Archives for USF Pro 2000 PR

Mazda Road to Indy Open-Wheel Rising Stars Head to Toronto Streets

Posted by  on Thursday, July 14th 2016     

Mazda Road to Indy Open-Wheel Rising Stars Head to Toronto Streets Indy Lights, Pro Mazda and USF2000 Series All Set for Double-Header Action PALMETTO, Fla. (July 13, 2016) –The Mazda Road to Indy is set to provide some thrilling action this weekend as all three steps on the open-wheel development ladder – Indy Lights Presented…

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category: INDY NXT by Firestone, USF Pro 2000 PR, USF2000 PR

Tatuus USF-17 Prototype Road Course Testing Concludes

Posted by  on Wednesday, June 29th 2016     

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. – The road course portion of the rigorous Tatuus USF-17 prototype development program wrapped up yesterday at Road America with accolades for the state-of-the-art next-generation chassis that will form the backbone for the first two steps on the Mazda Road to Indy ladder system – the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by…

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category: USF Pro 2000 PR, USF2000 PR

Mazda Road to Indy Returns to Road America

Posted by  on Tuesday, June 21st 2016     
Mazda Road to Indy Returns to Road America
All Three Levels in Action for Doubleheader Rounds
PALMETTO, Fla. (June 21, 2016) – This weekend will mark a welcome return to the picturesque Road America circuit for all three levels of the highly acclaimed Mazda Road to Indy, with a pair of races on the docket for each series in support of the Verizon IndyCar Series’ Kohler Grand Prix. Located in Elkhart Lake, Wis., the 4.048-mile, 14-turn road course has long been a driver and fan favorite.
Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires has held only four events at the legendary circuit, making its last appearance 25 years ago in 1990 with Paul Tracy taking the win en route to the championship title. The Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires and the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda have a more recent history. The last Pro Mazda race took place in 2010 with IndyCar talent Conor Daly winning from the pole. USF2000 last held a tripleheader event in 2012 with Matthew Brabham and Scott Anderson earning victory honors.
Title Chase Heats Up in Indy Lights as New Faces Join the Fray
Six drivers have claimed victory in the eight rounds held to date but only two drivers have notched a pair of wins in the hotly contested championship – Ed Jones of Carlin and Dean Stoneman of Andretti Autosport. Only 29 points separate the two at the season’s halfway mark with Jones looking to extend his lead this weekend.
Hot on their heels are Santi Urrutia (Schmidt Peterson Motorsports with Curb-Agajanian), Kyle Kaiser (Juncos Racing) and Felix Serralles (Belardi Auto Racing), who are separated by a mere six points with Urrutia only 10 markers in arrears of Stoneman.
The majority of the Lights teams tested at Road America in May including Carlin, Juncos Racing, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, Andretti Autosport and Belardi Auto Racing.
“It’s so much like Spa with the long straights and fast corners,” said Jones. “That can make it difficult to put a good lap together because there are so many things to get right. It’s very challenging and I really enjoy that. It’s one of my favorites here. With the flowing, high-speed corners and heavy braking zones, it has a good mixture of everything. I think the racing will be very good especially since the long straights should create more opportunities for passing.”
“It’s a high-speed, flowing track and it’s really enjoyable to drive,” added Stoneman. “It’s got a bit of everything: high-speed, low-speed, sweepers and 90-degree corners. It’s enjoyable to work with your engineer here, to figure out how to make the car better on the whole track. It’s been a learning curve for us in developing the car this season, especially since last year Andretti Autosport had one car and this year they have three. Between the three of us, we have the car going in the right direction.”
Andretti Autosport indeed has shown its progress. In the most recent round – the Freedom 100 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway – Stoneman took the win while teammate Dalton Kellett finished third to claim his career-best result with Shelby Blackstock fourth.
Two new faces will be on the Road America grid as Garett Grist moves up from Pro Mazda to make his Indy Lights debut with Team Pelfrey and James French of nearby Sheboygan debuts with Belardi Auto Racing, filling in for Sweden’s Felix Rosenqvist who has European racing commitments this weekend.
The Mazda Indy Lights Grand Prix of Road America Presented by Cooper Tires will feature Race 1 at 1:00 pm EDTon Saturday and Race 2 at 9:45 am on Sunday. All Indy Lights track activity will be livestreamed on the Road To Indy TV App as well as indylights.com and indycar.com. Sunday’s feature race will have same day coverage on NBCSN at 3:30 pm.
Telitz Looking for Pro Mazda Victories in Hometown Race
