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The T97/20 was raced from 1997 through 2000 in the Indy Lights Series. Though the car was a new design built from 'the ground-up', it did borrow some of its design from the T96/50 Formula 3000 car. Performance of the T97/20 was similar to the T93/20, but this is where similarities ended and differences began. The car was constructed to comply with the regulations of the series. The Series was very focused on safety, and the designs highlighted this concern. The chassis was a monocoque design comprised of aluminum honeycomb composite and carbon fibre. The front of a car had a nose that was designed to give the driver adequate protection in a crash. The shell was built to high structural integrity and given a strengthened footbox, which had a double bulkhead. The overall design of the very was aerodynamic and attractive, giving more downfoce than its F3000 counterpart.

The cars were powered by V6 engines, though they could accommodate larger, V8 units. Mounted in the rear was a Buick 4.2-liter V6 engine capable of producing 425 horsepower. Each engine was sealed to prevent any tampering or modifications by the competitors. The engines were leased to the teams at a cost of $46,000 per season. A rebuild of the engine cost an additional $8,000. The ARS (American Racing Series) warranted the engines for 1,000 miles or for a total of three race weekends. Mated to the engine was a conventional Hewland gearbox mounted longitudinally and offering five gears for the driver. The total weight of the vehicle was around 650 kgs without the driver.

During the 1997 Indy Lights Championship, it was a close battle for the top three positions throughout the season. Three Brazilians walked away in the top spots separated by only a few points. Tony Kanaan beat his fellow Tasman Motorsports teammate, Helio Castro-Neves, for first place by earning 156 points to Castro-Neves' 152 points. In third was Cristiano da Matta from team Brian Stewart Racing with 141 points.

Indy Lights / IndyPro

The Indy Lights Series was raced from 1986 through 2001 and served as a developmental circuit for CART. Just like CART, it was an open-wheeled racing series. It was originally named the American Racing Series (ARS), but it was renamed a few years later, in 1991, to Indy Lights. Due to financial difficulties with the CART series, this minor league was canceled in 2001. By this time, Toyota Atlantic had gained in popularity and was able to fill the void when the Indy Lights Series ended.

The Current Indy Lights racing series began racing in 2002 and was founded by the Indy Racing League. It is a spec series using a modified version of the 3.5-liter V8 engine found in the Infiniti Q45. The 420 horsepower is housed in a Dallara chassis.

The series began to gain popularity in the mid-2000s, partly due to the addition of many road-courses. A boost in prize money in 2006 attracted even more interest.

From 2002 through 2006 the series was called the Menards Infiniti Pro Series. At the time, it was known as the Indy Pro Series. In 2008, it became known as Firestone Indy Lights.

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Mid-Ohio Vintage Grand Prix	Watkins Glen Historic Sportscar Racing

1997 Lola T97/20
Year	1997
Make	Lola
Model	T97/20
Body Style	Indy Lights
Engine Location	Mid
Drive Type	Rear Wheel
Body / Chassis	Carbon fiber and aluminum honeycomb monocoque
Production Years for Series	1997 - 2000
Weight	650 kg \| 1433.3 lbs
Combined MPG	0.00

Performance
Top Speed	190 mph \| 305.7 km/h Similar top speeds

Engine
Engine Builder	Buick
Engine Configuration	V
	90-degree
Cylinders	8
Aspiration/Induction	Normal
Displacement	4.20 L \| 256.3 cu in. \| 4200.8 cc.
Horsepower	425.00 HP (312.8 KW)
HP to Weight Ratio	3.4 LB / HP (Vehicles with similar ratio)
HP / Liter	101.2 BHP / Liter
Fuel Type	Gasoline - Petrol
Fuel Feed	Fuel Injected
	Vehicles with similar horsepower and weight

Standard Transmission
Gears	5
Transmission	Manual
	Hewland

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1997 Lola T97/20