Indy NXT, previously Indy Lights, is an American
developmental
Development of the human body is the process of growth to maturity. The process begins with fertilization, where an egg released from the ovary of a female is penetrated by a sperm cell from a male. The resulting zygote develops through mitosi ...
automobile racing series sanctioned by
IndyCar
INDYCAR, LLC, is an American-based auto racing sanctioning body for Indy car racing and other disciplines of open wheel car racing. The organization sanctions five racing series: the premier IndyCar Series with its centerpiece the Indianapolis ...
, currently known as Firestone Indy NXT Series for sponsorship reasons. Indy Lights is the highest step on 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 ...
, a program of racing series leading up to the
IndyCar Series
The IndyCar Series, currently known as the NTT IndyCar Series under sponsorship, is the highest class of regional North American open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars in the United States, which has been conducted under the auspices of ...
. The Indy Lights series has been promoted by Anderson Promotions since 2014, which also manages the Road to Indy program.
A similar series named Indy Lights filled the developmental role for the
CART
A cart or dray (Australia and New Zealand) is a vehicle designed for transport, using two wheels and normally pulled by one or a pair of draught animals. A handcart is pulled or pushed by one or more people.
It is different from the flatbed tr ...
series, and ran from 1986 to 1993 as the American Racing Series and Dayton Indy Lights from 1991 to 2001. The current IndyCar sanctioned series was founded in
2002
File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...
as the Infiniti Pro Series as a way to introduce new talent to IndyCar, with the moniker Indy Lights returning in 2008 when CART and IndyCar unified. The Indy Lights champion was awarded a $1M scholarship toward the IndyCar Series, and guaranteed three races including the Indianapolis 500 during this time. For 2023,
Penske Entertainment announced a rebranding to the name Indy NXT.
Early origins
In the post-
WWII
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
era, through the early 1960s, open wheel race cars were almost exclusively front-engined "roadsters". The primary ladder series included
sprints
Sprint may refer to:
Aerospace
*Spring WS202 Sprint, a Canadian aircraft design
*Sprint (missile), an anti-ballistic missile
Automotive and motorcycle
* Alfa Romeo Sprint, automobile produced by Alfa Romeo between 1976 and 1989
*Chevrolet Sprint ...
and
midgets. By the end of the 1960s, the cars evolved into rear-engine
formula-style machines. Likewise, the feeder series began to follow the same mold. When
USAC became the primary sanctioning body for top-level
Indy car racing
Indy may refer to:
Computing and technology
*Indy (software), used for Internet access to music
*Internet Direct, or "Indy", a software library
*SGI Indy, a computer workstation
Periodicals
*''The Indy'', shorthand for newspapers that include " ...
, the ladder of progression began to change.
USAC Mini Indy Series
The
SCCA
The Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) is a non-profit American automobile club and sanctioning body supporting road racing, rallying, and autocross in the United States. Formed in 1944, it runs many programs for both amateur and professional r ...
Super Vee and
Formula Atlantic
Formula Atlantic is a specification of open-wheel racing car developed in the 1970s. It was used in professional racing through the IMSA Atlantic Championship until 2009 and is currently primarily used in amateur racing through Sports Car Club o ...
series were among the first formula-based ladder series. However, neither had any direct tie to
USAC. In 1977, USAC started the "Mini-Indy" series, using
Super Vee machines. The series ended after 1980 when USAC stopped sanctioning Indy car races outside of
Indianapolis
Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...
.
Following the end of the "Mini Indy" series, the driver pool in the early 1980s to
CART
A cart or dray (Australia and New Zealand) is a vehicle designed for transport, using two wheels and normally pulled by one or a pair of draught animals. A handcart is pulled or pushed by one or more people.
It is different from the flatbed tr ...
and the
Indy 500
The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of India ...
was drawn in a somewhat unorganized fashion among
Super Vees,
Atlantics
''Atlantics'' (french: Atlantique) is a 2019 internationally co-produced supernatural romantic drama film directed by Mati Diop, in her feature directorial debut. It was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival. ...
