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The Indy Lights series originated in 1986 and was called the American Racing Series (ARS).
It served as a training ground for racers with the intention of competing in CART (Championship Auto Racing Teams).
Indy Lights is now considered the top rung of the ladder for Mazda’s Road to Indy.
The Mazda Road to Indy is a driver development program providing a scholarship-funded path to reach the NTT IndyCar Series and the Indianapolis 500.
The first generation cars used in the American Racing Series were manufactured by March and powered by a Buick V6 engine. Since then, a number of different chassis and engine combinations have been used. In 2015, Indy Lights competitors started racing a Dallara IL-15 chassis powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged Mazda MZR-R motor. The championship has proven to be a successful training ground for some of the drivers competing in the 2019 NTT IndyCar series – Marco Andretti, Tony Kanaan, Scott Dixon, Josef Newgarden, Spencer Pigot, Ed Jones, Helio Castroneves, James Hinchcliffe, Graham Rahal, etc. The eighteen-race schedule kicked off at Saint Petersburg and concluded in September at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
Rounds ten and eleven of the 2019 Indy Lights championship presented by Cooper Tires were held at Toronto’s Exhibition Place. Drivers would compete in two races (Saturday and Sunday) around the eleven-turn 1.786-mile temporary street circuit.
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In 2019, Aaron Telitz split his time between Indy Lights and IMSA. At the Toronto Indy Lights event, he drove the No. 4 Bilardi Auto Racing Dallara IL-15. Telitz dominated race one, qualifying on the pole and leading flag-to-flag. In the finale, he was challenged by Rinus Veekay. An attempted pass by Veekay on lap-25 brought both cars to a halt in corner three. Telitz would continue but finish sixth. |
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Capitalizing on the errors by Rinus Veekay and Aaron Telitz in Sunday’s race was the point’s leader Oliver Askew. After running third, Askew moved into first and won the race by a margin of 6.833-seconds. The previous day, he started third in the No. 28 Index Invest Dallara IL-15 and finished second to Telitz. Askew’s results during the weekend increased his lead from three to twenty-five markers over Veekay. |
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Rookie Rinus Veekay won the previous race at Road America and was closing fast on the championship leader, Oliver Askew. Veekay would start on the outside of the front row for Saturday’s race in Toronto. However, Veekay was passed by Askew at the start and finished third. In the finale, he started second and chased Aaron Telitz. On lap-25, Veekay tried to pass the leader, Telitz and took them both out of contention. |
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Toby Sowery spent time in many British junior open-wheel categories. He also participated in a couple of Road to Indy USF2000 and Pro Mazda events. Sowery entered the 2019 season driving the No. 2 Rich Energy Dallara IL-15. He earned second and third-place finishes in his series debut at St Pete. In round ten, Sowery qualified and finished fifth. On Sunday, he benefitted from the Telitz / Veekay incident to collect second. |
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Last year, Dalton Kellett scored his first Indy Lights victory and finished seventh in the final standings. Kellett’s best result of 2019 was a fifth at Indianapolis. In the weekend’s first contest at Toronto, he qualified seventh, but issues relegated him to an eighth-place finish. The next day, Kellett started fourth. He was passed by Toby Sowery, but the errors made by Telitz / Veekay allowed him to finish third. |
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The 2019 Indy Lights podium for round eleven of the series at Toronto’s Exhibition Place. In the center and winning for the fourth time this season is the points leader Oliver Askew. Standing on the left and matching his best result of the year is the runner-up Toby Sowery. Completing the rostrum from Juncos Racing is Canada’s Dalton Kellett. |
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| FINISH | START | DRIVER | CAR | LAPS | RETIREMENTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Aaron Telitz | Dallara IL-15 | 35 | - |
| 2 | 3 | Oliver Askew | Dallara IL-15 | 35 | - |
| 3 | 2 | Rinus VeeKay | Dallara IL-15 | 35 | - |
| 4 | 4 | Ryan Norman | Dallara IL-15 | 35 | - |
| 5 | 5 | Toby Sowery | Dallara IL-15 | 35 | - |
| 6 | 9 | Robert Megennis | Dallara IL-15 | 35 | - |
| 7 | 8 | Lucas Kohl | Dallara IL-15 | 35 | - |
| 8 | 7 | Dalton Kellett | Dallara IL-15 | 34 | - |
| 9 | 6 | David Malukas | Dallara IL-15 | 34 | - |
| FINISH | START | DRIVER | CAR | LAPS | RETIREMENTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Oliver Askew | Dallara IL-15 | 40 | - |
| 2 | 5 | Toby Sowery | Dallara IL-15 | 40 | - |
| 3 | 4 | Dalton Kellett | Dallara IL-15 | 40 | - |
| 4 | 8 | Ryan Norman | Dallara IL-15 | 40 | - |
| 5 | 6 | Robert Megennis | Dallara IL-15 | 40 | - |
| 6 | 3 | Aaron Telitz | Dallara IL-15 | 40 | - |
| 7 | 9 | Lucas Kohl | Dallara IL-15 | 40 | - |
| 8 | 7 | David Malukas | Dallara IL-15 | 40 | - |
| 9 | 2 | Rinus VeeKay | Dallara IL-15 | 36 | - |
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