2011 Indy Lights Explained
The 2011 Indy Lights season was a season of open wheel motor racing. It was the 26th season of the series and the tenth sanctioned by IndyCar, acting as the primary support series for the IZOD IndyCar Series. It began March 27, 2011 in St. Petersburg and ended on October 16 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway and featured thirteen events: six on ovals, one on a permanent road course, and six on temporary street courses. The series was won by American driver Josef Newgarden, driving for Sam Schmidt Motorsports. Newgarden won the title by 94 points over team mate and fellow rookie Esteban Guerrieri of Argentina.
The season featured the series' first non-IndyCar Series support race since the 2007 Liberty Challenge (at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway) when it was the main event at the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières. It was Indy Lights' first event at Trois-Rivières since 1998. The series also race at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway for the first time since 1995 and the new Baltimore street circuit in support of the IndyCars.[1]
Team and driver chart
| Team | | Drivers | Rounds |
|---|
 Sam Schmidt Motorsports | 3 | nowrap |  Victor Carbone[2] | All |
| 7 | nowrap |  Esteban Guerrieri[3] | All |
| 11 | nowrap | Josef Newgarden | All |
| 77 | nowrap | Conor Daly[4] | 1-3, 9, 11 |
| nowrap | Bryan Clauson[5] | 4-6, 10, 12-13 |
| nowrap | Daniel Herrington[6] | 7-8 |
| Team Moore Racing | 2 | nowrap |  Gustavo Yacamán[7] | All |
| 22 | nowrap |  Víctor García[8] | 1-7 |
| nowrap |  Daniel Morad | 8[9] |
| nowrap | Mikaël Grenier | 9 |
| nowrap | Brandon Wagner | 10, 12-13 |
| nowrap |  Tõnis Kasemets | 11 |
| Andretti Autosport | 5 | nowrap |  Stefan Wilson[10] | All |
| 26 | nowrap | James Winslow | 1-4,[11] |
| nowrap |  Peter Dempsey | 7-9, 11 [12] |
| Bryan Herta Autosport | 28 | nowrap | Duarte Ferreira[13] | All |
| 29 | nowrap | Bruno Andrade | 7-9, 11[14] |
| Davey Hamilton Racing | 32 | nowrap | Brandon Wagner | 4-6 |
| nowrap | Stefan Rzadzinski[15] | 8 |
| O2 Racing Technology | 36 | nowrap | Peter Dempsey | 1-5 |
| 63 | nowrap | Mikaël Grenier | 1-4 |
| Team E | 17 | nowrap | Joel Miller[16] | 1 |
| nowrap | Rusty Mitchell[17] | 3-4, 11-13[18] |
| Belardi Auto Racing | 4 | nowrap |  Jorge Goncalvez[19] | All |
| 9 | nowrap |  Anders Krohn[20] | All |
| 19 | nowrap | Jacob Wilson | 12-13[21] |
| Jensen MotorSport | 12 | nowrap |  Juan Pablo Garcia[22] | 1-4 |
| nowrap | Eric Jensen | 7 |
| nowrap | Oliver Webb[23] | 8, 11, 13[24] |
| 16 | nowrap | David Ostella[25] | All |
| Brooks Associates Racing | 8 | nowrap | Ryan Phinny | 3 |
| Willy T. Ribbs Racing | 32 | nowrap | Willy T. Ribbs[26] | 11 |
| 75 | nowrap | Chase Austin[27] | 4, 6 |
| Goree Multisports | 44 | nowrap | Tyler Dueck[28] | 8 | |
Schedule
| Rnd | Date | Race Name | Track | Location |
|---|
| 1 | March 27 | Firestone Indy Lights Grand Prix of St. Petersburg | Streets of St. Petersburg | St. Petersburg, FL |
|---|
| 2 | April 10 | Firestone Indy Lights Grand Prix of Alabama | Barber Motorsports Park | Birmingham, AL |
|---|
| 3 | April 17 | Long Beach 100 | Streets of Long Beach | Long Beach, CA |
|---|
| 4 | May 27 | Firestone Freedom 100 | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Speedway, IN |
|---|
| 5 | June 19 | David Hobbs 100 | Milwaukee Mile | West Allis, WI |
|---|
| 6 | June 25 | Sukup 100 | Iowa Speedway | Newton, IA |
|---|
| 7 | July 10 | Toronto 100 | Streets of Toronto | Toronto, ON |
|---|
| 8A | July 23 | Edmonton Twin 100s Race 1 | Edmonton City Centre Airport | Edmonton, Alberta |
|---|
| 8B | July 24 | Edmonton Twin 100s Race 2 |
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| 9 | August 7 | Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières | Circuit Trois-Rivières | Trois-Rivières, QC |
|---|
| 10 | August 14 | New Hampshire 100 | New Hampshire Motor Speedway | Loudon, NH |
|---|
| 11 | September 4 | Baltimore 100 | Streets of Baltimore | Baltimore, MD |
