Run of Victories in Peril As Competition Gears Up to Challenge Lloyd
Record-Making Indy Pro Series Driver Remains Confident of Success
IndyProRacer.com Talks Formula BMW, the Win Streak, and Staying Ahead of the Pack with Alex Lloyd
by Allan Brewer
allan@indyproracer.com
Indy Pro Series points leader Alex Lloyd faces his stiffest challenge of the 2007 season with the pair of Liberty Challenge races coming this weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on the road course configuration that will host Sunday’s United States Grand Prix.
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Alex Lloyd.
Photo: RonMcQueeneyIRL |
On Saturday (June 16th) afternoon Lloyd and twenty-four other Pro Series drivers will line up to contest the first of two short, eighteen lap races that cover only forty-seven miles apiece—the shortest distance the cars will compete a single event this year.
Formula BMW, another developmental league that is sharing “garage space” only steps away from the Indy Pro Series machines on the sunny southern exposure of the Speedway infield, also competes over the 2.6 mile, fourteen turn circuit during the USGP long weekend beginning Friday (June 15th).
For fans, that means a chance to see two of the world’s premier open-wheel training series in action on the same track, on the same weekend, and compare for themselves the cars and drivers on their way up to the highest level of motorsports competition.
“I’ve driven a Formula BMW car, briefly, and the cars are a lot of fun,” said Alex Lloyd during an interview this week with IndyProRacer.com.
“The Indy Pro Series car has more grip and more power, obviously, but the driving style is similar between the two cars.”
For two local FBMW drivers, Tim Hollowell of Greenwood and Eric Morrow of Indianapolis, the perspective of the Indy Pro Series points leader ought to serve nicely as they pursue the brass ring every driver hopes will someday come within reach. The two Hoosier drivers will line up thirteenth and sixteenth respectively for Saturday's 11:25 AM EDT start.
“The jump from FBMW to the Pro Series is better, say, than the jump from a Formula Ford 2000 car—the wings are more efficient on the FBMW and the correlation is better. There is more power (in the Pro Series car), but it’s not a jump that a driver wouldn’t be able to handle,” Lloyd said.
“The FBMW cars are pretty similar to my initial trainer, the British Formula Renault car. I did a couple of years in that and it trained me very well for things to come,” he said.
“The Indy Pro Series car is an easy car to get on with,” he continued. “The ovals were the one thing I hadn’t driven before, but from a road racer it’s not that tricky a jump. It shouldn’t put drivers off considering the Indy Pro Series. After all, American racing is built around the oval, and to avoid them is the wrong way to go.”
“For me, that’s why the Indy Pro Series is such a great place to be. From BMW to Indy Pro Series wouldn’t be too difficult from car performance. I’m sure the guys would love it.”
Five-Race Winning Streak Faces Stiff Test at USGP Round
First and foremost in Alex Lloyd’s mind, though, is the potential to continue a five-race winning streak and build on his lead in the championship points standings. With a win on Saturday, he’ll make another mark in the Indy Pro Series ledgers by becoming the most-decorated driver in the series’ six-year history with eight victories to his credit.
“It’s going to be a tough race,” he said. “We haven’t been on a road course for so long, and the setup is so different. I’m unsure how it will pan out.”
“There are a lot of guys who will be trying to end our streak, right now, and try to stop it.”
“We’ve had very limited testing. We’ll see how we unload. If we unload strong we’ll have a good weekend. If not, there’s little time to get it right.”
The teams and drivers have already raced one double-header weekend, in St. Petersburg on the street course, in March of this year. On that occasion Alex won the first race, started the second race from sixth position, and quickly moved to the front to win race two as well.
This time, though, a win on Saturday only guarantees one thing: you get to choose out of a hat the number of spots in arrears you will be placed on the grid. The little slips of paper have numbers with zero, two, four, six and eight on them. Draw the one with the biggest number and you’re into a big hole with very few laps to climb out of it.
“I think this will be my toughest challenge yet and be very, very close. To win both races, with the new potential starting eight in the second race, it’s going to be tough.”
“With the short races, and limited track time, the advantage lies with whoever rolls out of the transporter fastest.”
“Ideally, I look to get the pole and win race one and then we’ll see what happens. It will be very difficult to win both races without pole, as short as they are, especially starting from as far back as eighth in race two.”
Momentum Clearly Lies in Sam Schmidt Motorsports' Corner
In the long run, the race of the season is the pursuit of the Firestone Firehawk Cup awarded the points leader at the end of the trail in Chicago on September 9th. To successfully carry their momentum from the spring and early summer into fall, the team is constantly striving for ways to go faster.
“There’s always room for improvement,” said Lloyd. “Since I joined Sam Schmidt Motorsports in November we’ve found a lot of gains. We’ve done a lot of development on the ovals and we’re pretty happy with that.”
“Now we’re just starting to work on our road course setups to improve those. We’ll use our resources and work harder than anyone else. We’ll spend all our time in the right way, and I’ll work with my engineer who understands me very well.”
With each passing weekend it’s becoming apparent that it’s more than just having the fastest car or catching the most breaks when Alex Lloyd takes to the racetrack. The old saw about “luck is where opportunity and preparation cross paths” provides ample wisdom as to why the twenty-three year old Manchester native’s success has come in such abundance this season.
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Alex Lloyd Waits to Practice on Friday.
Photo: AllanBrewer |
“I think the wide experience, from testing Formula 1 to racing at the grass roots level, and from last year in the Indy Pro Series is really helping me now,” he said.
“From last year I’ve taken a step up in my driving, become better, and now for the first time in my career I’m in a top car. I’m for the first time able to show what I can do on all different types of tracks. It’s quite an exciting time for me, to be able to have that opportunity.”
Winning takes commitment, and ample resources, as Lloyd has learned from first-hand experience; and from that follows confidence from having done all the little things to prepare.
“We’ll certainly continue working very, very hard and trying as hard as we have since last November to keep finding gains.”
“I do think people are going to close on us somewhat, that’s only natural because they have to up their own game and work harder themselves; but I think the combination of driver and team we have now will allow us to keep a nose ahead the rest of the year.”
The sixth season of Indy Pro Series competition continues with the Indy Pro Series Liberty Challenge doubleheaders on June 16th and June 17th on the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The race will be telecast at 5 PM (EDT) on June 21st by ESPN2.
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