Great news this week from American with the signing of Kiwi driver Hunter McElrea who will drive for Andretti Autosport in the 2022 Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires series.
The Indy Lights single seater category, and the different iterations of it over the years, has always been the feeder series to initially CART (Championship Auto Racing teams) and then to the current IndyCar Series. It is now the third step on the ‘Road to Indy’ ladder which has been set up as a racing driver development program incorporating the USF2000 Series, Indy Pro 2000 and Indy Lights.
While the current Indy Lights series has its origins as far back as 2002 and first called the Infiniti Pro Series, the original Indy Lights was formed in 1986.
First known as the American Racing Series, it was renamed the Dayton Indy Lights in 1991 with its schedule closely following that of the CART series.
When CART struck financial problems in the late 1990s, they cancelled Indy Lights in 2001, with the Formula Atlantic series effectively becoming their primary feeder series until CART became defunct in 2003.
CART’s rival, the Indy Racing League (IRL) which was set up in 1996, set up the Infiniti Pro Series and began racing in 2002 with a controlled TWR developed 420 hp 3.5 litre V8 (Infiniti Q45) bolted on to a Dallara chassis. Not the prettiest looking car by any means (see main photo).
The series eventually became known as the Firestone Indy Lights in 2008. The current, fourth-generation chassis, now has a 2.0 litre turbo-charged MZR four cylinder engine producing 450hp.
It is surprising when you look at the list of Kiwi drivers who have competed in ‘Indy Lights’ over the years.
Paul Radisich competed in just one race of the 1987 American Racing Series. Scott Dixon competed in 12 races in the 1999 Indy Lights with one win and four podiums. The following season, driving for PacWest Lights, he won the series with six race wins and seven podiums.
Matt Halliday competed in the last ‘CART supported’ 2001 Dayton Indy Lights (9 races, 2 podiums) as well as the newly formed 2002 Infiniti Pro Series (2 races). 2000 NZ Grand Prix winner, Andy Booth, also made one appearance in 2001.
Wade Cunningham (2005-2010, 9 race wins and 30 poles) was our most successful driver competing in six different seasons, becoming overall champion in 2005 and having won the Freedom 100 race twice (2006, 2009).
Cunningham made the jump to Infiniti Pro after competing in the inaugural 2005 Toyota Racing Series and was followed by a number of other Kiwi TRS drivers over the next three years including Daniel Gaunt (2006, two races), Matt Hamilton (2006, 5 races), Marc Williams (2007 – 6 races and 2008 – 5 races), Christina Orr-West (2008, 4 races) and Mitch (Wade’s brother) Cunningham (2008, 8 races). A1GP driver Jonny Reid also drove in 11 races in 2008.
Since the last rush of Kiwi drivers hoping to make the jump from Indy Lights to IndyCar, the Road to Indy development program has been established as a path to the top single seater category in the US. We now see Kiwi drivers such as Billy Frazer and Kaleb Ngatoa competing in USF2000 and Indy Pro 2000.
McElrea will be followed with much interest as he pilots the #27 Andretti Autosport chassis in the 2022 Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires series.
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