Road To Indy Drivers Will Be Busy At Mid-Ohio
LEXINGTON, Ohio — With the Mazda Road to Indy season nearing an end, the three series will compete in seven races this weekend at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio could very well determine who will win the championships and the Mazda driver development scholarship that goes with a title.
Each of the three Mazda scholarship drivers comes into the race weekend in the top five in points and with a wealth of confidence. Aaron Telitz, last year’s Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tires champion, brings momentum from a strong weekend in Toronto in the Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires races.
“Mid-Ohio is one of my favorite race tracks,” said Telitz, who drives the Soul Red No. 9 Indy Lights car with Belardi Racing. “It has elevation changes, blind corners and really fast corners as well. It’s a lot of fun to drive, but in terms of racing, it can be frustrating because there aren’t a lot of heavy brake zones. I would say there’s only one heavy brake zone at the end of the long back stretch to pass. You won’t have a ton of opportunities to pass, so qualifying is very important.”
Telitz recorded second and fifth-place finishes at the most recent Indy Lights races. He’s fifth in the standings, but only 11 points behind third.
“It really translates to a lot of confidence,” Telitz said. “As a team, we haven’t had the best of luck, so to have two strong finishes at Toronto and having the speed to make moves during the race is a confidence builder for me and the team. I think we’ll be strong at Mid-Ohio.”
In the Pro Mazda category, scholarship driver Anthony Martin trails point leader Victor Franzoni by seven points and has fond memories of his performance here last year. Martin earned three pole positions and three wins at Mid-Ohio on his way to the USF2000 championship with his Cape Motorsports team. The Pro Mazda series will race three times this weekend.
“It definitely gives me confidence,” said Martin. “Knowing that I had a clean sweep weekend last year, I’m not too worried about learning the track. We’re really focused on getting the car spot-on and I know the Cape guys have a really good car. They also swept the Pro Mazda races there last year, so hopefully, with that combination, we should be well set.”
Martin, who drives the No. 8 Soul Red Pro Mazda, has played a big role working with his younger teammate Oliver Askew, who leads the USF2000 standings. Askew won last year’s Mazda Road to Indy Shootout, which earned him a scholarship for this season. Askew has six victories this year in his No. 3 Soul Red USF2000 car and has tested the Mid-Ohio track in both rain and dry conditions.
“The guys at Cape Motorsports have done a great job of giving me the best car that they can,” said Askew. “My confidence is very high. We’ve been competitive everywhere we’ve gone and I’m looking forward to it.”
Source :speedsport.com
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