Festa
6th as Matos provides Guthrie Racing with second consecutive
victory
ST.
PETERSBURG, Fla. – Raphael Matos won from the pole
position on the streets of St. Petersburg by 0.5075 of a
second on April 1. Starting sixth in the second race of an
Indy Pro Series doubleheader weekend, Matos made it look
easier.
The 2005 Star
Mazda series champion passed Jay Howard for the lead in Turn
1 of Lap 8 and held on for a 5.7206-second victory over
Howard on the 1.8-mile, 14-turn course. Alex Lloyd, who
started 10th, finished third in the No. 26
Automatic Fire Sprinkler, Inc. car. Jeff Simmons, runner-up
in the first race, finished fourth in the No. 24 Kenn
Hardley Racing car.
“It’s been
like a dream come true for me,” said Matos, who gave team
owner Jim Guthrie his second victory in three Indy Pro
Series events. “Everything was perfect this race.
Unfortunately, I made some mistakes yesterday, especially on
the restart. Today, I had everything sorted out. I was able
to study a little bit on what Jay Howard would do on the
restart. So I tried different lines on every restart and I
was able to get into the position to win again.”
Howard, who
astutely noted Matos’ speed in the first race, said the Sam
Schmidt Motorsports team made significant changes between
the 18 hours between races in an attempt to secure more
speed.
“He was
fast,” said Howard, the 2005 U.S. Formula Ford Zetec
champion and rookie of the year. “But my team has done
a great job this weekend. Even with a full-course yellow
with one or two laps to go, I would have been struggling.
I'm pleased, so I have to say thanks to everyone again.
We'll see what's next in Indianapolis (May 26 in the Freedom
100).
The top six
finishers from the first race werei nverted for the start of
the second 40-lap race. Chris Festa started from the pole
position. By the fourth lap, Matos was in the hunt for the
lead.
Matos,
driving the No. 41 Guthrie Racing/car Crafters car, tied
Mark Taylor as winners in their first two series starts.
Lloyd and
Howard jockeyed the final two laps, with Lloyd unable to
make the pass and gain second place. He also had to defend
his position. The 2003 McLaren Autosport BRDC Young Driver
of the Year award winner started on the front row in the
first race.
“Well, it was
a good race,” said Lloyd, who said the prospects for
continuing in the car for the remainder of the season are
promising. “I had nothing to lose. Yesterday was
disappointing because we qualified well. The boys did a few
adjustments to the car today, and it was very good.
“Going
through the first half of the race, it was great. I managed
to work my way through the field. I had a good run. After
that it was just difficult. Jay had a little more speed than
me, but I think there was a bit more wing. When you’re
running that close to someone that long, it’s very tough. We
had Jeff Simmons behind me at the end. It’s difficult being
in the middle. You want to attack, but at the same time you
have to defend. I'm very happy to be on the podium.
“It’s great
for the team. This is our first run together. We only met
last weekend. Hopefully we can be together the rest of the
season, stay on the podium and get a few wins.”
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