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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 thirteen-race schedule kicked off 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 three of the 2010 Firestone Indy Lights series was held at the Grand Prix of Long Beach. Competitors would race around the eleven-turn 1.968-mile temporary street circuit for forty-five laps.
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James Hinchcliffe, the driver of the No. 2 Xtreme Coil Drilling Dallara IPS, had a miserable start to the 2010 season. Hinchcliffe qualified on the pole at St. Pete., but was taken out on the first lap when Philip Major attempted an optimistic move from his ninth-place starting position. Two races later, at Long Beach, Hinchcliffe was the fastest qualifier. This time, he would lead flag-to-flag for his first series victory. |
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The driver of the No. 26 Levemir FlexPen Dallara IPS, Charlie Kimball, collected a second-place finish in the previous round at Barber Motorsports Park and was fourth in the season opener, which left him thirty-three points behind the championship leader, J.K. Vernay. At Long Beach, Kimball qualified third fastest and finished in the runner-up position. The result moved him to within twenty-eight markers of Vernay. |
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The championship leader after two rounds was J.K. Vernay. Vernay swept the contests at St. Pete. and Barber Motorsports Park driving the No. 7 Lucas Slick Mist Dallara IPS. He started on the outside of the front row at Long Beach. After the morning warm-up, Vernay was confident he had the car to beat. However, during the race, his car fell off the pace and he was passed by Charlie Kimball but held on for a third-place finish. |
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Starting and finishing fourth at the Long Beach Grand Prix was Sebastian Saavedra. As a rookie last season, Saavedra collected seven podium finishes, of which two were victories; he finished third in the final standings. In his previous two outings of 2010, in the No. 29 William Rast / Bryan Herta Autosport Dallara IPS, he earned a twelfth place at St. Pete. after starting third and a third-place result at Barber Motorsports Park. |
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Martin Plowman joined the Indy Lights series in 2009 after participating in the Italian Formula Renault, Formula Three Euroseries and Masters of Formula Three championship. In his first year of Indy Lights, Plowman drove with Panther Racing, where he finished eleventh in the points. In 2010, he was signed to Andretti Autosport in the No. 27 Automatic Fire Sprinklers Dallara IPS and started and finished fifth at Long Beach. |
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Estonia’s Tonis Kasemets made his first Indy Lights start at the Grand Prix of Long Beach on board the No. 35 Palm Beach Indy Racing Dallara IPS. Kasemets entered the series with an impressive amateur record that included stints in Formula Continental and Atlantic. In his debut, the team set up the car with a lot of downforce to make it easier to drive. Kasemets qualified seventh fastest and finished in the sixth position. |
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| FINISH | START | DRIVER | CAR | LAPS | RETIREMENTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | James Hinchcliffe | Dallara IPS / Infiniti | 45 | - |
| 2 | 3 | Charlie Kimball | Dallara IPS / Infiniti | 45 | - |
| 3 | 2 | J.K. Vernay | Dallara IPS / Infiniti | 45 | - |
| 4 | 4 | Sebastian Saavedra | Dallara IPS / Infiniti | 45 | - |
| 5 | 5 | Martin Plowman | Dallara IPS / Infiniti | 45 | - |
| 6 | 7 | Tonis Kasemets | Dallara IPS / Infiniti | 45 | - |
| 7 | 6 | Philip Major | Dallara IPS / Infiniti | 45 | - |
| 8 | 12 | Pippa Mann | Dallara IPS / Infiniti | 45 | - |
| 9 | 17 | Niall Quinn | Dallara IPS / Infiniti | 45 | - |
| 10 | 16 | Carmen Jorda | Dallara IPS / Infiniti | 45 | - |
| 11 | 13 | Joel Miller | Dallara IPS / Infiniti | 45 | - |
| 12 | 14 | James Winslow | Dallara IPS / Infiniti | 43 | Accident |
| 13 | 15 | Dan Clarke | Dallara IPS / Infiniti | 39 | - |
| 14 | 8 | Gustavo Yacaman | Dallara IPS / Infiniti | 37 | Accident |
| 15 | 11 | Adrian Campos, Jr. | Dallara IPS / Infiniti | 33 | Accident |
| 16 | 18 | Rodrigo Barbosa | Dallara IPS / Infiniti | 27 | Handling |
| 17 | 9 | Stefan Wilson | Dallara IPS / Infiniti | 21 | Mechanical |
| 18 | 10 | Junior Strous | Dallara IPS / Infiniti | 9 | Accident |
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