Archives for USF2000 News/Results

St. Petersburg USF2000 Race #2 Qualifying and Race #1 Starting Line-up!

Posted by  on Friday, March 10th 2017     

By Patrick Stephan (@TSO_Patrick)

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In quals for the 2nd USF2000 race, Andre Castro again had issues, this time before he could complete a full lap at speed. Recall he hit the wall in the first race qualifying session earlier in the day. Didn’t look like he hit anything, but the red came out to retrieve his car early in this session, and he didn’t get back out to turn a lap later.

With about 4 minutes left, the Top 5 were:  Parker Thompson, Oliver Askew, Rinus VeeKay, Dakota Dickerson, and Robert Megennis.

With the order shuffling at this time, we got another red flag as Ricky Donison nosed his car in to the Turn 8 tire barrier. Most driver’s were just getting on to fresh rubber to go out and put in their late flying lap, so this red (and subsequent checkered) really messed up quals for many of them. In fact, I’m not even certain a few of those laps in the Top 5 will count as they may have been set with a local yellow being displayed.  We’ll have to wait for the official results to come out in a bit to get this one sorted.

Here are the highly unofficial qualifying results for USF2000 Race #2:

P No Name FTime Diff Laps FL Team
1 90 Parker Thompson 1:15.371 0.000 9 7 Exclusive Autosport
2 3 Oliver Askew 1:15.499 0.1287 11 9 Cape Motorsports
3 21 Rinus VeeKay 1:15.564 0.1937 10 6 Pabst Racing
4 36 Dakota Dickerson 1:15.677 0.3065 9 8 Newman Wachs Racing
5 80 Robert Megennis 1:15.819 0.4481 10 9 Team Pelfrey
6 12 Moises de la Vara 1:15.939 0.5678 9 8 DEForce Racing
7 81 Kaylen Frederick 1:16.001 0.6297 10 9 Team Pelfrey
8 11 Kory Enders 1:16.015 0.6440 9 8 DEForce Racing
9 23 Lucas Kohl 1:16.146 0.7756 10 10 Pabst Racing
10 82 Ayla Agren 1:16.154 0.7836 10 9 Team Pelfrey
11 91 Luke Gabin 1:16.351 0.9798 9 7 Exclusive Autosport
12 22 Calvin Ming 1:16.362 0.9915 10 9 Pabst Racing
13 2 Ricky Donison 1:16.398 1.0277 9 7 Cape Motorsports
14 7 Devin Wojcik 1:16.621 1.2507 9 8 ArmsUp Motorsports
15 27 Colin Kaminsky 1:17.128 1.7576 9 8 Kaminsky Racing
16 20 Chandler Horton 1:17.259 1.8881 10 5 RJB Motorsports
17 34 Kris Wright 1:17.714 2.3432 10 9 John Cummiskey Racing
18 38 Cameron Das 1:18.109 2.7382 7 2 Newman Wachs Racing
19 92 Dev Gore 1:18.929 3.5584 9 8 Exclusive Autosport
20 8 Bruna Tomaselli 1:19.191 3.8197 10 9 ArmsUp Motorsports
21 37 Andre Castro No Time — — — Newman Wachs Racing

 

And here is the OFFICIAL starting line-up for USF2000 Race #1:

SP Car Driver Name Time
1 80 Robert Megennis 01:15.3708
2 22 Calvin Ming (R) 01:15.4727
3 3 Oliver Askew (R) 01:15.5879
4 36 Dakota Dickerson 01:15.6146
5 81 Kaylen Frederick (R) 01:15.7763
6 90 Parker Thompson 01:15.8117
7 37 Andre Castro (R) 01:15.8664
8 12 Moises de la Vara (R) 01:15.9560
9 91 Luke Gabin 01:16.0225
10 11 Kory Enders (R) 01:16.1185
11 38 Cameron Das 01:16.3692
12 2 Ricky Donison (R) 01:16.4064
13 82 Ayla Agren 01:16.7702
14 21 Rinus VeeKay (R) 01:16.4903
15 7 Devin Wojcik (R) 01:16.7982
16 20 Chandler Horton (R) 01:16.9983
17 23 Lucas Kohl 01:17.0635
18 34 Kris Wright (R) 01:18.4297
19 27 Colin Kaminsky (R) 01:18.6508
20 8 Bruna Tomaselli* (R) 01:18.8338
21 92 Dev Gore (R) 01:19.5348
category: USF2000 News/Results

St. Petersburg – USF2000 practice session #1 – Team Pelfrey dominates, and rookies do rookie things

Posted by  on Thursday, March 9th 2017     

The first official practice session of the USF-17 era in USF2000 took place under sunny skies along the shores of Tampa Bay, and things started off very well for Team Pelfrey. The trio in the familiar yellow and black liveries finished with all three drivers in the top four.

The first red flag flew 12 minutes into the half-hour session with the top five times being set by Robert Megennis (Team Pelfrey), Rinus Van Kalmthout (Pabst Racing), Kaylen Frederick (Team Pelfrey), Ayla Agren (Team Pelfrey) and Dakota Dickerson (Newman Wachs Racing).

After a ten-minute red flag to for wall contact from Cape Motorsports rookies Oliver Askew in Turn 9,and Ricky Donison in Turn 10, along with contact from rookies Devin Wojcik, Andre Castro, and Kaylen Frederick, the track went back to green and the buzzing sound of 20 Mazda MZR 2.0L engines filled the early evening air for one last run on the 1.8-mile, 14-Turn street course.

Nobody could improve on Megennis’ top lap time, and the remainder of the top five was the same as when the red flag flew.

Most drivers were able to complete seven or eight flying laps during the half-hour session.

With the addition of a second qualifying session this year, that was the only USF2000 session, and the lowest rung of the MRTI ladder is back on track bright and early for their first qualifying session at 7:55 a.m

Complete USF2000 Practice 1 timesheet:

RANK CAR NO. DRIVER BEST LAP TIME GAP
1 80 Robert Megennis 1:14.6726 —
2 21 Rinus VeeKay 1:15.1135 0.4409
3 81 Kaylen Frederick 1:16.0642 1.3916
4 82 Ayla Agren 1:16.3344 1.6618
5 36 Dakota Dickerson 1:16.4127 1.7401
6 22 Calvin Ming 1:16.6257 1.9531
7 20 Chandler Horton 1:16.6344 1.9618
8 11 Kory Enders 1:16.8070 2.1344
9 37 Andre Castro 1:16.8502 2.1776
10 7 Devin Wojcik 1:17.0211 2.3485
11 38 Cameron Das 1:17.3415 2.6689
12 23 Lucas Kohl 1:17.7695 3.0969
13 12 Moises de la Vara 1:18.3414 3.6688
14 91 Luke Gabin 1:18.4604 3.7878
15 2 Ricky Donison 1:18.4972 3.8246
16 90 Parker Thompson 1:18.6545 3.9819
17 3 Oliver Askew 1:19.3079 4.6353
18 27 Colin Kaminsky 1:21.7166 7.0440
19 8 Bruna Tomaselli* 1:22.1196 7.4470
20 92 Dev Gore 1:22.3706 7.6980

Don’t miss any of the action:

category: Cooper Tires USF2000 powered by Mazda - TSO, USF2000 News/Results
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Previewing the 2017 USF2000 season – new cars, new teams, seasoned veterans and rapid rookies

Posted by  on Wednesday, March 8th 2017     

For the eighth straight year, the Cooper Tires USF2000 Powered by Mazda Series visits the 1.8-mile, 14 Turn, Streets Of St. Petersburg street circuit early in the chase for the nearly $400,000 Mazda Motorsports Advancement Scholarship prize package.

After seven years of competition featuring a Mazda powered, Van Diemen based chassis, the first step of the Mazda Road To Indy presented by Cooper Tire ladder debuts a brand new Tatuss chassis featuring the familiar Mazda MZR 2-Liter powerplant, and reliable Cooper Tires.

The USF-17 begins with Tatuus manufactured full carbon composite and aluminum honeycomb monocoque that meats current FIA F4 standards and adds:

  • a proven 170hp Mazda MZR 2.0 liter engine built by Elite Engines
  • an adjustable twin element rear wing
  • 13×8 (front) and 13 x10 (rear) wheels
  • PFC Formula 3 quality brakes with driver adjustable brake bias
  • upgraded Cosworth electronics package including ECU, GCU and data logger
  • three way adjustable Dynamic dampers with Hyperco springs (six spring rates available)
  • upgraded uprights for oval racing
  • ride-height, camber, toe adjustment, roll center, anti-squat and anti-dive adjustments on the rear axle and ride-height, camber and toe adjustment available on the front axle.

