MONTEREY, Calif. - Spencer Pigot has secured the Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires championship and the $1 million Mazda Motorsports advancement scholarship following his sixth win of the season, secured at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
It’s an emotional win for Pigot, in both his and Juncos Racing’s first full season in Indy Lights.
He also won last year’s Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires title.
The story of the race though on Sunday was determined at the start, in a chaotic, crazy, several-wide start up the hill.
While Pigot, Jack Harvey and Max Chilton (the polesitter) were three-wide going into Turn 2, and there was further three-wide action behind them, Harvey was the one penalized by race control for jumping the start.
It cost the Indianapolis-based Englishman a shot at the win and crucially, a shot at the championship, after serving his drive-through penalty.
Pigot was through and into the lead from there, albeit not for too long before a caution flew for Scott Anderson stopped on track at the entry to Turn 2. A further caution for another of Anderson’s Schmidt Peterson Motorsports teammates, Ethan Ringel, also cost them green flag running time.
After the restart though, Pigot pulled away from Sean Rayhall, who’d got up to second place, and Chilton, who ended in third.
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For Pigot, is his fourth Mazda scholarship.
His previous seasons and Mazda scholarships:
- 2009: Won Mazda Driver Development scholarship for full season in the Skip Barber National Series presented by Mazda (Chosen for scholarship from the ‘Skip Barber Shootout’ event)
- 2010: Won championship in Skip Barber National Series presented by Mazda, earned Mazda scholarship for full season in USF2000 Championship
- (2011 and 2012: Finished second in USF2000 Series championship, 2013: Finished fourth in Pro Mazda Championship)
- 2014: Won championship in Pro Mazda Championship presented by Cooper Tires, earning full Mazda scholarship into Indy Lights
More to follow...