The 2022 Indy Pro 2000 Championship was the 24th season in
series
Series may refer to:
People with the name
* Caroline Series (born 1951), English mathematician, daughter of George Series
* George Series (1920–1995), English physicist
Arts, entertainment, and media
Music
* Series, the ordered sets used i ...
history, and the fourth and final season held under the Indy Pro 2000 moniker. It served as the second rung of the
Road to Indy
A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation.
There are many types of ...
ladder system, with the winner earning an Indy Lights scholarship for the following season. Rookie
Louis Foster
Louis Foster (born 27 July 2003) is a British racing driver. He currently competes in Indy NXT driving for Andretti Autosport. He is the 2022 Indy Pro 2000 champion. Foster previously competed in the 2021 Euroformula Open Championship with C ...
won the Drivers' championship, while
Juncos Hollinger Racing
Juncos Hollinger Racing, formerly Juncos Racing, is an Argentine-American racing team competing in the NTT IndyCar Series, Indy Lights and Indy Pro 2000 Championship series in the Road to Indy ladder for IndyCar. Owned by Ricardo Juncos, who for ...
won their fifth Teams' championship.
Drivers and teams
All drivers competed using
Tatuus
Tatuus is an Italian chassis manufacturer for a series of formula racing series, being first founded in 1980. The company is known for its association with Renault Sport for its production of the Formula Renault chassis.
History
The Tatuus ...
-built racecars, with the
halo safety device being incorporated for the first time in 2022.
* Casey Putsch was signed to compete with Legacy Autosport, but neither team nor driver entered any rounds.
Schedule
The schedule was announced on October 5, 2021, and featured two street courses, five road courses and two ovals.
Race results
Season review
First half
The fourth Indy Pro 2000 season began with its traditional two rounds on the
Streets of St. Petersburg
The Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg is an IndyCar Series race held in St. Petersburg, Florida. In most years since 2009, the race has served as the season opener (or at minimum, the first race held on U.S. soil). The race is held annually ...
.
Josh Green led the field to green after earning the first pole position of the year, quickly creating a gap back to
Enaam Ahmed
Enaam Ahmed (born 4 February 2000) is a British- Pakistani racing driver. Ahmed currently competes in the Indy NXT with Cape Motorsports, having previously driven for RP Motorsport in the 2021 season. He previously raced in the 2020 FIA Formula ...
in second and
Louis Foster
Louis Foster (born 27 July 2003) is a British racing driver. He currently competes in Indy NXT driving for Andretti Autosport. He is the 2022 Indy Pro 2000 champion. Foster previously competed in the 2021 Euroformula Open Championship with C ...
in third. Ahmed worked hard to reduce the gap to Green in the second half of the race, but the latter held on to win on his debut. A day later, it was
Nolan Siegel
Nolan Siegel (born November 8, 2004) is an American racing driver. He currently competes in the Indy NXT with HMD Motorsports w/ Dale Coyne Racing. Siegel previously competed in the U.S. F2000 National Championship with DEForce Racing.
Career ...
's time to shine. He led from pole, ahead of
Wyatt Brichacek and Ahmed, the latter getting overtaken by
Braden Eves at the start. Two cautions and subsequent restarts, first for a collision between
Salvador de Alba
Salvador de Alba Jr. (born 11 December 2000) is a Mexican racing driver who competes full-time in the Indy Pro 2000 Championship, driving for Jay Howard Driver Development. He is a two-time NASCAR PEAK Mexico Series
The NASCAR Mexico Series ...
and
Reece Gold and then for Ahmed colliding with the wall, helped Foster to rise to second ahead of Eves, but Siegel remained in the lead to win. He left St. Petersburg as the championship leader, two points ahead of Foster.
The championship then headed to
Barber Motorsports Park
Barber Motorsports Park is an multi-purpose racing facility located in Birmingham, Alabama. It was built by George W. Barber, and includes the Barber Vintage Motorsport Museum. It has been the site of the IndyCar Series' Grand Prix of Alabam ...
in Alabama, with Gold securing pole for the first race. He led from start to finish, remaining unchallenged throughout a caution-free race, with the only incident being a collision between de Alba and
Jack William Miller
Jack William Miller (born June 25, 2003) also known as Dr. Jack Miller Jr. is an American racing driver. He currently competes in the Indy Pro 2000 Championship for Miller Vinatieri Motorsports.
Personal life
Miller is a triathlete and fitnes ...
.
Colin Kaminsky
Colin Kaminsky (born May 27, 1999) is an American racing driver. He currently competes in Indy NXT driving for Abel Motorsports. He previously competed in the Indy Pro 2000 Championship with Pabst Racing.
