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The Infiniti / Indy Pro Series made its debut in mid-2002 with an inaugural season of
seven races run in conjunction with the Indy Car Racing Series.
In 2008 the championship was renamed the Firestone Indy Lights Series when Firestone tires became the primary sponsor.
The fifteen-race schedule kicked off with a doubleheader at Saint Petersburg and concluded in early October at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Drivers compete in the Dallara IPS, designed and manufactured for the Infiniti Pro Series. The open-wheel, single-seat racer is equipped with a ground-effect underbody and outboard wings front and rear. The monocoque chassis is constructed using carbon fiber and composites. The Dallara has a minimum weight of 1,430 pounds, which includes all lubricants and coolants used during the event, but does not include fuel or the driver. Firestone Firehawk racing tires are mounted on 15-inch diameter x 10 front and 15-inch diameter x 14 rear wheels. The car is powered by a 3.5-liter Infiniti Q45 engine which produces approximately 450 horsepower and is fitted to a Ricardo six forward gear transmission with a sequential shifter. Infiniti Pro Series costs are tightly controlled by the Indy Racing League, with the Dallara IPS costing $137,900 (including the data acquisition system). Round twelve of fifteen for the 2009 Firestone Indy Lights Series, was conducted at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Drivers would compete in a forty-lap contest around the thirteen-turn 2.258-mile road course.
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James Davison scored his first Firestone Indy Lights victory at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course last year and collected his second at the same track this season. Davison put the No. 21 Vision Racing Dallara IPS on the pole. Despite two caution periods, he went unchallenged and led flag to flag for the win. The results moved him to within sixteen points of Sebastian Saavedra, who was second in the championship. |
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Finishing behind James Davison, in second place, by a margin of 4.042-seconds was Canadian James Hinchcliffe. Hinchcliffe drove the No. 7 Sam Schmidt Racing Dallara IPS. Before the series stopped at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, he had three third-place results but an equal number of DNFs which left him fourth in the championship. Despite the excellent result, Davison’s win dropped Hinchcliffe to fifth in the standings. |
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The championship leader since round five at Indianapolis was J.R. Hildebrand. After that event, he continued to increase the points gap with wins at Watkins Glen and Edmonton. At the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, the No. 26 ARPRO Dallara IPS driver recorded the third fastest time in the qualifying session. Hildebrand would maintain the position to the checkered flag and claim his seventh podium of the year. |
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Felipe Guimaraes made an impressive debut in his first Firestone Indy Lights event. In round eight at Watkins Glen, Guimaraes qualified sixth and captured the final position on the rostrum. He did not participate in the next three rounds. Driving the No. 29 Bryan Herta Autosport prepared Dallara IPS Guimaraes in his second outing; he finished fourth in round twelve at Mid-Ohio after starting in the ninth position. |
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Heading into round twelve, first and second in the championship were Andretti Autosport teammates J.R. Hildebrand and Sebastian Saavedra. Saavedra drove the No. 27 Automatic Fire Sprinklers sponsored Dallara IPS. He entered Mid-Ohio with a pair of victories but was only tenth fastest in the qualifying session. Issues during the race caused Saavedra to finish fourteen laps behind the leader in the eighteenth position. |
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| FINISH | START | DRIVER | CAR | LAPS | RETIREMENTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | James Davison | Dallara IPS / Infiniti | 40 | - |
| 2 | 2 | James Hinchcliffe | Dallara IPS / Infiniti | 40 | - |
| 3 | 3 | J.R. Hildebrand | Dallara IPS / Infiniti | 40 | - |
| 4 | 9 | Felipe Guimaraes | Dallara IPS / Infiniti | 40 | - |
| 5 | 6 | Martin Plowman | Dallara IPS / Infiniti | 40 | - |
| 6 | 8 | Daniel Herrington | Dallara IPS / Infiniti | 40 | - |
| 7 | 11 | Andrew Prendeville | Dallara IPS / Infiniti | 40 | - |
| 8 | 17 | Stefan Wilson | Dallara IPS / Infiniti | 40 | - |
| 9 | 5 | Richard Philippe | Dallara IPS / Infiniti | 40 | - |
| 10 | 13 | Gustavo Yacaman | Dallara IPS / Infiniti | 40 | - |
| 11 | 16 | Mike Potekhen | Dallara IPS / Infiniti | 40 | - |
| 12 | 14 | Ana Beatriz | Dallara IPS / Infiniti | 40 | - |
| 13 | 12 | Charlie Kimball | Dallara IPS / Infiniti | 40 | - |
| 14 | 7 | Wade Cunningham | Dallara IPS / Infiniti | 40 | - |
| 15 | 18 | Pippa Mann | Dallara IPS / Infiniti | 40 | - |
| 16 | 15 | Ali Jackson | Dallara IPS / Infiniti | 40 | - |
| 17 | 4 | Mario Romancini | Dallara IPS / Infiniti | 37 | - |
| 18 | 10 | Sebastian Saavedra | Dallara IPS / Infiniti | 26 | - |
| 19 | 19 | Rodrigo Barbosa | Dallara IPS / Infiniti | 20 | Out |
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