Rasmus Lindh is ready to make the next move in his racing career.
The 17-year-old Swede – runner-up last year in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship, the entry level for the Road to Indy presented by Cooper Tires – tested an Indy Pro 2000 (formerly Pro Mazda) car for Juncos Racing at the Chris Griffis Memorial Test in late September on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course last fall. He adapted quickly to the more powerful cars with advanced aerodynamics, running in the top three in all six sessions and clocking the third-best overall lap.
“I think a faster car will suit my driving a bit better because it felt a lot easier to drive the (Indy Pro 2000 car) than the USF,” Lindh said. “I’m very happy after that test because we were P3 in all of the top sessions. I think the speed was quite good.”
Lindh made a smooth transition from go-karts to open-wheel cars last year competing in USF2000 for Pabst Racing. While he ended his rookie season a distant second to champion Kyle Kirkwood, who dominated the series by winning 12 of the 14 races, Lindh collected three pole positions, five third-place finishes and four fourth-place results.
Lindh claimed his first podium at the second IMS road course race and only finished outside the top four twice the rest of the year. He added an impressive third-place showing in the only oval race of the season at Lucas Oil Raceway outside Indianapolis.
“We started off in St. Pete and we didn’t find a lot of speed in the two qualifying sessions,” Lindh said. “After that race (weekend), we’ve been in the top five all the time. We’ve been faster and faster every race. I’ve been improving my race pace quite a bit, so I’m very happy. It feels like I can improve my driving quite a bit more in 2019.”
The 2016 Swedish OK karting champion noted that the transition to a formula car required adjustment. He embraced the learning curve and found the extra tools available in the Tatuus USF-17 beneficial to his education.
“In karting, it’s a lot more that can affect your race because everything is a lot shorter,” he said. “In the formula car, it’s bigger, the car is faster and you have more time when you are driving. In the corner, you have more time to think about the whole lap and where you can improve.”
Continuing to embrace challenges, Lindh said a move up to Indy Pro 2000 this season is right for him. He believes he would benefit from a more powerful, better-handling car that suits his driving style. Not to mention the benefits of racing against higher competition.
“I would say it’s like karting. You go from junior to senior (levels) and you have more grip and more power,” he said. “It feels easier to drive a faster car than a slower car. If you make a mistake in USF, if you brake a little bit too late and you lose a bit, you don’t have that much time to recover. In (Indy Pro 2000), you can help with the horsepower.”
While Indy Pro 2000 is the primary goal, Lindh doesn’t yet have a ride secured for the 2019 season and he is not opposed to another year in USF2000. The enticement there is the opportunity to win the USF2000 championship that earns a scholarship to advance to Indy Pro 2000 next season, lessening the financial burden.
“My dad and I and all of the sponsors are thinking of doing one more year in USF,” Lindh said. “It would be worth it to take the scholarship and go on to (Indy Pro 2000) and win the scholarship and so on. Maybe that’s easier, but I think it is better to go into (Indy Pro 2000 now).”
All three levels of the Road to Indy – USF2000, Indy Pro 2000 and Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires – open their seasons with doubleheader race weekends when the IndyCar Series raises the curtain on its 2019 campaign at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg from March 8-10. Tickets for the weekend are available now at gpstpete.com.