Oliver Askew Tag

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer After a championship battle that was closing near the end, Oliver Askew won the 2017 Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship powered by Mazda driving for Cape Motorsports. Askew will be moving up to the Pro Mazda Championship presented by Cooper Tires for an unannounced team and will be driving the brand new Soul Red Mazda-colored Tatuus PM-18. This move up the Mazda Road to Indy presented by Cooper Tires was possible thanks to a scholarship presented to the USF2000 series champion valued atRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer The Mazda Road to Indy presented by Cooper Tires recently concluded their first official test after the 2017 season at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. The seventh annual Chris Griffis Memorial Test was a chance for several drivers and teams to get acquainted with one another and with their machinery, as well as giving everyone a reason to see cars run at IMS. Here’s some observations about the weekend. Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires Victor Franzoni, Anthony Martin and CarlosRead More

By Road to Indy The list of Cape Motorsports’ Mazda Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires alumni reads like a who’s who of motorsports, including 2017 Verizon IndyCar Series drivers JR Hildebrand and Spencer Pigot, newly named Penske sports car teammates Ricky Taylor and Dane Cameron, Andy Lally, Scott Hargrove and 2017 IMSA champions Trent Hindman (Lamborghini Super Trofeo) and Jake Eidson (Porsche GT3 Cup). The team’s history in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda is just as impressive. They have won 11 USF2000 Drivers Championships, nineRead 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 Road to Indy One day after the championship titles for all three levels of the Mazda Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires open-wheel driver development program were decided at the famed Watkins Glen International road course, 250 drivers, families, teams and sponsors gathered on Monday evening at the nearby Harbor Hotel for the traditional Championship Celebration banquet. A total of more than $2.6 million in Mazda Scholarships and other awards was distributed at the upscale venue on the shores of Seneca Lake. The major winners included Kyle Kaiser,Read 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

The Mazda Road to Indy presented by Cooper Tires has been nothing short of spectacular this season, with all three ladders – USF2000, Pro Mazda Championship and Indy Lights – showcasing future talent for the Verizon IndyCar Series while also bringing dynamic title battles. This week’s edition features special guest Rob Howden, who joins the cast to discuss the positives and negatives as the end of the 2017 season looms near. What two drivers should move up in the MRTI other than the series champions? Rob Howden, Road to IndyRead More

By Road to Indy Oliver Askew of Cape Motorsports and Rinus VeeKay of Pabst Racing are separated by 13 points in the battle for the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda crown entering the season finale at Watkins Glen International to be held September 2. As Oliver Askew looked out over the sea of impossibly earnest Team USA Scholarship candidates last month at Mid-Ohio, his mind couldn’t help but go back one year in time. In July of 2016, Askew stood among 10 other candidates vying for two positionsRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer LEXINGTON, Ohio — Parker Thompson followed up on a Friday podium in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship powered by Mazda with a win in Saturday’s race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Thompson led from the start over Rinus VeeKay with Askew falling from third to fourth as Lucas Kohl got around Askew. Kaylen Frederick also got around Askew, dropping the series points leader to fifth after Askew had an issue with his steering rack during the race. Frederick and Askew got aroundRead More