christopher deharde Tag

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer Felipe Albuquerque has every right to be upset. I would be upset too if I lost the overall lead in the final 10 minutes of a 24 hour race, especially the Rolex 24 at Daytona. However, it would be in his best interests to not be upset with Ricky Taylor. Instead, the former factory Audi driver should be upset with himself. As time dwindled away in Sunday’s Rolex 24, Albuquerque led his No. 5 Action Express Racing Cadillac DPi ahead of Taylor’sRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer Victor Franzoni has had one of the more interesting journeys in the Mazda Road to Indy presented by Cooper Tires. After having run the 2014 Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship powered by Mazda for Afterburner Autosport, Franzoni returned to Afterburner in 2015 looking to contend for the USF2000 championship. Those plans didn’t come to fruition as Franzoni was disqualified after a top five finish at the second race at Barber Motorsports Park and a decision was made by the series to sit theRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer “It’s hard to live, guys, it’s hard. Life is expensive. Adulting is weird.” Those were the words spoken by Conor Daly as he brought the house down at INDYCAR Media Day in a session with his new AJ Foyt Racing teammate Carlos Munoz. Daly, the recent transplant after spending his 2016 rookie season with Dale Coyne Racing, had been living with fellow competitor James Hinchcliffe. “I have not [gotten] my own place but I have decided to move on with my life and try andRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer A massive wind of change has swept across Dale Coyne Racing in preparation for the 2017 Verizon IndyCar Series season. Two new drivers were signed and their paths to the seat couldn’t have been more different. Sebastien Bourdais left KVSH Racing to join the Illinois-based team while Ed Jones parlayed his Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires championship check with other sponsorship into the second seat and so far is the only confirmed rookie for the 2017 season. Adding to that theRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer The grid for the 2017 Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship powered by Mazda has gotten more solid with Thursday’s announcement that 2016 Rookie of the Year Robert Megennis will rejoin the team for this year’s championship. “Welcoming Rob back to the Team Pelfrey family for a third straight season in yellow says a lot about this partnership. Rob, his family and his partners believe in us, and we have absolute faith in Rob’s abilities,” said Team Pelfrey’s General Manager, Jonny Baker. “The wayRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer Oliver Askew is no ordinary teenager. The 19-year-old Floridian represented Team USA at the Formula Ford Festival in England, finishing second at the prestigious Walter Hayes Trophy Race at Silverstone and won the Mazda Road to Indy Shootout. With that win, he earned a $200,000 Mazda Racing scholarship to fund a drive in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship powered by Mazda for 2017. The craziest part of this whole situation is that before going over to race in England in November, Askew hadRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer Zach Veach is a very seasoned driver in the Mazda Road to Indy presented by Cooper Tires. Since starting in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship powered by Mazda, Veach has 183 starts across all three steps on the MRTI. His last season in Indy Lights in 2016 netted him three wins (and nearly a fourth at the opening race of the season) but so far he hasn’t secured an IndyCar ride for the 2017 Verizon IndyCar Series season.  How has Veach kept himself busyRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer Nicolas Dapero began the 2016 Pro Mazda Championship presented by Cooper Tires as an unknown in the paddock. The Argentinian finished sixth in the 2015 Brazilian F3 Championship with five podiums and a fastest lap in 12 races before going to race in the United States. After an interesting 2016 season, Dapero will be moving up to Indy Lights for 2017 with the same team he raced with in Pro Mazda in Juncos Racing. Dapero began 2016 with pairs of tenths, seventhsRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer Across all three levels of the Mazda Road to Indy presented by Cooper Tires, there were moments that stood out from the start of the season to the end.  Here’s a look at the top five moments across the Mazda Road to Indy. 1. Indy Lights: The Freedom 100 Dean Stoneman earned both of Andretti Autosport’s wins this season and scored their final victory of the year at the Freedom 100, edging out Carlin’s Ed Jones by 0.0024 of a second.  JonesRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer Team Pelfrey announced on Thursday that they are moving their programs in the Pro Mazda Championship presented by Cooper Tires and the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship powered by Mazda to Indianapolis. The teams will be housed at TKM, Inc. under Thomas Knapp’s management and this move signifies a major shift in the home of the Mazda Road to Indy presented by Cooper Tires as it marks the continuation of a trend. Many teams in the MRTI are or have been based in Florida,Read More