The entry list for the two St. Petersburg races features 21 announced drivers (and one To Be Announced Driver), born in 10 different counties representing 11 different teams.

Team and driver previews

With six straight and ten overall USF2000 drivers championships Cape Motorsports will look to continue their dominance with their first all-rookie line-up since Petri Suvanto and Shannon MacIntosh drove for the team in 2011. Ricky Donison will pilot the No. 2 machine, and Oliver Askew will be at the wheel of the Soul Red Mazda Motorsports/MC Racing sponsored No. 3. It’s been since 2013 that a driver from the St. Petersburg, Fla. team’s stable has stood on the top step of the podium in their hometown race, so they will be looking to start the season on a positive note.

Donison, who races with support from JK Tyres, is the first Indian backed driver in the MRTI since Armaan Ebrahim, who was also sponsored by the Indian tire manufacturer, made five starts for Fan Force United during the 2012 Indy Lights campaign. The 18 year-old has won numerous karting championships in his home country, but has limited experience in cars. The Bangalore, India native proved to be a quick study during testing at Homestead-Miami Speedway, ending the two days of testing ahead of other experienced drivers.

The 20 year-old Askew couldn’t have asked for a better start to his MRTI career, leading five of six test session at Homestead-Miami Speedway last week and ending the test four-tenths of a second ahead of his closest completion. Askew, the winner of the MRTI $200K Scholarship Shootout had a standout karting career, but does have limited starts in cars. However, if the skill that the Jupiter, Fla. native displayed in the United Kingdom while representing Team USA Scholarship at the Walter Hayes Trophy and Formula Ford Festival (two wins and five podiums in six races), carries over to the USF2000 Championship, Askew should be one of the favorites to win the $369,000 Mazda scholarship package to take to the Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire Championship.

After winning the MRTI $200K Scholarship Shootout at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in December, Oliver Askew has chosen to contest the 2017 USF2000 season with Cape Motorsports (Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)

“I couldn’t be more excited to start my first season in car racing and to start my first street race,” explained Askew. “It’s going to be so cool to be in the same paddock as the Verizon IndyCar Series. There will be a lot of buzz, but I must keep my head down and keep focusing on what’s important.”

ArmsUp Motorsports, along with Cape Motorsports and Pabst Racing, are one of only three active teams that has taken part in each one of the seven seasons since the USF2000 Championship was revived by Andersen Promotions in 2010. The Gregg Borland owned and John Walko engineered team will hope to get a handle on the Mazda powered Tatuus USF-17 with rookies Devin Wojcik in No. 7 ArmsUp Motorsports Mazda/Tatuus. Bruna Tomaselli will piloting the No. 8 Bruna&Bia sponsored ArmsUp Motorsports National Class Van Diemen chassis. The No. 9 USF-17 is listed on the entry list with the diver to be announced.

Wojcik won’t be coming into his MRTI experience completely blind. The 16 year-old took part in the two USF2000 races at Road America in June, finishing 14th and 16th in 24 car fields. Also included on the Fayetteville, N.Y. natives CV is two seasons of Skip Barber Racing Series Competition.

After a successful karting career, 18 year-old Tomaselli, a native of Caibi, Brazil, amassed five podiums and a fourth (2016) and seventh (2015) place finish in two seasons of Fórmula 4 Sudamericana Championship competition.

Brazilian Bruna Tomaselli will be the only National Class entry for the season opening USF2000 event in St. Petersburg (Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)

Both ArmsUp Motorsports drivers will be in learning mode, and Borland and Walko should be the patient and effective tutors the two young drivers will need to survive their first forays into the MRTI.

Ernesto Martinez, an experienced team owner, and David Martinez, a former IndyCar driver and respected driver development coach pooled their respective knowledge to form DEForce Racing in order to take part in the USF2000 Championship. The team which is based at MSR Houston in Angleton, Texas will a pair of rookies behind the wheel of their pair stunning blue and white Mazda powered Tatuus machines. Kory Enders will pilot the MBSugarland/Caliber Collision/McLaren Houston No. 11 and Moisés de la Vara will pilot the No. 12 that is sponsored by UAG/Isla Navidad.

The No. 11 DEForce Racing machine of Kory Enders gets serviced on pit road during testing at Homestead-Miami Speedway (Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)

 

The pair of 19 year-olds both took part in the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca round of Pro Mazda competition that closed out the 2016 season, and both drivers have recent seat time, so they won’t have to worry about knocking off the race rust.

Enders, who lives in Sugarland, Texas recently took part in the 2017 version of the Toyota Racing Series in New Zealand with fellow MRTI competitors Shelby Blackstock, and Nikita Lastochkin.

de la Vara, from Guadalajara, Mexico, has extensive Formula 4 experience in the Mexican based NACAM Formula 4 Championship and F4 United States Championship Powered by Honda. de la Vara has a total of two wins (including the last NACAM Formula 4 Championship at Autodromo Intetnacional de Cancun) and three podiums across two-and-a-half seasons of competition in the popular global entry level category.

Rookie Chandler Horton will pilot the Menards/Metalloid Firearms and Sports No. 20 of the Sturgis, Mich. based RJB Motorsports.

Horton, who is a college freshman and member of the Division I cycling team at Marion University in Indianapolis will be making his debut in USF2000, but the successful karter does have race experience in Formula Ford at the Sports Car Club of America level. While Horton does lack race experience on the circuits he will see in USF2000 this year, the son of INDYCAR Director Of Engineering won’t be totally blind. The Zionsville, Ind. resident was part of the pace-car team that delivered V.I.P. rides at many of the same tracks he’ll race on this season. Although Horton has spent most of his life around the Verizon IndyCar Series, the 19 year-old will need to spend the 2017 season learning what to expect on MRTI weekends, and look to complete as many laps as possible to continue to improve his pace as the season progresses.

With drivers Jake Eidson in 2015 and Jordan Lloyd in 2016, Pabst Racing team owner Augie Pabst and engineer Tonis Kasemats have come “oh so close” to dethroning Cape Motorsports from the top of the USF2000 Championship. The Oconomowoc, Wis. team enters the 2017 season with a potent United Nations trio of sophomore Brazilian Lucas Kohl (Belko Trading sponsored No. 23), rookie Dutchman Rinus Van Kalmthout (Jumbo Supermarkets The Netherlands/Total sponsored No. 21), and rookie Guyanese pilot Calvin Ming (Mings Products and Services(MPS)/APAN sponsored No. 22).

Kohl, who is mentored and coached by former Formula 1 and Indy Car driver Roberto Moreno, spent his rookie season at John Cummiskey Racing. The 18 year-old, who won the Formula Junior Championship in his native Brazil, finished his rookie USF2000 season with seven top 10s and a 12th place championship finish. Kohl finished test at Homestead-Miami Speedway last week, and ended the two-day test with only the 13th quickest lap. Kohl will have to make an improvement in his overall pace, if he wants to move closer to the pointy end of the USF2000 grid.

Van Kalmthout, who originally signed with the Benik/Carlin team at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway last May, became a free-agent when Benik and Carlin had a parting of the ways during the off-season. The 16 year-old finished last weeks test at Homestead-Miami Speedway leading the final session and scoring the third quickest time overall while testing for Newman Wachs Racing, but ended up signing with Pabst Racing, who he tested with just before the Homestead-Miami Speedway test. This will be the Hoofddorp, Netherlands natives first foray into cars after finishing in the top-three of some of the top karting championships in the world over the past two years. If Van Kalmthout, who names fellow Dutchman and two time Indianapolis 500 winner Arie Luyendyk as a hero, can learn race craft quickly, he could be in contention for the championship when it arrives at Watkins Glen International in Upstate New York on Labor Day Weekend.

Ming, who impressed with consistent pace at last week’s Homestead-Miami Speedway test, ended the two-day event with the sixth quickest lap. The 20 year-old may be making his MRTI debut, but has plenty of successful seat time in cars. The driver from Guyana had three wins, and 11 podiums to finish fourth in the 2016 F1600 Formula F Championship Series Championship while driving for Team Pelfrey, and currently leads the 2016-2017 FIA Fórmula 4 Nacam Championship through 14 of 24 rounds. The sophomore Florida International University Civil Engineering major has shown the pace in testing and race craft in previous series to serve as sleeper for podiums in the 2017 USF2000 Championship.