|---|
| 12 | October 2 | Drive Smart Buckle-Up Kentucky 100 | Kentucky Speedway | Sparta, KY |
|---|
| 13 | October 16 | Las Vegas 100 | Las Vegas Motor Speedway | Las Vegas, Nevada | |
|---|
Race results
Race summaries
Round 1: Streets of St. Petersburg
Round 2: Barber Motorsports Park
- Sunday April 10, 2011 – 12:15 p.m. CDT (1:15 p.m. EDT)
- Barber Motorsports Park – Birmingham, Alabama; Permanent road course, 2.3miles
- Distance: 40 laps / 92miles
- Race weather: 80°F, partly cloudy
- Pole position winner: #22 Víctor García, 1:17.2793 sec, 107.144mph
- Most laps led: #22 Víctor García, 40
- Race Report: Víctor García took the first victory of his open-wheel racing career after taking a flag-to-flag to victory despite pressure from Stefan Wilson for the majority of the race, seeing his lead twice dwindled by caution periods. Peter Dempsey took his second placing of third in as many races as he moved into second place in the championship standings. Championship leader Josef Newgarden held on to his championship lead despite having to make a pit-stop to replace a flat front tire, but recovered to finish in sixth position in the race. The race was punctuated by three caution periods, the first of which being on the first lap after Newgarden made contact with Esteban Guerrieri which sent Guerrieri into contact with team mate Victor Carbone, eliminating Guerrieri on the spot and Carbone in the pits. The other two periods were caused by drivers running off track; Gustavo Yacamán ran off-track on lap four, but managed to restart several laps down, but the other period caused by David Ostella, did not see Ostella restart.
Round 3: Long Beach 100
- Sunday April 17, 2011 – 11:05 a.m. PDT (2:05 p.m. EDT)
- Streets of Long Beach – Long Beach, California; Temporary street circuit, 1.968miles
- Distance: 45 laps / 88.56miles; reduced to 43 laps / 84.624miles due to 1-hour time limit
- Race weather: 63°F, cloudy
- Pole position winner: #7 Esteban Guerrieri, 1:13.6957 sec, 96.136mph
- Most laps led: #11 Josef Newgarden, 31
- Race Report: Conor Daly became the series' third different winner in the 2011 season, after taking advantage of a late-race mistake by team-mate and championship leader Josef Newgarden. After a waved off start to the race, Esteban Guerrieri in another Sam Schmidt car led the field from pole, but did not lead the race beyond that after being passed by Peter Dempsey at Turn 9. Dempsey held the lead until lap ten when he hit the wall at the same corner, knocking himself out of the race. Newgarden then picked up the lead from Guerrieri and Daly; Daly overhauling Guerrieri at the restart, and started to hunt down Newgarden. With a few minutes remaining, Newgarden's car hopped under the bumps, snatched a brake and ended up in the turn eight tire wall. Daly led the field under the caution to the timed ending of the race which curtailed the race two laps early. Guerrieri finished second ahead of Stefan Wilson, who finished third despite a trip down an escape road.
Round 4: Firestone Freedom 100
Josef Newgarden took his second series victory, and with erstwhile championship leader Conor Daly not contesting the oval events of the championship, Newgarden assumed the championship lead. Newgarden's Sam Schmidt Motorsports team mate, Bryan Clauson dropped back from his début pole, with Newgarden and Víctor García each leading part of the first lap before Newgarden assumed it at the line. Stefan Wilson, Anders Krohn and Esteban Guerrieri also led the race at stages prior to Newgarden taking the lead for good on lap 15. Krohn had undone his work to advance to the front by spinning under caution – after Victor Carbone's crash – which put him to the rear of the field, but pitted for new tires, and eventually made his way back up the field. The second caution period was caused by Gustavo Yacamán spinning into the wall and was eventually collected by Juan Pablo Garcia and James Winslow. Yacamán was transferred to Methodist Hospital with neck pain.
