By Road to Indy A little more than a month after the conclusion of a hard-fought 2017 season, teams and drivers from all three levels of the Mazda Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires will officially begin preparations for the 2018 campaign this weekend. At least 40 drivers representing more than 16 nations and 11 different teams will grasp an opportunity to drive on the 2.439-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway Grand Prix road course located in Speedway, Ind., during the seventh annual Chris Griffis Memorial Test on October 21/22. TheRead More

By Road to Indy The Mazda Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires today unveiled its 2018 calendar of events. The most effective driver development program in the world with over $3.5M in scholarships and awards on offer will continue its momentum at premier road course, street circuit and oval venues in support of the Verizon IndyCar Series. The highly acclaimed platform – comprised of Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires, the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires and the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda – willRead More

Editor’s note: This article first appeared as Track Day with Wings & Slicks by Associate Editor Adam Tate. With the U.S. Grand Prix coming up this weekend we thought it was a perfect time to share this again and give our readers an idea of just what it’s like to drive an open wheel race car. Enjoy. Last week I experienced the power, immediacy and thrill of an open wheel race car for the first time in my life. A fan of open wheel racing since child hood, the anticipation andRead More

By Road to Indy The map of Belardi Auto Racing’s 2017 Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires season might just look like a Richter Scale, with spectacular highs and punishing lows punctuating the year. In the end the team and its three drivers – Shelby Blackstock, Santiago Urrutia and Aaron Telitz – came back from numerous adversities to take four victories and 14 podium finishes, earning their first team championship. The Indy Lights team is at the heart of its program but Brian Belardi admits that his thoughts have begunRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer In an Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires season that saw a ton of unpredictability with seven different winners, one thing was predictable: consistency from one driver would win the championship. That consistency came from Juncos Racing’s Kyle Kaiser. Kaiser entered his third season in Indy Lights and his fourth Mazda Road to Indy season with Juncos Racing (fifth MRTI season overall). His second Indy Lights campaign was a big improvement over his first with two wins and only two finishes outsideRead More

By Road to Indy As the only squad currently to field teams on all three rungs of the Mazda Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires ladder, Team Pelfrey has the ability to mirror the ladder series’ progression through the ranks. Dale Pelfrey first fielded a team in the IRL in the late 1990s, and today focuses on nurturing young racers, hoping to one day take a driver from karting to the Verizon IndyCar Series – all under the Team Pelfrey banner. Former MRTI racer Jonny Baker handles the team’sRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer A week before the 2017 Pro Mazda Championship presented by Cooper Tires was set to begin, Victor Franzoni was working as a go-kart mechanic during the SuperKarts! USA WinterNationals at NOLA Motorsports Park. During that weekend, a deal was put together that would affect his future in motorsports. Jeff Green bought the two Pro Mazda cars that Ricardo Juncos owned and tested at Homestead-Miami Speedway. After that test, Green wanted a teammate for the 2017 season and Franzoni was the top choice.Read More

By Colton Herta, Driver Columnist Providing an inside look for the fans, Colton Herta contributed the latest driver journal to Motorsports Tribune to discuss his rookie campaign in the 2017 Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires season. The 17-year-old Californian and second-generation star enjoyed two wins, seven podiums and a series-leading seven poles with Andretti-Steinbrenner Racing en route to third in the overall championship standings. Looking back on my first season in Indy Lights, I think I was most surprised by the speed we had in the first few weeks. I thoughtRead More

By Road to Indy When Pabst Racing took the stage at the Mazda Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires season-ending awards dinner, it was the culmination of over 20 years of dedication to nurturing the careers of young racing talent, and a lifetime devoted to motorsports. Winning the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda Team Championship highlighted a season that team owner Augie Pabst describes as one of the most successful – and enjoyable – of his life. Augie Pabst III literally grew up at the racetrack. TheRead More