Team Pelfrey release:
TEAM PELFREY MOVES USF2000 AND PRO MAZDA TEAM TO INDIANAPOLIS
INDIANAPOLIS (December 15, 2016) – Team Pelfrey is delighted to announce the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda and Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires team has relocated from Palmetto, Fla. to Indianapolis. The two teams will be housed at TKM Inc. under the technical leadership of Thomas Knapp.
The move to Indianapolis alongside the revised team structure that took place mid-season, allows the team to introduce a fresh image throughout the Mazda Road to Indy ladder series. “We are thrilled to announce the team relocation to Indianapolis,” said Team Pelfrey General Manager, Jonathan Baker. “This is a prime opportunity for us to move forward and unite under one umbrella and I must say a special thank you to Dale [Pelfrey] who has been extremely supportive and believes in the project.”
Geoff Bushor will manage the F1600 program as Gary Neal will continue to manage the Indy Lights program. “The F1600 series is an important part of developing young drivers into the Mazda Road to Indy ladder series,” said Bushor. “We are grateful for Dale [Pelfrey] and Jonathan [Baker’s] support as we introduce drivers to a sport that is constantly growing in success each year.”
As Team Pelfrey has moved to Indianapolis, the team is also announcing the launch of PelfreyPower.com which allows fans to interact and keep up-to-date with the team as the race season quickly approaches.
“I could not be more ecstatic to work with Dale [Pelfrey] as we introduce a new image that is uniform across the ladder series. Team Pelfrey is easily growing to be one of the largest teams in the Mazda Road to Indy paddock,” said Neal. “2017 will be an exciting year for all of us.”
Follow the 2016 Pro Mazda Champions on their journey on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. Also, connect with the team at PelfreyPower.com
TSO Ladder notes and thoughts from Steve
- The Team Pelfrey program was successfully run out of Tom Knapp’s westside Indianapolis shop for the majority of the 2016 season, so this move is not a huge surprise and makes a lot sense.
- Knapp has been a winning engineer (and team owner) at most levels of the American junior open wheel ladder, including F2000, Pro Mazda, Atlantics and Indy Lights. Despite that success in the lower formula, Knapp is likely best known as the team owner/engineer that shepherded Greg Ray to Indy Racing League prominence. Ray drove for Knapp’s Genoa Racing in the Atlantic Championship, before the pair took on the Indy Racing League with Knapp’s eponymous team from 1996 through 1998. The duo achieved a best finish of second at Texas (spring race 1998) before moving together to Team Menard in 1999. Three wins and an IRL Championship followed.
- The team’s move to Indianapolis also makes sense from a logistical and cohesiveness standpoint, as Team Pelfrey General Manager Jonny Baker is also a principle in CoForce, an Indianapolis based business development/digital media/sporting development agency that is moving into larger headquarters downtown.
- Team Pelfrey has recently been testing a number of drivers in both USF2000 and Pro Mazda with announcements of drivers in both categories expected in the near future.