Indy Pro Series veteran Bobby Wilson gave the new Team E operation its first victory in Sunday's Indy Lights race at the Milwaukee Mile, as the championship standings closed up once more.
Like Ryan Briscoe later in the day, Wilson opened his oval victory account at one of the more iconic venues on the schedule, passing polesitter Pablo Donoso for the lead on lap 13 and facing little opposition thereafter as he added to his two previous successes in the category on the road courses at Watkins Glen and Indianapolis.
The victory allowed Wilson to add his name to those of Wade Cunningham and Jeff Simmons, who had also taken wins in three different seasons, after leading 88 laps - more than the total 39 he had led in his previous 36 category starts - at his home track.
“The Team E guys put together a great car this weekend, and our first win together couldn't have happened at a better place than The Milwaukee Mile," he enthused, “Coming to The Milwaukee Mile as a kid, it was always a dream for me to race here one day, but to win here is even better.
"I'm just ecstatic for the team. It was like a walk in the park for me - I just kept the tyres under me the whole time and drove to victory - but hats off to the guys, it's their first win. Team owner Neil Enerson has put together a great programme and gave us the tools we needed to be here.”
The only driver that kept Wilson honest turned out to be Simmons, whose bright yellow #2 machine climbed through the field to present a threat in the closing stages.
“There were cars fighting for position, and I was getting a lot of dirty air," the eventual winner admitted, "I didn't want to get right in the middle of that with the potential for an accident to happen. I knew I was faster than [Simmons], and I knew the lap countdown and time intervals, so I only used as much of the car as I needed to stay up front. He did get close at the end, but timing is everything. Jeff had a run on me, but I really wasn't worried.”
