Indy Pro 2000

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer Victor Franzoni was set to drive in the 2017 Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship powered by Mazda, but a last minute deal with Juncos Racing has allowed him to join the Pro Mazda Championship presented by Cooper Tires. Franzoni tested with the Juncos team during the Chris Griffis Memorial Test in October and dominated every session. This announcement helps bolster the Juncos lineup that was thought to have disappeared for 2017. Team owner Ricardo Juncos had announced that the team would not beRead More

PALMETTO, Fla. (March 8) – Cooper Tire and Mazda today announced the renewal of the MRTI Hashtag Program that encourages drivers and teams to utilize the #MRTI and #TeamCooperTire hashtags through their social messaging on Twitter and Instagram. The social media program originated in 2014 as an initiative by Cooper Tire in cooperation with the Mazda Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires, and was designed to encourage drivers and teams to give their fans an inside look at the life of an up-and-coming race car driver, bringing out theRead More

PALMETTO, Fla. (March 7, 2017) – The eyes of the open-wheel auto racing world will be focused firmly on St. Petersburg, Fla., this weekend as the Verizon IndyCar Series and all three levels of the acclaimed Mazda Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires begin their new season on the challenging 1.8-mile, 14-turn downtown street circuit. More than 50 ambitious drivers literally from around the globe will converge on the scenic waterside track, each and every one of them looking to make a strong start to their campaigns in pursuitRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer As the Mazda Road to Indy presented by Cooper Tires wrapped up their spring testing at Homestead-Miami Speedway, several drivers emerged as contenders and other announcements were made that would help shape the different series for 2017. Let’s take a look at each series. Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires Colton Herta will be a driver to watch.  The second generation driver was in the top three in every practice session on both the oval and road course in his first drive inRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer Cape Motorsports will be running two Soul Red Mazda liveries in the 2017 Mazda Road to Indy presented by Cooper Tires as Anthony Martin and Oliver Askew have signed with the team to run the livery in their respective championships. For Martin, he’ll be racing the No.8 Burgess/BLA/Mazda entry in the Pro Mazda Championship presented by Cooper Tires while Askew will be piloting the No. 3 Mazda Racing entry in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship powered by Mazda. Both drivers earned theRead More

HOMESTEAD, Fla. – Emerging stars Anthony Martin and Oliver Askew confirmed their promise today at Homestead-Miami Speedway, posting the fastest laps respectively in the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires and Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda, both of which wrapped up two days of testing on the 2.21-mile South Florida road course. Askew, 20, from Jupiter, Fla., who was quickest in all three USF2000 sessions yesterday, headed the timing charts in two of today’s three sessions aboard the No. 3 Cape Motorsports Tatuus-Mazda USF-17. He took advantageRead More

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