Mazda Road to Indy Tag

PALMETTO, Fla. (March 8) – Cooper Tire and Mazda today announced the renewal of the MRTI Hashtag Program that encourages drivers and teams to utilize the #MRTI and #TeamCooperTire hashtags through their social messaging on Twitter and Instagram. The social media program originated in 2014 as an initiative by Cooper Tire in cooperation with the Mazda Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires, and was designed to encourage drivers and teams to give their fans an inside look at the life of an up-and-coming race car driver, bringing out theRead More

HOMESTEAD, Fla. – The Mazda Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires Spring Training Open Test concluded this afternoon at Homestead-Miami Speedway with 15 Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires drivers strutting their stuff in preparation for next week’s season-opening races some 200 miles or so to the northwest on the Streets of St. Petersburg, Fla. A total of 1271 laps were logged during the course of six and a half hours of testing. Rookie Colton Herta, the youngest driver in the field at just 16, emerged with early braggingRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer The worst kept secret in the Mazda Road to Indy presented by Cooper Tires has finally been made official as Mazda announced that Aaron Telitz will pilot their Soul Red Mazda paint scheme for Belardi Auto Racing in the 2017 Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires. The 2016 Pro Mazda champion earned the right to race the Soul Red scheme after winning the Pro Mazda Championship presented by Cooper Tires in dramatic fashion and with it, the MAZDASPEED scholarship that funded theRead More

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

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

By Josh Farmer, IndyCar Reporter Opportunity has always been something that Ricardo Juncos has capitalized on. Juncos Racing will make their Verizon IndyCar Series debut at the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil on May 28. The 41-year-old Argentinean has eyed expansion into IndyCar for many years, but he has waited until he had a chance to do it right. This chance came when KV Racing exited the series and sold two of their chassis to Juncos. The move comes just two months after theirRead More

By Josh Farmer, IndyCar Reporter Juncos Racing announced its intent to compete in the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil. The Powerhouse Mazda Road to Indy team has acquired two Dallara chassis and pit equipment from the defunct KV Racing team in order to make an assault on the May classic. The squad will be based out of their new shop – the Juncos Technical Center – located just outside the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana. The new 40,000 square foot shop features eightRead 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