JR Hildebrand ran away with the Carneros Indy 100 at the Infineon Raceway while his team-mate Sebastian Saavedra, sent to the back as penalty for an engine change, carved through the field to finish seventh.
The hour-long Indy Lights race, run close to the 21-year-old Californian’s home town of Sausalito, left him leading the IRL’s feeder championship by 90 points from Saavedra with just two races remaining in the season.
Felipe Guimaraes, the Brazilian A1GP driver recommended to Brian Herta Autosport by seat-holder Emerson Fittipaldi, came second and has now finished top-5 in each of his three races in the series this year. James Davison, winner in the previous race at Mid-Ohio, took third ahead of Richard Philippe – younger brother of Nelson Philippe who was hospitalised in an IndyCar practice crash yesterday – and Ana Beatriz.
Martin Plowman was the best of the British drivers in 10th, with his team-mate Pippa Mann in 14th and Andersen Racing’s Ali Jackson in 15th.
Writing later on Twitter, Mann said: “Got spun at the start, so was last, but with the help of a yellow came back at them and made a few good passes.”