After Peter Dempsey spun under the yellow, Duarte Ferreira brought out the third caution a lap after the restart, spinning in Turn 2 and collected the car of Brandon Wagner, ending the race for both drivers. After a waved off restart, again one lap was run before a caution period was necessitated; Clauson, Krohn and Krohn's Belardi team mate Jorge Goncalvez went three-wide into Turn 1, with Goncalvez clipping the rear-left tire of Clauson's car. Krohn spun in avoidance, as Goncalvez went into the barrier on the outside of Turn 1, before impacting the inside wall halfway down the straight between Turns 1 and 2. The impact broke the car into two pieces with the tub going onto its side along the track before hitting the retaining wall in Turn 2 and righted what was left of the car. Goncalvez was also transferred to Methodist, but was said to be alert and awake. The debris from the crash prevented the race from returning to green – resulting in an end tally of 22 of the race's 40 laps running under caution – and Newgarden took victory ahead of team mate Guerrieri, Víctor García, Wilson and Clauson, with only 10 of the 18 cars that started the race running at the flag.
Round 5: David Hobbs 100
- Sunday June 19, 2011 – 1:00 p.m. CDT (2:00 p.m. EDT)
- Milwaukee Mile – West Allis, Wisconsin; Permanent racing facility, 1.015miles
- Distance: 100 laps / 101.5miles
- Race weather: 79°F, overcast
- Pole position winner: #7 Esteban Guerrieri, 49.0454 sec, 149.005mph (2-lap)
- Most laps led: #7 Esteban Guerrieri, 100
- Race Report:
Round 6: Sukup 100
Round 7: Toronto 100
- Sunday July 10, 2011 – 12:15 p.m. EDT
- Streets of Toronto – Toronto, Ontario; Temporary street circuit, 1.755miles
- Distance: 50 laps / 87.75miles; reduced to 49 laps / 85.995miles due to 1-hour time limit
- Race weather: 77°F, cloudy
- Pole position winner: #7 Esteban Guerrieri, 1:02.9865 sec, 100.307mph
- Most laps led: #5 Stefan Wilson, 29
- Race Report: Stefan Wilson took his first Indy Lights victory after capitalising on a mistake by pole-sitter Esteban Guerrieri, and led the race for its final 29 laps after Guerrieri had led the first 20. Wilson led home an Andretti Autosport 1–2 after his new team-mate Peter Dempsey finished second, after close battling with both Gustavo Yacamán and championship leader Josef Newgarden. Newgarden would later make contact with Dempsey's car, and had to pit, resulting in an eighth place finish. Yacamán ended up completing the podium ahead of Guerrieri and Anders Krohn. Four of the 13-car grid failed to reach the finish of the race, all due to contact.
Round 8: Edmonton Twin 100s
- Saturday July 23, 2011 – 2:00 p.m. MDT (4:00 p.m. EDT) & Sunday July 24, 2011 – 10:20 a.m. MDT (12:20 p.m. EDT)
- Edmonton City Centre Airport – Edmonton, Alberta; Temporary airport course, 2.224miles
- Distance: 2 races of 40 laps / 88.96miles; Race 1 reduced to 36 laps / 80.064miles due to 1-hour time limit
- Race weather: 63°F, cloudy (Race 1); 64°F, cloudy (Race 2)
- Pole position winner: #11 Josef Newgarden, 1:22.7721 sec, 96.728mph (Race 1, qualifying); 1:22.9337 sec, 96.54mph (Race 2, fastest lap of Race 1)
- Most laps led: #7 Esteban Guerrieri, 36 (Race 1); #11 Josef Newgarden, 27 (Race 2)
- Race Report: Esteban Guerrieri took his second victory of the season, after leading every lap of the race to move closer to his team-mate and championship leader Josef Newgarden. Newgarden had started the race from pole position, but a move by Guerrieri at Turn 5 allowed him to take the lead just before the opening caution of the race, caused by series rookie Tyler Dueck running into the back of David Ostella, and the field concertinaed, with Daniel Morad, Daniel Herrington and Stefan Wilson also involved, with Dueck, Ostella and Morad all out on the spot. Third place went to another series rookie, with Oliver Webb finishing ahead of Wilson with Bruno Andrade just ahead of Gustavo Yacamán to complete the top five placing. The race's only other retirees came as a result of an incident between Victor Carbone and Peter Dempsey. Dempsey tried to take Carbone into Turn 1 on lap 28, with the two drivers interlocking wheels on the corner exit, sending both drivers into the wall. Carbone's car launched Dempsey's car upside-down, but Dempsey emerged without injury. Newgarden comfortably won race two after slight contact with Guerrieri, which left Guerrieri down the order. Wilson and Dempsey completed the podium.
