IndyCars - The off-season: Series news and comment until the March 2014 kick-off

[MarkyS]

+++

.
Saturday at Mid-Ohio - USF Juniors closes out their weekend with Race 3…

.
…and returning to the P1 spot was Mac Clark for DEForce Racing from pole. P2 went to a determined Nikita Johnson for Velocity Racing Development from his P4 start while P3 went to Alessandro De Tullio for VRD from his P3 start.

.

.
.
.
As Mac led the field away on lap 1 Andre Castro for International Motorsport took P5 from teammate Giorgio Carrara and Ethan Ho for DC Autosport w/ Cape Motorsports took P7 from Lucas Fecury for Crosslink Kiwi. Jeremy Fairbairn for Crosslink then moved past Fecury to take P8. Alan Isambard for International went from a P14 start to P10. On lap 2 Alan passed Jeremy and then Ethan Ho to claim P7. Lucas then passed Jeremy and Titus Sherlock for Crosslink followed through, putting Fairbairn in P11. On lap 3 teammates Sam Corry and Alessandro De Tullio battled hard into Turn 4 for the P2 spot with Sam going off and on, to rejoin in P6. Mac Clark set Fastest Lap out front. On lap 4 Elliot Cox for Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Development moved into P7 past Alan Isambard and Jeremy Fairbairn moved into P10 past Lucas Fecury. Ethan Barker for Barker Racing went off in Turn 4 and got stuck, bringing out a full-course caution.

On the Lap 7 restart Mac got a good jump out front as Giorgio took P4 from Andre Castro, Elliot took P7 from Alan Isambard and Quinn Armstrong for DEForce Racing took P11 from Titus Sherlock. On lap 8 Lucas Fecury then took P12 from Titus. On lap 9 Elliot got past Sam to take over P6, but on lap 10 Sam reclaimed the spot. Alan passed Ethan Ho for P8 and Quinn took over P10 from Jeremy. Mac set another Fastest Lap.

On lap 11 Sam passed Andre and moved to P5 as Alan passed Elliot and took over P7. Jeremy took P10 from Quinn. Mac again set Fastest Lap to secure his lead. He was now 0.85 seconds clear of Alessandro. On lap 12 Titus reclaimed P12 from Lucas. Lap 13 saw Nikita Johnson take over P2 from Alessandro in Turn 4 as Ethan Ho passed Elliot for the P8 spot. Mac was 1.2 seconds out front. On lap 16 Nikita set Fastest Lap to reel in Mac Clark. By the end of lap 17 the gap was down to 0.8 seconds. During the lap Andre Castro battled with Giorgio Carrara for P4 and went off in Turn 4, to rejoin in P12. By lap 19 the gap from Mac To Nikita was down to 0.32 seconds. On the final lap, lap 20, Nikita was either nose-to-tail with Mac or beside him. The two battled for the lead to the final corner and Mac WON the race by 0.24 seconds over Nikita, who was 0.6 seconds ahead of Alessandro. at the line.

Another terrific contest for the lead, for the podium and for all the TOP TEN spots.

.
.
.
Notable:

• A truly epic race, this was Mac Clark’s 5th WIN of the season and it extends his points lead, with 32 of 33 available points awarded. Unless he stumbles badly his consistent podium results will hand him the title.

• This was Nikita’s Johnson’s 5th podium of the year, but he is still looking for his first WIN. With drives like this, it cannot be far off. Nikita got 2nd place points and 1 point for his Fastest Lap.

• Velocity Racing Development is running away with the team championship. They consistently have two or three drivers on the podium at all three in the TOP FIVE nearly every race.

.
.
.
Your happy podium - That’s Nikita Johnson in P2 on the left, Mac Clark in P1 in the middle and Alessandro De Tullio in P3 on the right:

.
.
.
With these results, here are the TOP FIVE in points leaving Mid-Ohio:

1 - Mac Clark, 275
2 - Alessandro De Tullio, 228
3 - Sam Corry, 209
4 - Nikita Johnson, 199
5 - Andre Castro, 155
.
.
.

The Juniors gave us three very hotly contested races with three different WINNERS and lots of action throughout the whole field. These kids don’t know they aren’t in karts anymore and are driving the Ligiers like shifter karts. The race fans are the beneficiaries of that. The next outings for USF Juniors will be Rounds 11, 12 and 13 at Road America, July 29-31.

.
.
.
M

[MarkyS]

+++

.
On Thursday 7 IndyCars tested at Iowa Speedway…

.
Testing were the four Andretti Autosport cars and the three cars from Ed Carpenter Racing. The test was unofficial so no times were released but the fence-sitters with stop watches were there to provide the comparative times.

.
Here was the order of speed for the IndyCars testing at I/owa, with times for all: [R] denotes rookie; times are for 1 lap.

