MRTI: Indy Lights, USF2000 set for Toronto rounds - MotorSportsTalk

Two of the three rungs on the Mazda Road to Indy ladder will be in action at Toronto this weekend. Here’s a quick state of where the Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires and Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda sit heading into the streets around Exhibition Place.

Indy Lights’ single race runs at 10:45 a.m. ET on Sunday; the USF2000 races are 6:15 p.m. ET Saturday night and 9:05 a.m. ET Sunday morning.

INDY LIGHTS (Entry List)

Gabby Chaves took a pivotal victory last time out at Pocono to break the deadlock in points between he and Zach Veach. Entering Toronto this weekend, Chaves (No. 5 Belardi Auto Racing) leads Veach (No. 26 Andretti Autosport) by 11 points, 316-305. A year ago, Chaves finished third and Veach seventh on the streets of Toronto, the latter driving a backup car leased from Schmidt Peterson Motorsports following a qualifying crash.

SPM’s current pair of rookies, Jack Harvey and Luiz Razia, make their Toronto debuts this weekend. Harvey, winless but consistent thus far in the No. 42 car, sits third on points on 272 with Razia fifth on 258 in the No. 7. Sandwiched in-between them is Matthew Brabham, who won both Pro Mazda races at Toronto a year ago; the young American sits fourth on 262 points in the No. 83 Andretti Autosport entry.

A pair of Canadians return to action this weekend with Zack Meyer in the No. 2 Team Moore car after missing Pocono; Matthew Di Leo makes his first start of 2014 in the No. 56 MDL Racing entry. Alex Baron (No. 4 Belardi) also returns after missing Pocono and American Ryan Phinny makes his first series start since 2011, driving the No. 28 Bryan Herta Autosport entry. Those four plus the eight who raced at Pocono will mean Toronto will see the biggest field of the season at 12 cars (these nine plus Juan Pablo Garcia and Juan Piedrahita of SPM, and Scott Anderson of Fan Force United).

USF2000 (Entry List)

It’s been a nearly two-month long break for USF2000 competitors since their last race at the Lucas Oil Raceway oval the Night Before the 500, won by Aaron Telitz of ArmsUp Motorsports.

In seven 2014 races, there have been five different winners. Points leader RC Enerson is the only multiple race winner, but his triumphs came from Round 2 at St. Petersburg through Round 4 at Barber. The other four winners are Telitz, Adrian Starrantino, Will Owen and Victor Franzoni.

Florian Latorre and Jake Eidson, who rank second and third in points, are poised to join the list of first-time winners, and either Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing driver would be a good pick for the weekend. Franzoni, Telitz and Starrantino sit fourth through sixth and need a big weekend to gain in the title chase.

Of note in the 23-car field, Nico Jamin switches from Belardi Auto Racing to Pabst Racing, which leaves Belardi down to just two USF2000 cars (Daniel Burkett, Jeroen Slaghekke) after running as many as four last year. Burkett, the returning James Dayson (ArmsUp) and Nathan Blok (John Cummiskey Racing) fly the flag for Canada this weekend.

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An IndyCar executive said there is “absolutely” disappointment that its long-awaited video game recently was delayed beyond its target date, but the series remains optimistic about the new title.

“Well, I don’t know how quick it will be, but the whole situation is important to us,” Penske Entertainment president and CEO Mark Miles said during a news conference Monday morning to announce IndyCar’s NTT title sponsorship. “Motorsport Games has spent a lot of money, a lot of effort to create an IndyCar title. What we’ve seen of that effort, which is not completely obvious, is very reassuring.

“I think it’s going to be outstanding. That’s our shared objective, that when it is released, it’s just widely accepted. A great credit both to IndyCar racing, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, something that our fans love.”

In June 2021, IndyCar announced a new partnership with Motorsport Games to create and distribute an IndyCar video game for the PC and Xbox and PlayStation consoles in 2023.

But during an earnings call last week, Motorsport Games said the IndyCar game had been delayed to 2024 to ensure high quality.

Somewhat compounding the delay is that IndyCar’s license for iRacing expired after the end of the 2022 season because of its exclusive agreement with Motorsport Games.

That’s resulted in significant changes for IndyCar on iRacing, which had provided a high-profile way for the series to stay visible during its 2020 shutdown from the pandemic. (Players still can race an unbranded car but don’t race on current IndyCar tracks, nor can they stream).

That’s helped ratchet up the attention on having a video game outlet for IndyCar.

“I wish we had an IndyCar title 10 years ago,” said Miles, who has been working with the organization since 2013. “We’ve been close, but we’ve had these I think speed bumps.”

IndyCar is hopeful the Motorsports Game edition will be ready at the start of 2024. Miles hinted that beta versions could be unveiled to reporters ahead of the time “to begin to show the progress in a narrow way to make sure we’ve got it right, to test the progress so that we’re ready when they’re ready.”

It’s been nearly 18 years since the release of the most recent IndyCar video game for console or PC.

“(We) better get it right,” Miles said. “It’s something we’re very close to and continue to think about what it is to make sure we get it over the line in due course.”