New Orleans, La. – Some dramatic weather caused a variety of disruptions when the Verizon IndyCar Series and two steps on the Mazda Road to Indy development ladder made their debut at NOLA Motorsports Park, where one of the most impressive performances was turned by Team Pelfrey’s Santi Urrutia. The youngster from Miguelete, Uruguay showed his performance in the first two rounds of the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires two weeks ago at St. Petersburg, Fla., was no flash in the pan by scoring a magnificent victory in diabolical conditions at the 2.74-mile, 13-turn permanent road course situated just a few miles from downtown New Orleans. Mexican teammate Pato O’Ward also impressed, posting the fastest lap of the race en route to a fourth-place finish, while all four of Team Pelfrey’s charges in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda returned home with a top-10 finish to their names.
The Pro Mazda competitors had to contend with a series of disruptions, with Race One being postponed from Saturday until 8:00 a.m. on Sunday due to thunderstorms and their second race being canceled altogether due to worsening conditions.
It didn’t matter to Urrutia. The 18-year-old made a superb start from second on the grid, ousting pole-sitter Weiron Tan at the first, then held off the attentions of the Malaysian to score a well-deserved maiden victory. Urrutia’s performance was all the more remarkable for the fact he did not contest the Cooper Tires Winterfest mini-series earlier in the year at NOLA.
O’Ward also had the bit between his teeth, passing last year’s USF2000 champion Florian Latorre on Lap Four and earning an additional championship point for posting the fastest lap of the race as he chased after Frenchman Timothé Buret.
The entire Mazda Road to Indy, comprising USF2000, Pro Mazda and Indy Lights will return to action, once again in support of the Verizon IndyCar Series, in two weeks’ time, April 24-26, at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala.
WHAT THE DRIVERS SAID:
Santiago “Santi” Urrutia (#81 Team Pelfrey/Ancap/BSE/Antel/Corporacion de Maquinaria/AgroLavalle/Fadisol Pro Mazda) - Started second, finished first: “We had to learn the track from scratch so we weren't all that quick (early in the weekend). And then in qualifying we did a good job with P2. I'm really happy with the race in the rain, where I was able to overtake Weiron Tan and then kept the lead the whole race. I’m so happy for my first win in the U.S. and I have to thank Mazda, Team Pelfrey and my sponsors for their support. This is just the beginning, we have a long way to go still.”
Patricio “Pato” O’Ward (#82 Team Pelfrey/Octane Energy Drink/POW Motorsports Pro Mazda) - Started fifth, finished fourth: “The weekend went pretty well. We started off the weekend with top-three finishes in the two practice sessions. When it came to qualifying I pushed the car too much and made a couple of mistakes but then put my head down and made some pretty good laps. The race was under very difficult circumstances. The track had zero visibility and was extremely wet. I was starting fifth and made my way up to fourth, attacking for third with quickest lap time. So, overall, great job from the team, and I am definitely ready for Barber in two weeks.”
ABOUT TEAM PELFREY:
Dale Pelfrey’s race team, based in Palmetto, Fla., is built upon the same principles he used more than 35 years ago when establishing his business career – hire the best, acquire the best and expect the best in order to achieve the most. After fielding cars in the IndyCar Series from 1998 until 2000, Team Pelfrey was reformed in 2011, winning on its Pro Mazda debut and going on to earn the Team Championship as well as second and third in the drivers’ title-chase with Connor De Phillippi and Nick Andries. Team Pelfrey went one better in 2012, guiding Jack Hawksworth to the Drivers’ Championship and earning a second successive Team Championship. An expansion into the F1600 Championship Series for 2014 saw Ayla Agren, Garth Rickards and Augie Lerch secure the top three positions in the points table. The 2015 season also marks Team Pelfrey’s debut in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda.