Cooper Tires USF2000

Like good friend Colton Herta, Chandler Horton grew up at Verizon IndyCar Series races. His father Jeff is the longtime INDYCAR Director of Engineering, and young Chandler played with many a race car in paddocks across the country. Starting out on dirt bikes then progressing from karts to formula cars, the 19-year-old now moves into the Mazda Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires, driving for RJB Motorsports in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda. Here, Horton details his other racing passion (cycling), how he became the familyRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer The grid for the 2017 Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship powered by Mazda has gotten more solid with Thursday’s announcement that 2016 Rookie of the Year Robert Megennis will rejoin the team for this year’s championship. “Welcoming Rob back to the Team Pelfrey family for a third straight season in yellow says a lot about this partnership. Rob, his family and his partners believe in us, and we have absolute faith in Rob’s abilities,” said Team Pelfrey’s General Manager, Jonny Baker. “The wayRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer Oliver Askew is no ordinary teenager. The 19-year-old Floridian represented Team USA at the Formula Ford Festival in England, finishing second at the prestigious Walter Hayes Trophy Race at Silverstone and won the Mazda Road to Indy Shootout. With that win, he earned a $200,000 Mazda Racing scholarship to fund a drive in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship powered by Mazda for 2017. The craziest part of this whole situation is that before going over to race in England in November, Askew hadRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer Parker Thompson had what many racers would consider to be a successful 2016 racing season. After winning four races in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship powered by Mazda and finishing second in the championship to teammate Anthony Martin, Thompson represented Team Canada at the Formula Ford Festival and the Walter Hayes Trophy Race in England. However, heading into 2017, it’s unclear what 18-year-old’s racing plans are in the Mazda Road to Indy presented by Cooper Tires. “We’re doing everything we can behind theRead 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 Many drivers in motorsport are looking to move up the open wheel racing ladder. In the latest ‘wishlist,’ we’ll take a look at several drivers that we believe should be in the Mazda Road to Indy presented by Cooper Tires. That brings us to Hunter Brayton.  The nephew of two time Indianapolis 500 pole winner Scott Brayton, Hunter got his start karting before moving up to SCCA Formula 600 Challenge. In 2014, Brayton did his first full season in F600, finishingRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer Dakota Dickerson is ready to help lead the return of Newman Wachs Racing in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship powered by Mazda. Earlier in 2016, the Tatuus-built USF-17 was unveiled as the new model for the series, replacing a car with over fifteen years of use generated interest among several teams, including the once dominant outfit that left at the end of the 2009 season. The team decided to rejoin open wheel racing and ordered four USF-17s, but not all wouldRead More

A suspenseful two days of intense competition at the famed Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca ended this afternoon with Oliver Askew, from Jupiter, Fla., being declared winner of the inaugural Mazda Road to Indy USF2000 $200K Scholarship Shootout. Askew, 19, who gained his entry to the Shootout after claiming a Team USA Scholarship, emerged victorious from a total of 18 talented young drivers quite literally from around the world. “I am a bit speechless right now,” said Askew, who wins a Mazda Scholarship of $200,000 and the right to carry theRead More