# 2016 Indy Lights

The 2016 Indy Lights season was a season of open wheel motor racing. It was the 31st season of the Indy Lights series and the 15th sanctioned by IndyCar, acting as the primary support series for the IndyCar Series.
Dubai born British sophomore driver Ed Jones won the championship by a narrow two point margin over rookie Uruguayan Santiago Urrutia. Jones won two races compared to Urrutia's four wins but Jones more consistently finished on the podium. American Kyle Kaiser won twice and made few mistakes and finished third in points. Kaiser finished just ahead of American Zach Veach whose season began poorly but won three of the last ten races. Dean Stoneman and Félix Serrallés also captured two wins, but were much less consistent and finished fifth and sixth in the championship respectively. Swede Felix Rosenqvist won three races but missed much of the season due to his role as a Mercedes factory driver in Europe.
Jones' Carlin team won the teams' championship and in the final race of the season, Jones' Carlin teammate Serrallés ceded fourth place to Jones on the final lap, allowing him to win the championship.

## Team and driver chart

* All drivers compete in Cooper Tire–shod Dallara IL-15 chassis with Mazda AER engine.
| Team | No. | Drivers | Rounds |
| Andretti Autosport | 27 | Dean Stoneman | All |
| Andretti Autosport | 28 | Dalton Kellett | All |
| Andretti Autosport | 51 | Shelby Blackstock | All |
| Belardi Auto Racing | 5 | Zach Veach | All |
| Belardi Auto Racing | 14 | Felix Rosenqvist | 1–8, 12–13 |
| Belardi Auto Racing | 45 | James French | 9–10 |
| Carlin | 4 | Félix Serrallés | All |
| Carlin | 11 | Ed Jones | All |
| Carlin | 22 | Neil Alberico | All |
| Juncos Racing | 13 | Zachary Claman DeMelo | All |
| Juncos Racing | 18 | Kyle Kaiser | All |
| McCormack Racing | 34 | Davey Hamilton Jr. | 17–18 |
| Schmidt Peterson Motorsports | 7 | RC Enerson | 1–8 |
| Schmidt Peterson Motorsports | 17 | André Negrão | All |
| Schmidt Peterson Motorsports | 55 | Santiago Urrutia | All |
| Schmidt Peterson Motorsports | 77 | Scott Anderson | 1–2, 4–7 |
| Schmidt Peterson Motorsports | 77 | Heamin Choi | 3, 8, 11, 17–18 |
| Team Pelfrey | 2 | Juan Piedrahita | 1–13 |
| Team Pelfrey | 2 | Sean Rayhall | 17–18 |
| Team Pelfrey | 3 | Scott Hargrove | 1–8 |
| Team Pelfrey | 3 | Garett Grist | 9–10, 12–18 |
* Team Pelfrey purchased the assets of 8Star Motorsports

## Schedule

The 2016 schedule was released on October 27, 2015. Phoenix and Road America returned to the calendar. Long Beach was removed from the schedule, and with the IndyCar Series not returning to the Milwaukee Mile, Indy Lights will not return either.
The Grand Prix of Boston was announced in late May 2015. The race was scheduled to be run on Labor Day Weekend on September 4, 2016. The proposed street circuit was based in the Boston Seaport District. On April 29, 2016, Boston newspapers reported that the race weekend, which was to include an Indy Lights support race, had been canceled. The race was replaced by a race at Watkins Glen International, on the same weekend.
The season will expand to 18 races, two more than the previous season. All races on road courses and street circuits will be double headers with the exception of Watkins Glen, which, like the oval tracks, will have only one race.
All races will be run in support of IndyCar races except the final weekend at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, which will be a Mazda Road to Indy headliner weekend.
| Rd. | Date | Race name | Track | Location | TV |
| 1 | March 12 | Indy Lights Grand Prix of St. Petersburg Presented by Lucas School of Racing | Streets of St. Petersburg | St. Petersburg, Florida | NBCSN |
| 2 | March 13 | Indy Lights Grand Prix of St. Petersburg Presented by Lucas School of Racing | Streets of St. Petersburg | St. Petersburg, Florida | NBCSN |
| 3 | April 2 | Indy Lights Grand Prix of Phoenix | Phoenix International Raceway | Phoenix, Arizona | NBCSN |
| 4 | April 23 | Legacy Indy Lights 100 | Barber Motorsports Park | Birmingham, Alabama | NBCSN |
| 5 | April 24 | Legacy Indy Lights 100 | Barber Motorsports Park | Birmingham, Alabama | NBCSN |
| 6 | May 13 | Mazda Indy Lights Grand Prix of Indianapolis | Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course | Speedway, Indiana | NBCSN |
| 7 | May 14 | Mazda Indy Lights Grand Prix of Indianapolis | Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course | Speedway, Indiana | NBCSN |
| 8 | May 27 | Mazda Freedom 100 | Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval | Speedway, Indiana | NBCSN |
| 9 | June 25 | Mazda Indy Lights Grand Prix of Road America | Road America | Elkhart Lake, WI | NBCSN |
| 10 | June 26 | Mazda Indy Lights Grand Prix of Road America | Road America | Elkhart Lake, WI | NBCSN |
| 11 | July 10 | Indy Lights Iowa Challenge | Iowa Speedway | Newton, Iowa | NBCSN |
| 12 | July 16 | Cooper Tires Grand Prix of Toronto | Exhibition Place | Toronto | NBCSN |
| 13 | July 17 | Cooper Tires Grand Prix of Toronto | Exhibition Place | Toronto | NBCSN |
| 14 | July 30 | Cooper Tires Indy Lights Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio | Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course | Lexington, Ohio | NBCSN |
| 15 | July 31 | Cooper Tires Indy Lights Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio | Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course | Lexington, Ohio | NBCSN |
| 16 | September 3 | Mazda Indy Lights Grand Prix of Watkins Glen | Watkins Glen International | Watkins Glen, New York | NBCSN |
| 17 | September 10 | Mazda Indy Lights Grand Prix of Monterey | Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca | Monterey, California | NBCSN |
| 18 | September 11 | Mazda Indy Lights Grand Prix of Monterey | Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca | Monterey, California | NBCSN |

