the car.

On the lap 5 restart, Zach Holden for BN Racing took Rasmussen for P4. but on lap 8 Manuel Cabrera for Exclusive Autosport missed Turn 8 and went into the run-off, bringing out another caution. On the lap 9 restart Rasmussen got his P4 back. Lap 10 saw “Pepe” Sierra for Legacy try to pass Bruna Tomaselli for Pabst Racing in Turn 1, but spun into her, instead. Bruna was stopped momentarily, but quickly recovered her P6 spot.

The great show was watching Darren Keane for Cape Motorsport come forward from his P-19 start. By lap 11 Darren was at P9, then P8. On lap 14 he was passing Yuven Sundaramoorthy for Pabst to take the P7 spot and set Fastest Lap of the race. On lap 16 Jack William Miller for Miller Vinetieri hit the wall in Turn 10, bringing out the final caution.

On the lap 18 restart, the final lap of the race, Darren went after Bruna Tomaselli and took P6 from her, but the Brazilian took it back before the pair crossed the stripe.

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Notable:

• The first lap crash and barrel-roll for Baron was a result of the new paint at the end of the airport runway, which makes the track very slick, right at the turn, and also due to the funneling affect that shape of the turn produces. There will be more crashes there, this weekend.

• Bruna’s P6 beats her previous best of a P7 , also at St. Pete in 2018.

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Here is your happy podium - That’s Manuel Sulaiman on the left in P2, Braden Eves in the middle in P1 and Hunter McElrea on the right in P3:

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USF2000 will race again on Saturday, in the early aternoon. Next, Indy Pro 2000 hold their Race 1. The grid for this is in post # 8…

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[MarkyS]

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Friday afternoon at St. Pete - Indy Pro 2000 hold their first race of the season…

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…and the WINNER was 2018 Indy Pro 2000 Vice-Champion Parker Thompson for Abel Motorsports from pole, but not from flag to flag. P2 was rookie Rasmus Lindh for Juncos Racing - the 2018 Vice-Champion of USF2000 - while P3 went to Lindh’s veteran teammate, Sting Ray Robb.

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Parker Thompson, a Vice-Champion from 2018, beats another 2018 Vice-Champion

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On the start of the race, Thompson, who knows all-too-well how treacherous Turn 1 can be, allowed Lindh to pass him in the turn, rather than contest him. In the same corner Sting Ray was able to slip past Kyle Kirkwood for RP Motorsport Racing and take away P3 from him, while Nikita Lastochkin for Exclusive Autosport moved from P8 to P5. By the tiime they got to Turn 5 Kirkwood tried to take back the P3 spot from Sting Ray, but only managed to damage his own front wing, severly. He immediately dropped in the order and was almost dead last in a few laps.

As Lindh tried to get away from Thompson, Parker was having none of it and soon the two cars ran virtually nose-to-tail for the next 15 laps. On lap 5 Kirkwood made contact with Parker Locke for Exclusive Autosport and then spun into the run-off at Turn 3. He was finally out and brought out a caution.

On the restart Lindh was able to keep P1 but Thompson was able to stay with him. Lap 9 saw Moises de la Vara for DEForce take P3 from Sting Ray, while Danial Frost for Exclusive took P5 from Nikita.On lap 11 Sting Ray regianed the P3 spot from Moises in Turn 3. One lap later Danial was also past Moises to take P4. By lap 15 Moises lost another spot to Nikita.

At the end of lap 15 Thompson got a great run down the front straight and finally took the P1 spot back from Rasmus in Turn 1. Lap 18 saw Kory Enders for DEForce hit the wall between Turns 8 and 9, bringing out another caution. On the lap 12 restart Thompson motored away quickly, leaving Lindh with no chance to catch him and the race ended without further incidents on lap 25.

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Notable:

• Parker has one more race left with Abel and he has to convince someone to sponsor him, if he is to keep racing beyond St. Pete. Another WIN on Saturday couldn’t hurt. This was his first WIN at St. Pete, though he has won nearly everywhere else on the schedule.

• This P3 matches Sting Ray’s best previous Indy Pro 2000 finish, at the 2018 Grand Prix of Indianapolis, though he has many TOP FIVES on his resume.

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Here is your happy podium - That’s Rasmus Lindh in P2 on the left, Parker Thompson in P1 in the middle and Sting Ray Robb in P3 on the right:

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The next race for Indy Pro 2000 will be on Saturday, just before Noon. Next, the Indy Lights qualify for Race 1…

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[MarkyS]

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Friday afternoon at St. Pete - The Lights qualify for their first race of the weekend…

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A wily veteran took the first pole of the season for Indy Lights, but an upstart rookie almost stole it from him on his first race weekend in a Dallara IL-15.

