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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.
In 2014, Cooper Tires replaced Firestone as the sole tire supplier for the series.
This also resulted in a name change, and it is now titled Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires.
The series is the third and final step on the Mazda Road to Indy. The Mazda Road to Indy is the only driver development program in the world to feature a champion's scholarship at every level to advance to the next step on the ladder. The Indy Lights champion is awarded a scholarship package of nearly $1 million to assist in the ascent to the IndyCar Series. In addition, to the healthy prize fund, competitors also benefit from television coverage on the NBC Sports Network. The sixteen-race schedule kicked off at Saint Petersburg and concluded in September at Watkins Glen International.
Of significant news in the off-season was the replacement of the Infiniti-powered Dallara IPS. Since 2002, drivers have competed in the Dallara IPS, but in 2015 they would be using the Dallara IL-15 and a new engine. The open-wheel, single-seat racer has a ground-effect underbody and outboard wings front and rear. The monocoque chassis is constructed using carbon fiber honeycomb composite. The Dallara has a minimum weight of 1,400 pounds, which includes all lubricants and coolants used during the event, but does not include fuel or the driver. COOPER/INDY LIGHTS racing tires are mounted on Motegi aluminum wheels - 15-inch diameter x 10 front and 15-inch diameter x 14 rear. The car is powered by a four-cylinder 2.0-liter turbocharged Mazda AER P63 engine developed by Advanced Engine Research. The motor produces 450 horsepower with a push-to-pass feature which increases the horsepower by an additional fifty. The Dallara IL-15 is fitted with a six-speed sequential transmission. The new package is capable of 200 mph. Rounds eleven and twelve of the Indy Lights series were conducted at Toronto's Exhibition Place. Drivers would compete in two contests around the eleven-turn 1.755-mile temporary street circuit.
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The points leader, Kyle Kaiser, made his Indy Lights series debut in 2015. Last season, he collected two victories and finished third in the championship. Kaiser's position in the standings could be attributed to his consistency. He won at Indianapolis, but more importantly, Kaiser had completed every race lap. Toronto would be his best weekend of the season with two wins which padded his championship lead. |
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Canadian Zachary Claman DeMelo was in his second season of the Indy Lights series. Claman DeMelo entered round eleven seventh in the points. Driving the No. 13 Dallara IL-15, he qualified third fastest for Saturday's contest and finished second after Matheus Leist crashed. The next day, Claman DeMelo started fifth and finished third. His performance during the event moved him from seventh to fourth in the standings. |
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Rookie Aaron Telitz won last year's Pro Mazda Championship. This season he was driving the No. 9 Belardi Auto Racing Dallara DL-15. Telitz made an impressive debut, starting on the pole at Saint Petersburg and winning the race. In Toronto, he qualified a disappointing eleventh in race one but was able to finish fifth. On Sunday, Telitz started seventh and delivered an incredible drive to finish in the runner-up spot. |
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In his first year of Indy Lights, Santiago Urrutia collected four victories and was second in the championship. This season the driver of the No. 5 Arrow Exhaust Dallara IL-15 was struggling. He had four runner-up results but four finishes outside the top ten, one of which was an accident. In the first race at Toronto, Urrutia finished third after starting fifth. In the finale, he lost an engine and was credited with an eleventh-place result. |
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The round twelve podium for the Indy Lights championship at Toronto's Exhibition Place. In the center is the current points leader and race winner, Kyle Kaiser, from Juncos Racing. On the left side of the podium is the runner-up, Aaron Telitz. Completing the rostrum is Canadian Zachary Claman DeMelo, whose results during the weekend moved him from seventh in the championship standings to fourth. |
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| FINISH | START | DRIVER | CAR | LAPS | RETIREMENTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Kyle Kaiser | Dallara IL-15 | 35 | - |
| 2 | 3 | Zachary Claman DeMelo | Dallara IL-15 | 35 | - |
| 3 | 5 | Santiago Urrutia | Dallara IL-15 | 35 | - |
| 4 | 8 | Colton Herta | Dallara IL-15 | 34 | - |
| 5 | 11 | Aaron Telitz | Dallara IL-15 | 34 | - |
| 6 | 6 | Juan Piedrahita | Dallara IL-15 | 18 | - |
| 7 | 13 | Nicolas Dapero | Dallara IL-15 | 35 | - |
| 8 | 7 | Neil Alberico | Dallara IL-15 | 35 | - |
| 9 | 14 | Garth Rickards | Dallara IL-15 | 34 | - |
| 10 | 12 | Ryan Norman | Dallara IL-15 | 34 | - |
| 11 | 9 | Shelby Blackstock | Dallara IL-15 | 28 | - |
| 12 | 4 | Dalton Kellett | Dallara IL-15 | 21 | Off Course |
| 13 | 2 | Matheus Leist | Dallara IL-15 | 3 | Accident |
| 14 | 10 | Nico Jamin | Dallara IL-15 | 3 | Accident |
| FINISH | START | DRIVER | CAR | LAPS | RETIREMENTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Kyle Kaiser | Dallara IL-15 | 45 | - |
| 2 | 7 | Aaron Telitz | Dallara IL-15 | 45 | - |
| 3 | 5 | Zachary Claman DeMelo | Dallara IL-15 | 45 | - |
| 4 | 8 | Juan Piedrahita | Dallara IL-15 | 45 | - |
| 5 | 11 | Matheus Leist | Dallara IL-15 | 45 | - |
| 6 | 14 | Ryan Norman | Dallara IL-15 | 45 | - |
| 7 | 10 | Nicolas Dapero | Dallara IL-15 | 45 | - |
| 8 | 13 | Garth Rickards | Dallara IL-15 | 44 | - |
| 9 | 9 | Dalton Kellett | Dallara IL-15 | 44 | - |
| 10 | 1 | Colton Herta | Dallara IL-15 | 25 | Suspension |
| 11 | 2 | Santiago Urrutia | Dallara IL-15 | 11 | Engine |
| 12 | 4 | Nico Jamin | Dallara IL-15 | 1 | Accident |
| 13 | 6 | Shelby Blackstock | Dallara IL-15 | 1 | Accident |
| 14 | 12 | Neil Alberico | Dallara IL-15 | 1 | Accident |
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