christopher deharde Tag

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

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer Age: 35 Years in IndyCar: 14 Wins: 3 Podiums: 7 Laps led: 305 2017 Team: Ed Carpenter Racing Ed Carpenter is looking for an improved 2017 Verizon IndyCar Series oval campaign. With a background in oval track driving, Carpenter scaled his full-time IndyCar commitments back to just ovals in 2014 and allowed a road racing driver to take over on the road and street courses. Since making that decision, the driver of the No. 20 Fuzzy’s Vodka Chevrolet has had feast orRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer Age: 31 Years in IndyCar: 6 Wins: 1 Podiums: 6 Laps led: 109 2016 Team: Chip Ganassi Racing 2017 Team: Chip Ganassi Racing After a 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series season that gave Charlie Kimball his highest amount of points scored ever, Kimball will be looking to up the ante and get into the winners circle again in 2017. Kimball had two fifth place finishes at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway last May in the IndyCar Grand Prix and the Indianapolis 500 and theRead 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 Age: 29 Years in IndyCar: 7 Wins: 0 Podiums: 1 Laps led: 80 2016 Team: Ed Carpenter Racing (part time) 2017 Team: Ed Carpenter Racing (full time) Persistence and resilience have led to a return to a full-time Verizon IndyCar Series ride for JR Hildebrand. Hildebrand has served the de facto test driver for Ed Carpenter Racing along with racing at the previous three Indianapolis 500s and the previous two IndyCar Grand Prixs on the Speedway’s road course. With the departure of Josef Newgarden toRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer Age: 21 Years in IndyCar: Rookie 2016 Team: Carlin in Indy Lights (Champion) 2017 Team: Dale Coyne Racing The 2017 Verizon IndyCar Season will prove to be a major step in Ed Jones’ racing career. The Dubai-based Brit has raced for Carlin the last two seasons in Indy Lights, winning the championship in 2016 after finishing third in 2015. Jones claimed the Indy Lights championship on the heels of wins at Barber Motorsports Park (race one) and at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway RoadRead 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

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer Pabst Racing Services, World Speed Motorsports and Carlin have all added to their Mazda Road to Indy presented by Cooper Tires rosters with driver announcements that add to each of the three series that make up the MRTI. Pabst announced that Calvin Ming will be joining the team to pilot one of their cars in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship powered by Mazda.  The Guyanan driver started his career in karting in 2012 before moving up to winning races in F1600 andRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer The grid for the 2017 Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires is starting to come together after the Friday’s confirmations of Matheus Leist and Juan Piedrahita to join the field for Carlin and Team Pelfrey. For Leist, this represents a move back across the pond to race in America after leaving his home of Brazil to race in the UK. The 19-year-old raced in Brazil in the 2014 Formula 3 Light category, finishing second in the championship with two wins and nine podiumsRead More