Round 9: Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières
- Sunday August 7, 2011 – 1:30 p.m. EDT
- Circuit Trois-Rivières – Trois-Rivières, Quebec; Temporary street circuit, 1.51miles
- Distance: 60 laps / 90.6miles; reduced to 58 laps / 87.58miles due to rain
- Race weather: 74°F, cloudy
- Pole position winner: #7 Esteban Guerrieri, 57.4541 sec, 94.615mph
- Most laps led: #7 Esteban Guerrieri, 58
- Race Report:
Round 10: New Hampshire 100
- Sunday August 14, 2011 – 1:15 p.m. EDT
- New Hampshire Motor Speedway – Loudon, New Hampshire; Permanent racing facility, 1.025miles
- Distance: 100 laps / 102.5miles
- Race weather: 73°F, overcast
- Pole position winner: #11 Josef Newgarden, 49.4908 sec, 149.119mph (2-lap)
- Most laps led: #11 Josef Newgarden, 100
- Race Report: Josef Newgarden became the first driver since Thiago Medeiros in 2004 to lap the entire field en route to winning an Indy Lights race, further extending his championship points lead.[29]
Round 11: Streets of Baltimore
- Sunday September 4, 2011 – 12:15 p.m. EDT
- Streets of Baltimore – Baltimore, Maryland; Temporary street circuit, 2.04miles
- Distance: 35 laps / 71.4miles
- Race weather: 81°F, scattered clouds
- Pole position winner: #77 Conor Daly, 1:27.8114 sec, 83.631mph
- Most laps led: #77 Conor Daly, 22
- Race Report:
Round 12: Drive Smart Buckle-Up Kentucky 100
- Sunday October 2, 2011 – 12:30 p.m. EDT
- Kentucky Speedway – Sparta, Kentucky; Permanent racing facility, 1.48miles
- Distance: 67 laps / 99.16miles
- Race weather: 56°F, partly cloudy
- Pole position winner: #5 Stefan Wilson, 55.5988 sec, 191.659mph (2-lap)
- Most laps led: #5 Stefan Wilson, 47
- Race Report:
Round 13: Las Vegas 100
Driver standings
| | Color | Result |
|---|
| Gold | Winner | | Silver | 2nd place | | Bronze | 3rd place | | Green | 4th & 5th place | | Light Blue | 6th–10th place | | Dark Blue | Finished
(Outside Top 10) | | Purple | Did not finish | | Red | Did not qualify
(DNQ) | | Brown | Withdrawn
(Wth) | | Black | Disqualified
(DSQ) | | White | Did not start
(DNS) | | Blank | Did not
participate
(DNP) | | Not competing | |
| | In-line notation | | Bold | Pole position
(1 point) | | Italics | Ran fastest race lap | *|style="background:#F2F2F2;" align=center|Led most race laps
(2 points)|-|style="background:#F2F2F2;" align=center|1|style="background:#F2F2F2;" align=center|Qualifying cancelled
no bonus point awarded|-|style="background:#FDE910;" align=center colspan=2|Rookie of the Year|-|style="background:Orange;" align=center colspan=2|Rookie|}|}|}- Ties in points broken by number of wins, or best finishes.
External links
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Notes and References
- News: New events highlight 2011 schedule. November 18, 2010. Firestone Indy Lights. Indy Racing League. November 21, 2010. Arni. Sribhen. https://web.archive.org/web/20101124105545/http://indycar.com/news/show/56-firestone-indy-lights/40515-new-events-highlight-2011-schedule/. 2010-11-24. dead.
- News: 2010 Champ Victor Carbone to Indy Lights. F2000 Championship Series. MathisenMedia. January 11, 2011. January 11, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110208191223/http://www.f2000championshipseries.com/news/360-2010-champ-victor-carbone-to-indy-lights.html. February 8, 2011. dead.
- News: Guerrieri Joins Schmidt for 2011 Firestone Indy Lights Season. March 7, 2011. catchfence.com. Catchfence. March 7, 2011.
- News: Conor Daly confirms GP3, Indy Lights plans. February 17, 2011. Racer. Haymarket Publications. February 17, 2011.
- http://www.eformulacarnews.com/news_info.php?n=8525 Newgarden Returns to North American Racing with Sam Schmidt Motorsports
- News: Herrington steps in at Schmidt. Firestone Indy Lights. IndyCar. July 6, 2011. July 7, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110710021145/http://indycar.com/news/show/56-firestone-indy-lights/43884-herrington-steps-in-at-schmidt/. 2011-07-10. dead.
- News: Yacaman joins Team Moore for 2011. December 1, 2010. Firestone Indy Lights. Indy Racing League. December 2, 2010. Arni. Sribhen.
