MRTI: MAZDA RACEWAY LAGUNA SECA RACE RECAP
MAZDA INDY LIGHTS GRAND PRIX OF MONTEREY PRESENTED BY COOPER TIRES
RACE 1 REPORT – SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10
Today’s Mazda Indy Lights Grand Prix of Monterey Presented by Cooper Tires took us through the 2.238-mile course of the scenic Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca for the second-to-last race of the season. After starting today from the 13th position, Dalton Kellett battled his way up the field five positions and was able to make one final pass on the last lap to claim a seventh-place finish. Shelby Blackstock started the 30-lap race from 11thand was able to advance one position to round out the top 10. Dean Stoneman encountered a series of unfortunate events. Starting today’s Round 17 in seventh, the rookie made contact with drivers on two separate occasions. Stoneman was issued a drive-through penalty and saw the checkers in 13th, knocking the Freedom 100 winner out of championship contention.
Tomorrow welcomes a new day of racing and the final race of the 2016 Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires schedule. The green flag will fly at 4:10 p.m. ET and can be streamed live at racecontrol.indycar.com. Stoneman will lead the Andretti trio for the start, taking the grid in ninth. Blackstock will line up next to Stoneman starting 10th and Kellett will see the green from 13th. Follow the Race 2 action along on twitter by using #SoulRedFinale, #MRTI and #TeamCooperTire.
DALTON KELLETT
NO. 28 K-LINE INSULATORS USA, INC. MAZDA
“Definitely an exciting Race 1 here at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Had a pretty good time battling with the guys out there and was able to make up some spots from qualifying. We made good progress and felt that we made good changes with the engineers. I put my head down and was aggressive off the start. I was smart with my push to pass and used those to my advantage to pick up some positions. Looking forward to another good one tomorrow.”
SHELBY BLACKSTOCK
NO. 51 STARSTRUCK MAZDA
“I got caught up a little bit on the start today which put me back a bit and then I got pushed out wide. Unfortunately, that’s kind of where we ran around for the rest of the day. This is a really hard place to pass. I know we start Race 2 from the 10th position, so I hope we can move forward tomorrow. “
DEAN STONEMAN
NO. 27 STELLRECHT MAZDA
“This weekend went from a good weekend to a bad one. The Stellrecht car was good in the race but we had bent steering. We had one move that I went for and the guy just turned across from me and there was nowhere for me to go. Unfortunately it damaged the car, so I wasn’t in the position to attack again. Because of the damage with the steering, working to pass the 13 car in Turn 2 and I don’t think he saw me from where I was coming from. Unfortunately we made contact and spun which set us back quite a bit. So yeah, it was a bad day for us.”
MAZDA INDY LIGHTS GRAND PRIX OF MONTEREY PRESENTED BY COOPER TIRES
RACE 2 REPORT – SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11
The final checkered flag has been thrown over the 2016 Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires championship with today’s 38-lap race complete. Eighteen rounds were seen over the course of the past seven months with the final laps of the season turned at the scenic 11-turn course of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Dean Stoneman, who started today’s race ninth, ran as high as seventh before running off track. That incident led the rookie to fall back two positions and take cross the finish line ninth. Shelby Blackstock took the green from the tenth position. The American also found himself of course and saw the twin checkers in 11th. Canadian driver, Dalton Kellett started the final round of competition in 13th, gained position on the first few of the race laps. Contact made with another driver caused the rookie to fall back and settle for a 13th-place finish.
With today’s conclusion, we wrap up the 2016 season and head back to Indianapolis to prepare for 2017. Keep up with all things Andretti this off-season by visiting our websitewww.andrettiautosport.com and following us on social media.
DEAN STONEMAN
NO. 27 STELLRECHT MAZDA
“The start of the weekend was really good and then it just worse and worse. We made a couple of mistakes – things were just not going our way. We were looking good in practice and then unfortunately it just went in the wrong direction. A bit disappointed, but that’s how racing goes sometimes. If not for some bad luck this season, maybe we would be in a different position. Just one of those weekends that didn’t feel great but we will move on. I need to thank my crew, engineer and the entire Andretti team for their hard work this season. We had a good season overall, winning races on both the Indy road course and at the Freedom 100, and I’m glad to have a year of racing in America under my belt. I also need to thank Bob and Sharon Stellrecht, if it wasn’t for their support we would not have been fighting for the championship.”
SHELBY BLACKSTOCK
NO. 51 STARSTRUCK MAZDA
Claims the eighth spot in championship standings
“The start of the race started okay and I had decent pace. I unfortunately made a mistake there in the middle of Turn 6 to finish P11. It leaves a sour taste in my mouth to finish the season off this way. I want to thank everybody who has supported me this year and thank you to the team for all their hard work. I’m looking forward to next year.”
DALTON KELLETT
NO. 28 K-LINE INSULATORS USA, INC. MAZDA
Ends the 2016 championship 10th-place in point standings
“It was a frustrating Race 2 here at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. We had a good car and race pace was good, especially towards the end of the race with tires falling off. The car stayed really consistent and I was able to keep the pace up. We got into it with a couple of guys out there, which is frustrating, but it is what it is. We could have had a stronger finish for the No. 28 K-Line Insulators Andretti crew. Regardless, it’s good to end the season on a weekend where we know we were competitive. Need to find some improvements in our results and take that into our off-season testing program preparing for 2017. Thanks to Andretti Autosport for everything they have done this year for myself and my teammates. They’ve been a great crew to work with. Everyone from Michael down to my engineer, Yancy, and Poppy our team manager – thank you guys. Looking forward to spending another year with you and having a productive offseason.”