.
1 - Conor Daly, Ed Carpenter Racing - time of 18.249s

.
2 - Colton Herta, Andretti Autosport - time of 18.371s

.
3 - Alexander Rossi, Andretti Autosport - time of 18.395s

.
4 - Ed Carpenter, Ed Carpenter Racing - time of 18.412s

.
5 - Romain Grosjean, Andretti Autosport - time of 18.434s

.
6 - Rinus VeeKay, Ed Carpenter Racing - time of 18.499s

.
7 - Devlin DeFrancesco [R], Andretti Steinbrenner - time of 18.499s

.
.
.
.
Notable:

• In 2020 Conor Daly secured his first IndyCar pole at Iowa, so whatever beans they put in his car then, he still has a handful of them.

• The 7 cars put in nearly 2000 laps in the full day of testing, and easily beat the times of the group of 14 IndyCars that tested earlier this month, albeit in hotter weather.

.
Conor Daly

.
.
.
The Iowa double header race weekend is scheduled for July 22-24.

.
.
.
M

[MarkyS]

+++

.
Today, Alex Palou announced that he will drive for McLaren in 2023…or, maybe not!

.
Shortly before Alex was making his announcement, Chip Ganassi Racing was announcing that Alex will return with them to drive in IndyCars in 2023.

Shortly after that announcement Alex confirmed his deal with McLaren and CEO Zak Brown welcomed him to the team, in SOME capacity, but not exactly in what capacity. Palou was listed as a new member of McLaren’s TPC (testing of previous car) team which currently includes IndyCar driver Colton Herta and Arrow McLaren SP’s Pato O’Ward. which means at some point he will be testing Formula One cars, as Herta did yesterday and today at Portugal’s Portimão circuit.

.
Alex Palou - wither thou goest, Alex???

.
Said Alex of the CGR press release, “I have recently learned from the media that this afternoon, without my approval, Chip Ganassi Racing issued a press release announcing that I would be driving with CGR in 2023. Even more surprising was that CGR’s release included a ‘quote’ which did not come from me. I did not approve that press release, and I did not author or approve that quote.

“As I have recently informed CGR, for personal reasons, I do not intend to continue with the team after 2022. This evening’s unfortunate events aside, I have great respect for the CGR team, and look forward to finishing this season strongly together.”

Everyone is looking for clarification, at this point, and scratching their heads. STAY TUNED!!

.
.
.
In the mean time, Colton enjoyed his first drive of last year’s Mercedes-powered McLaren MCL35M in Portugal. Comparing the MCL35M to his Andretti Autosport Dallara DW12-Honda, Herta enjoyed the extra 200hp from the hybrid powerplant and electronic driver aids, including power steering.

.
Herta in the 2021 McLaren

.
Said Colton, “Obviously the cornering speeds were higher than what you would get in an Indy car, but it didn’t stick out to me as much as the acceleration and how easy it was with all the downforce.

“It is a completely different feel. Obviously, the feeling you get from an Indy car is way different because of the lack of power steering. So the overall kickback and smoothness of the wheel doesn’t really transcribe what you get from a grand prix car.

“So that was something we get used to. Slowing down the hands. And obviously the speed’s a lot higher on the road courses, but overall, it was it was good to get a feeling and a taste of what these things can do.”

“It was awesome. If you have a problem in a corner, you can adjust it with a flick of a finger. I did get really comfortable and I could feel the limit; maybe not the consistency. That will come from a few more days [of testing], but I felt like I was close.”

.
.
.
M

[MarkyS]

+++

.
IMSA comes to Lime Rock Park this weekend…

.
…as the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship series does the all-GT class FCP Euro Northeast Grand Prix this Saturday, with support from the Michelin Pilot Challenge series, making it an all GT and ONLY GT weekend at the storied track in Connecticutt.

.

.
.
The track map for the 7-turn, 1 mile road course:

.
.
.

With only the WeatherTech GTD Pro class and GTD class racing this weekend, the number of former IndyCar drivers in the race is reduced but the gang left are all choice. They are:

.
GTD Pro class - Indy Pro 2000 Champion and IndyCar driver Jack Hawksworth is finally recovered from a mid-season motorcycle accident that has side-lined him in recent races and he’s back in the # 14 Lexus RCF GT3 for Vasser Sullivan, this weekend, with co-driver Ben Barnicoat.

Jack Hawksworth

.
.
Road to Indy ace Connor De Phillippi returns to battle in the # 25 BMW M4 GT3 for BMW GT Team RLL with co-driver John Edwards.

Connor De Phillippi

.
.
.
GTD class - Another former Indy Pro 2000 Champ Aaron Telitz drives the # 12 Lexus RCF GT3 for Vasser Sullivan with co-driver Frankie Montecalvo.

Aaron Telitz

.
.
Former Indy Lights race WINNER Rob Megennis drives the # 39 Lamborghini Huracan GT3 for CarBahn with Peregrine Racing with co-driver Jeff Westphal.

Rob Megennis

.
.
Former CART driver and multiple Porsche title WINNER Jan Heylen drives the # 16 Porsche 911 GT3 R for Wright Motorsports with co-driver Ryan Hardwick.

Jan Heylen

.
.
.

• The Michelin Pilot Challenge series will hold the Lime Rock Park 120 on Saturday, as well, and while there are no IndyCar drivers in the Grand Sport class this week, there are three of them in the Touring Car class:

.
TCR class - former Indy Lights race WINNER and TCR class Champ Ryan Norman with share the # 2 Hyundai Elantra N TCR for Bryan Herta Autosport with AJ Muss.

Ryan Norman

.
.
IndyCar driver and paraplegic Robert Wickens drives the # 33 Hyundai Elantra N TCR for Bryan Herta Autosport using hand controls. He shares the car with fellow Canadian Mark Wilkins. These guys have WON the last two races.

Robert Wickens

.
.
Former Indy Pro 2000 driver Michael Johnson is the other paraplegic driving with hand controls in the # 54 Hyundai Elantra N TCR for Michael Johnson Racing w/ Bryan Herta Autosport. His co-driver is Stephen Simpson. Michael was the first ever paraplegic race WINNER in the class.

Michael Johnson

.
.
.
All racing is banned at Lime Rock on Sundays by state law, so everything will be done on Friday and Saturday. We will be principally covering the IndyCar race at Toronto, but check in to see what we can report on the Lime Rock event. Friday will be a day of practice and qualifying for both IMSA series.

.
.
.
M

[MarkyS]

+++

.
Friday at Lime Rock Park - The Michelin Pilot Challenge series holds practice and qualifying…

.
…for Saturday’s Lime Rock Park 120. Today, the MPC gang held two practice sessions and then qualified for the race. We have the TOPS in practice for the day in each class and then the TOP THREE qualifiers in each class, here:

.
Grand Sport class - TOPS in practice for the day was John Dubets in the # 28 Porsche 718 GT4 RS CS for RS1 with his P-2 session time, and that speed turned into pole for John in qualifying, with a time of 53.691s for a speed of 99.100mph. John bested Alfredo Najri in the # 14 Toyota Supra GT4 for Riley Motorsports by a TEENSY 0.021 seconds. starting third will be Kenton Koch in the # 56 Murillo Racing Mercedes-AMG GT GT4.

John shares the Porsche with Stevan McAleer while Alfredo shares the Toyota with Brazilian Thiago Camilo. Kenton’s co-driver in the Mercedes is Austinite Eric Foss.

.
The # 28 Porsche 718 GT4 RS CS for RS1 - on the pole

John Dubets

.
.

Touring Car class - TOPPING the two practice sessions was Karl Wittmer in the # 99 Honda Civic FK7 TCR for Victor Gonzalez Racing Team with his P-2 session time but when qualifying was done it was IndyCar driver and paraplegic Robby Wickens on the pole in the # 33 Hyundai Elantra N TCR for Bryan Herta Autosport with a time of 54.048s for a speed of 98.445mph. Robby beat out teammate Harry Gottsacker in the # 98 Elantra by 0.287 seconds. Starting third will be Indy Pro 2000 alum and paraplegic Michael Johnson in the # 54 Elantra for Michael Johnson Racing w/ Bryan Herta Autosport.

Robby drives the # 33 Elantra using hand controls, sharing the car with Mark Wilkins, while Michael similarly uses hand controls in the # 54 Elantra, sharing that car with Stephen Simpson. Karl’s co-driver in the Honda is Victor Gonzalez while Harry’s co-driver in the # 98 Elantra is Parker Chase.

.
The # 33 Hyundai Elantra N TCR for Bryan Herta Autosport - on the pole

Robby Wickens

.
.
.
The race is scheduled for Saturday LIVE broadcast on Peacock Premium starting at 11:05 am EASTERN time.

.
.
.
M

[MarkyS]

+++

.
Friday at Lime Rock Park - The WeatherTech gang holds practice and qualifying…

.
The two GT classes of the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship series held two practice sessions and then qualified for Saturday’s FCP Euro Northeast Grand Prix. We have the TOPS in practice for the day and the TOP THREE qualifiers for each class, here:

.
GTD Pro class - It was Aussie Matt Campbell in the # 9 PFAFF Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R that TOPPED both practice sessions with his P-2 session time and that speed later translated into pole for Matt with a time of 51.079s for a speed of 104.167mph. Matt bested IndyCar driver Jack Hawksworth in the # 14 Lexus RCF GT3 for Vasser Sullivan by a TEENSY 0.018 seconds. Starting third will be Road to Indy ace Connor De Phillippi in the # 25 BMW M4 GT3 for BMW GT Team RLL.

Matt shares the Porsche with Mathieu Jaminet while Jack shares the Lexus with Ben Barnicoat. Connor’s co-driver in the Bimmer is John Edwards.

.
The # 9 PFAFF Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R - on the pole

Matt Campbell

.
.
.
GTD class - TOPPING the two practice sessions was Stevan McAleer in the # 32 Mercedes-AMG GT3 for Team Korthoff Motorsports with his P-2 session time but when it came time to qualify pole was taken by Frankie Montecalvo in the # 12 Lexus RCF GT3 for Vasser Sullivan with a time of 51.459s for a speed of 103.398mph. Frankie just beat out Indy Lights race WINNER Rob Megennis in the # 39 Lamborghini Huracan GT3 for CarBahn with Peregrine Racing by an unbelievable 0.006 seconds! Starting third will be Roman De Angelis in the # 27 Aston Martin Vantage GT3 for Heart of Racing Team.

Frankie shares the Lexus with Indy Pro 2000 Champ Aaron Telitz while Rob shares the Bull with Jeff Westphal. Roman’s co-driver in the Vantage is Maxime Martin.

.
The # 12 Lexus RCF GT3 for Vasser Sullivan - on the pole

Frankie Montecalvo

.
.
.
The race is scheduled for Saturday afternoon LIVE broadcast on Peacock Premium starting at 3:00pm EASTERN time to 6:00pm. It will also be broadcast on USA network DELAYED, starting at 5:00pm EASTERN time and running to 8:00pm.

.
.
.
M

[MarkyS]

+++

.
Saturday morning at Lime Rock - The Michelin Pilot Challenge race…

.
…was WON overall and in the GS class by starter Frank De Pew and closer Robin Liddell in the # 71 Rebel Rock Racing Chevrolet Camaro GT4.R, from their P16 start. P2 went to starter Alan Brynjolfsson and closer Trent Hindman in the # 7 Aston Martin Vantage GT4 for VOLT Racing from a P9 start while P3 went to starter Sheena Monk and closer Kyle Marcelli in the # 877 JG Wentworth Racing by PF Racing Ford Mustang GT4 from their P14 start.

.

.
.
.
Liddell moved from P10 to P4 before making his last pit stop with 57 minutes remaining in the two-hour contest. Shortly after that a caution ensued and after the leaders pitted under yellow, Robin was in P3. He quickly passed Mike Skeen in the # 55 FCP Euro by Ricca Autosport Mercedes and then hunted down Kyle Marcelli in the Mustang. He passed him at Big Bend, but Marcelli recovered the P1 spot in the Uphill Bend. One lap later Liddell repeated the pass but then made it stick. Shortly before the end, Hindman made a pass on Marcelli for the P2 spot. Liddell crossed the line 2.951 seconds ahead of Hindman to earn his 14th career victory in Michelin Pilot Challenge racing.

.
.
.
In TCR class it was a brutal war with P1 taken by a banged-up # 17 Audi RS3 LMS SEQ for Unitronic JDC-Miller MotorSports, driven by starter Chris Miller and closer Mikey Taylor from a P7 start. P2 went to the # 15 Belgard & Techniseal Racing Audi shared by starter Preston Brown and closer Denis DuPont from their P12 start while P3 went to Indy Pro 2000 alum and paraplegic starter Michael Johnson and closer Stephen Simpson in the # 54 Hyundai Elantra N TCR for Michael Johnson Racing w/ Bryan Herta Autosport, from their P3 start.

.

.
.
.
Starter Chris Miller was running in P3 in the # 17 Audi 20 minutes into the race when he was knocked off course and fell to last place in the field. He recovered what he could and eventually a great pit stop allowed him to turn the car over to Mikey Taylor in 7th place. Another well-timed pit stop allowed Mikey to cycle back into 2nd place. Taylor then banged and bumped his way past Jon Morley in the # 61 Road Shagger Racing Audi and into the class lead with 25 minutes left on the clock. Several cars challenged, looking for a way to the front, with Tyler Gonzalez in the # 19 Hyundai banging into Taylor for several turns, but Mikey was able to hang on for the finish, and WON by 1.148 seconds over the # 15 Audi. This was the fourth WIN for Taylor in the MPC racing and third for Miller.

Mikey Taylor (left) and Chris Miller - P1 in TCR

.
.
.
The next outing for the Michelin Pilot Challenge gang will be the Road America 120 in support of the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship weekend at Road America, August 4-7.

.
.
.
M

.
.
.

[MarkyS]

+++

.
Saturday at Lime Rock - the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race…

.
The FCP Euro Northeast Grand Prix was WON overall and in GTD Pro class by starter Matt Campbell and closer Mathieu Jaminet in the # 9 Porsche 911 GT3 R for PFAFF Motorsports from their pole position start. Taking P2 was the # 23 Aston Martin Vantage GT3 for Heart of Racing Team of starter Ross Gunn and closer Alex Riberas from their P3 start while P3 went to starter and IndyCar driver Jack Hawksworth and closer Ben Barnicoat in the # 14 Lexus RCF GT3 for Vasser Sullivan from their P2 start.

.

Mathieu Jaminet (left) and Matt Campbell

.
.
.
Having started on pole, Campbell dropped to P3 following the first round of pit stops but managed to recoup the lead on lap 100, getting around the # 14 Lexus of Jack Hawksworth. Jaminet then got in the Porsche with 1 hour and 5 minutes to go and stayed out front to the checkered flag, crossing the line 1.883 seconds ahead of Alex Riberas in the Vantage. It marks the 4th WIN of the season for the PFAFF boys and the 2nd in a row, cementing their points lead in class. Second-in-points Jordan Taylor and Antonio Garcia had a miserable day when Antonio had contact in the # 3 Corvette for Corvette Racing with the # 79 WeatherTech Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo of Jules Gounon, resulting in right-rear suspension damage to the Corvette.

.
.
.
In GTD class the race was WON literally on the last few corners by closer Bryan Sellers and starter Madison Snow in the # 1 BMW M4 GT3 for Paul Miller Racing when the class-leading # 57 Winward Racing Mercedes driven by Philip Ellis ran out of fuel on the final lap. Also passing the coasting Ellis was the P2 finishing # 23 Aston Martin Vantage for Heart of Racing Team driven by starter Roman De Angelis and closer Maxime Martin and the P3 finishing # 39 Lamborghini Huracan GT3 for CarBahn with Peregrine Racing, driven by starter and Indy Lights driver Rob Megennis and closer Jeff Westphal. Ellis would coast across the finish line in P5, behind Mike Skeen and Stevan McAleer in the # 32 Team Korthoff Motorsports Mercedes.

.

Bryan Sellers (left) and Madison Snow

.

The P4 finish keeps Stevan McAleer TOPS in the class points, with IndyCar driver Jan Heylen and Ryan Hardwick 50 points behind. They finished the race in the # 16 Wright Motorsports Porsche in P6.

IndyCar driver Aaron Telitz led the class for much of the race in the # 12 Lexus RCF GT3 for Vasser Sullivan that he shares with pole-sitter Frankie Montecalvo, but near the end of the race, Ellis banged into the Lexus while passing for the lead, dislodging the hood and making it impossible for Telitz to see out the front. He then needed to pit to have the hood torn off and rejoined in 8th place.

Aaron Telitz

.
.
.
The next outing for the WeatherTech gang will be the IMSA Fastline SportsCar Weekend at Road America, August 5-7, where all five series classes will run, with support from the Michelin Pilot Challenge series, the Lamborghini Super Trofeo series and the Porsche Carrera Cup North America series.

.
.
.
M

[MarkyS]

+++

.
Things we love…

.
IndyCar driver JR Hildebrand found this tweet from Elijah Burke and we LOVE IT!

.
.

Elijah Burke

.
.
.
Ha!

.
.
.
M

.

[MarkyS]

+++

.
It’s time to check in with Josef Newgarden’s “Admit 1” series…

.
This episode features Josef’s experience at Mid Ohio:

.
.
.

ADMIT1: 2022 Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course

.
.

The weekend was a mixed bag for Josef - not awful but not great. Racing drivers need skill, great support and luck. Josef had two out of three at Mid-Ohio. After this race he remained 3rd in the points

.
.
.
M

[MarkyS]

+++

.
Racer Magazine’s Marshall Pruett speaks with David Malukas after Iowa…

.
Road to Indy ace David Malukas is a rookie in IndyCar and this was his first chance at a short oval in an IndyCar, driving for Dale Coyne Racing w/ HMD Motorsports and the kid did great on Sunday as the highest-finishing rookie, going from P14 to P8 by using what he learned on Saturday. It was his best finish of the season, so far. Marshall Pruett took a few minutes to talk with the engaging young driver.

Take a look:

RACER: Iowa IndyCar Race 2 Report with Pruett and Malukas

.
.
.
David mentioned his spotter is “Pancho”. That would be the great Pancho Carter, so David is in great hands. Marshall also mentions rookie Callum Ilott who drove from P22 to P11 for Juncos Hollinger.

.
.
.
M

[MarkyS]

+++

.
Update on Josef Newgarden’s condition…

.
As mentioned in the Iowa race thread, Josef Newgarden had a fall after the race, apparently fainting and hitting his head. This, despite an initial clearance at the infield medical center following his hard hit to the Turn 4 wall in the Sunday race.

Here is the latest release from his team, Team Penske:

Team Penske

.
.
.
There is no one more fit than Newgarden, but the forces at work in such a high-speed shunt are massive. We will chime in with any news as it comes in and hope that Josef will be cleared to drive on Friday and Saturday at the Speedway for the Gallagher Grand Prix, next weekend.

