Portland, Ore. – Turn 3 Motorsport left the Cooper Tires Indy Pro 2000 Grand Prix presented by Allied Building Products at Portland International Raceway with a few repairs, some challenging competition, and more open wheel racing experience to build on as the team sets its sights on a full 2020 program.
After Friday’s Indy Pro 2000 Presented by Cooper Tires practice session, the team ran into some engine issues but was able to get the No. 3 T3M/ACR car repaired and ready in time for qualifying just a few hours later. Driver Antoine Comeau qualified 13th for Saturday’s race which had quite an eventful start; contact at the front of the field set off a chain reaction which caused Comeau to collide with the No. 27 car of Matt Round-Garrido. Comeau was able to navigate through the wreckage and make his way back to the pits, but a damaged front wing and no yellow flag set the team back two laps where they finished the race in 13th.
Sunday’s race saw no yellow flags but resulted in a similar outcome for the rookie team. Over the course of 30 laps, the field gradually spaced out over the 1.964-mile, 12-turn road course, and Comeau conclusively crossed the finish line on the lead lap in 13th position.
“The race weekend overall went pretty well,” said Team Owner Peter Dempsey. “Obviously we would like to be closer to the front of the field, but it is only our second road course race with Antoine, and he has a lot to learn about the car and getting the most out of it when it counts.”
“We lost a little track time on Thursday due to an issue on the car, and that left us behind heading into the weekend,” continued Dempsey. “Unfortunately in Race 1, we got caught up in a turn one incident and having to replace the front wing ruined our race. Antoine did his best race yet in Race 2 and battled hard for a top 10 finish, just missing out on it. He showed speed and consistency which is important in his development. We will use this as a stepping stone heading to Weather Tech Raceway Laguna Seca for our final Indy Pro 2000 race of 2019.”
Next up for T3M are Rounds 15/16 of the Indy Pro 2000 Championship at Weather Tech Raceway Laguna Seca from September 20-22 followed by the penultimate round of the Blue Marble Cocktails Radical Cup North America at Sonoma Raceway from September 27-29.