## Race results

| Round | Race | Pole position | Fastest lap | Most laps led | Race Winner | Race Winner |
| Round | Race | Pole position | Fastest lap | Most laps led | Driver | Team |
| 1 | St. Petersburg 1 | Kyle Kaiser | Zach Veach | Zach Veach | Félix Serrallés | Carlin |
| 2 | St. Petersburg 2 | Felix Rosenqvist | Felix Rosenqvist | Felix Rosenqvist | Felix Rosenqvist | Belardi Auto Racing |
| 3 | Phoenix | Kyle Kaiser | Kyle Kaiser | Kyle Kaiser | Kyle Kaiser | Juncos Racing |
| 4 | Birmingham 1 | Ed Jones | Santiago Urrutia | Ed Jones | Ed Jones | Carlin |
| 5 | Birmingham 2 | Ed Jones | Santiago Urrutia | Santiago Urrutia | Santiago Urrutia | Schmidt Peterson Motorsports |
| 6 | Indianapolis GP 1 | Ed Jones | Zachary Claman DeMelo | Ed Jones | Ed Jones | Carlin |
| 7 | Indianapolis GP 2 | Ed Jones | Felix Rosenqvist | Dean Stoneman | Dean Stoneman | Andretti Autosport |
| 8 | Indianapolis | Ed Jones | Neil Alberico | Dean Stoneman | Dean Stoneman | Andretti Autosport |
| 9 | Road America 1 | Zach Veach | Zachary Claman DeMelo | Zach Veach | Zach Veach | Belardi Auto Racing |
| 10 | Road America 2 | Ed Jones | Dean Stoneman | Santiago Urrutia | Santiago Urrutia | Schmidt Peterson Motorsports |
| 11 | Iowa | Ed Jones | Zach Veach | Ed Jones | Félix Serrallés | Carlin |
| 12 | Toronto 1 | Felix Rosenqvist | Felix Rosenqvist | Felix Rosenqvist | Felix Rosenqvist | Belardi Auto Racing |
| 13 | Toronto 2 | Felix Rosenqvist | Félix Serrallés | Felix Rosenqvist | Felix Rosenqvist | Belardi Auto Racing |
| 14 | Mid-Ohio 1 | Santiago Urrutia | Santiago Urrutia | Santiago Urrutia | Santiago Urrutia | Schmidt Peterson Motorsports |
| 15 | Mid-Ohio 2 | Santiago Urrutia | Félix Serrallés | Santiago Urrutia | Santiago Urrutia | Schmidt Peterson Motorsports |
| 16 | Watkins Glen | Santiago Urrutia | Dean Stoneman | Zach Veach | Zach Veach | Belardi Auto Racing |
| 17 | Laguna Seca 1 | Kyle Kaiser | Kyle Kaiser | Kyle Kaiser | Kyle Kaiser | Juncos Racing |
| 18 | Laguna Seca 2 | Ed Jones | Zach Veach | Zach Veach | Zach Veach | Belardi Auto Racing |

