Durst, Dyszelski, Fitzgerald and Ho experience highs and lows in Indy
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Lochie Hughes showcased his prowess at this weekend’s VP Racing Grand Prix of Indianapolis by earning three third-place finishes in the USF Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Continental Tire. Hughes was quick at the 2.439-mile IMS road course from the get-go, taking the second fastest time in the first test session of the weekend and qualifying the #44 car fifth for the first of three races – which likely would have been a top-three result instead had it not been for a last lap red flag that ended his qualifying run prematurely.
In Race 1, Hughes settled into P5 at the start but was up to P3 by the end of Lap 2. On Lap 9, Hughes pulled off an overtake at T1 on the #26 car of Liam Sceats for second, just ahead of a yellow flag. Throughout the remaining laps, Hughes remained in battle for a podium and succeeded, finishing third and boosting his championship standing in the first of three races.
Hughes started P3 for Race 2 and after 25 laps of highly competitive green flag racing scored another third place finish for Turn 3 Motorsport. Starting P4 for Race 3, Hughes was determined to stand on the podium for all three events; the Australian driver carried out an incredible start that saw him move to the outside of the three leaders going into Turn 1 and come out of the first corner as the race leader.
Hughes held onto the lead as long as he could, eventually surrendering the position and dropping back to third where he finished once again for the final race. It was an overall very successful weekend for Hughes culminating in three podiums and solidifying third in the championship going into the halfway point of the season.
#44 Lochie Hughes // Private Wealth Planning / The McGinley Group / Grip Auto Timepieces
“It was a positive weekend here in Indy,” said Hughes. “We rolled off the truck quite fast and were rarely outside the top three all weekend. We came away with three podiums which is great for the championships points, but we’ll be pushing hard to be back on that top step soon.”
Danny Dyszelski started the weekend strong by taking P6 in official practice, but qualifying didn’t go quite as well with the 16-year-old starting P18 for Race 1. Despite starting at the back of the field, the quick-paced rookie worked his way up to P11 before contact damaged his rear diffuser and sent him back to P18 once again. Still, Dyszelski managed to salvage the lost positions and get his #3 car back up to P11 at the end of 25 laps.
Dyszelski started P15 for Race 2 but knew he had the pace in him to break into the top ten. With determination and some impressive passes on his competitors, the young American finished Race 2 in a solid eighth place. Race 3, however, did not go as well; a couple of mistakes and mishaps sent Dyszelski off course twice, and he ultimately finished eight laps down in P19.
#3 Danny Dyszelski // Vera Guitars / Formula Imports / Charlotte Mechanical
“It was a disappointing weekend for me in Indy,” said Dyszelski. “After a good run in official practice, I had a bad qualifying session and then issues in all three races. Needless to say, it wasn’t the weekend we were hoping for, but Turn 3 Motorsport had an amazing car as always. It’s just going to be up to me to perform better when we go to the oval at IRP in a couple of weeks.”
Adam Fitzgerald showed his competitiveness from day one at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway ending up fifth in the first test session, less than .3 seconds off the fastest time. Qualifying was decent as well with Fitzgerald putting his #2 car P13 for Race 1. A small mistake on the opening lap dropped Fitzgerald back to 18th, but he fought to regain the lost positions throughout every lap and climbed back up to 10th by Lap 6. Following a couple of yellow flag periods, the Irishman was eager to move forward further in the final laps and did just that, earning his best finish to date of ninth in Race 1.
Unfortunately, things began to go downhill from there as Fitzgerald’s Race 2 ended before it could even begin; shifting issues on the warmup lap called the driver back onto pit lane so the crew could work on his car. Eventually able to get out on track, Fitzgerald completed six laps before being forced to retire, resulting in a P20 finish. Finally, a fully green Race 3 saw Fitzgerald start and finish P15 to round out the three race weekend.
#2 Adam Fitzgerald // Galway Hooker
“It was a tricky weekend in Indy,” said Fitzgerald. “We started on a strong note, but I didn't quite put it together when it came to qualifying, so we started all three races further back than we hoped. I was happy to earn my best result of the season so far of ninth in Race 1, but then unfortunately we didn't get to start Race 2 due to a mechanical issue. Overall, the racing was good for the most part with a lot of progress made in each race, so I’m happy enough with what we were able to achieve this weekend.”
Ethan Ho had a turbulent weekend in Indy that never quite came together for the Taiwanese-American driver. Though he was fifth fastest in a rainy Test Session 2, Ho was unable to translate that speed into qualifying and started Race 1 from P15. Unfortunately, Ho was run off track on Lap 4 and brought into the pits with damage, ending his race early.
With Race 2 came redemption for Ho who improved from 16th to 10th in the opening laps and ultimately finished the race with his second top ten of the year. Race 3 was another strong showing for Ho who started P18 but worked his way forward six positions to finish P13 in the final event.
#68 Ethan Ho // Fubon Bank / Triple S / KRC / Molecule / JiuZhou
“Indy just wasn’t our weekend,” said Ho. “With the field being so close and us being slightly off the pace, we ended up starting at the back of the field and finishing just outside the top ten. Hopefully we can call this weekend a string of back luck and stay focused for the next round at IRP which will be my first ever oval race.”
Tyke Durst had a tumultuous weekend in Indianapolis being cursed with mishaps in each of the three USF Pro 2000 races. The rookie started P16 for Race 1, but some on track incidents followed by a shifting issue ended Durst’s race 15 laps in. Sadly, Race 2 did not go much better for the young American as he landed back in the pits early on with more issues and once again finished the race 10 laps down in P18.
Ready for one more attempt at a strong finish, Durst set out to make waves in Race 3; alas, Durst spun in Turn 12 and suffered more damage to the #33 car, sending him on a familiar path to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway pit lane once again where he ended the race 17 laps down in P20.
#33 Tyke Durst // FHI / Relay Payments / Drive Toward a Cure
“We’ve had a good run of bad luck recently,” said Durst. “Racing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was something I was looking forward to a lot, especially as we get into the month of May. Unfortunately, it just wasn’t our weekend. I’m going to hit the reset button here and focus up on our next few events. I know we’re due for some pocket aces soon.”
“The Indianapolis Motor Speedway grand prix course has always been a good track for us,” said Team Owner Peter Dempsey. “We rolled off the truck much better than we were at NOLA. Lochie (Hughes) did a good job all weekend chipping away at the car and the balance. I’m glad he could bounce back from a tough weekend at NOLA to have a solid weekend at IMS and move back up in the championship points.”
“Unfortunately, the other four drivers missed the window in qualifying which left us on the back foot in all three races,” continued Dempsey. “All four cars were in the same pack together for all three races, and they had some incidents as a group that can’t happen again moving forward. Hopefully, they can have stronger qualifying runs and stay out of trouble at the IRP oval and Road America coming up next. A huge thank you to all our crew members for all of their hard work over the busy weekend and leading up to the event.”
Up next on the calendar for the USF Pro 2000 series and Turn 3 Motorsport is the first and only oval event of the year at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park May 23-24.