ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Sabré Cook will make her Indy Pro 2000 debut on the streets of St. Petersburg behind the wheel of the No. 37 Team Benik Tatuus PM-18.
The season-opening doubleheader is part of a select series of races on the Indy Pro 2000 presented by Cooper Tires schedule that Cook, who races with support from Xtract Technologies, Apple Motorsports, Grand Junction Motor Speedway, GJ Home Builders, Alpine Bank, Bell Helmets and Iron Neck, will run this year. Cook is also participating in her second full season of W Series racing around the globe.
The Indy Pro 2000 Grand Prix of St. Petersburg opens Friday morning following an adjusted schedule on the temporary street circuit, with a 30-minute practice at 8:45 a.m. EDT followed by qualifying for race one at 1:25 p.m. EDT. Friday’s race one, which runs 25 laps or 40 minutes, gets the green at 6 p.m. EDT. The 25-lap or 40-minute race two begins at 11:40 p.m. EDT on Saturday.
“2020 is shaping up to be a very busy and exciting racing season for me,” Cook said. “I can’t wait to get the racing started with the kickoff of the Indy Pro 2000 season at the Streets of St. Petersburg with Team Benik.”
Cook will run six events with Team Benik in 2020, returning to the team after a partial season in USF2000 in 2018. That 2018 season included the doubleheader at St. Petersburg, where Cook improved six positions in each race despite limited testing and running her first race weekend in the series.
That groundwork, combined with the experience gained with a top-12 series finish in the W Series a season ago, allows Cook to enter this weekend’s race with optimism.
“Having raced there previously with them in USF2000 in 2018 I think gives me a great idea of what to expect going into the weekend,” Cook said. “My time in the Indy Pro 2000 car is quite limited though so there will still be plenty of learning to do. As far as expectations I’m going into the weekend with the focus on getting more acquainted with the car, see how best to tailor my race craft to it, and work on giving my best performance in each session. After the first race of the season we will see where we stack up and be able to set more specific goals for the remaining races.”
In addition to the season opener, Cook is also scheduled for Road To Indy races April 23-26 at Circuit of the Americas, May 7-9 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, June 19-21 at Road America, August 14-16 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and September 18-20 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. The eight-event W Series calendar begins May 29-30 in St. Petersburg, Russia.