,
SCCA
The Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) is a non-profit American automobile club and sanctioning body supporting road racing, rallying, and autocross in the United States. Formed in 1944, it runs many programs for both amateur and professional r ...
, former
Can-Am
The Canadian-American Challenge Cup, or Can-Am, was an Sports Car Club of America, SCCA/Canadian Auto Sport Clubs, CASC sports car racing series from 1966 to 1987.
History
Can-Am started out as a race series for group 7 sports racers with two r ...
drivers,
sprints
Sprint may refer to:
Aerospace
*Spring WS202 Sprint, a Canadian aircraft design
*Sprint (missile), an anti-ballistic missile
Automotive and motorcycle
* Alfa Romeo Sprint, automobile produced by Alfa Romeo between 1976 and 1989
*Chevrolet Sprint ...
,
midgets, and even
stock cars
Stock car racing is a form of automobile racing run on oval tracks and road courses measuring approximately . It originally used production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifically built for racing. It ori ...
and
off-road racing
Off-road racing is a form of motorsports consisting of specially-modified vehicles including cars, SUVs, trucks, motorbikes, quadbikes and buggies racing in off-road environments (e.g. snow, dirt, mud, etc.).
North America Desert racing
Desert ...
. In addition, a number of CART series drivers during the 1980s and early 1990s were former
Formula 1
Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...
competitors, most of whom had climbed the European-based ladder series.
Original series (1986–2001)
The original Indy Lights series was an open-wheeled racing series that acted as a developmental circuit for
CART
A cart or dray (Australia and New Zealand) is a vehicle designed for transport, using two wheels and normally pulled by one or a pair of draught animals. A handcart is pulled or pushed by one or more people.
It is different from the flatbed tr ...
from 1986 to 2001. It was founded in 1986 as the ''American Racing Series'' (ARS). The series was renamed ''Indy Lights'' in 1991. The CART-sanctioned series became widely popular and secured the title sponsorship of
Firestone. Later, Firestone's subsidiary Dayton Tires took over as tire supplier and title sponsor.
A
spec-series, CART Indy Lights used
March
March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It is the second of seven months to have a length of 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of Marc ...
chassis (essentially a modified 85B
Formula 3000
Formula 3000 (F3000) was a type of open wheel, single seater formula racing, occupying the tier immediately below Formula One and above Formula Three. It was so named because the cars were powered by 3.0 L engines.
Formula 3000 championships
...
chassis, renamed to Wildcat) from 1986 to 1992. In 1992
Lola
Lola may refer to:
Places
* Lolá, a or subdistrict of Panama
* Lola Township, Cherokee County, Kansas, United States
* Lola Prefecture, Guinea
* Lola, Guinea, a town in Lola Prefecture
* Lola Island, in the Solomon Islands
People
* Lola (fo ...
became the primary chassis constructor to the series, using a modified F3000 chassis. In 1997, a newly updated and modern-looking chassis was introduced based on an F3000 design. It would remain through 2001.
Buick V6 engines were used for its entire existence.
The ARS/Indy Lights series' championship winners included two CART champions, two
IndyCar Series
The IndyCar Series, currently known as the NTT IndyCar Series under sponsorship, is the highest class of regional North American open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars in the United States, which has been conducted under the auspices of ...
champions, seven
CCWS race-winners and two
Formula One
Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...
drivers.
The Indy Lights schedule closely followed that of the CART series, and typically had a gap of up to a month while the primary CART teams raced at the
Indy 500
The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of India ...
. The races were usually held the morning of the CART series races, as an
undercard
In sports, a card lists the matches taking place in a title match combat-sport event. Cards include a main event match and the undercard listing the rest of the matches. The undercard may be divided into a midcard and a lower card, according to ...
event. In early years, the Indy Lights series skipped superspeedway races such as
Michigan
Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...
