1996_in_Indy_Lights
The 1996 PPG/Firestone Indy Lights Championship Powered By Buick consisted of 12 races. Canadian David Empringham captured three wins on his way to the championship.[1]
| 1996 Indy Lights season | |
|---|---|
| PPG/Firestone Indy Lights Championship | |
| Season | |
| Races | 12 |
| Start date | March 3 |
| End date | September 8 |
| Awards | |
| Drivers' champion |  David Empringham |
The following drivers and teams competed in the series:
| Team | No. | Drivers | Round(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brian Stewart Racing | 2 |  Mattias Andersson |
1–2 |
 Nick Firestone |
4–9 | ||
 Felipe Giaffone |
11–12 | ||
| 3 | Gualter Salles |
All | |
| 61 | Jack Miller |
All | |
| Dorricott Racing | 31 |  Shigeaki Hattori |
All |
| 32 | Jeff Ward |
All | |
| FRE Racing | 17 | José Cordova |
1–2 |
| Peter Faucetta Jr. |
3 | ||
 Jaki Scheckter |
5–7, 12 | ||
| Robbie Buhl |
9 | ||
| Forsythe Racing | 33 | David Empringham |
All |
| 66 | Claude Bourbonnais |
All | |
| 99 | Bertrand Godin |
9–12 | |
| Genoa Racing | 24 | David DeSilva |
All |
| Indy Regency Racing | 28 | Hideki Noda |
All |
| Leading Edge Motorsports | 4 | Felipe Giaffone |
1–8 |
| José Giaffone |
10–12 | ||
| Sohrab Amirsardari |
9 | ||
| 5 | 6 | ||
| 23 | Mark Hotchkis |
All | |
| 77 |  Rodolfo Lavín |
1–2, 4–12 | |
| PacWest Lights | 10 | Bob Reid |
9 |
| Robby Unser |
1–2 | ||
| 12 | 3–7, 9–12 | ||
| Casey Mears |
8 | ||
| Performance Racing | 9 | Andy Boss |
1–2 |
| David LaCroix |
11 | ||
| RaceCars | 88 |  Diego Gumzán |
1 |
| Paulo Carcasci |
2 | ||
| Freddy van Beuren |
8–12 | ||
| 89 |  Danny Candía |
1 | |
| Roque Aranda |
2–4 | ||
| Maurício Slaviero |
7–9 | ||
| Summit Motorsports | 20 | Doug Boyer |
1–2, 4–6 |
| Tasman Motorsports | 37 | Tony Kanaan |
All |
| 38 |  José Luís Di Palma |
All | |
| 39 | Hélio Castroneves |
All | |
| Team Green | 26 | Chris Simmons |
All |
| 27 | Greg Ray |
All | |
| Team Leisy / McCormack | 34 | Harry Puterbaugh Jr. |
1, 3 |
| Shan Groff |
2, 12 | ||
| 35 | Niclas Jönsson |
2 | |
| Team Medlin | 12 | Alex Padilla |
1–3, 5–12 |
| Rd. | Date | Track | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | March 3 | O Homestead-Miami Speedway | Homestead, Florida |
| 2 | April 14 | R Long Beach Street Circuit | Long Beach, California |
| 3 | April 28 | O Nazareth Speedway | Nazareth, Pennsylvania |
| 4 | May 25 | O Michigan International Speedway | Brooklyn, Michigan |
| 5 | June 2 | O Milwaukee Mile | West Allis, Wisconsin |
| 6 | June 9 | R The Raceway at Belle Isle Park | Detroit, Michigan |
| 7 | June 23 | R Portland International Raceway | Portland, Oregon |
| 8 | June 30 | R Cleveland Burke Lakefront Airport | Cleveland, Ohio |
| 9 | July 14 | R Exhibition Place | Toronto, Ontario |
| 10 | August 4 | R Circuit Trois-Rivières | Trois-Rivières, Quebec |
| 11 | September 1 | R Streets of Vancouver | Vancouver, British Columbia |
| 12 | September 8 | R Laguna Seca Raceway | Monterey, California |
Homestead race
Held March 3 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. David Empringham won the pole.
Top Five Results
- David Empringham
- Chris Simmons
- Mark Hotchkis
- David DeSilva
- Jeff Ward
Long Beach race
Held April 14 at Long Beach, California Street Course. Gualter Salles won the pole.
Top Five Results
Nazareth race
Held April 28 at Nazareth Speedway. Claude Bourbonnais won the pole.
Top Five Results
- David DeSilva
- David Empringham
- Mark Hotchkis
- Chris Simmons
- Jeff Ward
Michigan race
Held May 25 at Michigan International Speedway. David Empringham won the pole.
Top Five Results
Milwaukee race
Held June 2 at The Milwaukee Mile. Mark Hotchkis won the pole.
Top Five Results
Detroit race
Held June 9 at Belle Isle Raceway. David Empringham won the pole.
Top Five Results
- Tony Kanaan
- Alex Padilla
- Claude Bourbonnais
- José Luis Di Palma
- Jaki Scheckter
Portland race
Held June 23 at Portland International Raceway. Tony Kanaan won the pole.
Top Five Results
Cleveland race
Held June 30 at Burke Lakefront Airport. Mark Hotchkis won the pole.
Top Five Results
Toronto race
Held July 14 at Exhibition Place. Jeff Ward won the pole.
Top Five Results
Trois-Rivières race
Held August 4 at the Trois-Rivières, Quebec Street Circuit. Hélio Castro-Neves won the pole.
Top Five Results
- Hélio Castro-Neves
- Tony Kanaan
- Alex Padilla
- David Empringham
- Bertrand Godin
Vancouver race
Held September 1 at Pacific Place. Jeff Ward won the pole.
Top Five Results
- Claude Bourbonnais
- Tony Kanaan
- Jeff Hotchkis
- Alex Padilla
- David Empringham
Laguna Seca race
Held September 8 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Tony Kanaan won the pole.
Top Five Results
Drivers' championship
- Scoring system
| Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | 11th | 12th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Points | 20 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
- The driver who qualifies on pole is awarded one additional point.
- An additional point is awarded to the driver who leads the most laps in a race.
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- Ties in points broken by number of wins, or best finishes.