.
.
.
M

[MarkyS]

+++

.
Santino Ferrucci hired to fill in for Josef Newgarden at Indianapolis, if needed…

.
Newgarden apparently got his bell rung pretty good in his shunt at Iowa, yesterday, and ended up in the hospital for observation after fainting, following the race. He looks good at this point, but needs to be cleared by IndyCar Medical on Thursday before he will be allowed to drive on Friday and Saturday for the Gallagher Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Road Course.

Santino made his 2022 Xfinity series debut last weekend at Pocono, driving for his 2021 team Sam Hunt Racing, and will be at Indy for the Road Course Xfinity race, already, should Josef not get the clearance to drive.

.
Santino Ferrucci - hired gun.

.
.
.
Other IndyCar guys in the Xfinity race at Indy will be Sage Karam and AJ Allmendinger, who came in P2 there, last year, and is currently leading the series points. Santino had an impressive start at Pocono, qualifying 11th out of a 38-car field, but crashed out during the race in the big, mid-race incident that red-flagged the event for a time.

.
.
.
M

[MarkyS]

+++

.
Over the weekend we popped over 21,000 views of the thread…

.
.

.
.
.
…and since we’re coming off a double-header race weekend, a double-header set of grid girls to celebrate seemed about right. Thank you, ladies!
.
.
.
M

[MarkyS]

+++

.
USF Juniors come to Road America, this weekend…

.
As the IndyCars hold their own race at Indianapolis, this weekend, (see the separate thread), there will also be the first taste of the National Park of Speed for the tiniest of the open-wheelers which are a part of the IndyCar world. The Juniors are at Road America!

.

.
.
.
Road America will be great training ground for the USF Juniors, with its myriad of different corner types and straights around its 4-mile length. Only their opening races at Ozarks International come close to presenting the same challenges and thrills.

.

.
.
.
After 10 rounds of racing the series points leader is 17-year-old Canadian Mac Clark, driving for DEForce Racing, with 5 WINS, 8 podiums and 9 TOP FIVES. His nearest rival is 15-year-old American Alessandro De Tullio for Velocity Racing Development, with 4 WINS, 6 podiums and 8 TOP SIXES, but Sandro is some 47 points back of Mac.

.
Mac Clark in his Ligier Honda

.
.
.
The Juniors are holding a single practice and qualifying and Round 11 on Saturday and then Rounds 12 and 13 on Sunday. As this is a new track to the kids, (as is every track in this inaugural year), the Road to Indy has bought track time on Friday to hold three test sessions, to make the weekend racing better for all and we’ll be on it.

.
Stay tuned!

.
.
.
M

.

[MarkyS]

+++

.
Friday at Road America - USF juniors will be testing the new car here, this weekend…

.
While the USF Juniors will be holding three test sessions today, the series will also be testing out the new JR-23 car from Tatuus that will be the series mount, starting in 2023, replacing the current Ligier Honda. Exclusive Autosport has been given the task of testing the car and they have brought their USF2000 driver Joey Brienza to Elkhart Lake for that purpose.

.
The new Tatuus JR-23 with power from Elite Engines.

.
Joey Brienza

.
.
.
The car will be quite similar to the current USF2000 car, the Tatuus USF-22, but with a detuned engine producing about 160 hp. Teams purchasing the car will be able to use the same chassis with simple modifications as they move from the Juniors into USF2000 and Indy Pro 2000.

.

.
.
For the testing, look for the name “USF Juniors 2023” instead of Joey Brienza in the grid.

.
.
.
M

[MarkyS]

+++

.
Friday at Road America - USF Juniors hold testing…

.
The Road to Indy likes to buy extra track time whenever possible to allow their junior formula series to get the most from each track in the way of valuable experience - the whole point of the exercise of having junior formulas. Today, they gave USF Juniors three complete test sessions to get acclimated for the race weekend ahead. The result will also be a much better show for the fans savvy enough to pay attention.

We have COMBINED the three sessions to give you a picture of the fastest kids out there, over the whole day. Note that the Road to Indy threw in a “ringer” as they also sent out USF2000 pilot Joey Brienza for Exclusive Autosport in the new series car for next season, the Tatuus JR-23, just to get a feel for what it will do in anger. The car is listed as “USF Juniors 2023”

.
Here was the order of speed for the USF Juniors 3 test sessions COMBINED, with times for the TOP FIVE: all drivers are rookies; the driver’s best session is in ( )

.
1 - USF Juniors 2023 - time of 02:17.173s for a speed of 105.344mph (2)

.
2 - Mac Clark [R], DEForce Racing - time of 02:20.360s for a speed of 102.952mph (3)

.
3 - Andre Castro [R], International Motorsport - time of 02:21.291s for a speed of 102.274mph (3)

.
4 - Nikita Johnson [R], Velocity Racing Development - time of 02:21.365s for a speed of 102.220mph (3)

.
5 - Alessandro De Tullio [R], Velocity Racing Development - time of 02:21.458s for a speed of 102.153mph (2)

