Carlin edging closer to IndyCar programme

Trevor Carlin is closer than ever to fielding an IndyCar entry after Ed Jones' Indy Lights title triumph last weekend.

Jones, driving for Carlin, won the feeder series title at the second attempt, after making his début in the category with Carlin in what was the team's first year last season.

Carlin has entered cars and won championships in a number of single seater championships over the years, including Formula Four, Formula Three, GP3, and GP2, as well as their more recent American expansions, which Carlin aims to grow further next year.

"If I can win today that gives me more credibility and I will feel even more confident," Carlin told RACER before Jones won the Indy Lights title. "Plus, Ed will have a million bucks, and that's a million bucks closer to me having an IndyCar team."

"I'm the sort of person that tries every possible way to achieve a goal," he said. "I've got probably four real strong leads into making it happen. They're all different ways of doing it. Maybe one of them will come off this time.

"The way the IndyCar market is going at the minute, I see there being more drivers than seats," he said. "So now is my time. Whether those drivers have got 4, 5, $6 million to do it, I don't know. I have spoken to [IndyCar competition president] Jay Frye recently, he's been very supportive in trying to help me with my path."

Carlin also suggested that he was looking to expand lower down the Mazda Road To Indy Ladder as well as up it.

"There are so many people that want to do IndyCar right now," he said. "It's ridiculous. I've never seen anything like it. They've got more faith in us than I have, because I'm conservative and worried about what we do. We are always working hard and will keep pushing.

"To do all that, I want to work to bring more guys into the team, I want to promote some of my current guys, so I need to start expanding the business. That is the priority. Because if drivers want to do USF2000 or Pro Mazda in a year's time, I will have a complete ladder to the top. We've a lot to do in the months that follow."