The Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires visited the famed Road America Circuit this past weekend for its only event in the month of June. After a challenging month of May in the Road to Indy series, Parker Thompson returned to the form he has demonstrated throughout his young racing career.
The Alberta native began the weekend by posting the fastest overall time for Race 1 qualifying. In two critical races during the weekend, Thompson would earn two podium finishes.
It was an important result for Thompson and team Abel Motorsports, who divided their crew between Road America, and Pittsburgh International Race Complex for the weekend, where Thompson’s teammate Jacob Abel is also contending for the F3 America’s championship. Veteran engineer on the Road to Indy, Thomas Knapp, was brought in to manage the Indy Pro 2000 crew for the weekend. His championship winning experience played a meaningful role in the team's result.
In Qualifying 1, Thompson and the #8 Abel Motorsports machine posted the fastest time and earned pole position for the first race of the weekend. Qualifying 2 was more tightly contested. Thompson ran fourth fastest among the thirteen drivers, just one tenth of a second behind the leader.
In race action, that tight competition continued. Both Race 1 and 2 showed multiple position changes among the front runners. Thompson would finish 3rd,taking the final podium step each time. The results earned Thompson valuable points towards what is turning into a very close championship battle. He is currently second in the standings, trailing Swedish rookie Rasmus Lindh, and one point ahead of 2018 USF2000 Champion Kyle Kirkwood.
“It is great to get on the podium here in Road America. Given some of my recent results in this series, a strong showing here was important to staying competitive in this tight 2019 Championship. Wisconsin, and Road America, is also the closest thing that I have to a home outside of Canada. We’ve got a great group of fans and supporters here to cheer us on. We are so happy to be able to pull this result together and celebrate with them all.”
The Indy Pro 2000 series continues on July 12 – 14, 2019 at the Streets of Toronto for the Honda Toronto Indy. As the only Canadian race on the Road to Indy, the event is always special for Thompson, but this year it will be of extra significance.
“As big of a crowd that we had out here at Road America, I expect to see even more fans and supporters in Toronto this year. Not only will I be racing in Indy Pro 2000, but I’ll also be competing in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge. That’s going to make for a great weekend! It’s going to be extra special, because it will also mark my 100TH ever auto race. At my young age, I’m so fortunate to have had a great career, and I’m looking forward to some special festivities to celebrate that landmark.”