, but eventually found its way to race there. In some rare occasions, the Indy Lights ran at non-CART tracks, generally as a support race to a series other than CART. In 2001 Indy Lights ran at
Road Atlanta
Road Atlanta (known for sponsorship reasons as Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta) is a road course located just north of Braselton, Georgia, United States. The facility is utilized for a wide variety of events, including professional and amateur spo ...
the weekend of the
Petit Le Mans
The Petit Le Mans ( French for ''little Le Mans'') is a sports car endurance race held annually at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia, USA. It uses the rules established for the 24 Hours of Le Mans by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO), which a ...
, and ran at
Kansas
Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...
with the
IRL
IRL may refer to:
Places
* Republic of Ireland (ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 country code)
* Irlam railway station (National Rail station code IRL), England
Organizations
* International Rugby League, the governing body for the sport of rugby league
* I ...
.
By the late 1990s and early 2000s, CART was suffering from financial problems. Meanwhile, in 1996, the rival
Indy Racing League
The IndyCar Series, currently known as the NTT IndyCar Series under sponsorship, is the highest class of regional North American open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars in the United States, which has been conducted under the auspices of ...
was formed. CART canceled the minor league outright after the 2001 season. By this time, the
Toyota Atlantic
The Atlantic Championship is a formula race car series with races throughout North America. It has been called Champ Car Atlantics (after its former name), Toyota Atlantics (due to the series' previous history of using Toyota-powered engines) ...
series was equally effective in providing CART with new drivers. In addition, the Atlantics served as a springboard for such drivers as
Greg Ray
Gregory Ray (born August 3, 1966) is an American former race car driver.
After winning the SCCA national Formula Atlantic championship in 1993, he moved up to the CART-sanctioned Toyota Atlantic series in 1994.
In 1997 he made his Indy Racing L ...
,
Sam Hornish Jr.
Samuel Jon Hornish Jr. (born July 2, 1979) is an American semi-retired professional auto racing driver. He last competed part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 22 Ford Mustang for Team Penske in 2017.
He began his top-tier raci ...
and
Richie Hearn
Richie Hearn (born January 4, 1971) is an American former racing driver.
Hearn was born in Glendale, California. He ran in the Toyota Atlantic championship for two seasons, winning the title in 1995. In 1996, he began driving for John Della ...
to enter the
IRL
IRL may refer to:
Places
* Republic of Ireland (ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 country code)
* Irlam railway station (National Rail station code IRL), England
Organizations
* International Rugby League, the governing body for the sport of rugby league
* I ...
. The Atlantics effectively became CART's primary feeder system, and later became Champ Car World Series' official in-house feeder championship for a time.
Current series (2002–present)
The Infiniti Pro Series was re-founded by the Indy Racing League and began racing in 2002, the year after the CART-sanctioned Indy Lights series' demise. It was a spec series using a
TWR (Tom Walkinshaw Racing) developed 3.5L version of the V8 engine used in the
Infiniti Q45
The Infiniti Q45 is a full-size luxury sedan manufactured and marketed by Nissan's Infiniti brand for model years 1989-2006, over three generations.
The first generation Q45 (1989–1999) was based on the Nissan President; the second generation ...
combined with
Dallara
Dallara is an Italian race car manufacturer, founded by its current President, Gian Paolo Dallara. After working for Ferrari, Maserati, Lamborghini and De Tomaso, in 1972 in his native village of Varano de' Melegari (Parma), Italy he created "D ...
chassis producing . The series initially struggled to attract drivers and some races have had fewer than 10 entrants. However, with the introduction of a number of road-course races to the schedule in
2005
File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...
, many of America's top prospects like
Marco Andretti
Marco Michael Andretti (born March 13, 1987) is an American auto racing driver who drives the No. 98 car for Bryan Herta Autosport, Andretti Herta Autosport part-time in the IndyCar Series. He is the third generation of the famous Andretti racin ...
and
Phil Giebler
Philip Giebler (born March 5, 1979 in Oxnard, California) is an American race car driver.
Giebler was considered a top American prospect with an opportunity to race in Formula One early in his career. Following years in various Formula Three r ...
were attracted to the series to run part-time schedules on road courses. In
2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
, a boost in prize money even further increased car counts to 16 or more, with an even six oval and six road course mix. The selected races being double races, and a stand-alone race (independent of the IndyCar Series) were scheduled on the USGP weekend.
![Homestead-Miami Stadium](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2b/Homestead-Miami_Stadium.JPG)
The series was called the ''Menards Infiniti Pro Series'' (MIPS) until 2006 when both
Menards
Menards is an American home improvement retail company headquartered in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Menards is owned by founder John Menard Jr. through his privately held company, Menard, Inc. It has 335 stores in 15 states: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa ...
and
Nissan
, trade name, trading as Nissan Motor Corporation and often shortened to Nissan, is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer headquartered in Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Japan. The company sells ...
dropped their sponsorship of the series. It was then known as the ''Indy Pro Series''. On March 26, 2008, the series announced a changing of names, when the historical records and proprietary information of
Champ Car
Champ Car World Series (CCWS) was the series sanctioned by Open-Wheel Racing Series Inc., or Champ Car, a sanctioning body for American open-wheel car racing that operated from 2004 to 2008. It was the successor to Championship Auto Racing Teams ( ...
were acquired by the IRL. The series then became known as ''Firestone Indy Lights''.
The centerpiece of the Indy Lights schedule is the
Freedom 100
The Freedom 100 was an automobile race held annually at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, as part of the Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires. The event was a support race for the IndyCar Series Indianapolis 500, and since 2 ...
, contested at
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 ...
on the Friday prior to the
Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indi ...
. The series also held a support race for the
U.S. Grand Prix, the
Liberty Challenge
The Indy Lights Grand Prix of Indianapolis is a pair of twin races in the Cooper Tire Indy Lights Series, held on the road course at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It is held as a support race to the Brickyard 400 of the NASCAR Cup Series.
Th ...
, from 2005 to 2007. It was the series' only event that was not a support race to an IndyCar event.
On September 9, 2007, during the
Chicagoland 100,
Logan Gomez
Logan Gomez (born December 16, 1988) is an American race car driver from Crown Point, Indiana who most notably competed in the Firestone Indy Lights Series (formerly the Indy Pro Series).
He made his debut at the 2006 Liberty Challenge at the I ...
beat
Alex Lloyd
Alex Lloyd (born 19 November 1974) is an Australian singer-songwriter. Four of his albums, ''Black the Sun'', '' Watching Angels Mend'', '' Distant Light'' and ''Alex Lloyd'', released between 1999 and 2005, made the top ten on the ARIA charts ...
by 0.0005 seconds (approximately at 188 mph) which reflects the closest recognized finish in the over century-long history of organized automobile racing throughout the world.
In 2008, the margin was established by the ''
Guinness Book of World Records
''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
'' as the closest finish ever in a car race.
On May 24, 2013, Peter Dempsey captured his first Indy Lights win in the
Freedom 100
The Freedom 100 was an automobile race held annually at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, as part of the Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires. The event was a support race for the IndyCar Series Indianapolis 500, and since 2 ...
in the closest finish in Indianapolis Motor Speedway history (0.0026 secs) in a four-wide finish.
In June 2013, it was announced that the series would be promoted by Andersen Promotions beginning in
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
. with IndyCar sanctioning remaining. In August it was announced that
Cooper Tire
Cooper Tire & Rubber Company is an American company that specializes in the design, manufacture, marketing, and sales of replacement automobile and truck tires, and has subsidiaries that specialize in medium truck, motorcycle, and racing tires. W ...
would replace Firestone as the official tire of the series in 2014. This resulted in all three levels 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 ...
leading up to the IndyCar Series being promoted by Andersen and feature Cooper tires, beginning in 2014. The Andersen team implemented a number of cost-reducing updates to the chassis and engine package in 2014 and introduced a new chassis and engine combination in 2015. On October 31, 2013, the series announced that Dallara would be the manufacturer of the fourth-generation Indy Lights chassis and it would be named the Dallara IL-15. On November 1, 2013 a new logo was unveiled for the Indy Lights series On November 26 it was announced that the engine for the new package would be a 2.0L
turbocharged
In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (often called a turbo) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to pro ...