## Championship standings
### Drivers' championship
#### Scoring system

| Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | 11th | 12th | 13th | 14th | 15th | 16th | 17th | 18th | 19th | 20th |
| Points | 30 | 25 | 22 | 19 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
* The driver who qualified on pole was awarded one additional point.
* An additional point was awarded to the driver who led the most laps in a race.
* The driver who obtained the fastest lap in a race was awarded one additional point.
| Pos | Driver | STP | STP | PHX | ALA | ALA | IND | IND | INDY | RDA | RDA | IOW | TOR | TOR | MOH | MOH | WGL | LAG | LAG | Pts |
| 1 | Ed Jones | 10 | 7 | 2 | 1* | 2 | 1* | 4 | 2$^1$ | 4 | 13 | 3$^1$ | 6 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 363 |
| 2 | Santiago Urrutia RY | 4 | 13 | 4 | 11 | 1* | 2 | 2 | 14 | 9 | 1* | 5 | 4 | 4 | 1* | 1* | 12 | 5 | 2 | 361 |
| 3 | Kyle Kaiser | 3 | 2 | 1* | 15 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 16 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 1* | 3 | 334 |
| 4 | Zach Veach | 16* | 3 | 8 | 3 | 10 | 5 | 10 | 10 | 1* | 3 | 2* | 9 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 1* | 3 | 1* | 332 |
| 5 | Dean Stoneman R | 8 | 6 | 5 | 16 | 3 | 3 | 1* | 1* | 2 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 14 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 13 | 9 | 316 |
| 6 | Félix Serrallés | 1 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 15 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 14 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 4 | 10 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 311 |
| 7 | André Negrão R | 6 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 11 | 9 | 16 | 15 | 10 | 2 | 13 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 6 | 268 |
| 8 | Shelby Blackstock | 14 | 11 | 14 | 4 | 5 | 10 | 7 | 4 | 13 | 5 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 10 | 11 | 227 |
| 9 | Zachary Claman DeMelo R | 11 | 16 | 11 | 5 | 7 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 5 | 4 | 8 | 13 | 13 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 12 | 7 | 199 |
| 10 | Dalton Kellett R | 15 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 16 | 12 | 3 | 14 | 12 | 9 | 8 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 11 | 7 | 13 | 193 |
| 11 | Neil Alberico R | 12 | 15 | 9 | 12 | 14 | 11 | 13 | 7 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 8 | 12 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 10 | 193 |
| 12 | Felix Rosenqvist R | 7 | 1* | 15 | 14 | 8 | 4 | 6 | 9 | | | | 1* | 1* | | | | | | 185 |
| 13 | Juan Piedrahita | 9 | 8 | 12 | 7 | 16 | 15 | 11 | 8 | 12 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 12 | | | | | | 135 |
| 14 | RC Enerson | 5 | 12 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 8 | 15 | 11 | | | | | | | | | | | 111 |
| 15 | Garett Grist R | | | | | | | | | 7 | 10 | | 7 | 7 | 10 | 12 | 8 | 11 | 15 | 102 |
| 16 | Scott Hargrove R | 2 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 14 | 9 | 5 | | | | | | | | | | | 93 |
| 17 | Scott Anderson | 13 | 9 | | 10 | 13 | 12 | 8 | | | | | | | | | | | | 61 |
| 18 | Heamin Choi R | | | 16 | | | | | 12 | | | 10 | | | | | | 15 | 12 | 40 |
| 19 | Sean Rayhall | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 4 | 8 | 32 |
| 20 | James French R | | | | | | | | | 8 | 8 | | | | | | | | | 26 |
| 21 | Davey Hamilton Jr. R | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 14 | 14 | 14 |
| Pos | Driver | STP | STP | PHX | ALA | ALA | IND | IND | INDY | RDA | RDA | IOW | TOR | TOR | MOH | MOH | WGL | LAG | LAG | Pts |
| Color | Result |
| Gold | Winner |
| Silver | 2nd place |
| Bronze | 3rd place |
| Green | 4th & 5th place |
| Light Blue | 6th–10th place |
| Dark Blue | Finished (Outside Top 10) |
| Purple | Did not finish |
| Red | Did not qualify (DNQ) |
| Brown | Withdrawn (Wth) |
| Black | Disqualified (DSQ) |
| White | Did not start (DNS) |
| Blank | Did not participate (DNP) |
| Blank | Not competing |
In-line notation :
| Bold | Pole position (1 point) |
| Italics | Ran fastest race lap (1 point) |
| * | Led most race laps (1 point) |
| $^1$ | Qualifying cancelled no bonus point awarded |
| Rookie ||
* Ties in points broken by number of wins, or best finishes.

### Teams' championship

| Pos | Team | Points |
| 1 | Carlin | 413 |
| 2 | Schmidt Peterson Motorsports w/ Curb-Agajanian | 384 |
| 3 | Belardi Auto Racing | 322 |
| 4 | Andretti Autosport | 281 |
| 5 | Juncos Racing | 275 |
| 6 | Team Pelfrey | 135 |