Pato O’Ward has taken an impressive stranglehold on the Pro Mazda championship. The 17-year-old Monterrey, Mexico native has won six of the first seven races and is looking to eclipse Matthew’s Brabham’s record of seven wins in the first eight races in 2013.
With a seemingly comfortable 55-point lead in the championship standings heading into the weekend, O’Ward’s biggest threat remains his Team Pelfrey teammate Aaron Telitz who has been the only other driver to feature on the top step of the podium to date this season.
Telitz, who was born in Rice Lake and lives in Birchwood, has had many firsts at the Road America circuit and is expecting a sizable contingent of family and friends this weekend for his home race.
“Road America really is a special place for me,” said Telitz. “This was where I had my first experience in a race car, at the three-day Skip Barber Racing School, my first race and my first race win. I’ve never had a ‘home’ race on the Mazda Road to Indy before, so this is going to be exciting. Pretty much my entire extended family will be there, plus friends from Birchwood. I have a lot of friends from college in Eau Claire coming down and camping out, so it will be a huge event for me.
“This is the biggest track we go to. It’s got huge straightaways and huge elevation changes, so it’s pretty extreme. It’s super old-school. In all the races this weekend, you’re going to see lots of passing and groups of cars running together because they’ll be able to draft together. We’ll be running less downforce in the car because the straights are so long and that will make for some exciting racing. The fans are going to love it!”
As for his thoughts on the championship, Telitz is looking to take the battle all the way to the end.
“I came into the year planning to do the best I could and to take away a win and a second at the first race weekend and then go into a string of second-place finishes was an awesome way to start the year. I’m planning to keep the string of podium finishes going, because that’s what it takes to win a championship. IndyCar is where I want to go – that’s been my goal since Day One in race cars and I haven’t wavered from that.”
With the departure of Garett Grist to Indy Lights, Juncos Racing’s Will Owen will more than likely slot into third place in the championship standings. Owen left the month of May with a pair of podium finishes and will be looking to fend off the challenges from reigning USF2000 champion and Mazda scholarship winner Nico Jamin. The Cape Motorsports w/ Wayne Taylor Racing driver sits only five points behind Owen followed by Jake Parsons of Juncos Racing.
One to watch this weekend will be TJ Fischer who moves up from USF2000 and will be making his Pro Mazda debut out of the dominant Team Pelfrey stable.
In National Class action, regular Bobby Eberle of JDC MotorSports will be looking to hold off the advances of teammate Kevin Davis and Bob Kaminsky of Kaminsky Racing who returns to the series this weekend.
The pair of Pro Mazda Grand Prix of Road America races, comprising Rounds 8 and 9 of the championship, will take place on Saturday at 9:55 am EDT and 3:05 pm with live streaming of all sessions on the Road To Indy TV App and at promazda.com and indycar.com.
Cape Motorsports Teammates Battle for USF2000 Supremacy
With a string of five victories in the last five rounds, Cape Motorsports w/ Wayne Taylor Racing teammates Parker Thompson and Anthony Martin appear poised to lead the squad to its fifth consecutive team championship and sixth consecutive driver championship.
Thompson, of Red Deer, Alberta, Canada has been a mark of consistency, starting on the front row in all seven rounds held to date and only once finishing outside the top four. He has amassed the most wins this season with three. Martin, from Kalgoorlie, Australia, also has been a fixture at the top of the timesheets with six top-five finishes and two wins.
Not to be counted out in the championship title chase, however, are local teams Pabst Racing (Oconomowoc) and ArmsUp Motorsports (Sheboygan Falls). Pabst Racing teammates Jordan Lloyd and Yufeng Luo are the only other drivers to score victories to date this season, with Lloyd sitting third in the standings and Luo fifth. The pair are separated by Victor Franzoni of ArmsUp Motorsports who has scored podium finishes in each of the last three events.
Max Hanratty, also of ArmsUp Motorsports, will be one to watch as well as he looks to impress in his home race. Hanratty was born in Hartland and currently resides in Milwaukee. He is also a shareholder and season ticket holder for the Green Bay Packers.
The USF2000 National Class will see an expanded field this weekend with Eric Filgueiras (Spencer Racing), Green Bay’s Dale VandenBush (ArmsUp Motorsports), Brendan Puderbach (Fat Boy Racing) and Charles Finelli (Fat Boy Racing).
The Cooper Tires USF2000 Grand Prix of Road America Powered by Mazda will kick off with a pair of races on Saturday at 9:00 am EDT and 1:10 pm. All on-track activity will be live streamed on the Road To Indy TV App and at usf2000.com and indycar.com.
category: INDY NXT by Firestone, USF Pro 2000 PR, USF2000 PR

