An assured victory by Spencer Pigot in today’s Indy Lights Grand Prix Presented by Cooper Tires at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca ensured that the outcome of this year’s Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires title-chase will remain undecided until tomorrow afternoon’s 16th and final race.
Pigot, who won the 2014 Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires, took the lead for Juncos Racing on Lap 3 after polesitter Max Chilton (Carlin) clipped the tire stack at the apex of the Corkscrew.
Pigot, 21, from Orlando, Fla., led the remainder of the 30-lap race to record his series leading fifth victory of the season and turn a six-point deficit into an eight-point advantage over erstwhile championship leader Jack Harvey, who finished a distant fifth for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports with Curb-Agajanian.
Kyle Kaiser, from Santa Clara, Calif., finished second in front of his home crowd, shadowing Juncos Racing teammate Pigot virtually from start to finish, while Englishman Ed Jones (Carlin) kept his own championship aspirations alive after finishing third.
Jones’ countryman and teammate, Chilton, set off confidently in the lead after snaring his second pole of the season, but his fate was sealed by a minor miscue when he clipped the mound of tires marking the apex of the famed Corkscrew turn. The impact damaged a valve stem on the left-rear tire, forcing Chilton to head for the pit lane. He rejoined at the back of the field and turned a series of fast laps but could only recover to 11th by the finish.
Kaiser, who qualified second, slid a little wide at the apex of Turn Two on the opening lap which allowed Pigot to slip through into second place. Kaiser regained the position following Chilton’s error to secure his best Indy Lights finish.
Jones ran third, just a second or so behind the two leaders, and remained under pressure for the entire race from Sean Rayhall (8Star Motorsports), who once again impressed as he posted the fastest lap of the race en route to a fourth-place finish.
Felix Serralles made a fine start for Belardi Auto Racing, jumping from seventh to fourth in the early stages before losing a position to Rayhall. The Milwaukee race winner looked set for fifth until a stuck throttle caused him to spear off the road in Turn Six with just four laps remaining. Serralles’ misfortune allowed Harvey to claim fifth, despite struggling with the balance of his Racing Steps Foundation Dallara-Mazda. There was a modicum of solace for the Schmidt Peterson team, which clinched its second successive Team Championship with one race remaining.
In the drivers’ standings, Pigot now holds an eight-point lead over Harvey, 326-318, heading into tomorrow’s 16th and final race of the season, which will start at 2:50 p.m. PDT. Jones lies a further 13 points adrift.
