Hylton’s Team Leading Atlantic Series

This is the third full season that Newport Beach’s Keith Hylton has fielded a racing team in the Toyota Atlantic Series, and this week, he is finally in first place.

His driver, Brazilian Hoover Orsi, took the lead in the series with a second-place finish at the 65-lap Lehigh Valley Grand Prix last weekend in Nazareth, Pa. Orsi, driving for Irvine-based Hylton Motorpsorts, finished behind Tony Ave, who drives for P-1 Racing of San Clemente.

“It feels overdue,” Hylton said of finally being first. “It took a while to get the personnel and equipment together, and the driver, and this year we finally hit on it. We have a great little pilot and an all-star crew.”

The Atlantic is a development series for Championship Auto Racing Teams.

Ave averaged 105.659 mph on the 0.946-mile oval, and was slowed by two caution periods. Orsi averaged 105.592. “[Ave] was faster and he didn’t make any mistakes,” Orsi said. “[He] didn’t give me a real opportunity to pass him.”

The victory by Ave ended a long winless streak by P-1 and its owner, San Clemente’s Bill Fickling. It was the first victory for Fickling’s car since Mark Dismore won at Nazareth in 1994. Ave is in second place in the series.

“Been a long time coming, I’m really pleased,” Fickling said. “To put all three cars in the top five was icing on the cake. Couldn’t be happier. I’m really hoping this setup carries over to the next race, a one-mile oval at Milwaukee [June 2].”

Nazareth certainly agreed with P-1 Racing. Jonathan Macri and Stephan C. Roy, both of Canada, took fourth and fifth, respectively.

Coto de Caza’s Rocky Moran Jr. finished sixth.

INDY RACING LEAGUE

Dana Point team owner Dick Simon will field a car sponsored by a trucking company for the Indianapolis 500. Simon’s driver, Stephan Gregoire, has been without a primary sponsor for the first three IRL events of the season. Simon, celebrating his 40th year at Indianapolis, once again had his car first on the track when practice began on Sunday.

Some of the locals turned in encouraging practice results as they get ready for qualifying Saturday and Sunday. On Wednesday, Chapman graduate Jacques Lazier was fifth-fastest for TeamXtreme at 223.310 mph and Robby Gordon of Orange was sixth, driving for A.J. Foyt, at 223.032. Greg Ray had been fastest at 226.137 among 35 drivers. Gregoire was 34th for the second day in a row, and struggled again on Thursday.

Jeff Ward of San Juan Capistrano was third-fastest during Tuesday and Thursday qualifying.

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