Road Course or Oval, O’Ward and Team Pelfrey Remain On Top in Pro Mazda

Posted by  on Saturday, May 28th 2016     

Grist Pushes Mexican Teenager to the Limit in Carb Night Classic at Lucas Oil Raceway BROWNSBURG, Ind. – This evening’s Cooper Tires Freedom 90, Round Seven of the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires, run as part of the Carb Night Classic “The Race Before the 500” at Lucas Oil Raceway, provided yet another…

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category: USF Pro 2000 PR

Carb Night Classic Features Two Levels of the Mazda Road to Indy

Posted by  on Wednesday, May 25th 2016     
Carb Night Classic Features Two Levels of the Mazda Road to Indy
Build-Up to the Historic 100th Indianapolis 500 Continues at Lucas Oil Raceway
PALMETTO, Fla. (May 24, 2016) – All three levels of the acclaimed Mazda Road to Indy development ladder, which offers drivers a range of Mazda scholarships to progress from the grassroots of the sport to the pinnacle of open-wheel racing in North America, will see action this week as the excitement builds in anticipation of the historic 100th Indianapolis 500 on Memorial Day weekend. Mere hours after the conclusion of Carb Day activities at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which will include the Freedom 100 – the highlight of the Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires season – Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis will play host to rounds of the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda and the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires.
The traditional “opening act” for the Indy 500 has been renamed the Carb Night Classic – “The Race Before the 500″ – and will be held on Friday evening, May 27. The event also will include a round of the USAC Silver Crown Series.
O’Ward Seeks to Extend Win Streak, Championship Lead
Teen-aged Mexican talent Patricio “Pato” O’Ward has taken control of the Pro Mazda points chase by virtue of five wins from the first six races for Team Pelfrey. The youngster from Monterrey, Mexico, who now lives and attends school in San Antonio, Texas, will be looking to extend his current win streak to five after claiming a dominant double victory on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course two weeks ago.
Another triumph in Friday’s Cooper Tires Freedom 90 event at Lucas Oil Raceway – one of two Pro Mazda oval events this season – will bring the second-year racer within one win of matching Matthew Brabham’s record streak of seven consecutive wins en route to the championship and a coveted Mazda scholarship that assisted his progression to Indy Lights in 2013.
O’Ward’s challengers will include rookie teammate Aaron Telitz, from Birchwood, Wis., whose tally of one race win and four seconds sees him firmly ensconced in second place in the championship chase, and Canadian Garett Grist, who won the corresponding race at Lucas Oil Raceway in 2014 and claimed a fifth-place finish last year. Grist, from Grimsby, Ont., Canada, also recorded a second-place finish in USF2000 competition at LOR during his debut Mazda Road to Indy campaign in 2013.
Grist will be joined in the Brownsburg, Ind.-based Juncos Racing team by Colorado’s Will Owen, who secured a pair of podium finishes on the Indy road course, and a pair of rookies, Australian Jake Parsons, who also visited the podium for the first time, and Argentina’s Nicolas Dapero.
Jake Eidson, from Littleton, Colo., and Nico Jamin, from Rouen, France, finished first and second, respectively, last year in the USF2000 race at LOR, and will be looking to repeat that kind of form after stepping up to Pro Mazda as teammates with Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing.
