66 • RACE CONTROL
INDY LIGHTS
Claman Secures St. Pete Indy Lights Win for Belardi Auto RacingZachary Claman displayed the wisdom of his decision to step back to Indy
Lights by scoring an accomplished victory for Belardi Auto Racing in the Indy
Lights Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. After campaigning a partial season in last
year’s NTT IndyCar Series, Claman, 20, from Montreal, Canada, qualified on
pole position for the season-opener and proceeded to lead the 35-lap race
from start to finish.
Toby Sowery, from Cambridge, England, finished a remarkable second on
his debut for BN Racing/Team Pelfrey, despite only being offered the drive
a little more than one week before the event. Fellow rookie Oliver Askew,
was equally delighted to complete the podium on his debut with Andretti
Autosport.
Perfect weather conditions greeted the top rung of the Road to Indy
Presented by Cooper Tires open-wheel development ladder as the cars lined
up in front of an enthusiastic crowd at the 1.8-mile, 14-turn street circuit in
downtown St. Petersburg.
Claman, who previously had one Indy Lights victory to his name, at Road
America in 2017, left no doubt at the rolling start that he fully intended to find
his way back to Victory Lane at the earliest opportunity. The Canadian led the
nicely controlled field into the notoriously tricky Turn One, fending off outside
front row starter Sowery with ease, while Askew tucked neatly into third place.
Behind, last year’s winner of the Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by
Cooper Tires, Rinus VeeKay (Juncos Racing), jumped impressively from sixth onAll three classes of the Road to Indy Series had double
header races to kick off their respective seasons at
St Petersburg and they all proved once again that the
series and the ladder system creates the talent of the
future for the sport. Recapping them all now we start
with the top of the three classes and work our way
though them all as part of our new extended coverage
of the Road to Indy Championships in 2019.