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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 Mazda Raceway Laguna.
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. The 2015 Indy Lights series began with a doubleheader at the Streets of Saint Petersburg. Drivers would compete in a thirty-lap contest on Saturday and end the weekend with a forty-five-lap race around the fourteen-turn 1.800 temporary street circuit.
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Ed Jones was among many newcomers to this season's Indy Lights championship. Jones, who calls Dubai home, has competed in several European open-wheel series and claimed the 2013 European F3 Open title. This season, he was driving the No. 11 Toys for Boys Miami / United Rivers Dallara IL-15. At St. Pete, Jones was the class of the field. He started on the pole both days and went flag-to-flag for the victories. |
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Jack Harvey lost last year's Indy Lights championship on a tie-breaker. In 2015, he was back with Schmidt Peterson / Curb-Agajanian driving the No. 42 Dallara IL-15 with the familiar livery. In the weekend's first race, Harvey qualified third but was in second by the first turn. He chased the eventual winner, Ed Jones, but was never close enough to challenge for first place. Sunday would end with the same results. |
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Spencer Pigot finished as the runner-up in the Mazda Road to Indy USF2000 National Championship in 2011 and 2012. In 2014, he won the Pro Mazda Championship with Juncos Racing and used his prize money to compete in this year's Indy Lights series. Pigot joined Juncos Racing for his debut and drove the No. 12 Mazda / Doug Mockett Dallara IL-15. In rounds one and two, he grabbed a pair of third-place finishes. |
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Canadian Scott Hargrove finished second in last year's Pro Mazda championship when his transmission failed in the final race. However, he won the IMSA Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada. His participation at St Pete was funded by some British Columbia businessmen and was a one-off. Hargrove qualified and finished fourth in round one. On Sunday, he finished sixth after losing positions to Spencer Pigot and Kyle Kaiser. |
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After two less-than-stellar seasons with the Marussia F1 Team, Max Chilton joined Carlin to participate in the 2015 Indy Lights series. Chilton drove the No. 14 BlippAR-sponsored Dallara IL-15 at Saint Petersburg. He started Saturday's race on the outside of the front row but was eliminated on lap-2 when there was contact with Felix Serralles. In the finale, Chilton redeemed himself with a fourth-place finish. |
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| FINISH | START | DRIVER | CAR | LAPS | RETIREMENTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Ed Jones | Dallara IL-15 | 30 | - |
| 2 | 3 | Jack Harvey | Dallara IL-15 | 30 | - |
| 3 | 5 | Spencer Pigot | Dallara IL-15 | 30 | - |
| 4 | 4 | Scott Hargrove | Dallara IL-15 | 30 | - |
| 5 | 6 | Kyle Kaiser | Dallara IL-15 | 30 | - |
| 6 | 11 | Juan Piedrahita | Dallara IL-15 | 30 | - |
| 7 | 10 | Scott Anderson | Dallara IL-15 | 30 | - |
| 8 | 13 | Ethan Ringel | Dallara IL-15 | 30 | - |
| 9 | 9 | R.C. Enerson | Dallara IL-15 | 30 | - |
| 10 | 12 | Shelby Blackstock | Dallara IL-15 | 29 | - |
| 11 | 8 | Matthew Brabham | Dallara IL-15 | 28 | - |
| 12 | 2 | Max Chilton | Dallara IL-15 | 1 | Accident |
| 13 | 7 | Felix Serralles | Dallara IL-15 | 1 | Accident |
| FINISH | START | DRIVER | CAR | LAPS | RETIREMENTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Ed Jones | Dallara IL-15 | 45 | - |
| 2 | 3 | Jack Harvey | Dallara IL-15 | 45 | - |
| 3 | 5 | Spencer Pigot | Dallara IL-15 | 45 | - |
| 4 | 2 | Max Chilton | Dallara IL-15 | 45 | - |
| 5 | 7 | Kyle Kaiser | Dallara IL-15 | 45 | - |
| 6 | 4 | Scott Hargrove | Dallara IL-15 | 45 | - |
| 7 | 6 | Matthew Brabham | Dallara IL-15 | 45 | - |
| 8 | 8 | Felix Serralles | Dallara IL-15 | 45 | - |
| 9 | 10 | Juan Piedrahita | Dallara IL-15 | 45 | - |
| 10 | 11 | Scott Anderson | Dallara IL-15 | 45 | - |
| 11 | 12 | Shelby Blackstock | Dallara IL-15 | 45 | - |
| 12 | 13 | Ethan Ringel | Dallara IL-15 | 45 | - |
| 13 | 9 | R.C. Enerson | Dallara IL-15 | 4 | Engine |
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