Matheus Leist Tag

By Christopher DeHarde, Staff Writer SPEEDWAY, Indiana — Conor Daly will have a new partner in an entry for the Indianapolis 500 on May 27th. The second generation racer announced plans to race with Thom Burns Racing in the Greatest Spectacle in Racing with backing from the U.S. Air Force. Daly will have a Honda engine behind him in the No. 17 red white and blue entry that will be in a partnership with Dale Coyne Racing. “We’re very happy to have Conor Daly back with us for the Indy 500,”Read More

By Josh Farmer, Contributing Writer With the 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series season rapidly approaching, Motorsports Tribune is previewing each of the teams competing on the tour. The site’s IndyCar staff will break each team down, laying out their results from the previous season while previewing the year to come for the organization and their driver(s). Team: AJ Foyt Racing Drivers: Matheus Leist, Tony Kanaan What Happened Last Year: The 2017 season brought new beginnings for AJ Foyt Racing, as they switched to the Chevrolet engine and aero kit and acquired new drivers in ConorRead More

By Josh Farmer, Contributing Writer The Verizon IndyCar Series completed their first full-field test with the new 2018 aero kit during this weekend’s third-annual “Prix View” weekend at Arizona’s ISM Raceway. New year, new tires Tire manufacturer Firestone changed their tire formula for the 1.022-mile oval. Cara Adams, chief engineer for Bridgestone Americas, said that the reduction in downforce and drag required some changes to the formula.”The G-Load is significantly lower on the right side tires, they were able to bring a softer construction which has a better contact patch forRead More

By Josh Farmer, Contributing Writer AVONDALE, Arizona – Takuma Sato completed a Rahal Letterman Lanigan sweep of this weekend’s Verizon IndyCar Series open test at the ISM Raceway. The driver of the No. 30 Mi-Jack Honda logged the fastest lap of the weekend at 19.379 seconds (189.885 mph) late in the three-hour session during Saturday evening’s final three-hour session. “The open test was very successful,” Sato said. “Lots of things done and lots of things to be tried, and I think over the course of two days we learned a lot. Great car,Read More

By Josh Farmer, Contributing Writer AVONDALE, Arizona – The Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing pair of Graham Rahal and Takuma Sato topped the charts in Friday’s Verizon IndyCar Series’ open test at the ISM Raceway. Rahal lapped the 1.022-mile oval in 19.457 seconds (189.090 mph) during the evening’s three-hour test session. The driver of the No. 15 United Rentals Honda, who turned his first laps with the new aero package on an oval, was pleased with the team’s progress. “The pace of the team, the pace of the cars, it seems good,”Read More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief AVONDALE, Arizona — Matheus Leist led Verizon IndyCar Series rookies during testing on Thursday at ISM Raceway. The 19-year-old Brazilian put the No. 4 ABC Supply Chevrolet for AJ Foyt Racing on top of the timesheets with a speed of 184.236 mph (19.9700 seconds) around the 1.022-mile oval. A rookie in Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires, the top rung of the Mazda Road to Indy development ladder, Leist came away pleased with his first trial with an Indy car on an oval. “Not at all,”Read More

By Road to Indy Among the impressive statistics for open-wheel powerhouse Carlin, one stands out above the rest: the team’s Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires squad has graduated an impressive three drivers into the top rung of the Mazda Road to Indy ladder, the Verizon IndyCar Series, over the past three years. Trevor Carlin’s eponymous team is now set to take that very same step, making the announcement yesterday that it will enter the 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series with Indy Lights graduates Max Chilton and Charlie Kimball. Carlin joinsRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Matheus Leist becomes the latest driver  to be announced for the 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series season, after being confirmed for the No. 4 ABC Supply Chevrolet for A.J. Foyt Enterprises. A BRDC British Formula 3 champion in 2016, Leist moved over to the United States to compete in Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires – the top rung of the Mazda Road to Indy – driving for Carlin. A stout rookie campaign, Leist enjoyed three wins, including the Freedom 100 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway en routeRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer In an Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires season that saw a ton of unpredictability with seven different winners, one thing was predictable: consistency from one driver would win the championship. That consistency came from Juncos Racing’s Kyle Kaiser. Kaiser entered his third season in Indy Lights and his fourth Mazda Road to Indy season with Juncos Racing (fifth MRTI season overall). His second Indy Lights campaign was a big improvement over his first with two wins and only two finishes outsideRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — After a 2017 Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires season that was, for the most part, one to forget, Aaron Telitz was able to earn his second victory of the season and his first since the first race of the year in St. Petersburg in some very wet conditions. Polesitter Colton Herta led at the start but Telitz took the lead shortly thereafter and so began one of the best on track battles of the season. Santiago Urrutia,Read More