New Indy Lights car a big step forward - Harvey

Jack Harvey believes his spending a second season in Indy Lights will stand him in good stead ahead of his planned graduation to the IndyCar Series in 2016.

Unlike fellow Briton Jack Hawksworth, who had prior experience of American racing in the Pro Mazda series and only spent a year in Lights before progressing, GP3 graduate Harvey opted to stick around for 2015, which heralded the arrival of the category’s first new chassis since 2002 – the Dallara IL-15.

Although Harvey, 22, missed out on the title for the second year in succession – after losing to Gabby Chaves on countback of second places in 2014, Spencer Pigot stepped up to the plate in 2015 – he felt the experience was a productive one and described the new car as a huge step forward.

Harvey got to celebrate at IMS after winning the Freedom 100 (Indy Lights).

“It was night and day to be honest – the difference between them both was huge,” said Harvey, who added victory at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to his repertoire in the Freedom 100.

“The only thing that I really knew going into the season was the tracks and my team. After that everything else was completely different; moving into a brand new chassis and a turbo engine took a bit of getting used to, but it was the same for everyone. I think overall we had a solid season, although it obviously wasn’t the end result we wanted.”

The 2012 British F3 champion made his IndyCar test debut at Sonoma with Schmidt-Peterson Motorsports and topped the times ahead of the likes of Nelson Piquet Jr. and Matthew Brabham, who already has a deal in place to attempt the Indianapolis 500 next May. But although the Honda-powered DW12 was the quickest car he’s ever driven, Harvey did admit that the step up wasn’t as big as he first expected.

“I was a little underwhelmed by the power of the IndyCar, which I think was testament to how fast the new Indy Lights car is,” he added. “It really has provided a great platform to progress into IndyCar; I think we showed that by being quickest of the rookies and right up there with the regular guys.”

Jack Harvey fact file

·       Harvey beat a strong field including Carlos Sainz Jr., Alex Lynn and Harry Tincknell to win the 2012 British F3 championship. Just two years later, the growth of the FIA European F3 championship and GP3 had made the series redundant.

·       Should Harvey complete his expected graduation to IndyCar, he will face up against former GP3 rival Conor Daly for the title of Rookie of the Year. In his single season in the category, won by current Red Bull F1 driver Daniil Kvyat, Harvey took two wins at Silverstone and Monza on his way to fifth in points.

·       Harvey’s career to date has been backed by the Racing Steps Foundation, which also boasts Formula E racer Oliver Turvey and Ferrari GT driver James Calado among its alumni. FR3.5 champion Oliver Rowland is seeking to become the first RSF-supported racer to reach F1. “If Ollie can be the first RSF driver to get to Formula One that would be amazing; he’s had a fantastic year, and best of luck to him", says Harvey. "We’ve raced together for a long time and we’ve been friends for a long time, so it would be nice to see him achieve that. It’s looking like he’s going to be in a good position next year in GP2, so we’ll have to see how it goes.”