Tag: @Mid_Ohio
Exclusive Autosport’s Lastochkin grabs fourth top five finish at Mid Ohio
(Photos by Ray MacAloney/cdn-r.com ©2019)
Exclusive Autosport Release:
LEXINGTON, OH (July 28, 2018) – Exclusive Autosport returned to the highly technical Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio this past weekend for Rounds 10 and 11 of the Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires. The team went into the weekend with confidence, coming off their recent win on the streets of Toronto. Both Nikita Lastochkin and Danial Frost were focused on using the experience they have on the 2.258-mile track to tackle the doubleheader. Lastochkin drove with determination and in attack-mode all weekend, as the Russian-born, Los Angeles resident equaled his best finish of the season in fourth. Frost was taken out in an early-race incident in Race 1, and powered back from the tail of the field after a questionable penalty sent him to the back in Race 2. Danial made some incredible passes to finish a stunning sixth.
“Mid-Ohio was an interesting weekend,” admitted Michael Duncalfe, Team Principal.
“As a team, we topped the overall time sheets during the official test (two weeks ago), and we showed solid pace throughout the weekend. However, luck just did not seem to be on our side this weekend. Both Danial and Nikita worked incredibly hard on and off track and I believe both our drivers had the speed and potential to be on the podium for rounds 10 and 11, but I guess it was just not meant to be. Mirl Swan and the entire crew continue to impress, as the Exclusive Autosport cars are phenomenally prepped. Our sights are now focused on Gateway in a few week’s time.”
The event began first thing Friday morning with the one and only official 30-minute practice of the weekend, followed by Qualifying 1 later that afternoon. Both, Nikita and Danial got right to work, setting some fast laps, ultimately timing in sixth and ninth for Race 1.
Saturday’s Indy Pro 2000 action would kick-off with qualifying for Race 2 and both drivers improved their pace, Danial significantly, posting a time to put him on the outside of row one. Nikita would drop his time as well to give him the starting spot on the outside of row four.
The opening race of the weekend would begin late in the afternoon as the sun dropped behind the hills of Lexington. Both drivers moved up within the first three laps, but Frost was pinched by another driver during an overtaking attempt, sending him off the track and into the concrete wall, which caused extensive damage that prevented him to finish the race. Lastochkin fought hard all race long, maintaining hold of the lead pack. Late in the race, Nikita was able to make a pass on Sting Ray Robb to earn his second fourth place finish of the year.
The second race of the doubleheader weekend began the Road to Indy events on Sunday morning, and after the first attempt to start, the race needed to be waved off, race officials deemed that Frost was responsible for the aborted attempt and sent him the back. Believing firmly that this call was an error, the team attempted to protest the decision, but this effort was not heard. Due to the chaos at the start, Nikita was hit from behind by another car, bending the rear suspension, and puncturing his left rear tire, requiring a trip to the pit lane for repair. Thankfully, his suspension was not bent enough to be undrivable and Nikita was able to catch the rear of the field for the restart and maintain the fight for a better finishing position. Starting from the tail of the field, the two EA drivers would not only battle other drivers in the series, but each other as well. When the dust settled in this highly competitive series, Frost made his way back to sixth, while Lastochkin recovered to finish seventh. Considering all the adversity at the beginning of the race, the team was happy with the results.
In the Indy Pro 2000 Presented by Cooper Tires championship standings, Lastochkin firms up his place in the sixth position, having closed the gap significantly to the fourth and fifth place drivers. After a tough weekend for Frost, he sits fourth place in the championship, but is now 59 points behind the leader.
The next stop for the Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires will be the 1.25-mile oval in Madison, Illinois. World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway will host Round 12 of the Indy Pro 2000 presented by Cooper Tires championship on Saturday, August 24.
Weekend at Mid Ohio leaves Parker Thompson looking for more.
DATE OF RELEASE:
Monday, July 29, 2019 – 07:00 EST
MID-OHIO SPORTS CAR COURSE – LEXINGTON OHIO
Photos by: R.MacAloney/cdn-r.com ©2019
Involved in a tight battle for the 2019 Indy Pro 2000 Championship presented by Cooper Tires, Abel Motorsports driver Parker Thompson entered Rounds 10 & 11 of the series this weekend at Mid-Ohio ranked second in the overall standings. With only 5 points separating three drivers for that second-place position, every point earned in the two-race event would play a significant role in the standings going forward. After a great qualifying performance, Thompson was struck by misfortune during race action. A mechanical issue forced his retirement early in Race 1. A fourth-place finish in Race 2 saw him lose further ground to Championship contenders Lindh and Kirkwood.
Qualifying in third position for Race 1, Thompson made an early move into second place before a transmission shift actuator failure forced his retirement. With multiple incidents on track in the opening laps, Thompson would register an 11th place finish in the fourteen-car field.
After reparations were made for Race 2 on Sunday, Thompson was again able to improve on his third-place qualifying position and take second early in the race. He would comfortably hold the position until a full course yellow brought the field together on lap twenty. With only five laps remaining Thompson would lose two positions on the restart, and finish in fourth.
Parker Thompson
“This was definitely not the weekend that we were looking to have. We’ve experienced a range of highs and lows in this Indy Pro 2000 season, but I’m proud to have the great crew with Abel Motorsports by my side. We’ve had such a dependable car all year. The shift actuator failure that we experienced this weekend feels like one of those incidents of bad luck that happens sometimes in racing. The team had no issues getting the car back together for Race 2 today. We had a great start, and I felt like we had the pace to challenge for the lead early on. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the jump I needed during a re-start late in the race. The guys behind me were ready to pounce. This one hurts. We’ll look to do better in Round 12 next month at Gateway.”
Road to Indy Series Photos from Friday at Mid Ohio
Below is a small gallery of photos from Friday’s practice and qualifying sessions at Mid Ohio. Featuring in no particular order: Parker Thompson, Antonio Serravalle, Dalton Kellet and the drivers from Exclusive Autosport.
@IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge Race Results from @Mid_Ohio
Congratulations to Canadian Mark Wilkins and his driving partner Michael Lewis on their first place finish in the TCR class today.
Finishing positions for the other Canadians participating in Saturday’s Michelin Pilot Challenge Mid Ohio 120 race :
FINISH Position |
Car # / Class | Drivers | Team |
17th |
#13 GS | Scott Hargrove/ Orey Fidani |
AWA |
16th |
#31 GS | Jeff Courtney / Fred Roberts |
Bodymotion Racing |
6th |
#59 GS | Rod Randall /Kenny Wilden |
KohR Motorsports |
5th |
#60 GS | Nate Stacy / Kyle Marcelli |
KohR Motorsports |
7th |
#69 GS | Jesse Lazare / Corey Fergus |
Motorsports In Action |
22nd |
#75 GS | Paul Holton /Kuno Wittmer |
Compass Racing |
13th |
#23 TCR | Nick Galante / James Vance |
Fast MD Racing |
4th |
#81 TCR | Marco Cirone / Remo Ruscitti |
Mark Motors Racing |
FIRST | #98 TCR | Mark Wilkins / Michael Lewis |
BRYAN HERTA AUTOSPORT W CURB-AGAJANIAN |