The carbon fibre black No. 22 Mazda/Tatuss of Calvin Ming from the Pabst Racing stable during testing at Homestead-Miami Speedway (Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)

The No. 27 Mazda/Tatuss from the Kaminsky Racing will be piloted by Homer Glen, Ill. native and high-school varsity goalie Colin Kaminsky. Kaminsky, who is the son of Pro Mazda regular Bob Kaminsky, will be a MRTI rookie, but did test the USF-17 at the Chris Griffis Memorial Test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in October 2016, and also has substantial seat time in a number of Sports Car Club of America divisions.

Benik, better known for their karting exploits in Europe and the U.S.A., will making their first foray into formula car racing on the Streets of St. Petersburg, Fla.. The Fort Lauderdale, Fla. based team will have Kyle Kirkwood at the wheel of their No. 31 Mazda powered Tatuus.

After an exceptional career in karts, Kirkwood made his first race start in cars in the F1600 Formula F Championship Series, and promptly won that race on the Road Atlanta road course. Kirkwood, from Jupiter, Fla., has been long time friends with Cape Motorsports rookie Askew, and was also chosen as a Team U.S.A. Scholarship winner in 2016, representing the Stars and Stripes in the United Kingdom. The 19 year-old does have more experience in cars than his friend Askew, wining once and finishing on the podium nine times on the way to a third place championship finish in the inaugural season of the F4 United States Championship Powered by Honda. If Benik has a solid handle on the car, and if Kirkwood’s eighth quickest time during testing at Homestead-Miami Speedway means anything, they are close to being very competitive, and don’t be surprised to see the talented Kirkwood regularly fighting for top fives.

For the fourth straight season, John Cummiskey Racing will field a car in the USF2000 championship. Kris Wright will pilot the PPG Paints/American Financial/Wright Automotive sponsored No. 34 for the Brownsburg, Ind. based team that is owned and run by John Cummiskey, a former team manger for Dragon Racing and chief mechanic for Team Penske and Team Green Racing.

Wright, a 22 year-old who started his racing career in the Skip Barber Racing Series has spent the past two years racing in the Pirelli World Challenge. The Pittsburgh, Pa. native had one podium while driving a Kia Forte Koup in the TCA class in 2015, continued in TCA in 2016, but also added a ST program in a Porsche Cayman.

After a seven season absence from the American Open Wheel ladder, Newman Wachs Racing is returning to competition with a two car assault on the 2017 USF2000 Championship. The Chicago area team was founded by Paul Newman and Eddie Wachs in 2006 and over the course of the next four years, the team came home with one Atlantic Championship title with John Edwards in 2009, and had a total of 10 wins and 22 podiums. The Mundelein, Ill. based team which is managed by long-time Newman Wachs Racing employee Brian Halahan and engineered by Alan O’Leary, will field the Team USA Scholarship/Mazda Motorsports sponsored No. 36 for USF2000 sophomore Dakota Dickerson and the No. 37 entry for series rookie Andre Castro.

Hailing from San Diego, Dickerson, who received a $200,000 Mazda Scholarship for winning the 2015 Skip Barber Championship Shootout in 2015, was the USF2000 Rookie Of The Year runner-up at the conclusion of the 2016 season. The 20 year-old spent the majority of last season as a one car entry with Afterburner Autosport, a difficult proposition for a rookie, but the dedicated youngster still managed to finish in the top 10 on 10 occasions, including the final eight races of the season. The pace Dickerson exhibited in the second-half of the 2016 season, combined with the strong Newman Wachs Racing technical department, and a push from rapid teammate Castro, should see the former Team U.S.A Scholarship winner contending for podiums and the season championship.

Castro, who was born in New York City to Colombian parents is coming off a successful test at Homestead-Miami Speedway that saw him turn in the fourth quickest lap time among the 21 drivers entered. After a successful 11 year karting career, the 18 year-old made his debut in cars in 2016, amassing three wins, six poles, and ten podiums in the Skip Barber Championship Series. Don’t be surprised to see Castro near the pointy end of the field during the 2017 USF2000 season.

Newman Wachs Racing rookie Andre Castro will be looking to continue with the pace he had during testing at Homestead-Miami Speedway (Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)

Team Pelfrey is entering their third season of USF2000 competition still looking for their first victory. The Indianapolis based team who has won three of the last five Pro Mazda Championships, enters the 2017 USF2000 season with it’s strongest line-up yet. Veteran Ayla Agren will pilot the Energima sponsored No. 82, 2016 USF2000 Rookie of the Year Robert Megennis will be at the wheel of the Palo Alto Networks sponsored No. 80, and rapid rookie Kaylen Frederick will drive the Pilot ONE Racing sponsored No. 81.

After a partial USF2000 season with John Cummiskey Racing in 2016, Agren will be “coming home” to Team Pelfrey, the team she drove for while capturing the 2014 F1600 Formula F Championship Series title, and also made her USF2000 debut with in 2015. With only one DNF and top 10 finishes in 20 of her 28 USF2000 race starts, race craft and consistency has been the name of the game for the 23 year-old in her first two MRTI seasons.  With the move back to a familiar team and Team Pelfrey’s increased pace so far in testing, the Baerum, Norway native is poised to have a break-out year in 2017.

In her third season of Cooper Tires USF2000 Powered by Mazda competition, Ayla Agren has her eyes set on the championship (Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)

Megennis, who just turned 17 years old earlier this week, turned the fifth fastest overall lap and was the quickest veteran driver during the recent USF2000 test at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The competitive fencer from New York, N.Y.  spent a large portion of the his rookie USF2000 season as the lone USF2000 entry for Team Pelfrey, and impressively was still able to collect two podiums and 13 top 10 finishes on the way to USF2000 Rookie of the Year honors. During the 16 race 2016 USF2000 season, Megennis gained a total 56 spots (an average of 3.5 spots per race) from his qualifying position, and with improved qualifying efforts that should come from having teammates, expect Megennis to be fighting for the Mazda Advancement scholarship in 2017.

With the second quickest lap time in testing last week at Homestead-Miami Speedway, 14 year-old rookie Frederick served notice to the rest of the USF2000 field that he plans run near the front of the field from the drop of the green flag in St. Petersburg. The Potomac, Md. native finished the 2016 F1600 Formula F Championship Series season in seventh place despite missing the first six race due to age restrictions, scoring one win, two poles and four podiums.

With over a dozen F1600 championships in Canada (and one in the USA), Exclusive Autosport has become the standard bearer for F1600 teams in North America. In 2017, the Michael Duncalfe owned that will base it’s USF2000 program out of Palmetto, Fla., will field a three car effort for 2016 USF2000 vice-champion and third year driver Parker Thompson, fellow third-year driver Luke Gabin, who finished fifth in 2016 USF2000 Championship and rookie Dev Gore. Thompson will pilot the Exclusive Autosport/openhwy sponsored No. 91 Mazda/Tatuss. The Exclusive Autosport/AER sponsored No. 91 will be driven by Gabin. Dev Gore will be behind the wheel of the Exclusive Autosport/AER sponsored No. 92.

Thompson, who just turned 19 years-old, made his USF2000 debut straight out of karting with JDC Motorsports in 2015, before moving to Cape Motorsports in 2016. In 32 career MRTI starts, Thompson has collected four wins, three poles, 12 podiums, 25 top 10s, and seven quickest race laps. The Red Deer, Alberta, Canada native and first Canadian to make it to the podium at the prestigious Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals, spends his time away from the race track educating high-school students about the dangers of distracted driving. Over the past two years, Thompson, and Drive To Stay Alive, a program he founded in 2014, has visited over 100 High Schools across North America, and explained the dangers of distracted driving to over 100,000 students. Thompson enters the 2017 USF2000 season as one of the favorites, but will have some tough competition from a number of different fronts, if the Exclusive Autosport team and driver can’t come to grips with the new Mazda powered Tatuus USF-17.

