STONEMAN TAKES FIRST INDY WIN
Former GP3 race winner Dean Stoneman earned his first Indy Lights victory last weekend in the second race of the weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.
Stoneman decided to focus on a career in America after spending last year in Formula Renault 3.5 with Red Bull backing, and with the Andretti Autosports team the 25-year-old from Croydon has racked up three consecutive podiums.
The 2010 F2 champion really came to the fore in the second race at Indy, where he kept his nose clean to shuffle up the leaderboard while carnage ensued. By the end of the first lap he’d unseated Puerto Rican F3 convert Felix Serralles, who remained his closest challenger until a failed attempt to pass the Brit for the lead at Turn 1 meant he tumbled down the order. He dropped to a fifth-placed finish.
With Serralles out of the way, Stoneman joined the list of Brits to win in Indy Lights, but was hounded by Santiago Urrutia until the chequered flag.
“We were pushing to the absolute limit. It was an absolutely fantastic race,” said Stoneman. “It was a very challenging day today; you just had to be smart. It was difficult, starting fifth. I’ve never been the most amazing qualifier but I can put it together in the race. I was happy to get the lead on the first lap but you can’t get too excited because it can all go wrong in a hurry at those speeds.”
Stoneman had also been a factor in the first race of the weekend, jumping from seventh on the grid into the lead battle. He was one of many drivers to lead on the last lap but had to settle for third overall.
The next rounds take place on the Indy oval supporting the Indy 500, on May 27.