- Juanarena, Pablo. Víctor García hace las Américas, Marca, February 17, 2011, Retrieved 2011-02-17
- Howden, Rob. The Insider, eFormulaCarNews, July 20, 2011, Retrieved 2011-07-20
- News: Stefan Wilson set for Indy Lights with Andretti Autosport. March 16, 2011. Racer. Haymarket Publications. March 16, 2011.
- http://indycar.com/news/show/56-firestone-indy-lights/42177-winslow-back-with-andretti-autosport/ Winslow back with Andretti Autosport
- http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2011/07/05/539419-indy-lights-dempsey-joins-andretti-autosports-line-up-toronto.html Indy Lights – Dempsey Joins Andretti Autosports Line-Up At Toronto
- http://eformulacarnews.com/news_info.php?n=8588 Bryan Herta Autosport Signs Ferreira
- News: BHA adds Andrade for five races. Firestone Indy Lights. IndyCar. July 6, 2011. July 7, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20111005074214/http://indycar.com/news/show/56-firestone-indy-lights/43863-bha-adds-andrade-for-five-races/. 2011-10-05. dead.
- Ireland, Joanne. Edmonton Indy will have some local Razzle Dazzle, Edmonton Journal, July 14, 2011, Retrieved 2011-07-15
- http://www.eformulacarnews.com/news_info.php?n=8583 Team E Racing Announces Miller for Season-Opener
- http://eformulacarnews.com/news_info.php?n=8750&sid=eb97603019224a667dcc8638afc6abee Mitchell Joins Team E on Streets of Long Beach
- http://www.eformulacarnews.com/news_info.php?n=9450 Team E Returns to Series Action with Mitchell
- http://www.indycar.com/news/show/56-firestone-indy-lights/41463-goncalvez-completes-belardi-lineup/ Goncalvez completes Belardi lineup
- News: Anders Krohn confirms move up to Indy Lights . December 9, 2010 . . . December 9, 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20101211122044/http://www.racer.com/anders-krohn-confirms-move-up-to-indy-lights/article/192511/ . December 11, 2010 .
- http://www.racer.com/belardi-adds-wilson-third-entry-for-final-two-indy-lights-races/article/212720/ Belardi adds Wilson, third entry for final two Indy Lights races
- News: Jensen MotorSport confirms Mexican Driver Juan Pablo Garcia for Indy Lights. December 16, 2010. jensenmotorsport.com. Jensen MotorSport. December 16, 2010.
- News: British Driver Oliver Webb Joins Jensen MotorSport. June 24, 2011. jensenmotorsport.com. Jensen MotorSport. June 24, 2011.
- http://www.indycar.com/news/show/56-firestone-indy-lights/45901-webb-returns-to-jensen-for-bgp-vegas/ Webb returns to Jensen for BGP, Vegas
- News: Jensen Motorsport, Ostella to race in 2011. November 15, 2010. Firestone Indy Lights. Indy Racing League. December 2, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20101124110151/http://indycar.com/news/show/56-firestone-indy-lights/40483-jensen-motorsport-ostella-to-race-in-2011/. 2010-11-24. dead.
- News: Former IndyCar racer Willy T. Ribbs to race Indy Lights at Baltimore. August 25, 2011. August 25, 2011. Autosport. Haymarket Publications.
- News: Willy T. Ribbs announces Indy Lights team. May 12, 2011. May 13, 2011. Racer. Haymarket Publications.
- News: Edmontonians break out their flags . Dave . Lewandowski . . . July 18, 2011 . July 19, 2011 . Three Firestone Indy Lights rookies will be racing on home soil this weekend at Edmonton: 18-year-old Edmonton native Stefan Rzadzinski, who makes his debut with Davey Hamilton Racing; 19-year-old David Ostella, a native of Maple, Ontario, with Jensen MotorSport; and Tyler Dueck of Abbottsford, B.C., who will debut with Goree Multisports. .
- News: Newgarden's lead grows in New Hampshire. Dave. Lewandowski. August 14, 2011. August 14, 2011. Firestone Indy Lights. IndyCar. https://web.archive.org/web/20110916194405/http://indycar.com/news/show/56-firestone-indy-lights/44634-newgardenand-39-s-lead-grows-in-new-hampshire/. 2011-09-16. dead.
- https://hardcards.indycar.com/Resources/pdfs/2011%2520Firestone%2520Indy%2520Lights%2520Rule%2520Book%2520FINAL%2520UNFORMATTED%2520CLEAN.pdf