Pro Mazda rookies will take to the 0.686-mile oval first for a 30-minute test session starting at 10:15 a.m. EDT on Thursday, May 26. Series veterans will join in for an additional 30 minutes at 10:45. The full field will have two additional one-hour tests at 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., followed by a half-hour official practice at 6:15 p.m. On Friday, May 27, single-car qualifying will commence at 4:30 p.m., with the green flag for the 90-lap Cooper Tires Freedom 90 set for 7:10 p.m. Live timing and live streaming shows of qualifying and the race will be available on the Road To Indy TV App and at promazda.com.
Canadian Thompson on a Roll in USF2000
Former karting standout Parker Thompson, from Red Deer, Alb., Canada, endured a steep learning curve during his rookie USF2000 campaign in 2015 but is now enjoying the fruit of his efforts. Thompson has won three of the last four races – and has qualified first or second in each of the six races held to date – to open up a commanding 28-point lead in the chase for a Mazda scholarship to assist in graduation to the next step on the Mazda Road to Indy ladder, Pro Mazda, in 2017.
Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing teammate Anthony Martin, from Perth, Western Australia, currently lies second in the title-chase with one victory to his credit.
Pabst Racing teammates Jordan Lloyd, from Toowoomba, Australia, Yufeng Luo, who earlier this year became the first Chinese driver to win a race on the Mazda Road to Indy, and Garth Rickards, from Mechanicsburg, Pa., are seeking to emulate the form of Jake Eidson, who scored an emphatic victory for the Oconomowoc, Wis.-based team at Lucas Oil Raceway in 2015.
Martin, Luo, Thompson and Rickards finished fourth, fifth, sixth and ninth, respectively, at LOR one year ago, and will be looking to take full advantage of their experience.
Victor Franzoni, from Sao Paulo, Brazil, not only brings additional global recognition to the Mazda Road to Indy, he also has useful prior experience on the tricky oval after finishing third in 2014. Franzoni, who currently lies fourth in the points table with three podium finishes to his credit, will drive for ArmsUp Motorsports, which guided Aaron Telitz to Victory Lane in 2014.
Returning USF2000 veteran Luke Gabin (JAY Motorsports), from Australia, finished among the top 10 last year, while a strong rookie contingent will include 16-year-old Robert Megennis, from New York, N.Y., fast-improving Brazilian Lucas Kohl (John Cummiskey Racing), who is coached by Formula 1 and IndyCar veteran Roberto Moreno, and Californian Dakota Dickerson (Afterburner Autosport), who won last year’s Mazda/Skip Barber National Championship scholarship to make the step up into USF2000 for 2016.
The Mazda Freedom 75, Round Seven in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda, will be the only oval event during the 16-race season. Rookie drivers will take the track first at 9:00 a.m. EDT on Thursday, May 26, for an exclusive 30-minute test before being joined by series veterans for an additional 30 minutes. The entire field have two more 60-minute test sessions at 11:30 a.m. and 2:45 p.m., followed by 30 minutes of official practice beginning at 5:30 p.m. Friday’s activities will commence with qualifying at 4:00 p.m. The 75-lap race is set to start at 6:10 p.m. Live timing and streaming shows of qualifying and the race will be available on the Road To Indy TV App and at usf2000.com.
category: USF Pro 2000 PR, USF2000 PR