Racing record
Racing career summary ...
came second, ahead of Ahmed and Foster. Siegel claimed pole for race two, leading Eves, while Foster gained three places at the start, rising from sixth to third. He pressured Eves all race long, but the latter remained mistake-free throughout another race without any yellow flags. Siegel became the season's first repeat winner, keeping his championship lead ahead of Foster.
Next up was the
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is an automobile racing circuit located in Speedway, Indiana, an enclave suburb of Indianapolis, Indiana. It is the home of the Indianapolis 500 and the Verizon 200, and and formerly the home of the United State ...
, with a triple-header held on the road course. The weekend started in chaotic fashion when surprise polesitter
Jonathan Browne
Jonathan Browne (1601 – 19 December 1643) was an Anglican clergyman, Dean of Hereford from 1637 until his death.
Browne was educated at Gloucester Hall, Oxford, matriculating on 13 October 1620, aged 19, and graduating BCL (1625), DCL (1630). ...
locked up in turn one, producing a slide which collected Foster and Miller, retiring both cars. Eves rose from tenth to second among the chaos, so became the race leader when Browne had to serve a penalty for the incident. He went on to finish first, but was later disqualified in the post-race technical inspection. This promoted de Alba to his first win, ahead of
Yuven Sundaramoorthy
Yuven Sundaramoorthy (born February 22, 2003) is an Indian-American racing driver. He currently competes in the 2023 USF Pro 2000 Championship with Exclusive Autosport and in the 2023 Indy NXT with Abel Motorsports. He previously drove for Pabs ...
and Kaminsky. The second race was also filled with incidents, between polesitter Miller and Foster on lap one, the latter receiving a penalty, as well as incidents affecting
Jordan Missig, Ahmed and Eves. Gold, who started in fourth, kept his nose clean to eventually win, leading home Kaminsky and Siegel. The final race of the weekend saw Miller start from pole again, with Foster cleanly overtaking him for the lead this time. A caution brought the field back together and led to multiple changes in the order, but Foster held on for his first win, ahead of Eves and Miller. Siegel's relative consistency kept him in the championship lead by a three-point margin, ahead of Foster.
The first oval race of the season was held at
Indianapolis Raceway Park
Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park (formerly Indianapolis Raceway Park, O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis, and Lucas Oil Raceway) is an auto racing facility in Brownsburg, Indiana, United States, about northwest of Downtown Indianapolis, do ...
. Gold qualified on pole, leading his Juncos teammate Ahmed. Foster started third and began pressuring Ahmed right from the start, with the pass for second coming 45 laps into the race. He then overtook Gold two laps later and built a gap, which was nullified by a caution as Kaminsky brushed the wall. Foster was unchallenged at the restart and led home Gold and Green. This win also earned him the championship lead, 14 points clear of Gold.
The halfway point of the season came at
Road America
Road America is a motorsport road course located near Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, United States on Wisconsin Highway 67. It has hosted races since the 1950s and currently hosts races in the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series, WeatherTech SportsCar Champ ...
, where Foster continued his run of form. He started the first race in third, but as polesitter Gold ran wide on the first lap, Foster managed to gain the lead. He quickly took off after a brief caution and remained unchallenged until the end. Second place was contested between Eves, de Alba and Green, with the latter eventually succeeding. Ahmed started second, then slipped away at the start and came back to eventually finish third. The second race of the weekend saw Green start from pole, with Eves pressuring and eventually passing him. Miller started seventh, but rose quickly enough to also pass Green and begin attacking Eves, albeit without success. Third place was hotly contested all through the race, with de Alba eventually clinching it. Foster's run came to a sudden end, as an error saw him finish thirteenth. He still remained in the championship lead, though, 19 points ahead of Gold.
Second half
Foster was back on form in
Mid-Ohio
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is a road course auto racing facility located in Troy Township, Morrow County, Ohio, United States, just outside the village of Lexington. Mid-Ohio has also colloquially become a term for the entire north-central regio ...
, earning pole for both races. He braced two caution periods in the first race as Sundaramoorthy and Browne retired, but no one could stop him. De Alba rose from fifith to third at the start and eventually passed Siegel for second. In the end, Foster was over 14 seconds clear from de Alba and Siegel. The second race was a different story, though, as
Kiko Porto passed Foster into turn two on the opening lap. Porto resisted Foster's pressure for the whole race, with the gap never growing beyond a second, and held on for his first win, with Sundaramoorthy in third. Foster played it safe to finish second, boosting his championship lead to 49 points.
