Linus Lundqvist put on a dominant display to sweep this weekend’s Indy Lights round on the streets of Detroit, scoring a double win, double pole positions and double fastest laps in a rare “Grand Chelem” performance…
The Swedish championship leader was in a class of his own throughout the INDYCAR fraternity’s final visit to the Belle Isle street track, storming to pole position for both races of the weekend – half a second clear of the field – and leading every single lap on his way to the sixth and seventh wins of his Indy Lights career.
Lundqvist rapidly opened up a gap to his rivals in both races, but had to see his lead evaporate on several occasions throughout both encounters due to a series of safety car interventions. The HMD Motorsports driver managed to control the restarts without drama, however, pulling clear to two unchallenged victories.
With flag-to-flag wins, and fastest lap in both races, Lundqvist achieves the rare feat of a double “Grand Chelem” – denoting motorsport’s perfect grand slam.
“It is incredible,” says Linus Lundqvist. “What a weekend. I can’t thank my team enough, and also my sponsor Jula. We have barely touched the car since rolling off the trailer and I’ve been able to drive with quite a bit of margin in both races. Massive weekend, good points, and such a fantastic event all-round. These are my first wins on a street track, which means a lot to me, and I really could not have asked for more.”
Thanks to his performances this weekend, Linus Lundqvist now leads the Indy Lights standings by 84 points. The championship is back on track already next weekend at Wisconsin’s Road America circuit.
RESULTS
Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires
Rd. 5-6 | Detroit
Race 1
1: Linus Lundqvist (SWE), 25 laps
2: Benjamin Pedersen (DEN), +3.723s
3: Matthew Brabham (AUS), +4.793s
4: Christian Bogle (USA), +10.236s
5: Kyffin Simpson (USA), +10.864s
View full results
Race 2
1: Linus Lundqvist (SWE), 30 laps
2: Hunter McElrea (USA), +3.700s
3: Sting Ray Robb (USA), +4.013s
4: Matthew Brabham (AUS), +5.474s
5: Danial Frost (SGP), +11.437s
View full results
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires
Top 5 | After 6/14 races
1: Linus Lundqvist (SWE), 283 p.
2: Benjamin Pedersen (DEN), 199 p.
3: Danial Frost (SGP), 191 p.
4: Sting Ray Robb (USA), 191 p.
5: Matthew Brabham (AUS), 186 p.