Team Pelfrey and O’Ward Secure Pro Mazda Clean Sweep at Indianapolis

Posted by  on Sunday, May 15th 2016     
Team Pelfrey and O’Ward Secure Pro Mazda Clean Sweep at Indianapolis
Five Wins out of Six Ensure Commanding Points Lead for Mexican Teenager
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The weather turned distinctively cooler today at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but Patricio “Pato” O’Ward continued his hot streak by dominating this morning’s Pro Mazda Grand Prix of Indianapolis Presented by Cooper Tires. O’Ward, 17, from Monterrey, Mexico, repeated his form from yesterday to claim his fourth straight win and his fifth of the season in the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires.
Aaron Telitz, from Birchwood, Wis., ensured another clean sweep of the top two positions by Team Pelfrey – also for the fifth time in six races – while Castle Rock, Colo.’s Will Owen finished a lonely third for locally based team Juncos Racing.
The only time anyone came close to challenging O’Ward’s superiority this weekend was on the long run from the rolling start to Turn One on the 2.439-mile road course. Telitz remained alongside all the way into the braking area, while Owen realized this might be his only chance to derail the Team Pelfrey freight train, so kept his foot on the throttle as long as he dared before jumping on the brakes for the tight right-hander. The three cars were virtually abreast as they turned into the corner but they emerged in the same order, and O’Ward never looked back.
O’Ward quickly stretched out his advantage to over four seconds before managing a comfortable gap. His eventual margin of victory was 4.7056 seconds. O’Ward set the fastest race lap for good measure. He now leads Telitz by 188 points to 149 with 10 races remaining this season.
Telitz took a little longer to get up to speed but, once into his groove, quickly left Owen, in the quickest of the four Juncos Racing entries, firmly in his wake. He completed the 29 lap all-green race a full 17 seconds clear of Owen, who in turn finished 13.7 seconds clear of anyone else.
Arguably the best drive of the race was posted by 2015 Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda winner Nico Jamin. The Mazda scholarship winner from Rouen, France, completed the first lap in seventh position, locked in battle with Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing teammate Jake Eidson, but by the finish had worked his way through to fourth.
Yesterday’s podium finisher Jake Parsons (Juncos Racing) was Jamin’s first victim, out-braked neatly into Turn One on Lap Four. Six laps later, Jamin repeated the maneuver on Argentina’s Nicolas Dapero (Juncos Racing) before setting his sights on pre-season championship favorite Garett Grist, from Grimsby, Ont., Canada, in yet another green-and-white Juncos car. Grist withstood the challenge until Jamin finally made a move stick at Turn 12 with just a couple of laps remaining. Jamin’s efforts brought him both the Quarter Master Hard Charger Award and the Staubli Award.
The PFC Award went to the winning team, Team Pelfrey.
Bobby Eberle (JDC MotorSports), from Houston, Texas, won the National Class in convincing style for the second day in a row, although teammate Kevin Davis, from Alvin, Ill., remained in contention for much of the race after improving his pace by almost 2.5 seconds in comparison to Friday.
The next round of the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires will take place on the Lucas Oil Raceway oval in nearby Brownsburg, Ind., on the evening of Friday, May 27.
Patricio “Pato” O’Ward (#80 Gap Guard-Team Pelfrey/TopoChico): “I’m so happy right now! We had a nearly perfect weekend in the world capital of racing and one of the greatest racetracks in the world. It’s a team effort, everyone works together so well. It’s so cold this morning – I really felt it getting into the car, I couldn’t feel my hands or my feet! But once you get going and blood starts pumping, you’re fine. We went with the sticker Cooper tires and I was really happy with how quickly they came up to temperature. I just had to stay consistent out front and get the job done. I tried to stay relaxed and do my job. I can’t let the pressure get to me, because that’s when you make a mistake.”
category: USF Pro 2000 PR