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Here is the way the Indy Lights will grid for Race 1 of the weekend, with times for the TOP SIX: [R] denotes rookie

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Row 1

Pole - Zachary Claman, Belardi Auto Racing - time of 1:05.8084s for a speed of 98.468mph

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P2 - Toby Sowery [R], BN Racing / Team Pelfrey - time of 1:05.9232s for a speed opf 98.296mph

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Row 2

P3 - Oliver Askew [R], Andretti Autosport - time of 1:05.9879s for a speed of 98.200mph

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P4 - David Malukas [R], BN Racing - time of 1:06.0459s for a speed of 98.114mph

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Row 3

P5 - Robert Megennis [R], Andretti Autosport - time of 1:06.0694s for a speed of 98.079mph

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P6 Rinus VeeKay [R], Juncos Racing - time of 1:06.1780s for a speed of 97.918mph

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Row 4

P7 - Ryan Norman, Andretti Autosport
P8 - Julien Falchero [R], Belardi Auto Racing

Row 5

P9 - Dalton Kellett, Juncos Racing
P10 - Lucas Kohl [R], Belardi Auto Racing

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Notable:

• The times for this qualifying are in the same ballpark as the practice. The field is so close on talent that a few 100ths of a second can move one from P1 to P7, as happened to Ryan Norman.

• This is Toby Sowery’s first-ever street race weekend of any kind, and it may be the last, unless he can find a sponsor to keep him on the grid. The talent is there.

• Patricio O’Ward’s 2018 qualifying record of 1:05.0392 seconds for a speed of 99.632 miles per hour holds up.

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The race will be held on Saturday in the early afternoon. Next, the big cars hold another practice…

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[MarkyS]

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Friday afternoon at St.Pete - the IndyCars hold their second practice of the day…

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The big cars were the last cars on track today and the temps cooled enough to make changes. Everyone bested their mid-day practice speeds and a few guys made big leaps in time.

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Here was the order of speed for the IndyCars P-2 session, with times for the TOP FIVE: [R] denotes rookie

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1 - Ryan Hunter-Reay, Andretti Autosport - time of 1:00.8969s for a speed of 106.409mph

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2 - Spencer Pigot, Ed Carpenter Racing - time of 1:00.9812s for a speed of 106.262mph

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3 - Marco Andretti, Andretti Autosport - time of 1:01.0351s for speed of 106.168mph

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4 - Colton Herta [R], Harding Steinbrenner Racing - time of 1:01.0776s for a speed of 106.095mph

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5 - Max Chilton, Carlin - time of 1:01.1171s for a speed of 106.026mph

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6 - Alexander Rossi, Andretti Autosport
7 - James Hinchcliffe, Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
8 - Charlie Kimball, Carlin
9 - Josef Newgarden, Team Penske
10 - Will Power, Team Penske

11 - Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
12 - Takuma Sato, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
13 - Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing
14 - Felix Rosenqvist [R], Chip Ganassi Racing
15 - Ed Jones, Ed Carpenter Racing
16 - Matheus Leist [R], A.J. Foyt Enterprises
17 - Simon Pagenaud, Team Penske
18 - Sebastien Bourdais, Dale Coyne Racing w / Vasser Sullivan
19 - Marcus Ericsson [R], Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
20 - Jack Harvey, Meyer Shank Racing with Arrow SPM

21 - Santino Ferrucci [R], Dale Coyne Racing
22 - Tony Kanaan, A.J. Foyt Enterprises
23 - Zach Veach, Andretti Autosport
24 - Ben Hanley [R], DragonSpeed Racing

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Notable:

• Again, everyone improved. It was just some improved very little, while other improved a lot. Ryan improved very little, but was fast to begin with, but Marco Andretti, who led most of the session, improved a lot over the P-1 session, finding more speed than others did.

• The first 22 cars are less than a second apart - that’s how close everyone is.

• Five Hondas and 5 Chevys in the TOP TEN - good parity.

• Zach Veach is reporting braking problems which have hampered his times, but even he improved.

Ryan Hunter-Reay (left) and Zach Veach

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The IndyCars will have a final practice session on Saturday, in the morning, but starting the day will be qualifying for the 2nd race for both Indy Pro 2000 and Indy Lights. This was the last on-track activity of the day.

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[MarkyS]

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IndyCar has released a highlight reel from the practices…

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…and it it you clealy see that Zach Veach wasn’t kidding about braking issues…

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Take a look:

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2019 NTT IndyCar Series: St. Pete Practice Highlights

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[MarkyS]

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Racer magazine’s Marshall Pruett and Sebastien Bourdais discuss Friday at St. Pete…

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…and take a little time to speak with Carlin’s latest driver, Pato O’Ward.