MZR-R four cylinder engine, tuned to last a full season of competition and producing 450 horsepower, with push-to-pass offering an additional 50 horsepower.
![Indy lights racing (47966362101)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/62/Indy_lights_racing_%2847966362101%29.jpg)
The 2020 season was canceled through a combination of low grid numbers and the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
.
As of 2021, the Dallara IL-15 continues to be the chassis employed by the series, but engines are now provided by AER, Advanced Engines Research, modifying and tuning base 2.0 liter I-4 Mazda power plants turbocharged to provide the same power and push-to-pass capability of the former engines, with the added capability of longevity: the engines are designed and fabricated to run an entire season without a rebuild. A
halo
Halo, halos or haloes usually refer to:
* Halo (optical phenomenon)
* Halo (religious iconography), a ring of light around the image of a head
HALO, halo, halos or haloes may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Video games
* ''Halo'' (franch ...
was added to the IL-15 for the 2021 season.
Andretti Autosport's Kyle Kirkwood captured the 2021 series championship, while HMD Motorsports' David Malukas finished second and Global Racing Group w/HMD Motorsports' Linus Lundqvist was third. HMD Motorsports/Global Racing Group secured their first Road to Indy team championship.
Firestone will return as the official tire supplier for the 2023 season.
Teams
Specifications
Specifications (2002–2014)
*Engine displacement:
Nissan
, trade name, trading as Nissan Motor Corporation and often shortened to Nissan, is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer headquartered in Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Japan. The company sells ...
/
Infiniti
is the luxury vehicle division of the Japanese automaker Nissan. Infiniti officially started selling vehicles on November 8, 1989, in North America. The marketing network for Infiniti-branded vehicles included dealers in over 50 countries in ...
built by
Speedway Motors
Speedway may refer to:
Racing Race tracks
*Edmonton International Speedway, also known as Speedway Park, a former motor raceway in Edmonton, Alberta
*Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a motor raceway in Speedway, Indiana
Types of races and race cours ...
DOHC
An overhead camshaft (OHC) engine is a piston engine where the camshaft is located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier overhead valve engines (OHV), where the camshaft is located below the combustion c ...
V8
*Gearbox: 6-speed
sequential manual transmission
A sequential manual transmission, also known as a sequential gearbox, or a sequential transmission, is a type of non-synchronous manual transmission used mostly for motorcycles and racing cars. It produces faster shift times than traditional ...
*Weight: on ovals; on road/street courses
*Power output:
*Fuel:
Sunoco
Sunoco LP is an American master limited partnership organized under Delaware state laws and headquartered in Dallas, Texas, that is a wholesale distributor of motor fuels. It distributes fuel to more than 5,500 Sunoco-branded gas stations, ...
100 RON unleaded
*Fuel capacity:
*Fuel delivery:
Fuel injection
Fuel injection is the introduction of fuel in an internal combustion engine, most commonly automotive engines, by the means of an injector. This article focuses on fuel injection in reciprocating piston and Wankel rotary engines.
All comp ...
*Aspiration:
Naturally aspirated
Naturally may refer to:
;Albums
* ''Naturally!'', an album by Nat Adderley
* ''Naturally'' (Houston Person album)
* ''Naturally'' (J. J. Cale album)
* ''Naturally'' (John Pizzarelli album)
* ''Naturally'' (Sharon Jones album)
* ''Naturally'' ...
*Length:
*Width:
*Wheelbase:
*Steering: Manual,
rack and pinion
A rack and pinion is a type of linear actuator that comprises a circular gear (the '' pinion'') engaging a linear gear (the ''rack''). Together, they convert rotational motion into linear motion. Rotating the pinion causes the rack to be driven ...