Team Pelfrey’s Pro Mazda Trio Lead the Way to Barber

Posted by  on Wednesday, April 20th 2016     
Team Pelfrey’s Pro Mazda Trio Lead the Way to Barber
O’Ward Heads Mazda Road to Indy Series’ Standings
PALMETTO, Fla. – The battle for this year’s Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires – and the Mazda scholarship package to graduate to Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires in 2017 – heats up this weekend at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala. A pair of Mazda North American Operations Presents the Pro Mazda Grand Prix of Alabama races will comprise Rounds Three and Four of the 16-race schedule.
Team Pelfrey displayed blistering pace at the challenging 2.3-mile road course during the pre-season Spring Training test in early March. The Florida-based organization continued that form in the first two races at St. Petersburg, Fla., where Patricio “Pato” O’Ward, from Monterrey, Mexico, and rookie Aaron Telitz, from Birchwood, Wis., each scored a win and a second-place finish to assume the early championship advantage. Telitz, who was fastest in Spring Training, also won one of the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda races in 2015 at Barber.
Malaysian Weiron Tan ensured a Team Pelfrey one-two-three sweep in Round Two at St. Pete and has every intention of taking his turn in the Winner’s Circle this weekend after claiming two poles and one race win at Barber in 2015. All three have their sights set on emulating Uruguay’s Santiago Urrutia, who secured a pair of podium finishes at Barber for Team Pelfrey en route to the championship title and a Mazda Scholarship to ensure his graduation to Indy Lights for 2016. Team Pelfrey also clinched the 2012 Pro Mazda championship with current Verizon IndyCar Series driver Jack Hawksworth.
Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing and Juncos Racing also will have high expectations this weekend.
Cape will field cars for a pair of rookies, Nico Jamin, from Rouen, France, and Jake Eidson, from Littleton, Colo., each of whom claimed top-four results at St. Petersburg. Both are stepping up from USF2000. Jamin was a dominant force, winning 10 out of 16 races, including one at Barber, to become the Cape team’s fifth consecutive champion driver, while Eidson also displayed race-winning form in 2015.
Juncos Racing’s challenge will be headed by Garett Grist, from Grimsby, Ont., Canada, who has raced a Pro Mazda car in each of the past two seasons at Barber Motorsports Park, earning a podium finish last year. Grist began the new year as a firm championship favorite after earning more championship points than anyone else during the second half of the 2015 campaign, and will be looking to rebound from a disappointing opening weekend at St. Petersburg which netted no better than a sixth and an eighth-place result.
The team’s best finisher at St. Petersburg was Australian rookie Jake Parsons, who took fifth in Race Two. Parsons has accumulated much success in Asia over the past two years. Teammate Will Owen, from Castle Rock, Colo., who is now beginning his second year in Pro Mazda, will be looking to improve on his fourth-place run at Barber last year and Argentinean rookie Nicolas Dapero, who contested some Brazilian Formula 3 races last year, will also be one to watch.
Mazda North American Operations Presents the Pro Mazda Grand Prix of Alabama will commence with a pair of test sessions at 9:20 a.m. CDT and 12 noon on Thursday, April 21, followed by the first official practice session later in the afternoon at 3:45 p.m. A second practice session is slated for 8:45 a.m. on Friday, with qualifying for the first of two races at 2:25 p.m. Round Three of the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires will start immediately following IndyCar qualifying on Saturday afternoon at 4:30 p.m., with Race Two set for 11:15 a.m. on Sunday, April 24. Live streaming shows of all sessions will be available on the Road To Indy TV App, and at promazda.com and indycar.com.
category: USF Pro 2000 PR

Telitz Takes his Turn as Team Pelfrey Earns Pro Mazda St. Pete Sweep

Posted by  on Sunday, March 13th 2016     

Six Different Winners Highlight Opening Mazda Road to Indy Weekend ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Locally based Team Pelfrey enjoyed a banner weekend in the opening two races of the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires. After young Mexican Patricio O’Ward claimed top honors yesterday in the first of two races that made up the…

