Linus Lundqvist raring to go in “Motor City”

Detroit plays host to round four of Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires
Bumpy Belle Isle street track another new acquaintance for Lundqvist
Global Racing Group with HMD Motorsports racer aims to build on early wins

After a one-month hiatus, Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires resumes this weekend on the streets of Detroit – a new experience for Linus Lundqvist as well as his fellow rivals.

Round four of the campaign takes the championship, fittingly, to “Motor City”, where the deceivingly beautiful Belle Isle street track will pose a distinct challenge for tomorrow’s INDYCAR hopefuls.

Infamous for its uneven surface, with various tarmac types and abrasive bumps, the Detroit course is a unique feature on the calendar – not necessarily with much in common to a place like St. Petersburg, which staged the first street track round of the season earlier in the year.

On that occasion, Linus Lundqvist came away with a podium from his first-ever street track event on U.S. soil, and – with two victories to his name across the first three rounds of the season – the Swede heads to Detroit sitting second in the standings, 11 points behind Global Racing Group with HMD Motorsports team-mate David Malukas (USA).

“Detroit will be an interesting weekend,” says Linus Lundqvist. “It’s a race I’ve been looking forward to a lot. For starters, it’s a street track, which I always enjoy – and it’s one that seems very particular with that rough and bumpy surface. I think it will be quite different to St. Petersburg, so it’s important to head into the weekend with an open mind and not rely too much on the stuff I learned in Florida.”

The Raceway at Belle Isle, named after the island in Detroit River where it’s located, returns to the Indy Lights schedule this year for the first time since 2012.

That makes it virtually a brand new acquaintance for all the teams and drivers, with no relevant data to lean on.

“It’s basically a new track for everyone,” Linus Lundqvist concludes. “I think that’s a positive for me. At most other tracks this year, I’m one of few rookies – as was the case in St. Pete, for example – but here that disadvantage won’t be there.Having said that, it really doesn’t change anything in my own approach. I will take it session by session, do the best I can, and we’ll see where we end up.”

Indy Lights activity begins on Friday with 40 minutes of practice, followed later the same day by the first of two qualifying sessions. Qualifying 2 takes place on Saturday morning.

The two races are run on Saturday and Sunday respectively.

All of the on-track action will be available for international fans through live streaming at www.linuslundqvistracing.se, throughout the year.