Specifications (2015–present)
*Chassis manufacturer:
Dallara
Dallara is an Italian race car manufacturer, founded by its current President, Gian Paolo Dallara. After working for Ferrari, Maserati, Lamborghini and De Tomaso, in 1972 in his native village of Varano de' Melegari (Parma), Italy he created "D ...
IL-15
*Engine displacement:
Mazda
, commonly referred to as simply Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Fuchū, Hiroshima, Japan.
In 2015, Mazda produced 1.5 million vehicles for global sales, the majority of which (nearly one m ...
-
AER P63
DOHC
An overhead camshaft (OHC) engine is a piston engine where the camshaft is located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier overhead valve engines (OHV), where the camshaft is located below the combustion c ...
inline-4
A straight-four engine (also called an inline-four) is a four-cylinder piston engine where cylinders are arranged in a line along a common crankshaft.
The vast majority of automotive four-cylinder engines use a straight-four layout (with the ...
*Gearbox: 6-speed
sequential semi-automatic gearbox
*Weight: excluding driver and fuel
*Power output: push-to-pass
*Fuel: VP Racing Fuels 101 RON unleaded
*Fuel delivery:
Direct fuel injection
Fuel injection is the introduction of fuel in an internal combustion engine, most commonly automotive engines, by the means of an injector. This article focuses on fuel injection in reciprocating piston and Wankel rotary engines.
All compr ...
*Aspiration:
Single-turbocharged
*Length:
*Width:
*Wheelbase: Undisclosed
*Steering: Manual,
rack and pinion
A rack and pinion is a type of linear actuator that comprises a circular gear (the '' pinion'') engaging a linear gear (the ''rack''). Together, they convert rotational motion into linear motion. Rotating the pinion causes the rack to be driven ...
Champions
USAC Mini-Indy Series
*1977: Bagley and Johnson tied in the points and were declared co-champions.
Indy Lights
1 Chaves and Jack Harvey (
Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
The IndyCar Series operation of McLaren Racing competes under the banner of Arrow McLaren SP. This entry is based in Indianapolis and was founded by former driver Sam Schmidt as Sam Schmidt Motorsports. Fellow ex-driver Davey Hamilton joined as ...
were tied in points and wins (4 each). Chaves won the title based on more second-place finishes (5 vs 1).
Graduates
*
Didier André
Didier André (born 3 September 1974) is a race car driver born in Lyon, France. In the late 1990s he competed in Indy Lights, driving in the Indy Racing League in 2001 and Nissan World Series from 2003 until the present day. During 2006 he dr ...
*
Jeff Andretti
Jeff Andretti (born April 14, 1964) is a former American race car driver. He competed in CART, and was the series' Rookie of the Year in 1991.
Personal life
Jeff is the youngest son of Dee Ann (Hoch) and legendary Italian-born 1969 Indy 500 Cha ...
*
Marco Andretti
Marco Michael Andretti (born March 13, 1987) is an American auto racing driver who drives the No. 98 car for Bryan Herta Autosport, Andretti Herta Autosport part-time in the IndyCar Series. He is the third generation of the famous Andretti racin ...
a
*
Richard Antinucci
Richard Antinucci (born January 26, 1981) is an American race car driver.
Career
In 1998 he competed in Italian Formula Ford, moving to the British Formula Renault Winter Series in 1999 and to Formula Renault 2000 Eurocup in 2000, where he st ...
*
Ian Ashley
Ian Hugh Gordon Ashley (born 26 October 1947 in Wuppertal, Germany) is a British-German racing driver who raced in Formula One for the Token, Williams, BRM and Hesketh teams.
Driving career
Ashley began racing in 1966 when he took a course ...
*
Oliver Askew
Oliver Clark Askew (born December 12, 1996) is an American-Swedish race car driver who races under the American flag. He previously competed in the Formula E World Championship for Avalanche Andretti Formula E. He is the 2019 Indy Lights champ ...