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category: USF Pro 2000 PR

O’Ward Dominates Opening Pro Mazda Race in St. Pete

Posted by  on Saturday, March 12th 2016     
O’Ward Dominates Opening Pro Mazda Race in St. Pete
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Two weeks ago, Patricio “Pato” O’Ward wasn’t even sure whether he would be competing in the 2016 Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires. After concluding a last-minute arrangement to rejoin Team Pelfrey for the first four races of the season just a few days before last weekend’s Spring Training pre-season test at Barber Motorsports Park, in Birmingham, Ala., the second-year driver romped to an impressive maiden victory in today’s Allied Building Products Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.
O’Ward, 16, from Monterrey, Mexico, had been edged on pace by teammate Aaron Telitz, from Birchwood, Wis., both in Spring Training and in practice yesterday on the streets of downtown St. Petersburg, but when it mattered today, the talented teenager qualified on pole position, made a perfect getaway from the rolling start and was never seriously challenged throughout the 40-minute race.
O’Ward, who finished sixth in the 2015 points table as a rookie on the Mazda Road to Indy, led by a full 1.4 seconds after the opening lap of the 14-turn, 1.8-mile track.  He traded fastest laps with Telitz during the opening half-dozen laps before being able to maintain better consistency and gradually extend his advantage. O’Ward finally took the checkered flag 2.7033 seconds clear of Telitz to secure a one-two finish for Team Pelfrey, which is based just across the Sunshine Skyway bridge from St. Petersburg in Palmetto, Fla.
Jake Eidson (Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing), who won both Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda races last year in St. Petersburg, finished a lonely third on his Pro Mazda debut, followed by teammate Nico Jamin. It was the Frenchman who had won last year’s USF2000 title – and the Mazda Scholarship to graduate into Pro Mazda for 2016 – but Eidson gained some revenge by edging his rival in qualifying, then retained his slender advantage in the race. Eidson took the checkered flag a full 9.6 seconds behind Telitz but remained well clear of Jamin to secure a podium finish.
Malaysian Weiron Tan, driving a third Team Pelfrey entry, finished close behind Jamin in fifth, while pre-season favorite Garett Grist, from Grimsby, Ont., Canada, who scored more points than anyone else during the second half of the 2015 title-chase, including eventual champion Santiago Urrutia, could manage no better than sixth for Juncos Racing. Grist gained some consolation by securing the Quarter Master Hard Charger Award for making up two positions during the race after starting eighth. Mexican teammate Jorge Cevallos drove well to finish close behind Grist, marking a fine return to the sport following an 18-month absence due to illness.
Team Pelfrey claimed the PFC Award, given to the winning team, while O’Ward also earned the Staubli Award.
Race Two of the Allied Building Products Grand Prix of St. Petersburg will take place tomorrow at 4:30 p.m., following the Verizon IndyCar Series main event.
Pato O’Ward (Gap Guard-Team Pelfrey): “It feels fantastic to win the first race of the season and to get my first Pro Mazda win. It was such a long race that we really had to take care of the equipment. It gets really difficult around the street circuits once you get to the halfway point. I tried to minimize mistakes and keep the rear of the car stable. The Pelfrey team gave me an amazing car; it was super balanced. I really have to keep my game up to have a chance in the championship; I need to keep my focus and get the maximum points in every race.”
Aaron Telitz (Rice Lake Weighing Systems-Team Pelfrey): “I was anticipating really struggling for grip by the end of the race so I thought that if I managed my tires better than Pato, I would have a shot at the end. But I didn’t get through lapped traffic that well and wasn’t close enough. It was a little crazy at the start but then we both settled into our groove. It’s important to get every point we can.”
category: USF Pro 2000 PR