Teams and drivers made their return to Canada and to
Exhibition Place
Exhibition Place is a publicly owned mixed-use district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located by the shoreline of Lake Ontario, just west of downtown. The site includes exhibit, trade, and banquet centres, theatre and music buildings, monuments ...
two weeks later. Foster continued to tighten his grip on the championship, once again clinching two pole positions. Race one saw a flag-to-flag victory by the Englishman, holding of Ahmed at the start and surviving two caution restarts when Browne lost his front wing and de Alba retired. Foster led home Ahmed and Green, who bounced back after crashing in qualifying the day before. Race two started with a multi-car crash in turn one involving five cars and ending Green's race. On the restart, a second caution was immediately called as Browne spun and took out himself as well as Siegel. Foster controlled the second restart and the rest of the race, finishing ahead of Gold in second and Sundaramoorthy, both profiting from a post-race penalty for Missig. Foster took a maximum of 66 points in Toronto and now lead the standings by 63 points, from Gold and Siegel.
The second oval race of the season came next, at
World Wide Technology Raceway
World Wide Technology Raceway (formerly Gateway International Raceway and Gateway Motorsports Park) is a motorsport racing facility in Madison, Illinois, just east of St. Louis, Missouri, United States, close to the Gateway Arch. It features a o ...
in St. Louis. De Alba dominated proceedings, leading all test sessions and then qualifying to start from pole. Siegel started fourth and gained to places on the opening lap. The battle for second place then grew to a four-car fight, with Green, Eves and Foster battling it out. In the end, de Alba won in dominating fashion, Siegel managed to hold on to second, and Eves was third after Green ran wide with ten laps remaining. Foster came fourth, further cementing his championship lead, now 77 points ahead of Gold.
The season ended at
Portland International Raceway
Portland International Raceway (PIR) is a motorsport facility in Portland in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is part of the Delta Park complex on the former site of Vanport, just south of the Columbia River. It lies west of the Delta Park/Vanport ...
, where Foster once again claimed the first pole position of the weekend. He was challenged by Gold in the opening part of race one, but remained in first place as an incident between Siegel, Porto and Miller promoted Ahmed to third behind the leading pair. Behind him was
Marcos Flack
Marcos Flack (born 8th March 2006), is an Australian racing driver currently competing in the GB3 Championship with Douglas Motorsport, and the Italian F4 Championship with R-ace GP.
He is the son of former Porsche Carrera Cup Australia Champ ...
, who surprised in just his second race by jumping from 16th on the grid to fourth place in the span of a single lap. Foster's seventh win of the season earned him the championship. Race two saw Gold lead from pole and dominate the race, as Porto slotted into second ahead of Foster at the start. Foster was still battling for second despite having already sealed the championship, and eventually passed Porto, but Gold had pulled out a gap to the rest of the field by then and won the race. The last race of the season saw Gold secure second place in the championship with another win, ahead of Porto and Siegel, who held second and third for the entirety of the race. Ahmed came fourth, thereby securing third place in the standings, just five points ahead of Siegel.
Championship standings
Drivers' Championship
; Scoring system
* The driver who qualified on pole is awarded one additional point.
* One point was awarded to the driver who leads the most laps in a race.
* One point was awarded to the driver who sets the fastest lap during the race.
Teams' championship
; Scoring system
* Single car teams received 3 bonus points as an equivalency to multi-car teams
* Only the best two results counted for teams fielding more than two entries
See also
*
2022 IndyCar Series
The 2022 NTT IndyCar Series was the 111th official championship season of American open wheel racing and the 27th season under IndyCar Series sanction. The showcase event was the 2022 Indianapolis 500. It was the third year under Penske mana ...
*
2022 Indy Lights
The 2022 Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires was the 36th and final season of the Indy Lights open wheel motor racing series and the 20th sanctioned by IndyCar, acting as the primary support series for the IndyCar Series. It was held over 14 ra ...
*
2022 U.S. F2000 National Championship
*
2022 USF Juniors
The 2022 USF Juniors championship was the inaugural season of USF Juniors. It became the new first rung of the Road to Indy ladder. The season featured a six-round 16-race calendar,
which began April 23 at Ozarks International Raceway and conc ...
References
External links
Indy Pro 2000 Championship Official Website
{{Road to Indy
2022
File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...
Indy Pro 2000 Championship
The USF Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires, formerly known as the Star Mazda Championship, Pro Mazda Championship, and later Indy Pro 2000 Championship, is an open-wheel racing series serving as the third step on the Road to Indy l ...
Indy Pro 2000 Championship
The USF Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires, formerly known as the Star Mazda Championship, Pro Mazda Championship, and later Indy Pro 2000 Championship, is an open-wheel racing series serving as the third step on the Road to Indy l ...
Indy Pro 2000 Championship
The USF Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires, formerly known as the Star Mazda Championship, Pro Mazda Championship, and later Indy Pro 2000 Championship, is an open-wheel racing series serving as the third step on the Road to Indy l ...