Indy Lights Category

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer After a successful 2017 Prototype Challenge campaign in the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship, Pato O’Ward has returned to his roots and signed with Andretti Autosport to contest the 2018 Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires alongside returning teammates Colton Herta, Dalton Kellett and Ryan Norman. The Mexican racer began his open wheel journey in the U.S. in the Pro Mazda Championship presented by Cooper Tires in 2015 and after winning five of the first six Pro Mazda races in 2016, O’WardRead More

By Aaron Bearden, Contributing Writer After bookending the 2017 Indy Lights season with victories at St. Petersburg and Watkins Glen International, Aaron Telitz and Belardi Auto Racing are set to give the tour another go. Belardi announced on Thursday that Telitz, 26, will return to the organization for his second Indy Lights season in 2018. The team intends to complete the full 17-race schedule, though they currently have only a partial budget prepared for the coming year. “I’m incredibly excited about how our team is developing for 2018, and beingRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer After winning the 2017 Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires, Kyle Kaiser and Juncos Racing announced a four race partnership for the 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series season that could include more races if more of a budget were found. This was possible thanks to a scholarship presented to the Indy Lights champion valued at $1 million and other Indy Lights champions have used that to make their IndyCar debuts. But what advice would past champions give to Kaiser about moving up toRead More

By Road to Indy Among the impressive statistics for open-wheel powerhouse Carlin, one stands out above the rest: the team’s Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires squad has graduated an impressive three drivers into the top rung of the Mazda Road to Indy ladder, the Verizon IndyCar Series, over the past three years. Trevor Carlin’s eponymous team is now set to take that very same step, making the announcement yesterday that it will enter the 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series with Indy Lights graduates Max Chilton and Charlie Kimball. Carlin joinsRead More

By Road to Indy Kyle Kaiser and Juncos Racing will see a dream realized next year when they graduate together from the Mazda Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires to the top rung of the sport, the Verizon IndyCar Series. It is a testament to both the team’s expertise and Kaiser’s progression, which culminated in this year’s Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires title and the Mazda scholarship, that helps to make their dream a reality. After a successful karting career and limited car racing experience, which included anRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer The Mazda Road to Indy presented by Cooper Tires recently concluded their first official test after the 2017 season at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. The seventh annual Chris Griffis Memorial Test was a chance for several drivers and teams to get acquainted with one another and with their machinery, as well as giving everyone a reason to see cars run at IMS. Here’s some observations about the weekend. Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires Victor Franzoni, Anthony Martin and CarlosRead More

By Road to Indy Forty drivers representing all three rungs of the Mazda Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires were in action this weekend during the two-day Chris Griffis Memorial Test held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Over 5,300 laps were turned around the 2.439-mile road course in the seventh annual outing as teams and drivers focused on 2018 preparations. The highly anticipated debut of the brand-new PM-18 – with the first container of 15 chassis sold out and additional cars and conversion kits on the way – tookRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer Mark Twain popularized the phrase “There are three kinds of falsehoods; lies, damned lies and statistics,” which he attributed to British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli. Statistics was how this writer looked at Team Pelfrey in a recent roundtable discussion.  In it, this writer said that the team had been disappointing because “I did not expect a large organization like Pelfrey to have only one win this season.” Motorsports Tribune sat down at Watkins Glen with Jonathan Baker to speak about the team’sRead More

By Road to Indy A little more than a month after the conclusion of a hard-fought 2017 season, teams and drivers from all three levels of the Mazda Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires will officially begin preparations for the 2018 campaign this weekend. At least 40 drivers representing more than 16 nations and 11 different teams will grasp an opportunity to drive on the 2.439-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway Grand Prix road course located in Speedway, Ind., during the seventh annual Chris Griffis Memorial Test on October 21/22. TheRead More

By Road to Indy The Mazda Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires today unveiled its 2018 calendar of events. The most effective driver development program in the world with over $3.5M in scholarships and awards on offer will continue its momentum at premier road course, street circuit and oval venues in support of the Verizon IndyCar Series. The highly acclaimed platform – comprised of Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires, the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires and the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda – willRead More