Indy Lights

By Christopher DeHarde, Staff Writer To nobody’s surprise, Juncos Racing announced that Victor Franzoni would be joining the team for the 2018 Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires. After winning the 2017 Pro Mazda Championship presented by Cooper Tires with Juncos Racing, Franzoni received a Mazdaspeed scholarship to move to Indy Lights and it made sense for the Brazilian to stay with his current team as he climbs the Mazda Road to Indy presented by Cooper Tires. Franzoni won seven of 12 Pro Mazda races in 2017 and finished second inRead More

By Mazda Motorsports IRVINE, Calif. – Victor Franzoni, Oliver Askew, Keith Donegan and Selin Rollan have selected the teams to which they will take their Mazda Road To Indy and Mazda Road to 24 Scholarships for the 2018 racing season. After capturing the 2017 Pro Mazda championship, Franzoni will compete in the Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires championship with Juncos Racing. Askew, the 2017 USF2000 champion, moves up to the Pro Mazda Championship presented by Cooper Tires with Cape Motorsports. The winner of the Mazda Road to Indy ScholarshipRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, Staff Writer After some downtime following the new year, the Mazda Road to Indy presented by Cooper Tires has had a few driver announcements in recent days that have helped shape the grids across the three championships. In the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship powered by Mazda, Canadian team Exclusive Autosport announced Mexican pilot Manuel Cabrera while DEForce Racing confirmed their trio of drivers for the season. Kory Enders will rejoin the team he spent his rookie season with, while Colin Kaminsky joins the team after spending much ofRead More

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