Overheating brakes ended Spencer Pigot’s chances of a great result around the streets of St. Petersburg on Sunday as he ran as high as fifth after a superb start for the young American.
The Ed Carpenter Racing driver was working his way through the field after starting thirteenth on the grid, passing five cars including that of reigning series champion Simon Pagenaud and of former champion Tony Kanaan, only to see his race compromised in the pits.
Pigot rued the brake issue but was happy that he was able to show good pace and take the fight to his rivals, and hopes to continue the strong form into the next round at Long Beach.
“The race was going really well!” reflected Pigot. “The Fuzzy’s Vodka guys did an awesome job preparing the car for the race and making a few adjustments for me.
“Our pace was really good and we were making a lot of passes and moving up. We gained almost all of our positions to move up to fifth by passing people which was cool.
“Then, we had the issue with the left rear brakes on our first stop. It’s unfortunate but at least we showed that we have good pace and we can race hard. I’m looking forward to doing more of that!”
