If the drivers' comments following the first test of the new Mazda MZR-R-powered Dallara IL-15 are anything to go by, this year's Indy Lights season is likely to be a barn-burner. A total of eight drivers representing five teams took part in the two-day test at the 2.034-mile Palm Beach International Raceway in Jupiter, Fla., and all were ecstatic about the pace, consistency and reliability of the new car which will make its race debut on the streets of St. Petersburg on March 28. At the conclusion of the first day, the top four drivers and teams were separated by a hair over two-tenths of a second. The top two drivers from last year's Pro Mazda Championship were the initial pacesetters, with second-place finisher Scott Hargrove, from Vancouver, B.C., Canada, driving for Enzo Potolicchio's impressive 8Star Motorsports team, edging out series champion Spencer Pigot (Juncos Racing) by a scant 0.0643 second. Hargrove's best time on the opening day after completing 46 trouble-free laps was 1:06.8606. "The car is fantastic," Hargrove said. "Yesterday was our second day running the car and not a single issue. We are making laps and working on the setup and I have been working really well with 8Star and it shows on the results sheet so we will just keep working away." Pigot was also complimentary of the new ride.
"I love the car," he said. "It's great. It's fast. The Mazda engine is producing a lot of horsepower which is fun. We had no issues on the car whatsoever. It ran flawlessly and we did quite a few laps. I am looking forward to continuing to develop it and trying new things."
The teams had much to do sorting out the new Dallara IL-15 chassis, the turbocharged 2.0-liter Mazda MZR-R engine and the latest specification Cooper tires. Only 8Star Motorsports and Schmidt Peterson Motorsports had any prior experience with the car -- at an entrant test day at Palm Beach last month -- so progress was rapid and consistent.
Under cloudy skies Wednesday, the teams completed a combined total of 563 laps (on top of the 494 Tuesday), and although ultimate lap times were not the goal for most of the teams, rookie Kyle Kaiser, from Santa Clara, Calif., claimed bragging rights by posting the fastest lap of the test late this afternoon at 1:05.2689 for Juncos Racing.
Hargrove ended the day second quickest at 1:05.5041, followed by Spencer Pigot (1:05.6357) and Englishman Jack Harvey (1:05.9281), who finished tied on points with last year's champion Gabby Chaves, losing out only on a tie-breaker, and these past two days was focused almost exclusively on development testing for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports.
