Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca Tag

By INDYCAR INDYCAR is providing ample time for manufacturers and teams to learn the new universal aero kit during offseason testing, with the sanctioning body for the Verizon IndyCar Series announcing testing guidelines for the 2018 season. The testing regulations, developed in cooperation with series teams and manufacturers, have been distributed to INDYCAR stakeholders and are split into offseason and in-season testing categories. The offseason testing window began Monday and runs through March 29, 2018. The in-season testing window runs from March 30-Sept. 16, 2018. Team testing highlights • Each VerizonRead 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 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 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

A suspenseful two days of intense competition at the famed Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca ended this afternoon with Oliver Askew, from Jupiter, Fla., being declared winner of the inaugural Mazda Road to Indy USF2000 $200K Scholarship Shootout. Askew, 19, who gained his entry to the Shootout after claiming a Team USA Scholarship, emerged victorious from a total of 18 talented young drivers quite literally from around the world. “I am a bit speechless right now,” said Askew, who wins a Mazda Scholarship of $200,000 and the right to carry theRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer One of the more storied teams in the Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires will close the garage doors as Schmidt Peterson Motorsports confirmed they will not be fielding a team in the 2017 championship. Despite nearly winning the 2016 championship with Santiago Urrutia, the team will be centering its focus on the Verizon IndyCar Series program after winning seven championships in the final step on the Mazda Road to Indy ladder The team had tested 2016 Pro Mazda standout PatoRead More

By Josh Farmer, IndyCar Reporter Author’s note: This is part of a 10-part series discussing tracks around the world that I feel would be a good fit for the Verizon IndyCar Series. The opinions here are expressed solely of the author and not necessarily of the Motorsports Tribune. When it comes to quintessential American road courses, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Salinas, California is one surely on many people’s list. The 2.238-mile road course hosted Indy car races from 1983-2004 under the CART and Champ Car banners. The track isRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer Carlin joined the Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires grid in 2015 as Trevor Carlin sought to expand his open-wheel racing empire to the U.S. and succeeded in his second year of operations by securing an Indy Lights championship with driver Ed Jones. Let’s look back at his championship run. The season got off to an uneventful start for Jones as St. Petersburg gave the Dubai-based Brit a tenth and a seventh to start the season off in what is nowRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer After winning the 2015 Pro Mazda Championship presented by Cooper Tires for Team Pelfrey, Santiago Urrutia moved up to the Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires with Schmidt Peterson Motorsports with the Soul Red Mazda scheme. Here is a look back at his 2016 campaign. The start of the Uruguayan’s season was a complete roller coaster as over the first five races, it was one good race followed by a bad race.  At St. Petersburg, Urrutia finished fourth in the firstRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer Kyle Kaiser ran in his third season for Juncos Racing in 2016 while competing in his second year in the Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires and placed third in the championship standings. So let’s take a look at how he achieved that mark. The 20-year-old Californian had the strongest start to the season of any Indy Lights driver, finishing third and second on the streets of St. Petersburg. However, he was not the center of the show – Belardi AutoRead More