Sonoma, Cali. (August 24, 2014) – Despite a 6.0 magnitude earthquake with an epicenter mere miles from Sonoma Raceway, the final race of the 2014 Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires season went off without a hitch on Sunday.
Canadian racer Zack Meyer put in a heady drive in the last race of his rookie Indy Lights campaign, giving his #2 TMR/DAMIS PARTNERS III/Innisfil Indy Karting/Xtreme Coil Drilling car one last run to eighth in the 60-minute feature race of the Grand Prix of Sonoma. With a final flurry, Meyer will finish the season in ninth place in the championship standings.
The 22-year-old from Innisfil, Ont., again started from tenth—as he did in Saturday’s sprint race—but immediately got off to a vastly superior start in Sunday’s 38-lap race. The race began with two waved off starts as the championship contenders tried their best to gain an early advantage. When the green flag officially flew on Lap 3, Meyer battled fiercely for position, momentarily slotting into eighth before falling back to ninth place. From there, Meyer became embroiled in a tight duel with Scott Anderson. Anderson was eventually able to make the move and demote Meyer to tenth, but that wasn’t the end of Meyer’s eventful day.
Knowing that the long race on a track known to be tough on tires may play to his advantage, Meyer settled into a rhythm and focused on his own race, setting consistent lap times with an eye on tire management. As the race wore on, positions began to jumble as tire wear became a critical factor in the closing laps.
Anderson first fell back into Meyer’s grasp and he was able to overtake his rival for ninth place before Anderson retired with a mechanical issue. Then, Juan Pablo Garcia quickly lost pace, and Meyer was soon reeling him in with lap times some four to five seconds faster per lap. Garcia was dispatched with ease, and from there Meyer claimed eighth place in uncontested fashion.
“I said yesterday I wanted to go out and give it my all and get the best result possible from today’s race,” Meyer commented after the race. “We were able to make up a few spots right at the start, and we were in a battle at the beginning of the race. I’m disappointed that we weren’t able to maintain that spot, but at the same time I’m glad that we had a car at the end of the race that was still able to push hard. Because of that I was able to make up a few positions at the end, so it wasn’t a bad way to end the season.”
The sole Canadian racing in Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires in 2014, Meyer put in several spirited displays throughout the season. Ultimately, Meyer claims ninth in the championship, a solid result from a sometimes difficult rookie campaign in the third and final step in the Mazda Road to Indy.
You can learn more about Zack Meyer by visiting ZackMeyer.ca, and you can also follow Zack on Twitter @ZackMeyer66 and Instagram @ZackMeyer66. If you are interested in supporting an up-and-coming Canadian racer in the Mazda Road to Indy, you may directly contact Zack Meyer to discuss sponsorship opportunities.
About Zack Meyer:
A homegrown racer from Toronto, Ont., Meyer began his racing career in karting at Innisfil Indy Karting. Meyer’s racing career blossomed under the tutelage of his driver coach and manager, Joe Launi. With both the support of his mother and Launi, Meyer went on to become one of the top karters for the ultra-competitive GP Racing Karts team, participating in and winning numerous KZ2 Shifter Kart events.
Meyer claimed the championship for the Brian Stewart BSRKC-F125/ICC Shifter class in both 2009 and 2010, only to follow those up by claiming the championship in the KZ2 Class in the Florida Winter Tour in 2011 and 2012. Meyer made his debut in the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires in 2012 with JDC MotorSports before moving to the series full-time in 2013. Meyer posted a best finish of fourth in his home race, the Honda Indy Toronto, on his way to finishing the year as the highest-placed JDC MotorSports driver in the championship with sixth in the championship standings.
For 2014, Meyer steps up to the top rung on the Mazda Road to Indy development ladder, Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires, with race-winning Team Moore Racing.
From: Bart Ewer for Zack Meyer
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