Indy Pro 2000 Category

The middle rung of the Mazda Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires open-wheel driver development ladder, the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires, will gain a significant upgrade in 2018 with the introduction of the brand-new Tatuus PM-18. The prototype car was unveiled today during the annual Performance Racing Industry Show at the Indianapolis Convention Center by Dan Andersen, Owner/CEO of Andersen Promotions, John Doonan, Director of Motorsports for Mazda North American Operations, and Chris Pantani, Director of Event Marketing and Motorsports for Cooper Tires. The PM-18 representsRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer Wisconsin’s Aaron Telitz tested for Team Pelfrey late in 2015 before signing with the defending champions of the Pro Mazda Championship presented by Cooper Tires.  By the end of the year, he was the champion of the series after a season which encountered a beginning that could have been discouraging. Telitz had spent 2014 and 2015 in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship powered by Mazda and after winning one race in each season and contending for the championship in 2015, heRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer In 2016, Pato O’Ward had a ton of pressure on him as he began his campaign in the Pro Mazda Championship presented by Cooper Tires.  After the season concluded, O’Ward found himself in second position in the championship standings.  Let’s take a look at his 2016 campaign on the second step on the Mazda Road to Indy presented by Cooper Tires. Before the season began, O’Ward only had enough funding for the first two race weekends of the season.  The firstRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer 2015 was an incredible year for Nico Jamin. The Frenchman won had the Cooper Tires USF2000 championship powered by Mazda and went to the Pro Mazda Championship presented by Cooper Tires for the same team, Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing for 2016. Unfortunately for the 20-year-old Frenchman, Team Pelfrey’s juggernaut of Aaron Telitz and Pato O’Ward had the field covered for the most part, relegating Jamin to third in the title race, but let’s take a look at how hisRead More

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (October 9, 2016) – The two-day Chris Griffis Memorial Test, held in honor of the former Schmidt Peterson Motorsports with Curb-Agajanian team manager, concluded this afternoon at the Indianapolis Grand Prix circuit with several new names featuring at the top of the timing charts for each of the three open-wheel series which comprise the Mazda Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires. A total of 43 drivers took advantage of the opportunity to commence preparations for the 2017 season with eight sessions and four hours of testing allocatedRead More

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (October 8) – The Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda took center stage today as the sixth Annual Chris Griffis Memorial Mazda Road to Indy Test began at the hallowed Indianapolis Motor Speedway Grand Prix circuit. No fewer than nine different teams took advantage of perfect fall weather conditions to debut their brand-new Tatuus USF-17 cars and gain a jump-start on preparations for the 2017 season. USF2000 represents the first rung on the acclaimed three-step Mazda Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires. The two higher levels,Read More

PALMETTO, Fla. (September 14, 2016) – The unique and highly acclaimed three-step Mazda Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires open-wheel driver development program, which offers annual scholarships and awards worth over $3.6M to assist drivers to progress from the grassroots to the pinnacle of the sport in North America, will run alongside the Verizon IndyCar Series on all race weekends in 2017. A few highlights include the return of Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires and Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires competition to Gateway Motorsports Park, inRead More

MONTEREY, Calif. – Champions from all three levels of the Mazda Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires open-wheel driver development program were honored last night in the Championship Celebration banquet at the Monterey Plaza Hotel. A total of more than $2.3M in Mazda Scholarships and other awards was distributed. The major winners included Dubai, United Arab Emirates-based Englishman Ed Jones, 21, who on Sunday clinched the Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires crown, along with a scholarship valued at $1M to ensure entry into at least three Verizon IndyCarRead More

MONTEREY, Calif. – This year’s Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires came to a dramatic conclusion today at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca as Aaron Telitz, from Birchwood, Wis., won the 16th and final round for Team Pelfrey to secure the title and a Mazda scholarship prize to graduate into Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires, the top tier of the Mazda Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires, in 2017. Earlier this morning, Telitz and teammate Patricio “Pato” O’Ward clashed while disputing the lead, which allowed Argentinean rookie NicolasRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief MONTEREY, Calif. – Nicolas Dapero took his first career Pro Mazda Championship presented by Cooper Tires win in the second of a three race tripleheader at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. The 18-year-old Argentinian inherited the lead when championship combatants and Team Pelfrey teammates Aaron Telitz and Pato O’Ward made contact in the Andretti Hairpin. Telitz started on pole and led the field to green. As they headed down to Turn 1, O’Ward charged to the outside of his teammate before the duo made contact at theRead More