Early incidents mar Cape Motorsports’ INDY NXT return
Both Ahmed and Jones involved in early incidents in the INDY NXT season opener
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (March 6, 2023) – Cape Motorsports came into the INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg weekend with high hopes, as the team made its long-awaited return to the series formerly known as Indy Lights.
But separate incidents in Sunday’s race saw both Enaam Ahmed and Jagger Jones knocked out of the event that saw 13 of the 45 laps run under the caution flag.
“The Indy NXT series is filled with fantastic teams and drivers, we knew this would be a difficult task,” said Dominic Cape. “The first weekend was always going to be difficult, but we showed we had pace at times. Jagger made a huge step forward in qualifying, unfortunately for Enaam during qualifying, his brake pedal went long and qualifying sets the tone for the weekend really. I’d really like to thank the drivers and team for doing a brilliant job all weekend, we really learned a huge amount and can’t wait for Barber.”
They might be rookies in the INDY NXT series, but Jones and Ahmed have plenty of experience on the streets of St. Pete – both took podiums here last year, with Ahmed finishing second in the USF Pro 2000 series race and Jones taking third in the USF2000 event.
But that was then and this is now. The playing field has been leveled for the entire INDY NXT series with the (re)introduction of Firestone tires in 2023. The team and the drivers worked hard through two 45-minute practice sessions to come to grips (literally) with the tricky conditions. The St. Pete city street circuit features multiple changes of pavement, from asphalt to concrete, and a re-pave of Turn Three that caught several drivers by surprise.
On Saturday afternoon, the 19-car field had only one eight-minute session to set the grid for Sunday’s main event. The Cape duo got up to speed quickly, with Jones setting times among his best of the weekend, and Ahmed pacing as high as third position before he experienced a brake issue. At the end of the session, Ahmed had set the 11th quickest time and Jones the 13th – with the entire field separated by less than one second.
In cloudy, warm and humid conditions, the series took the green flag late in the morning – just ahead of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES season opener. Ahmed had a flying start, passing several cars until a competitor tagged him on the back straight, putting him into the wall and damaging his suspension. Once the race went back to green, Jones and another car went side-by-side through the tight turn three and left no room on the outside, Jones landed in the tire barrier. He might have been able to restart, but another car slammed into him, damaging the rear of the car beyond repair.
Next up for Cape Motorsports will be the INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Alabama at Barber Motorsports Park on April 20. Tune into INDYNXT.com for all the action!
QUOTEBOARD
ENAAM AHMED – No. 47 Rickshaw Rocket Dallara
Start – 11th / Finish – 19th
“It was a good weekend until the race! I got used to the car and the tires quite quickly and was fast in the early sessions. I'd put down some good times when we had the brake issue in qualifying – I’m not saying we would have been pole, but I think we could have started in the top three.
“I had a good race start and got one car in turn one and caught Reece Gold in turn three. I had a good run on him on the back straight – I was next to him, going 170 mph, and all of the sudden, he right-hand downed me, putting me into the wall. When you’re driving cars like this, at these speeds, you can’t just drive someone into the wall. I’m lucky that I didn’t go flying.
“But overall, I’m very happy with the team. The Capes are very good, I don’t think I could be in a better place.”
JAGGER JONES – No. 98 Lead Sled Dallara
Start – 13th / Finish – 18th
“I had a good start and was side-by-side for eighth and the guy next to me ran into the side of me and put me into the tires – then a car came in and cleaned me out, nothing I could do. It’s difficult that we’re out so early, we’re missing a great learning opportunity out there but we’ll rebound.
“The entire weekend was definitely a learning experience. I struggled in practice but I stepped it up in qualifying, closing the times to the front runners. I figured over the long run and the race speed we would have that I could settle in but we weren’t able to do that. The Cape team has been awesome, they’ve really been on their game. I’m still learning the new car but I know it’s fast and I know we’ll figure it out over the next few races.”
