David Malukas Tag

By Christopher DeHarde, Staff Writer BIRMINGHAM, Alabama — After a month off, the Mazda Road to Indy presented by Cooper Tires races are back at Barber Motorsports Park with two championship doubleheaders: Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires and the Pro Mazda Championship presented by Cooper Tires. Indy Lights Despite the loss of Team Pelfrey in Indy Lights, the Indy Lights field is strengthened by the addition of Alfonso Celis to the Juncos Racing squad. Celis was a test driver for Formula One team Force India and is making his AmericanRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, Staff Writer The 2018 Pro Mazda Championship presented by Cooper Tires kicks off on the streets of St. Petersburg and with the strongest field from top to bottom since 2015, this year promises to be a special one. Before getting to the teams and drivers, let’s first look at the tracks. Barber Motorsports Park returns to the schedule after a 2017 hiatus and Mid-Ohio only has two races this year instead of three like it had last year. Gone is the single oval race date and instead thereRead More

By Road to Indy HOMESTEAD, Fla. – The new Mazda-powered Tatuus PM-18, introduced for this year’s Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires – the middle rung on the Mazda Road to Indy open-wheel development ladder – continued to impress this weekend as 15 drivers completed a total of 1610 laps during two days of Spring Training road course testing which concluded this afternoon at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Three different drivers topped one or more of the six sessions before second-year Pro Mazda competitor Carlos Cunha, from Campinas, Brazil, earned someRead More

By Road to Indy BN Racing burst onto the Mazda Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires scene early this season and made an immediate impact, scoring a pole position and podium finish with former karting star David Malukas at the team’s second race weekend in their home event at Road America. The Chicago-based squad now has plans to expand into the 2018 Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires, having purchased two Tatuus PM-18s that will make their race debut next year. The team is led by Englishman BrynRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer In the course of one year, Oliver Askew went from karting to earning a scholarship to race in the Pro Mazda Championship presented by Cooper Tires in 2018. Not bad. For the Jupiter, Florida native, the road was a long one. He had to endure the scrutiny of the judges ahead of the Team USA Scholarship panel, the Team USA shootout and then the Formula Ford Festival in England and the Walter Hayes Trophy Race. After Askew finished second in the finalsRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — Pabst Racing’s Rinus VeeKay needed to win the final race of the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship powered by Mazda in order to win the championship. Win he did, but Cape Motorsports’s Oliver Askew was able to finish second to secure the championship and with it the scholarship that allows him to move up to the Pro Mazda Championship presented by Cooper Tires. VeeKay got around Askew at the start and would pull away to an early lead. AskewRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — Ahead of the Soul Red Finale weekend at Watkins Glen, New York for the Mazda Road to Indy presented by Cooper Tires are two championship battles that are very close between two drivers and one that is close to being clinched. Let’s take a look at all three battles ahead of the four races this weekend. Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires Juncos Racing’s Kyle Kaiser has the easiest championship position this weekend for Indy Lights. Kaiser simplyRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer LEXINGTON, Ohio — Oliver Askew bounced back from a less than ideal weekend at Toronto by winning the first of two races for the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship powered by Mazda at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. The Floridian led from the start, building a gap over fellow front row starter Lucas Kohl. Kohl would fall back behind his Pabst Racing Teammate Rinus VeeKay and Exclusive Autosport driver Parker Thompson. Thompson would get into second place early with VeeKay following and turned theRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer Red Deer, Alberta native Parker Thompson had a dream weekend in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship powered by Mazda in his home country of Canada. The Exclusive Autosport driver navigated his way through a three car pile-up and held off Pabst Racing’s Rinus VeeKay to score his second win of the season on the streets of Toronto. Starting fourth behind three of the fastest drivers in the 2017 season, Thompson had a mountain to climb. Cape Motorsports’s Oliver Askew was on poleRead More

By Road to Indy ELKHART LAKE, Wis. – A dramatic first of two Cooper Tires USF2000 Grand Prix of Road America Powered by Mazda races this afternoon ended with Dutch teenager Rinus VeeKay claiming an emphatic maiden victory for the locally based Pabst Racing team. Chicago’s David Malukas, in just his second USF2000 weekend, qualified on pole and finished second for BN Racing, while Brazilian youngster Lucas Kohl drove by far his most impressive race since joining Pabst Racing this season by finishing in third. Making light of difficult, dryingRead More