In 2013, Gabin travelled to the U.S.A from Perth, Australia. to take part in the Skip Barber Karting Shootout and he has been here ever since. Gabin won that shootout, and the following season Gabin won the $200,000 MAZDASPEED scholarship to advance to USF2000 by winning the Skip Barber Championship Shootout. In 2015, the 21 year-old finished his rookie USF2000 season in sixth place while driving for Team Pelfrey, and in 2016, Gabin and the underfunded JAY Motorsports team punched well above their weight, finishing the year in fifth place and collecting four podiums and 12 top 10 finishes along the way. Like Thompson, Gabin will have to come to grips with the new USF-17, but like his fellow third year teammate, should be able to contend for the Mazda Motorsports Advancement Scholarship.

Gore, the winner of the 2016 DD2 National Championship and the Rotax DD2 US Open Championship, will be making his first start in cars at St. Petersburg this weekend. The 19 year-old will have a steep learning curve in 2017, but with a championship winning team and experienced teammates, the Oklahoma City native has the perfect opportunity to learn and succeed.

 

Some notes and questions about the 2017 Cooper Tires USF2000 Powered by Mazda season

Will 2017 be the year of a Sophomore (and Junior) slump?

If you look at the last number of USF2000 seasons, picking one of the six veteran drivers entered for  in the season opening Hi-Tide Boat Lifts Grand Prix of St. Petersburg and Allied Building Products Grand Prix of St. Petersburg would be a smart bet.

The last time a rookie won the Cooper Tires USF2000 Powered by Mazda championship was in 2012 when Matthew Brabham just beat his Cape Motorsports teammate Spencer Pigot to the title.

The last time a rookie driver won a Cooper Tires USF2000 Powered by Mazda race was in 2014, when Jake Eidson, Aaron Telitz and Victor Franzoni all won races.

However, all that past history involved the venerable Van Diemen F2000 car, a chassis that had been in service for over a decade.

If testing at Homestead-Miami Speedway is any indication, the Mazda powered, Cooper Tire shod Tatuus USF-17 could shake things, at least early in the season.

The USF-17 features 50% less downforce, combined with more mechanical grip, which places the car somewhere between an F1600 machine and the Van Diemen F2000 car.

The majority of the veteran drivers were certainly concerned with “re-training” themselves for the new car.

“The Van Diemans drove completely different, you broke as late as you could, you rolled center, you rolled speed across the center and you got on the throttle as hard as you could and these cars are completely different,” explained third year Exclusive Autosport driver Parker Thompson. “They are more about how early you can get on the throttle and how much speed you can roll and it’s kind of a balance between that. The combination of less aero and more mechanical grip it gives us third year drivers definitely a head-ache sometimes in setting up the car.”

Parker Thompson will be looking to come to grips with the new Mazda/Tatuss USF-17 (Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)

Thompson was certainly not alone in his assessment.

“The aero difference, last year we could depend on the aero and that really effected how you drove the car,” echoed Newman Wachs Racing sophomore Dakota Dickerson. “You could really throw it into the corner and the aero would slow you down and keep the rear-end secure and this year with the lack of aero but increased mechanical grip you really have to change the way you have to enter the corner. Braking is quite a bit a different, and getting on power is quite a bit different, so on a track like this (Homestead-Miami Speedway road course) with all the small hairpins it’s really different.”

Robert Megennis, the 2016 USF2000 Rookie of the Year had similar thoughts about the differences between the 2016 and 2017 equipment, but was a little more upbeat about it. Megennis was the quickest of the six veterans in recent testing at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

They are two completely different cars. It’s hard to pick a biggest difference,” said Team Pelfrey’s Megennis, when asked to explain the biggest difference between the Van Dieman and the Tatuus. “The tires are a lot bigger and a lot better. There is a lot less downforce on the car, so that makes it different to drive. The gearbox is different, the engine is upgraded so there is now six gears, it goes faster in a straight line. It’s a carbon monocoque, instead of a tube frame so it rotates differently through the corner, every single thing is different. Everything is so much better and it’s so much more fun to drive.

There are smaller differences, but it’s still a similar technique, so I feel like I’ve taken to it rather well and I’ve figured out quite quickly. It’s just a better car, much more fun to drive.”

Top USF2000 rookie in 2016, Robert Megennis was certainly more upbeat about learning the new USF-17 compared to his fellow series veterans (Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)

Record breaker??

If early testing is any indication, don’t be surprised to see the USF2000 race and qualifying records broken by the Mazda powered Tatuus USF-17. Matthew Brabham of Cape Motorsports owns the race and overall track record on the 1.8-Mile, 14-Turn Street Circuit with a lap of 1 minute, 13.064 seconds that was set during the 2012 event. The fastest qualifying lap of 1 minute, 13.284 seconds was also set in 2012 by Brabham’s Cape Motorsports teammate Spencer Pigot.

Can success early in the season on the streets of St. Petersburg foreshadow a championship?

Scott Hargrove, the 2013 USF2000 Champion, was the last season long title holder to win a race on the shores of Tampa Bay. Petri Suvanto (2011) and Sage Karam (2010) are the other two winners on the Streets of St. Petersburg that have gone on to claim the coveted Mazda Motorsports Scholarship.

USF2000 race winners on the Streets of St. Petersburg

YEAR WINNING DRIVER WINNING TEAM
2016 Race #2 Yufeng Luo Pabst Racing
2016 Race #1 Jordan Lloyd Pabst Racing
2015 Race #2 Jake Eidson Pabst Racing
2015 Race #1 Jake Eidson Pabst Racing
2014 Race #2 RC Enerson Team E Racing
2014 Race #1 Vitor Franzoni Afterburner Autosport
2013 Race #2 Scott Hargrove Cape Motorsports with /WTR
2013 Race #1 Scott Hargrove Cape Motorsports with /WTR
2012 Race #2 Spencer Pigot Cape Motorsports with /WTR
2012 Race #1 Spencer Pigot Cape Motorsports with /WTR
2011 Race #2 Petri Suvanto Cape Motorsports with /WTR
2011 Race #1 Spencer Pigot Andretti Autosport
2010 Race #2 Sage Karam Andretti Autosport
2010 Race #1 Sage Karam Andretti Autosport

Don’t miss any of the action:

category: Cooper Tires USF2000 powered by Mazda - TSO, USF2000 News/Results
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Mazda release and our notes: Mazda Scholarship Drivers Will Race with Cape Motorsports in 2017

Posted by  on Thursday, March 2nd 2017     

Mazda release:

Mazda Scholarship Drivers Will Race with Cape Motorsports in 2017

– Anthony Martin and Oliver Askew Will Both Drive Mazda Soul Red Cars –

IRVINE, Calif. (March 2, 2017) – Anthony Martin and Oliver Askew, two Mazda driver development scholarship winners, will race with Cape Motorsports for the 2017 season in the Mazda Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires. Martin, the 2016 champion in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Powered by Mazda series, earned a scholarship to allow him to move up to the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires this season. Askew won the $200,000 Mazda Road to Indy Shootout late last year, which brings him to the USF2000 series this season with Mazda backing. The season-opening event for the entire Mazda Road to Indy takes place March 10 – 12 at St. Petersburg, Fla..

Cape Motorsports, based in St. Petersburg, Fla., has a sparkling record in the Mazda Road to Indy, including an incredible 10 championships – and six consecutive titles – in the USF2000 series. Owned and operated by brothers Dominic and Nicholas Cape, the team has more than two decades of open-wheel racing experience.

Anthony Martin

Anthony Martin, 22, of Kalgoorlie, Australia, will make his Pro Mazda debut this year after a six-win season earned him last year’s USF2000 championship. Martin won the title with Cape, and will stay with the team for the next step of the Mazda Road to Indy ladder.

“Going with Cape Motorsports again was a quite easy decision,” said Martin. “I’m a loyal person and I really do love sticking with the boys. They’re a great team, and everything they have is second to none. I witnessed it all of last year, and I could not leave the team because the way they run the show is impeccable. I’ve never been a part of a team or a family environment like this one.

“Winning the Mazda scholarship meant everything to me,” Martin said, while describing the overwhelming response in his home country. “It was an immense reaction. There was so much hype in Australia about me winning this championship, I had to go back to talk to a lot of the media back home, and see all my friends and family that were really supporting me and backing me. Winning the championship really opened up my eyes to the support I have and how many people were actually watching me and pushing me to do the best I can over here.”

“We’re extremely happy to have Anthony compete on behalf of Cape Motorsports,” said Dominic Cape, team co-owner. “We had a great year with Anthony in 2016 and we saw him grow as a driver into a true champion. We feel confident that he will bring the momentum of his success in the USF2000 series into Pro Mazda. We would also like to thank Mazda for establishing the scholarship programs, along with the series and their partners. We look forward to the start of the 2017 season.”