Intriguing Mix of Veterans, Rookies Set for Pro Mazda Season-Opener

Posted by  on Wednesday, March 9th 2016     
Intriguing Mix of Veterans, Rookies Set for Pro Mazda Season-Opener 
PALMETTO, Fla. – A combination of veterans and rookies will do battle this weekend on the streets of St. Petersburg, Fla., as the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires kicks off with a pair of races which will comprise the Allied Building Products Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. All of the combatants will be chasing a coveted Mazda Scholarship valued at over $590,000 which will assist the series champion in graduating one more step up the Mazda Road to Indy open-wheel development ladder to Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires in 2017.
The Mazda Road to Indy is unique in the world of auto racing, providing scholarships for drivers to progress from the grassroots of the sport all the way through to the Verizon IndyCar Series and the Indianapolis 500.
Garett Grist, from Grimsby, Ont., Canada, will start as one of the favorites for Pro Mazda honors after earning more championship points than anyone else during the second half of the 2015 season en route to third in the standings. Grist, 20, will remain with Juncos Racing, which guided Spencer Pigot to the 2014 championship title and won last year’s Team Championship.
“The city really falls in love with this race, much like my hometown Toronto race,” said Grist. “I’m really excited for the weekend, even though it’s probably been my roughest race each season. I’m hoping we can turn that around this year.”
Juncos Racing also will field cars for returning series veteran Will Owen, from Castle Rock, Colo., who secured a trio of podium finishes last year; Jake Parsons, from Melbourne, Australia, who finished second in last year’s Formula Masters China series; and fellow rookie Nicolas Dapero, from Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Team Pelfrey, based just across the Sunshine Skyway bridge from St. Petersburg in Palmetto, Fla., will field a trio of cars for Malaysian Weiron Tan, who won four races last year and placed fourth in the final standings; teenaged Mexican Patricio “Pato” O’Ward, three times a podium finisher in 2015; and Aaron Telitz, from Birchwood, Wis., who is stepping up from the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda after finishing third in the championship and claiming a pair of podium finishes in St. Petersburg.
“The atmosphere at St. Pete is always great, but especially this year since it will be during spring break,” said Telitz, who was fastest in last weekend’s Spring Training test at Barber Motorsports Park. “The track is in a great location, right by the bay and right downtown – and it’s a great track layout. I know the track well and I’m getting used to driving the Pro Mazda car. It hasn’t been a difficult transition, just getting used to the fact that the car brakes and accelerates better and it’s a faster car. I’m looking forward to a solid first weekend.”
St. Petersburg-based Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing also will be strong, fielding cars for last year’s USF2000 champion Nico Jamin, from Rouen, France, who won a scholarship to graduate to the next level of the Mazda Road to Indy, and Destin, Fla.’s Jake Eidson, who is also stepping up from USF2000 races after winning both races last year on the streets of St. Petersburg.
“I was third at St. Pete last year but I expect more for this year,” said Jamin. “Cape had a great Pro Mazda car here last year with two poles and two wins so we are aiming for the same thing this year. I’m really excited to wear the Soul Red color on my car and my suit this year – I’m very proud to be a Mazda scholarship driver. I will do my best to win this championship so I can wear this color again next year.”
“We had a great result at St. Pete last year so hopefully we can click there again this year,” added Eidson. “The track works great with my driving style but the Pro Mazda car is totally different. It’s a learning curve – you have to set up the car differently, the tires are different, the general balance is different. I’m trying to get used to that as fast as I can.”
The Pro Mazda cars will take to the 1.8-mile, 14-turn street circuit on Friday, March 11, for a pair of half-hour practice sessions at 8:05 a.m. and 1.35 p.m. Qualifying will follow on Saturday at 7:30 a.m., followed by Race One at 10:50 a.m. Race Two will start immediately following the Verizon IndyCar Series event at 4:30 p.m. on Sunday. Live streaming shows of all sessions will be available at promazda.com, indycar.com and on the Road To Indy TV App.
category: USF Pro 2000 PR
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