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

HOMESTEAD, Fla. – Judging by the opening day of Mazda Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires Spring Training at Homestead-Miami Speedway, the competition this year in Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires is going to be intense. A dozen of the 15 contenders expected to challenge for a Mazda Scholarship valued at $1 million to secure entry into at least three Verizon IndyCar Series races in 2018, including the Indianapolis 500, took the opportunity to test on the 1.485-mile oval. After six and a half hours of running, noRead 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

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer After signing Parker Thompson and Luke Gabin to pilot their Nos. 90 and 91 Tatuus USF-17s, respectively, Exclusive Autosport announced that Dev Gore will drive the No. 92 USF-17 for the Canadian-based team in the 2017 Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship powered by Mazda. Gore cut his teeth in karting, winning two Rotax championships in 2016 including the U.S. Open and U.S. Rotax Grand National titles.  Before those titles, Gore spent a few summers in Canada where he refined his craft. “This wasRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer One of the best off track stories from the 2016 Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship powered by Mazda season is returning to the series for 2017 as Luke Gabin signed with Exclusive Autosport. Gabin had tested for the team late in 2016 before making a deal to join and he had worked with several people on the team previously, making Exclusive a no-brainer. “It was a pretty last minute [deal], I sort of had talks with Michael (Duncalfe, team owner) in November whenRead More

Teams and drivers from all three levels of the acclaimed Mazda Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires will converge next week at Homestead-Miami Speedway in South Florida for an official Spring Training test. The four-day outing will comprise over six hours of testing for Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires competitors on the 1.5-mile oval on Monday, February 27, followed by two days of running on the 2.21-mile road course for the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires and the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda, thenRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer Day by day more and more drivers are returning to the 2017 Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship powered by Mazda after spending 2016 in the same championship and Pabst Racing announced the latest driver to do so. Brazillian Lucas Kohl will drive the No. 23 Pabst Racing entry alongside teammate Calvin Ming after spending 2016 with John Cummiskey Racing. Kohl had a difficult 2016 season with three finishes below 20th out of the first four races.  However, as the season went on, heRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer Carlin has expanded again in the Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires.  After competing in 2015 with two cars and 2016 with three cars, the team has expanded to a fourth car and has brought back Neil Alberico to drive one of them alongside Zachary Claman DeMelo, Matheus Leist and Garth Rickards. Alberico had a less than ideal 2016 Indy Lights season with only one top 5 finish at Watkins Glen to carry him to 11th in points.  However, Alberico has aRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer Familiar faces are back in familiar places as Team Pelfrey announced that Ayla Agren will be back with the team for the 2017 Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship powered by Mazda in the No. 82 Energima/Team Pelfrey Tatuus USF-17. 2017 will be Agren’s third year in the USF2000 championship.  She campaigned in 2015 with Team Pelfrey but spent 2016 with John Cummiskey Racing. Prior to her stint in USF2000, Agren won the 2014 F1600 championship with the team before moving up. Agren hasRead More