“Anthony is a perfect example of a driver from across the globe who saw the Mazda Road to Indy as the best opportunity to climb the motorsports ladder,” said John Doonan, director of Mazda Motorsports. “Anthony is in a great position to help tell the Mazda story on multiple continents. Our colleagues at Mazda Australia have been able to tell his success story there, where Mazda has had great success in the marketplace. By choosing Cape Motorsports as his home for the 2017 Pro Mazda Championship, Anthony is leveraging his experience with his championship-winning family.  All of us at Mazda wish him the best as he starts the new season with high hopes.”

Anthony Martin will return for his third season of Mazda Road To Indy presented by Cooper Tire competition, as the reigning USF2000 champion (Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)

TSO Ladder Notes from Steve:

  • Martin is is the first confirmed Cape Motorsports entry and ninth confirmed full-time Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire driver for the 2017 season opener on the streets of St. Petersburg, joining Sting Ray Robb (World Speed Motorsports), TJ Fischer (Team Pelfrey), Max Hanratty (Leading Edge Grand Prix), Bobby Eberle (World Speed Motorsports), Charles Finelli (Fat Boy Racing), Brandon Puderbach, (Fat Boy Racing), Carlos Cunha (Team Pelfrey) and Nikita Lastochkin (Team Pelfrey)
  • Martin has a total of 32 Mazda Road To Indy presented by Cooper Tire starts, with all of them coming in two seasons of USF2000 competition. Over the course of those two seasons the 22-year old Australian collected seven wins, nine poles and 16 podiums. 
  • During the 2016-2017 racing off-season, Martin returned to spend some time working as a mechanic on big drill rigs for Goldfields Compressor Hire, a job that he has had for a number of years. 
  • TSO is hearing that the Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire grid is expected to be in double digits (or at least very close) at the first event on the streets of St. Petersburg. 
  • You can follow Cunha on the following social media platforms: Twitter – Instagram – Facebook

Oliver Askew

Oliver Askew, 20, of Jupiter, Fla., began racing karts at age seven and burst upon the open-wheel racing scene last year when he was selected for the Team USA Scholarship, which he utilized to finish second in the prestigious Walter Hayes Trophy Grand Finale at Silverstone, England. The Team USA honor also qualified him for the $200,000 Mazda Road to Indy Shootout, a competition among championship-winning drivers from around the world. Askew won the event, thus earning a Mazda scholarship for his first full season in the USF2000 series.

“The team at Cape Motorsports have helped me a lot with this next step,” said Askew. “I’ve learned so much in the last month of testing with them preparing for this year. It’s a big opportunity for me and I want to maximize that. With Cape Motorsports, everything is possible, as they’re one of the best teams in the paddock and I’m very happy to be with them.”

“As soon as I won the Shootout, I was thinking about the championship and winning races,” said Askew. “This is my opportunity, so I want to make it easier on myself going into next year to win the USF2000 title and earn another season scholarship from Mazda. I’m very fortunate right now to have this opportunity from Mazda.”

Askew was also quick to credit his teammate, Martin.

“[Anthony has been] extremely helpful,” said Askew. “We’re not competing against one another, so it makes it easier for us to compare notes. He’s been through it all in USF2000 with this team, so I can bounce everything off of him. We’re good friends too.”

“We are delighted to have Oliver on our team,” offered Nicholas Cape, co-owner of Cape Motorsports. “He is an exceptional young man and has an extremely bright future ahead of him. He has everything we look for in a driver. It’s been a year in the making getting Oliver in our car and he has impressed us during the initial tests and we’re really looking forward to seeing him race. We are also very proud to be representing the first Mazda Road to Indy Shootout winner, and would like to thank Mazda for all their support. It’s really quite remarkable what they do to support young drivers.”

“The success of the $200,000 Mazda Road to Indy Shoot-out was way beyond our expectations,” said Mazda’s Doonan. “We knew we were breaking new ground by bringing drivers from all over the world and that it would be good… but it turned out to be fantastic. Everyone at Mazda was blown away by it, and especially Oliver.

“We’re proud to welcome him to the Mazda family. With the new Tatuus USF-17 chassis debuting, the 2017 season is very much up for grabs, but by choosing to compete with Cape Motorsports, Oliver has put himself in a position for early success. Based on nearly three dozen of the new USF-17 cars being sold, the entire Mazda Road to Indy is in for a real treat in this championship.”

“It is a great honor to have both scholarship drivers compete on behalf of Cape Motorsports,” Dominic Cape said. “The support that Mazda gives young drivers is truly remarkable, and we would like to thank Mazda and John Doonan for establishing the scholarship programs. There is nothing quite like this anywhere in the world. We look forward to debuting both Soul Red cars at our home race in Saint Petersburg next week.”

Oliver Askew, the winner of the MRTI $200K Scholarship Shootout will be contesting the 2017 Cooper Tires USF2000 Powered by Mazda season in the Soul Red No. 3 from the Cape Motorsports stable. (Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)

TSO Ladder Notes from Steve:

  • Askew is the second Cape Motorsports entry and 16th driver confirmed for the 2017 Cooper Tires USF2000 Powered by Mazda season opener on the Streets of St. Petersburg, joining: Moises de la Vara (DEForce Racing), Kory Enders (DEForce Racing), Rinus VK (Benik), Devin Wojcik (ArmsUp Motorsports), Chandler Horton (RJB Motorsports), Robert Megennis (Team Pelfrey),  Parker Thompson (Exclusive Autosport),  Andre Castro (Newman Sachs Racing), Calvin Ming (Pabst Racing),  Ayla Agren (Team Pelfrey), Lucas Kohl (Pabst Racing), Rick Donison (Cape Motorsports),  Luke Gabin (Exclusive Autosport), and Dev Gore (Exclusive Autosport)
  • The 20 year-old Askew does not have a lot of experience in cars, but did have success in the United Kingdom at the Formula Ford Walter Hayes, and Formula Ford Festival. The Team U.S.A. Scholarship representative scored two wins and five podiums in six races across the prestigious end of season events. 
  • You can follow Askew on the following social media platforms: Twitter – Instagram – Facebook
category: Cooper Tires USF2000 powered by Mazda - TSO, Pro Mazda News/Results, Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire - TSO, USF2000 News/Results
tags: , , , , , , ,

Recapping the day in Pro Mazda and USF2000 testing with a little flavor for Patrick Stephan

Posted by  on Wednesday, March 1st 2017     

 

Our lede for Wednesday’s MRTI testing recap changed from “Rookie Cape Motorsports pilot leads all six USF2000 test sessions” to, “beat by just ‘that’ much, when MRTI $200K Scholarship Shootout winner Oliver Askew lost the top spot on the timesheet after a lap by Newman Wachs Racing rookie Rinus Van Kalmthout nudged him out by one-tenth of a second.

The 20 year-old Askew still ended up “winning” testing by laying down a quick lap of 1 minute 23.9142 seconds in this morning’s first session. Askew, who was only “testing” (wink, wink, nudge, nudge – expect a release soon) with Cape Motorsports this week, ended up as the only driver with a lap under 1 minute 24 seconds.

Oliver Askew, who was driving for Cape Motorsports topped the timesheet at USF2000 spring training at Homestead-Miami Speedway (Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)

“Going into yesterday, I just wanted to get a feel for the car again,” explained the Jupiter, Florida native.  “I didn’t want to go flat out right away, but we were quick right out of the box. The team is really good at making the right changes for us to learn, which is what we’ve been doing these two days. We haven’t gone out with the same car as the previous session. We picked right up where we left off yesterday and, at the end of the day, we were the only car in the top six that didn’t put new tires on. We’re all getting more knowledgeable about the new car with every change that we make. The Tatuus USF-17 is fantastic. The series has done a great job putting it together and making it user friendly. I didn’t expect the test to go this well so I’m extremely happy and very confident that we’ll be winning races this year.”

The top 10 on the combined timesheet (see below for entire timesheet) were Askew, Kaylen Frederick (Team Pelfrey), Rinus Van Kalmthout (Newman Wachs Racing), Andre Castro (Newman Wachs Racing), Robert Megennis (Team Pelfrey), Calvin Ming (Pabst Racing), Parker Thompson (Exclusive Autosport), Kyle Kirkwood (Benik), Dakota Dickerson (Newman Wachs Racing), and Ayla Agren (Team Pelfrey).