*
Éric Bachelart
Éric Bachelart (born 28 February 1961) is a former race car driver and Conquest Racing team owner.
*
Fabrizio Barbazza
Fabrizio Barbazza (born 2 April 1963) is an Italian former Formula One driver who raced for the Automobiles Gonfaronnaises Sportives, AGS and Minardi teams and was the 1987 Indianapolis 500, 1987 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year.
Career
Ear ...
*
Dillon Battistini
*
Ana Beatriz
Ana "Bia" Beatriz Caselato Gomes de Figueiredo, or Bia Figueiredo (born March 18, 1985) is a Brazilian racing driver. She won her first Indy Lights race at Nashville Superspeedway on 12 July 2008, becoming the first woman to win a race in the In ...
*
Jon Beekhuis
Jon Beekhuis (; born March 31, 1960) is an American former race car driver. Beekhuis was born in Zurich, Switzerland while his American father was studying at ETH Zurich, and grew up in California. The 1988 ARS (Indy Lights) champion, Beekhuis d ...
*
Townsend Bell
Townsend Bell (born April 19, 1975) is an American professional motor racing driver competing in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, and also as a motorsports commentator for NBC Sports’ IndyCar Series coverage.
Early career
He spent ...
*
Billy Boat
William Leonard Boat (born February 2, 1966) is an American former open-wheel driver who raced in the Indy Racing League.
Racing career
Boat began his career in USAC where he won 11 straight Western Series races on his way to the 1995 champion ...
a
*
Brian Bonner
*
Geoff Boss
Geoff Boss is an American racing driver best known for his appearance in the 2003 CART season for Dale Coyne Racing. Boss also competed across 5 years in Indy Lights where he won the Toronto Grand Prix from pole position and had 4 additional podiu ...
* Claude Bourbonnais
* Matthew Brabham
* Steve Bren
* Jason Bright
* Robbie Buhl
a
* Buzz Calkins
a b
* Jaime Camara
* Juan Carlos Carbonell
* Ed Carpenter (racing driver), Ed Carpenter
a
* Patrick Carpentier
d
* Hélio Castroneves
a c d
* Alfonso Celis Jr.
* Gabby Chaves
* Ross Cheever
* P. J. Chesson
* Max Chilton
* Zachary Claman DeMelo
* Bryan Clauson
* Wade Cunningham
* Guido Daccò
* Wally Dallenbach Jr.
* Conor Daly
* Cristiano da Matta
d e
* Paul Dana
* Airton Daré
a
* James Davison
* Luis Díaz (racing driver), Luis Díaz
* Mark Dismore
a
* Scott Dixon
a b c d
* Mario Domínguez
d
* Fredrik Ekblom
* RC Enerson
* Wim Eyckmans
* Juan Manuel Fangio II
* Adrián Fernández
a d
* Stan Fox
* A. J. Foyt IV
* Franck Fréon
* Luiz Garcia Jr.
* Affonso Giaffone
* Felipe Giaffone
a
*
Phil Giebler
Philip Giebler (born March 5, 1979 in Oxnard, California) is an American race car driver.
Giebler was considered a top American prospect with an opportunity to race in Formula One early in his career. Following years in various Formula Three r ...