.
6 - Sam Corry [R], Velocity Racing Development (3)
7 - Ethan Ho [R], DC Autosport w/ Cape Motorsports (3)
8 - Elliot Cox [R], Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Development (3)
9 - Jeremy Fairbairn [R], Crosslink Kiwi Motorsports (3)
10 - Giorgio Carrara [R], International Motorsport (3)

11 - Titus Sherlock [R], Crosslink Kiwi Motorsports (2)
12 - Alan Isambard [R], International Motorsport (3)
13 - Ethan Barker [R], Barker Racing (2)
14 - Maite Cáceres [R], International Motorsports (3)
15 - Quinn Armstrong [R], DEForce Racing (3)
16 - Jake Bonilla [R], DEForce Racing (2)
17 - Jacob Bolen [R], IGY6 Motorsports (2)
18 - Maxwell Jamieson [R], DEForce Racing (3)

.
.
.
Notable:

• It’s no surprise that Joey Brienza in the new JR-23 easily took the top spot, despite having an engine of roughly equal power to the current Honda 2.0 liter mill. The new Tatuus is better in every way compared to the Ligier Formula 4 chassis in current use and Joey has no problem driving it faster. The difference from Mac to Joey is 2.394 seconds. That’s a LEAP in performance. The future looks bright.

• Once you throw out the new car the order of speed is much more in line with current reality. Mac Clark is leading the points for a reason and the rest of the TOP SIX are series stars, so all is right with the world.

• New on the grid this week is Maite Cáceres from Maldonado, Uruguay, a product of Formula 4 Uruguay. She is also currently driving in F4 United States. The 19-year-old will be driving for International Motorsports.

Maite Cáceres (left) and Joey Brienza

.
.
.
On Saturday the Juniors will hold their one official race practice in the morning, followed by qualifying at midday and then Race 1 of the weekend in the afternoon.

.
.
.
M

[MarkyS]

+++

.
Saturday at Road America - USF Juniors practice and qualify…

.
…for the first of three races they will run, this weekend. The Juniors held their one and only practice session early in the morning. the TOP FIVE from that practice were, in order of speed:

1 - Nikita Johnson [R], Velocity Racing Development
2 - Mac Clark [R], DEForce Racing
3 - Ethan Ho [R], DC Autosport w/ Cape Motorsports
4 - Giorgio Carrara [R], International Motorsport
5 - Sam Corry [R], Velocity Racing Development

All 5 are top performers in the series, so no surprises, here. Following the practice the teams had about an hour and a half to adjust their cars for qualifying for Race 1, to be run later today.

.
Here is the grid for USF Juniors Season Round 11, with times for the TOP SIX: all drivers are series rookies

.
Row 1

Pole - Mac Clark [R], DEForce Racing - time of 02:19.578s for a speed of 103.529mph

.

P2 - Alessandro De Tullio [R], Velocity Racing Development - time of 02:19.634s for a speed of 103.488mph

.
Row 2

P3 - Sam Corry [R], Velocity Racing Development - time of 02:20.053s for a speed of 103.178mph

.
P4 - Ethan Ho [R], DC Autosport w/ Cape Motorsports - time of 02:20.841s for a speed of 102.601mph

.
Row 3

P5 - Nikita Johnson [R], Velocity Racing Development - time of 02:20.867s for a speed of 102.582mph

.
P6 - Quinn Armstrong [R], DEForce Racing - time of 02:21.077s for a speed of 102.429mph

.
Row 4

P7 - Jeremy Fairbairn [R], Crosslink Kiwi Motorsports
P8 - Alan Isambard [R], International Motorsport

Row 5

P9 - Giorgio Carrara [R], International Motorsport
P10 - Elliot Cox [R], Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Development

Row 6

P11 - Jake Bonilla [R], DEForce Racing
P12 - Titus Sherlock [R], Crosslink Kiwi Motorsports

Row 7

P13 - Maxwell Jamieson [R], DEForce Racing
P14 - Maite Cáceres [R], International Motorsports

Row 8

P15 - Ethan Barker [R], Barker Racing
P16 - Jacob Bolen [R], IGY6 Motorsports - no time

Row 9

P17 - Andre Castro [R], International Motorsport - no time

.
.
.
Notable:

• The big name missing in the TOP SIX here is Andre Castro who didn’t qualify due to transmission ills and will start P17 as a result.

Andre Castro

.
.
.
The race is scheduled for this afternoon.

.
.
.
M

[MarkyS]

+++

.
Saturday afternoon at Road America - USF Juniors do Race 1 of the weekend…

.
…and what a barn-burner it was! The kids put on a great show and at the end it was a SWEEP for Velocity Racing Development as the WINNER was Sam Corry for VRD from his P3 start. P2 was teammate Alessandro De Tullio from a P2 start while P3 went to VRD’s Nikita Johnson from his P5 start.