A trio of brand new USF-17 cars brake for Turn 6 at Homestead-Miami Speedway ((Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)

One of the questions we had about the 2017 USF2000 season in our preview was: With five straight championships, will it be business as usual for Cape brothers, despite the brand new Mazda powered Tatuus USF-17?

Nothing is definitive until the checkered flag falls at Watkins Glen International on Labor Day weekend, but if early returns mean anything, expect to see a Cape Motorsports car at the sharp end of the grid in St. Petersburg.

“Obviously you never know where you are going to be, where you are going to stack up until everyone is together. We are very pleased with how it went,” explained team owner Nicolas Cape though a barely concealed cheeky grin. “Oliver (Askew) did a fantastic job, which we anticipated he would because he’s obviously a very talented young man. We’re very happy, we got to do our program and we stuck to it. We got to do our race runs in the last two sessions today and we did some qualifying simulations this morning. We made a lot of changes and ran through a bunch of different stuff, and I couldn’t be more pleased to be honest with you. Also, Ricky (Donison) struggled a little bit in the beginning of the test, but he came a long way towards the end of the day, so we’re really pleased with his progress and we think he’ll be really well at St. Pete.”

However, with seven drivers representing five teams within one second of Askew, expect the USF2000 title to be extremely entertaining.

The second question we had in our preview was:  Is this the year that a rookie can win the title?

The last time a rookie won the Cooper Tires USF2000 Powered by Mazda championship was in 2012 when Matthew Brabham just beat his Cape Motorsports teammate Spencer Pigot to the title.

If testing means anything, and that is always debatable, expect to see a few rookies fighting for the advancement scholarship for Pro Mazda.

Team Pelfrey sophomore Robert Megennis had the fifth quickest time of testing but was the quickest of the returning drivers. (Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)

With rookies holding down the top four spots on the timesheet and six of the top 10 spots, the veterans have to be worried. We chatted with a number of veteran drivers (more on that in a breakout post), and while worried might be too strong of a word, there is definitely some concern.

Nineteen of 21 drivers turned their quickest laps during one of the three sessions today, with 12 of those drivers, including Askew, going fastest in today’s morning session.

The 21 drivers turned a total of 2,931 laps (6,477.5 miles) with Pabst Racing sophomore Lucas Kohl’s 170 circuits being the highest number of laps turned.

Combined Cooper Tires USF2000 Powered by Mazda timesheet:

RANK CAR NO. DRIVER TEAM QUICKEST LAP TOTAL LAPS
1 3 Oliver Askew Cape Motorsports 1:23.9142 136
2 81 Kaylen Frederick Team Pelfrey 1:24.3181 143
3 38 Rinus Van Kalmthout Newman Wachs Racings 1:24.4653 142
4 37 Andre Castro Newman Wachs Racing 1:24.6664 134
5 80 Robert Megennis Team Pelfrey 1:24.6747 142
6 22 Calvin Ming Pabst Racing 1:24.7375 163
7 90 Parker Thompson Exclusive Autosport 1:24.8296 138
8 31 Kyle Kirkwood Benik 1:25.0495 133
9 36 Dakota Dickerson Newman Wachs Racing 1:25.0892 138
10 82 Ayla Agren Team Pelfrey 1:25.1130 147
11 9 Victor Franzoni ArmsUp Motorsports 1:25.1383 129
12 11 Kory Enders DEForce Racing 1:25.2600 140
13 23 Lucas Kohl Pabst Racing 1:25.3061 170
14 12 Moisés de la Vara DEForce Racing 1:25.3097 137
15 91 Luke Gabin Exclusive Autosport 1:25.5477 133
16 2 Ricky Donison Cape Motorsports 1:25.6420 142
17 34 Kris Wright John Cummiskey Racing 1:25.6730 161
18 7 Devin Wojcik ArmsUp Motorsports 1:26.9532 138
19 92 Dev Gore Exclusive Autosport 1:26.9352 72
20 20 Chandler Horton RJB Motorsports 1:27.6053 142
21 8 Bruna Tomaselli ArmsUp Motorsports 1:28.1298 151

After day that included a steep learning curve and some issues with his car’s brakes, reigning Cooper Tires USF2000 Powered by Mazda champion Anthony Martin showed his true form by leading the combined Pro Mazda time sheet after six hours of track time on the 2.21 mile, 14-turn Homestead-Miami Speedway road course.

Anthony Martin and his Soul Red No. 8 led Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire testing on the road course at Homestead-Miami Speedway (Photo Courtesy of IndyCar)

Martin, who will be driving a Soul Red car this year, is only “testing” with Cape Motorsports (same wink, wink, nudge, nudge as Askew above) ended up with a quick lap time of 1 minute 23.6329 seconds. The Australian native was followed closely by Team Pelfrey trio of Carlos Cunha, Nikita Lastochkin and TJ Fischer, who were all within four-tenths of the top spot.

“The last couple of days have been a big learning curve. The first day didn’t go as planned for us but, like we always do, we bounced back and this second day has been very productive,” said the 21 year-old Martin.  “We’ve learned a lot about car setup and with my driving and, most importantly, we were quite fast. The biggest thing we worked on was driving, just getting me used to the car. I think the transition has gone well. This car has more power and more grip than the USF2000 car but it’s fun to learn. I’m a huge fan of the rotary engine so to have one of them strapped to the back side of me is quite awesome.”

“It was a very good test for me. Last week was my first time in this car and it’s very different to drive than the Formula 3 car,” explained Team Pelfrey rookie Cunha. “It has more power and I am still getting used to the tires and the difference in downforce. This year will be very challenging but I have two good teammates. I need to learn a lot – about the car and about the tracks. I’ve never driven on a street course before! This is an amazing championship and an amazing prize at the end of the year for the champion. I just need to believe in the team, in the car and, of course, I need to believe in myself, and I think we’ll have a good year.”

The first question that we asked about the 2017 Pro Mazda season in our preview was: Can anybody touch Team Pelfrey?

If testing is any indication, it appears that Cape Motorsports and Anthony Martin will be in the picture, but with the top four drivers covered by four-tenths of a second, we’ll need a few more events to make a final determination.

A pair of familiar yellow and black Team Pelfrey cars lead the World Speed Motorsports duo into Turn 6 on the 2.21 mile, 14-turn Homestead-Miami Speedway road course (Photo Courtesy of IndyCar)

The second question we asked in our preview was: Who emerges as the team leader at Team Pelfrey?

Like the first question, the jury is still out on that. Cunha, Lastochkin, and Fisher all turned laps within three-tenths of a second of one another. The intra-team battle at Team Pelfrey should provide race fans with some terrific entertainment.

All seven of the drivers turned their quickest laps during one of the three sessions today, with five of those drivers, including Martin, going fastest in today’s morning session.

The seven drivers turned a total of 1,147 laps (2,534.9 miles) with World Speed Motorsports veteran Bobby Eberle’s 177 circuits leading the way.

Combined Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire timesheet:

RANK CAR NO. DRIVER TEAM QUICKEST LAP TOTAL LAPS
1 8 Anthony Martin Cape Motorsports 1:23.6329 150
2 81 Carlos Cunha Team Pelfrey 1:23.7299 141
3 80 Nikita Lastochkin Team Pelfrey 1:23.7980 155
4 82 TJ Fischer Team Pelfrey 1:24.0550 165
5 14 Sting Ray Robb World Speed Motorsports 1:25.4694 173
6 13 Bobby Eberle World Speed Motorsports 1:25.6393 177
7 5 Jeff Green Green Racing 1:26.7837 186

It wasn’t just the first two rungs of the MRTI ladder that were busy today, the 15 Indy Lights drivers entered for Mazda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by Cooper Tires were going through a road course of their own. Beginning with official portraits, moving onto interviews with Road To Indy TV and NBC Sports Network, and ending with a social media tutorial by Cooper Tire and Mazda, the drivers were sure kept busy on one of their off days. After the day long process to switch their Mazda powered Dallaras from oval to road course trim, the Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tire teams and drivers will have a total of 6.5 hours of track time on the 2.21 mile, 14-turn Homestead-Miami Speedway road course.