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Take a look:

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RACER: IndyCar Friday St Pete Report

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[MarkyS]

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Saturday morning at St. Pete - Indy Pro 2000 take to the track to qualify for Race 2…

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The middle rung of the Road to Indy will be having their second race of the weekend this afternoon and they were first on track this morning to qualify for that race. Canadian Parker Thompson, yesterday’s race WINNER for Abel Motorsports, made it clear he wants and needs to WIN today as well, by putting his # 8 Tatuus PM-18 on pole, again, while setting a new track record.

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Here is the way that Indy Pro 2000 will grid for Season Round 2, with times for the TOP SIX: [R] denotes rookie

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Row 1

Pole - Parker Thompson, Abel Motorsports - time of 1:07.9248s for a speed of 95.400mph

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P2 - Kyle Kirkwood [R], RP Motorsport Racing - time of 1:08.0401s for a speed of 95.238mph

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Row 2

P3 - Sting Ray Robb, Juncos Racing - time of 1:08.1967s for a speed of 95.019mph

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P4 - Danial Frost [R], Exclusive Autosport - time of 1:08.2319s for a speed of 94.970mph

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Row 3

P5 - Rasmus Lindh [R], Juncos Racing - time of 1:08.2413s for a speed of 94.957mph

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P6 - Moises de la Vara [R], DEForce Racing - time of 1:08.2787s for a speed of 94.905mph

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Row 4

P7 - Nikita Lastochkin, Exclusive Autosport
P8 - Kory Enders [R], DEForce Racing

Row 5

P9 - Damiano Fioravanti [R], RP Motorsport Racing
P10 - Antonio Serravalle, Pserra Racing w/Jay Howard Driver Development

Row 6

P11 - Jacob Abel [R], Abel Motorsports
P12 - Phillippe Denes, FatBoy Racing!

Row 7

P13 - Parker Locke [R], Exclusive Autosport
P14 - Charles Finelli, FatBoy Racing!

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Notable:

• Parker broke Oliver Askew’s old track record by 0.1784 seconds. Kyle Kirkwood also beat the old record but couldn’t beat Parker.

• This is Parker’s 11th Road to Indy pole, 5th in Indy Pro 2000 ad 3rd at St.Pete. He was the only guy to break into the 1:07s.

• With his DNF on Friday’s race, Kirkwood will be very determined to make up for that, today. If Thompson can pull together a season ride, these two would be the top contenders for the title, as of right now, based on what they did last year

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Indy Pro 2000 will race this morning, right after the IndyCars hold their 3rd practice.Next, the Indy Lights go for their 2nd qualifying…

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[MarkyS]

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Saturday morning at St Pete - The Indy Lights hold their 2nd qualifying for the weekend…

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The top rung of the Road to Indy ladder will race this afternoon, but that is Race 1 of their weekend. This qualifying is for Race 2, which will be held on Sunday.

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Here is how the Indy Lights will grid for Season Round 2, with times for the TOP SIX: [R] denotes rookie

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Row 1

Pole - Oliver Askew [R], Andretti Autosport - time of 1:05.5092s for a speed of 98.917mph

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P2 - Rinus VeeKay [R], Juncos Racing - time of 1:05.5951s for a speed of 98.788mph

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Row 2

P3 - Robert Megennis [R], Andretti Autosport - time of 1:05.6766s for a speed of 98.665mph

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P4 - Zachary Claman, Belardi Auto Racing - time of 1:05.7050s for a speed of 98.623mph

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Row 3

P5 - Toby Sowery [R], BN Racing / Team Pelfrey - time of 1:05.9696s for a speed of 98.227mph

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P6 - David Malukas [R], BN Racing - time of 1:06.0200s for a speed of 98.152mph

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Row 4

P7 - Ryan Norman, Andretti Autosport
P8 - Julien Falchero [R], Belardi Auto Racing

Row 5

P9 - Lucas Kohl [R], Belardi Auto Racing
P10 - Dalton Kellett, Juncos Racing

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Notable:

• Patricio O’Ward’s 2018 track record at 1:05.0392 (99.632 mph) holds up

• David Malukas actually put in a great run that might have gotten pole, but he was gigged for interferring in someone else’ run and lost that lap.

• Rinus VeeKay and Oliver Askew are two of the most talented Road to Indy drivers ever, and we expect both of them to be contenders forthe title, this season.

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The Indy Lights will hold Race 1 later today, in the early afternoon. Next, the IndyCars hold their final practice before qualifying, later today.

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