Jamin wins USF2000 Indy GP race one with last-lap pass

Photo: Andersen Promotions

A frantic final five laps at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway GP circuit set the stage for Nico Jamin to take his third win of the 2015 USF2000 National Championship season.

Jamin started on pole position with his Cape Motorsports teammate?Aaron Telitz alongside, but as they got going, contact between?Yufeng Luo and?Luke Gabin?behind them on the first lap brought out a full-course yellow. Luo’s car suffered terminal damage in the exchange, and he proved to be the only retirement of the race on lap one.

A poor restart from Jamin allowed not only Telitz to take the lead, but USF2000 championship leader?Jake Eidson to move past into second in a frantic restart that saw Nikita Lastochkin spin.

After several laps trying to move past Eidson, Jamin finally went through on lap nin, moving back into second.

Their battle allowed Telitz, in search of his second road course win in USF2000, to open up a gap of over four seconds. But that margin completely?vanished on lap 13 with the second full-course yellow, brought on by a collision between?Parker Thompson and?Keyvan Andres Soori. The two drivers were able to continue on, albeit well outside the top ten.

With under ten minutes remaining, the race restarted on lap 15. Telitz tried to defend his position from the restart, but then went completely off track at the first corner and dropped all the way to fifth place. Eidson took the lead after another sensational restart, ahead of?Anthony Martin who had briefly gotten past Jamin for 2nd, only to be passed on the following lap.

Jamin had closed the gap to Eidson on the final lap, made his move past the leader and checked out to claim his third win of the season.

Eidson finished second, his seventh consecutive podium finish to open the season, and Telitz eventually made his way back to third after passing Martin and Gabin?in the closing laps.

Ayla Agren scored her best USF2000 finish to date with a calm and collected sixth place finish, ahead of her Team Pelfrey teammates?Garth Rickards?in seventh and?Lastochkin recovering to eighth.?Sam Chastain finished ninth in his USF2000 debut, ahead of?Augie Lerch, who completed the top ten.

Race results