Some flavor:

Patrick asked me to add a little more “flavor” to my TSO Ladder writing. I agree with him, and it’s something I’ve been meaning to do more of. So, here it goes…

When I searched for flights to come to the MRTI testing at Homestead-Miami Speedway, my search yielded a very inexpensive flight to Fort Myers, Florida. I’m staying in Florida through the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (more on my other adventures, including two days at the Lucas Oil School of Racing, later next week) and am flying out of Tampa on the Sunday evening after the Grand Prix.

My flight arrived in the late afternoon and by the time I picked up my rental car (an upgrade to a Mustang, so no complaints) it was already dark. When I mapped the drive from Fort Myers to my accommodations in Florida City, the non-toll route was only 10 minutes longer, and since I’m proudly “frugal,” I clicked “go” on that route. Likely not my best choice, as the Tamiami Trail is a two-lane road through the heart of The Everglades. Thankfully there was very little traffic, which made the close to three-hour drive stress-free, but unfortunately, the highway is so dark and remote, they lower the night-time speed limit to 45mph. There are plenty of signs showing wilderness crossing the road, and I believe I did have an encounter with a small reptile. Sorry!

I arrived at my accommodations, an older, but clean, well-kept and completely remodeled motel, and tried to get right to sleep. That didn’t happen, and likely had a lot to do with the giant 44oz Mountain Dew I consumed in an effort to stay awake way past my bed-time. I finally fell asleep only to have my alarm go off a few hours later. It was time to head to a race track for the first time this year!!!

This is actually my first trip to Homestead-Miami Speedway, so it took me a little while to find the gate that I needed to enter, but once I did, I got set up in the media center and got to work.

A couple of things about Homestead-Miami Speedway immediately stand out. First, the majority of the structures and buildings are of the Art Deco style and color, similar to what you would find in nearby Miami Beach, Florida. Second, constantly seeing 482d Fighter Wing Air Reserve F-16’s from Homestead Air Reserve Base fly directly overhead is very cool and unique.

Monday night featured a meet-and-greet between the MRTI drivers, team members, series staff and me (the lone media member present). This is the second year that this event has taken place and it’s a great way to catch-up with old friends and get acquainted with new faces.

Even though we had a mild winter so far in Indianapolis, Indiana, the shock of the 80+ F temperatures and high humidity was quite a shock. I returned my hotel, decided to cool off with a quick dip in the pool and hit the hay really early.

On Tuesday morning, my alarm went off early and this time, I had no problem getting going. Since it was “Fat Tuesday”, and I resemble that descriptor, I headed to the nearest Publix grocery store in search of a Paczki. My Dad was in the bakery business and sold donuts to Publix, so I knew I would find my fix. I was not disappointed.

Soriano Brothers Cuban restaurant in Homestead, Florida. (Photo Courtesy of Steve Wittich)

After another hot and humid day at the track on Tuesday, I was ready for a good local dinner. I found my self in the mood for Cuban, and after a little bit of research online, I found Soriano Brothers. The open-air restaurant did not disappoint. The food options were endless, but mainly centered around pork. I chose to go with Masas De Peurcos Fritas (marinated pork that has been broiled in water and oil (so essentially fried), Arroz Congri (rice and black beans) and plantains. The pork was extremely flavorful and a great combination of sweet and heat, the portion was enormous (I’ll be eating it again tomorrow night), and it was extremely flavorful. I would definitely go back.

My fantastic meal of Masas De Peurcos Fritas, Arroz Congri, and plantains. It was enough to feed an entire family. (Photo courtesy of Steve Wittich)

Now I’m hungry again…

category: Cooper Tires USF2000 powered by Mazda - TSO, Pro Mazda News/Results, Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire - TSO, USF2000 News/Results
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Fisher (Pro Mazda) and Askew (USF2000) lead first day of MRTI testing at Homestead-Miami Speedway

Posted by  on Tuesday, February 28th 2017     

By Steve Wittich

I apologize for the lack of photographs. The Amazon S3 outage impacted the photo repository. They will be added to the story a little late. Thanks.

If you spent any amount of time in the pit boxes of Cape Motorsports, Newman Wachs Racing, and Team Pelfrey during the final Cooper Tires USF2000 Powered by Mazda practice session, it quickly became obvious by the overt displays of emotion, that despite this only being a test session, ending the first official day of USF-17 testing at the top of the timesheets could help set the tone for the entire 2017 season.

The four quickest drivers ended the day separated by under two-tenths of a second. Rinus Van Kalmthout, who is testing this week with Newman Wachs Racings, led much of the session, but at the end of the session, a last-minute new tire run of 1 minute 24.562 seconds by MRTI $200K Scholarship Shootout winner Oliver Askew meant that the 20-year-old and his Cape Motorsports team would head to their hotel in a fantastic mood.

Van Kalmthout ended the day only five-hundredths of a second behind Askew and was followed closely by the Team Pelfrey duo of Robert Megennis and Kaylen Frederick, who ended the day only a tenth of a second behind Askew.

“It means a lot for sure,” explained a smiling Askew. “We’ve been testing in the offseason, and we’ve had five or six days now in the car before today. We’ve made a lot of progress, and I feel very comfortable in the car, but we came into this test with a little bit of question mark to see how we stacked up against the rest of the teams. Now, I’m extremely confident with the car and I’m happy to work to with Cape Motorsports.”

The first dozen drivers on the combined timesheet all ended the day within one second of Askew. Those 12 drivers represent seven of the 10 teams present for testing on the 2.21-mile, 14-turn Homestead-Miami Speedway road course.

The first session of the afternoon and second session of the day featured two red flags for cars that needed assistance. The safety team was able to get them restarted and both drivers were able to make it back to their pit stalls and continue the session with no damage.

Dev Gore and his No. 92 Exclusive Autosport Mazda/Tatuus did not make it on track for the final session of the day due to mechanical issues. Gore was disappointed to miss out on a session and was looking forward to having plenty of fresh Cooper Tire slicks to use on Wednesday.

Tuesday’s combined Cooper Tires USF2000 Powered by Mazda timesheet:

RANK CAR NO. DRIVER TEAM QUICKEST LAP TOTAL LAPS
1 3 Oliver Askew Cape Motorsports 1:24.562 70
2 38 Rinus VeeKay Newman Wachs Racing 1:24.612 80
3 80 Robert Megennis Team Pelfrey 1:24.675 72
4 81 Kaylen Frederick Team Pelfrey 1:24.712 74
5 22 Calvin Ming Pabst Racing 1:25.006 76
6 37 Andre Castro Newman Wachs Racing 1:25.014 74
7 90 Parker Thompson Exclusive Autosport 1:25.043 61
8 31 Kyle Kirkwood Benik 1:25.186 63
9 82 Ayla Agren Team Pelfrey 1:25.203 76
10 36 Dakota Dickerson Newman Wachs Racing 1:25.268 78
11 9 Victor Franzoni ArmsUp Motorsports 1:25.422 67
12 23 Lucas Kohl Pabst Racing 1:25.508 80
13 2 Ricky Donison Cape Motorsports 1:25.770 75
14 12 Moises de la Vara DEForce Racing 1:25.855 69
15 91 Luke Gabin Exclusive Autosport 1:25.869 67
16 11 Kory Enders DEForce Racing 1:26.005 68
17 34 Kris Wright John Cummiskey Racing 1:26.242 79
18 7 Devin Wojcik ArmsUp Motorsports 1:26.734 67
19 20 Chandler Horton RJB Motorsports 1:27.638 76
20 92 Dev Gore Exclusive Autosport 1:27.647 37
21 8 Bruna Tomaselli ArmsUp Motorsports 1:29.398 79

What do TJ Fischer, Nikita Lastochkin, and Carlos Cunha all have in common? Two things. All three drive for Team Pelfrey and all three led one of the three test sessions for the Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire series on Tuesday.

Veteran driver TJ Fischer led the first session this morning and ended up with the quickest lap of the day. The 1 minute 24.442-second lap topped the time charts but was only 3 hundredths of a second quicker than Lastochkin’s best lap in the second session of the day. Cunha and Cape Motorsports’ Anthony Martin were both only two-tenths of a second off of Fischer’s pace.

“It was a good first day of testing. I’ve never been to Homestead and we aren’t racing here, so we get what we can out of the test,” explained Fisher. “It was positive. The group of guys we have around us right now. These guys are really quick teammates. Constantly working at it and you really have to be pushing the whole time because everybody is getting quicker. As the sessions go on, the gaps are going to come down. For u, we’re just going to keep plugging away with it. We did the qualifications runs and the race runs afterwords, so we got the whole spectrum. For me, I’m still learning. There is a ton to learn out there.”