* Jorge Goeters
* Marco Greco
* Michael Greenfield (racing driver), Michael Greenfield
* Mike Groff
* Robbie Groff
* Dean Hall (racing driver), Dean Hall
* Matthew Halliday (racing driver), Matt Halliday
* Scott Harrington (racing driver), Scott Harrington
* Jack Harvey (racing driver), Jack Harvey
* Naoki Hattori
* Shigeaki Hattori
* Jack Hawksworth
* Jon Herb
* Bryan Herta
a d
* Colton Herta
a
* J. R. Hildebrand
* James Hinchcliffe
a
* Jay Howard
* Ken Johnson (racing driver), Ken Johnson
* Davy Jones (racing driver), Davy Jones
* Ed Jones (racing driver), Ed Jones
* P. J. Jones
* Niclas Jönsson
* Kyle Kaiser
* Tony Kanaan
a b c d
* Sage Karam
* Dalton Kellett
* Charlie Kimball
a
* Kyle Kirkwood
* David Kudrave
* Rodolfo Lavín
* Eddie Lawson
* Jaques Lazier
a
* Matheus Leist
*
Alex Lloyd
Alex Lloyd (born 19 November 1974) is an Australian singer-songwriter. Four of his albums, ''Black the Sun'', '' Watching Angels Mend'', '' Distant Light'' and ''Alex Lloyd'', released between 1999 and 2005, made the top ten on the ARIA charts ...
* Arie Luyendyk Jr.
* David Malukas
* Pippa Mann
* Raphael Matos
* Hiro Matsushita
* Casey Mears
* Thiago Medeiros
* Chris Menninga
* Dr. Jack Miller
* Greg Moore (racing driver), Greg Moore
d
* Carlos Muñoz (racing driver), Carlos Muñoz
a
* Brad Murphey
* Hideki Mutoh
* Josef Newgarden
a b
* Hideki Noda
* Ryan Norman
* Johnny O'Connell
* Patricio O'Ward
a
* Franck Perera
* Spencer Pigot
* Martin Plowman
* Ted Prappas
* Graham Rahal
a
*
Greg Ray
Gregory Ray (born August 3, 1966) is an American former race car driver.
After winning the SCCA national Formula Atlantic championship in 1993, he moved up to the CART-sanctioned Toyota Atlantic series in 1994.
In 1997 he made his Indy Racing L ...
a b
* Tony Renna
* André Ribeiro (racing driver), André Ribeiro
d
* Billy Roe
* Mario Romancini
* Felix Rosenqvist
a
* Marty Roth
* Sebastián Saavedra
* Gualter Salles
* Vinicio Salmi
* Franco Scapini
* Oriol Servià
d
* Jeff Simmons (racing driver), Jeff Simmons
* Guy Smith (racing driver), Guy Smith
* Mark Smith (American racing driver), Mark Smith
* Sammy Swindell
* Mark Taylor (racing driver), Mark Taylor
* Didier Theys
* Brian Till
* Paul Tracy
d e
* Robby Unser
* Jimmy Vasser
d e
* Tristan Vautier
* Zach Veach
* Rinus Veekay
a
* Jeff Ward (motorsports), Jeff Ward
a
* Dan Wheldon
a b c
* Stefan Wilson
* Cory Witherill
a denotes driver who has won an
IndyCar Series
The IndyCar Series, currently known as the NTT IndyCar Series under sponsorship, is the highest class of regional North American open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars in the United States, which has been conducted under the auspices of ...
event.
b denotes driver who has won an IndyCar Series championship.
c denotes driver who has won an
Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indi ...
.
d denotes driver who has won a CART/
Champ Car
Champ Car World Series (CCWS) was the series sanctioned by Open-Wheel Racing Series Inc., or Champ Car, a sanctioning body for American open-wheel car racing that operated from 2004 to 2008. It was the successor to Championship Auto Racing Teams ( ...
event.
e denotes driver who has won a CART/Champ Car World Series championship.
See also
*
IndyCar
INDYCAR, LLC, is an American-based auto racing sanctioning body for Indy car racing and other disciplines of open wheel car racing. The organization sanctions five racing series: the premier IndyCar Series with its centerpiece the Indianapolis ...
*Firestone Freedom 100
*FIA Formula 2
*Super Formula Lights
*Super2 Series
*DTM Trophy
*FIA Formula 3
References
External links
*
{{Formula Vee years
Indy Lights,
Auto racing series in Canada
Auto racing series in the United States
One-make series
Recurring sporting events established in 1986
Formula racing series
Road to Indy
2006 in formula racing, Indy Pro Series