2011 Indy Lights


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 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.

Team and driver chart

Team#DriversSponsorRounds
Sam Schmidt Motorsports3 Victor CarboneNevoniAll
Sam Schmidt Motorsports7 Esteban GuerrieriLucas OilAll
Sam Schmidt Motorsports11 Josef NewgardenCopart/Robo-PongAll
Sam Schmidt Motorsports77 Conor DalyRoad to Indy1-3, 9, 11
Sam Schmidt Motorsports77 Bryan ClausonRoad to Indy/Curb Records4-6, 10, 12-13
Sam Schmidt Motorsports77 Daniel Herrington7-8
Team Moore Racing2 Gustavo YacamánCrepes & WafflesAll
Team Moore Racing22 Víctor García1-7
Team Moore Racing22 Daniel Morad8
Team Moore Racing22 Mikaël Grenier9
Team Moore Racing22 Brandon Wagner10, 12-13
Team Moore Racing22 Tõnis Kasemets11
Andretti Autosport5 Stefan WilsonAll
Andretti Autosport26 James Winslow1-4,
Andretti Autosport26 Peter Dempsey7-9, 11
Bryan Herta Autosport28 Duarte FerreiraSonangol GroupAll
Bryan Herta Autosport29 Bruno AndradeWilliam Rast7-9, 11
Davey Hamilton Racing32 Brandon WagnerChiroRacing.net4-6
Davey Hamilton Racing32 Stefan RzadzinskiWest Edmonton Mall8
O2 Racing Technology36 Peter DempseyPulse Lighting1-5
O2 Racing Technology63 Mikaël GrenierCell Safety1-4
Team E17 Joel MillerSkip Barber Racing School1
Team E17 Rusty MitchellMotorola/Petro Communications3-4, 11-13
Belardi Auto Racing4 Jorge GoncalvezAll
Belardi Auto Racing9 Anders KrohnLiberty EngineeringAll
Belardi Auto Racing19 Jacob Wilson12-13
Jensen MotorSport12 Juan Pablo GarciaFreightliner1-4
Jensen MotorSport12 Eric JensenPusateri's7
Jensen MotorSport12 Oliver WebbExpoSystems8, 11, 13
Jensen MotorSport16 David OstellaGlobal PrecastAll
Brooks Associates Racing8 Ryan PhinnyRace 2 Energy Independence / Dos Lunas Tequila3
Willy T. Ribbs Racing32 Willy T. RibbsStarting Grid Inc.11
Willy T. Ribbs Racing75 Chase AustinStarting Grid Inc.4, 6
Goree Multisports44 Tyler DueckPremier Pacific Developments8

Schedule

Race results

Race summaries

Round 1: Streets of St. Petersburg

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

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