LEXINGTON, OH – After a strong debut weekend that saw Devlin DeFrancesco score a podium and a pole position, the Italian-Canadian racer returns to Indy Pro 2000 competition this week at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
Unlike Road America, Mid-Ohio will be a familiar track for DeFrancesco, having completed a test there prior to the start of the season with his Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport team. DeFrancesco and the team hope that the previous on-track experience will boost their results even further in the WTF1-liveried No. 17 machine.
DeFrancesco nearly won in his debut at Road America, leading from pole and falling just short of the win at the flag—a margin of 0.0556 of a second. He backed up that performance with a fourth-place finish in race two. The pair of strong results puts the rookie second in the overall championship going into the Mid-Ohio outing.
DeFrancesco’s Indy Pro 2000 campaign is supported by leading motorsport media brand WTF1, world-class racing simulator manufacturer Allinsports, Apple’s largest premium retail partner, Simply Mac, Torque Esports, Pure Kana and One Plant Merchandise.
A grueling two-day, three-race schedule awaits the Andretti Steinbrenner team upon their arrival to the 2.258-mile, 13-turn road course. Race one will be held Wednesday at 5:30 PM Eastern with races two and three to follow on Thursday at 12:30 PM and 4:15 PM respectively. Live timing, live circuit feed and audio can be found on the Road to Indy TV App, at RoadToIndy.TV and the series website.
Q: You’ve tested at Mid-Ohio before, how do you think that will benefit you going into the race weekend?
A: “At Road America, we had to use the information that we had from the test at Mid-Ohio as a base, so it will definitely be good to go back to the track we started at. We’ve evolved the car, it’s much better now than it was what we started. We know what we need to find in the car at Mid-Ohio already, and we’ve made some definite changes and improvements for this weekend. Going back there, getting to take a second go at that track, will be very beneficial.”
Q: How optimistic are you given the very good results at Road America?
A: “Expectations are always a tough thing. The goal is to go there and see what we have rolling off the truck — I have full faith in the Andretti Steinbrenner team—and I think it’ll be a good weekend. How good? You’ll know by the timesheets. But, I have a good feeling about Mid-Ohio this weekend. It definitely won’t be easy, but I think we’ll definitely be up there.”
Q: Mid-Ohio is often a favorite track for drivers, what is it that makes it so special? And will it suit you?
A: “The undulation really has its own characteristic. And then the keyhole and turns four, five and six over the crests. When you get all of that right over a single lap, it’s just one of the best sensations you can have in a race car. I think it’s a great place, it’s quite tricky because it’s low grip, but it’ll make for an entertaining weekend and I’m excited.
“And yes, I believe it will suit me well. The team has been hard at work since Road America and we’ve improved the car since the last race. So I think the track does suit me. I’ve always been quite decent in low grip conditions, and with the team putting in the hard work with the car, I think we have a real chance. I’m excited.”