.

.
.
.
The opening lap saw pole-sitter and points-leader Mac Clark for DEForce Racing getting off poorly, with Alessandro, Sam and Ethan Ho for DC Autosport w/ Cape Motorsports climbing all over him. Sam set Fastest Lap and was able to pass Alessandro to take over P2 as the quartet ran the circuit very close to each other. Andre Castro for International Motorsport had by now moved from his P17 start all the way to P7. As the lead cars came through the Kink, Clark went off with a mechanical that ended his race. Then, before a yellow flag could fly for him the cars entered Turn 14 and Quinn Armstrong for DEForce Racing and Jeremy Fairbairn for Crosslink Kiwi Motorsports collided and spun off, bringing out a full-course caution as both cars and Clark were collected. The race restarted on lap 5 with Sam in the lead. Nikita Johnson grabbed Ethan Ho to take over P3. Andre Castro passed Elliot Cox for Sarah Fisher Hartman Driver Development to take P5.

On lap 6 Alessandro and Sam battled through several corners side-by-side with Sandro taking the P1 spot in Turn 8. Nikita Johnson followed him through and took P2. By the time the leaders were approaching Canada Corner they were three wide with Ethan Ho right behind. As the cars entered Turn 14 Ho spun out, dropping from 4th to rejoin in P12. On lap 7 Sam reset Fastest Lap as the TOP THREE were nose-to-tail for most of the lap and covered by a mere 0.6 seconds. On lap 8 Nikita was able to take P1 from Alessandro as they sped up the front straight but as the cars entered Turn 1 on Lap 9 Sandro repassed Nikita for the lead, with Sam following through to claim P2.

Now, the TOP FOUR were again nose-to-tail with Andre Castro in P4. As they entered Canada Corner Sam took the lead from Sandro. On the final lap, lap 10, Andre made a move on Nikita in Turn 5 but spun out, dropping from P4 to P12. The three leaders were still nose-to-tail all the way around the course. As they speeded up the front straight to take the checkers Alesandro pulled out and was beside Sam, about a half a car length back at the stripe. Sam WON by 0.030 seconds over Sandro, with Nikita back of them by 2.5 seconds.

A GREAT race at the front, with literally inches making the WIN!

.
.
.
Notable:

• Mac Clark was credited with 15th place and lost some of his points lead to Alessandro. He came to Road America with a 47-point lead but it is whittled down to 29 points as of tonight.

• Youth is the order of the day. WINNER Sam Corry is 14 years old, as is Nikita Johnson. The old guy on the podium is Alessandro De Tullio who is 15 years old.

.
.
.
Your happy podium - That’s Alessandro De Tullio in P2 on the left, Sam Corry in P1 in the middle and Nikita Johnson in P3 on the right - a great day for Velocity Racing Development.

.
.
.
Race 2 is scheduled for Sunday morning. The grid for the race follows in the next post.

.
.
.
M

[MarkyS]

+++

.
Saturday at Road America - USF Juniors sets the grid for Race 2 of the weekend…

.
Using either the 2nd fastest qualifying lap or the driver’s best Race 1 lap, (whichever is faster), the grid for Sunday’s Race 2 was set today.

.
Here is the way USF Juniors will grid for Season Round 12: all drivers are rookies

.
Row 1

Pole - Sam Corry [R], Velocity Racing Development

.
P2 - Mac Clark [R], DEForce Racing

.
Row 2

P3 - Alessandro De Tullio [R], Velocity Racing Development

.
P4 - Ethan Ho [R], DC Autosport w/ Cape Motorsports

.
Row 3

P5 - Nikita Johnson [R], Velocity Racing Development

.
P6 - Andre Castro [R], International Motorsport

.
Row 4

P7 - Jeremy Fairbairn [R], Crosslink Kiwi Motorsports
P8 - Quinn Armstrong [R], DEForce Racing

Row 5

P9 - Giorgio Carrara [R], International Motorsport
P10 - Elliot Cox [R], Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Development

Row 6

P11 - Alan Isambard [R], International Motorsport
P12 - Ethan Barker [R], Barker Racing

Row 7

P13 - Titus Sherlock [R], Crosslink Kiwi Motorsports
P14 - Jake Bonilla [R], DEForce Racing

Row 8

P15 - Maxwell Jamieson [R], DEForce Racing
P16 - Maite Cáceres [R], International Motorsports

Row 9

P17 - Jacob Bolen [R], IGY6 Motorsports

.
.
.
Notable:

• It was Sam Corry’s 2nd best qually lap that got him this pole

• Despite spinning out of the race and dripping to P12, Andre Castro’s Race 1 fast laps got him a decent start to Race 2 in P6.

.
Sam Corry - on the pole for Race 2

.
.
.
The race is scheduled for 9:30am. Race 3 will follow later in the afternoon, after the grid is set for it.

.
.
.
M