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INDYLIGHTS: Dorricott Racing Looks to Nazareth to Maintain its Front-Running Presence

30 April 1999

SUNNYVALE, Calif. - Momentum from Philipp Peter's victory at Long Beach and Casey Mears back-to-back fifth place finishes at Homestead and Long Beach have made Dorricott Racing one of the "favorites" to beat in round three of the 12-race PPG-Dayton Indy Lights Championship at Nazareth Speedway, Sunday, May 2.

The 100 lap/94.6 mile Indy Lights sprint around the ultra-fast 0.946-mile oval is set to drop the green flag at 3:00 p.m. (ET), and is the featured support race of the CART FedEx Championship Series Bosch Spark Plug Grand Prix earlier that day.

Peter's second round win at Long Beach - his first career Indy Lights victory - was pivotal in that it moved him among the early points' leaders for the Indy Lights title. Peter's 20 points ties him with teammate Casey Mears, of Bakersfield, Calif., for third place. Both Dorricott drivers trail co-leaders Mario Dominguez and Scott Dixon by only 10 points.

Peter's triumph was even more impressive considering it came on the heels of a horrific race week at Homestead where he suffered through two crashes during the week. Overnight heroics by his crew and a high pain threshold permitted the Monaco resident to start his Red Bull/Remus/ESTEBE/Chicco d' Oro Lola 16th among 17 cars, and finish one spot short of scoring a point at 13th.

Mears has shown that old fashion values such as "guts and determination" can lead him into title contention. A variety of mechanical problems in the first two rounds forced him to start 12th in each race. However, he subsequently scored consecutive fifth place finishes in his Sooner Trailer/American Racing Wheels Lola T97/20 by avoiding traffic and passing cars. Nazareth was one of Mears strongest tracks in 1998 where he started eighth and finished third place.

Oriol Servia, of Pals, Catalonia, Spain, is arguably the one Indy Lights driver who could quickly move to the forefront whether others stumble or not. After finishing sixth place at Homestead, Servia ran directly behind Peter throughout most of Long Beach. A miscalculation while braking near the end of the race slid his Catalonia/RACC Lola into a tire barrier, and ended what appeared to be an impending podium finish. Servia's nine points for ninth place overall entering Nazareth is deceiving.

ESPN2 will provide a same-day delayed telecast of round three of the PPG-Dayton Indy Lights Championship from Nazareth, Pa., Sunday, May 2, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. ET (3:00 to 4:00 p.m. PT).

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