Indy Pro 2000 Category

HOMESTEAD, Fla. – Day Two of Mazda Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires Spring Training saw a total of 28 drivers – representing the first two rungs on the acclaimed open-wheel racing development ladder – in action on the 2.21-mile Homestead-Miami Speedway road course. The Mazda Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires offers scholarships at every level to assist talented young drivers to progress all the way from the grassroots of the sport to the Verizon IndyCar Series and the Indianapolis 500. The Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship PoweredRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer After running the 2015 Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship powered by Mazda season for Team Pelfrey, the only Russian on the Mazda Road to Indy went to Cape Motorsports for the 2016 season before stepping up and coming home for 2017. Nikita Lastochkin has signed with Team Pelfrey to drive their No. 80 car in the Pro Mazda Championship presented by Cooper Tires to complete the team’s assault for their third consecutive Pro Mazda championship trophy. Tuesday’s announcement marks the eighth driver confirmationRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer Two time defending Pro Mazda champions Team Pelfrey have announced that Carlos Cunha will be their second driver in the teams’ Pro Mazda Championship presented by Cooper Tires arsenal for 2017. Cunha has raced for eight years across Europe and South America, particularly in his native Brazil where he did Brazillian F3.  He will join TJ Fischer and possibly a third driver in the team. “I am super excited to be with Team Pelfrey,” stated the enthused Cunha. “They have the structureRead More

Teams and drivers from all three levels of the acclaimed Mazda Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires will converge next week at Homestead-Miami Speedway in South Florida for an official Spring Training test. The four-day outing will comprise over six hours of testing for Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires competitors on the 1.5-mile oval on Monday, February 27, followed by two days of running on the 2.21-mile road course for the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires and the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda, thenRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer Pabst Racing Services, World Speed Motorsports and Carlin have all added to their Mazda Road to Indy presented by Cooper Tires rosters with driver announcements that add to each of the three series that make up the MRTI. Pabst announced that Calvin Ming will be joining the team to pilot one of their cars in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship powered by Mazda.  The Guyanan driver started his career in karting in 2012 before moving up to winning races in F1600 andRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer Victor Franzoni has had one of the more interesting journeys in the Mazda Road to Indy presented by Cooper Tires. After having run the 2014 Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship powered by Mazda for Afterburner Autosport, Franzoni returned to Afterburner in 2015 looking to contend for the USF2000 championship. Those plans didn’t come to fruition as Franzoni was disqualified after a top five finish at the second race at Barber Motorsports Park and a decision was made by the series to sit theRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Team Pelfrey announced that it has re-signed TJ Fischer for the 2017 Pro Mazda Championship presented by Cooper Tires. The 23-year-old found himself on the second ladder of the Mazda Road to Indy after running the first part of the season in USF2000 – moving up to replace the departing Weiron Tan in the third car. Of the final nine races, Fischer scored top six finishes in seven of them. “It is with great excitement that we welcome TJ back to Team Pelfrey. Not only isRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer Across all three levels of the Mazda Road to Indy presented by Cooper Tires, there were moments that stood out from the start of the season to the end.  Here’s a look at the top five moments across the Mazda Road to Indy. 1. Indy Lights: The Freedom 100 Dean Stoneman earned both of Andretti Autosport’s wins this season and scored their final victory of the year at the Freedom 100, edging out Carlin’s Ed Jones by 0.0024 of a second.  JonesRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer Team Pelfrey announced on Thursday that they are moving their programs in the Pro Mazda Championship presented by Cooper Tires and the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship powered by Mazda to Indianapolis. The teams will be housed at TKM, Inc. under Thomas Knapp’s management and this move signifies a major shift in the home of the Mazda Road to Indy presented by Cooper Tires as it marks the continuation of a trend. Many teams in the MRTI are or have been based in Florida,Read More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer There is an unknown to Anthony Martin’s future as he has yet to announce which Pro Mazda Championship team he plans to join in 2017, but perhaps the that campaign won’t see as much change after all. In 2015, Martin drove in the USF2000 Championship powered by Mazda for John Cummiskey Racing and the Kalgoorlie, Australia native won Rookie of the Year after finishing fourth in the championship. Martin’s results and funding were enough to secure a seat at Cape MotorsportsRead More