The seven drivers combined for a total of 554 laps with Jeff Green’s 89 circuits leading the way. Both sessions ran green with no stoppages.

Tuesday’s combined Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire timesheet:

RANK CAR NO. DRIVER TEAM QUICKEST LAP TOTAL LAPS
1 82 TJ Fischer Team Pelfrey 1:24.442 85
2 80 Nikita Lastochkin Team Pelfrey 1:24.471 75
3 81 Carlos Cunha Team Pelfrey 1:24.622 60
4 8 Anthony Martin Cape Motorsports 1:24.652 74
5 13 Bobby Eberle World Speed Motorsports 1:25.742 88
6 14 Sting Ray Robb World Speed Motorsports 1:26.0877 83
7 5 Jeff Green Green Racing 1:26.8749 89

The schedule for tomorrow is:

  • 9am – 10am — Cooper Tires USF2000 Powered by Mazda test session #4
  • 10:15am – 11:15am — Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire test session #4
  • 11:30am – 12:30pm — Cooper Tires USF2000 Powered by Mazda test session #5
  • 1:30pm – 2:30pm — Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire test session #5
  • 2:45pm – 3:45pm — Cooper Tires USF2000 Powered by Mazda test session #6
  • 4pm – 5:15pm — Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire test session #6

Notebook:

  • Each of the teams are allocated two sets of sticker Cooper Tire slicks for each day of the test, so they do have to judicious in their use. Most teams spent the majority of the first session on tires left over from testing before putting on sticker tires to end the session. Tire “strategies” for the remaining two session varied.
  • The last time that the Cooper Tires USF2000 Powered by Mazda series officially took to the 2.1 mile, Homestead-Miami Speedway 14-turn road course was during winter testing in preparation for the 2015 season. The quickest lap in that event was a lap at 1:24.8059 by Victor Franzoni, meaning that that the brand new car is already quicker than the venerable Van Diemen that had over a decade of development.
  • The 2.1 mile, Homestead-Miami Speedway 14-turn road course has hosted a number of different road racing series including: ACCUS Florida Winter Series, F4 United States Championship Powered by Honda, FIA GT, Grand Am Rolex Sports Car Series, SCCA US Road Racing Championship, Trans-Am, and US F2000 Winterfest. The 14-turn circuit features nine left-hand turns and six right-hand turns.

The 2.21-mile, 14-turn Homestead-Miami Speedway road course (Photo courtesy of Homestead-Miami Speedway)

  • Johnny Unser has been named the new race director for the Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire series. Unser, an IndyCar, IMSA and 24 Hours of Le Mans veteran, is the son of racer Jerry Unser and cousins of Al Unser, Jr. and Robby Unser. Unser was the Champ Car Atlantic Championship race director in 2008 and has extensive experience in IndyCar race control.
  • The National Class will feature 2001-2009 Van Dieman and 2010-present Elan Motorsports Technologies DP-08s with components provided by Andersen Promotions, an authorized manufacturer or supplier. So essentially the previous generation USF2000 car.
  • Tatiana Calderón, who had two podiums in two seasons of Pro Mazda (2010 and 2011) signed a deal to become a development driver for the Sauber F1 Team and also to compete with Dams Racing in GP3.

https://twitter.com/TataCalde/status/836578202457890817

category: Cooper Tires USF2000 powered by Mazda - TSO, Pro Mazda News/Results, Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire - TSO, USF2000 News/Results
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Opening sessions of USF2000 and Pro Mazda testing are complete. Askew (USF2000) and (Pro Mazda) lead the way.

Posted by  on Tuesday, February 28th 2017     

At exactly 9am the heavy South Florida air was filled with the buzz of Mazda MZR 2.0L power plants powering a swarm of brand new Tatuus USF-17s that took to the 2.21-mile, 14-turn Homestead-Miami Speedway road course.

One of the big question marks entering the first season of USF-17 competition is which team will have the early advantage in developing the new car. For the past five years, the series has been dominated by drivers from the Cape Motorsports stable, and it was a rookie driver from their two car effort that led the first official 2017 USF2000 session.

MRTI $200K Scholarship Shootout winner and Team USA Scholarship winner Oliver Askew and his No. 3 Cape Motorsports Mazda/Tatuus turned the quickest lap of the session at 1:24.8257. Askew has not officially signed as of today, but TSO fully expects to see Askew’s Soul Red machine in the St. Petersburg, Florida based team’s stable.

It was two other unsigned drivers, Kaylen Frederick (Team Pelfrey) and Rinus Van Kalmthout (Newman Wachs Racing) that fell second and third on the time sheet, and Frederick’s Team Pelfrey teammates Ayla Agren and Robert Megennis who rounded out the top five.

Five different teams were represented among the top seven lap times, with Pabst Racing and Exclusive Autosport joining Cape Motorsports, Team Pelfrey and Newman Wachs Racing.

The majority of the session was led by the 16 year-old Van Kalmthout, but when the teams went to fresh rubber in the final fifteen minutes of the session, he fell down the time sheet.

The entire one hour session ran clean and green and the 21 drivers representing 10 different teams turned a total of 487 laps with Van Kalmthout’s 30 circuits representing the most laps turned.

Complete USF2000 time sheet:

RANK CAR NO. DRIVER TEAM QUICKEST LAP GAP TOTAL LAPS
1 3 Oliver Askew Cape Motorsports 1:24.826 0.000 22
2 81 Kaylen Frederick Team Pelfrey 1:25.095 0.2689 26
3 38 Rinus VeeKay Newman Wachs Racing 1:25.172 0.3464 30
4 82 Ayla Agren Team Pelfrey 1:25.203 0.3770 27
5 80 Robert Megennis Team Pelfrey 1:25.236 0.4098 25
6 22 Calvin Ming Pabst Racing 1:25.240 0.4140 31
7 90 Parker Thompson Exclusive Autosport 1:25.937 1.1117 12
8 23 Lucas Kohl Pabst Racing 1:26.020 1.1945 27
9 37 Andre Castro Newman Wachs Racing 1:26.130 1.3044 22
10 2 Ricky Donison Cape Motorsports 1:26.385 1.5593 24
11 36 Dakota Dickerson Newman Wachs Racing 1:26.462 1.6363 26
12 31 Kyle Kirkwood Benik 1:26.573 1.7476 22
13 34 Kris Wright John Cummiskey Racing 1:27.023 2.1975 27
14 12 Moises de la Vara DEForce Racing 1:27.181 2.3552 25
15 20 Chandler Horton RJB Motorsports 1:27.638 2.8125 21
16 11 Kory Enders DEForce Racing 1:27.668 2.8428 22
17 91 Luke Gabin Exclusive Autosport 1:27.719 2.8933 16
18 9 Victor Franzoni ArmsUp Motorsports 1:28.579 3.7534 27
19 92 Dev Gore Exclusive Autosport 1:29.606 4.7799 12
20 8 Bruna Tomaselli ArmsUp Motorsports 1:30.180 5.3538 23
21 7 Devin Wojcik ArmsUp Motorsports 1:30.476 5.6506 20

Newly signed Team Pelfrey Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire driver Nikita Lastochkin led the seven Pro Mazda drivers who completed a total of 182 laps in the one-hour session that ran green the entire time.

Complete Pro Mazda time sheet:

RANK CAR NO. DRIVER TEAM QUICKEST LAP GAP TOTAL LAPS
1 80 Nikita Lastochkin Team Pelfrey 1:24.471 0.000 29
2 8 Anthony Martin Cape Motorsports 1:24.652 0.1813 31
3 82 TJ Fischer Team Pelfrey 1:24.924 0.4535 31
4 13 Bobby Eberle World Speed Motorsports 1:26.332 1.8613 29
5 14 Sting Ray Robb World Sport Motorsports 1:26.817 2.3456 23
6 81 Carlos Cunha Team Pelfrey 1:27.570 3.0994 11
7 5 Jeff Green Green Racing 1:31.279 6.8084 28

The schedule for the remainder of the day is:

  • 12:15pm – 1:15pm — Cooper Tires USF2000 Powered by Mazda test session #2
  • 1:30pm – 2:30pm — Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire test session #2
  • 2:45pm – 3:45pm — Cooper Tires USF2000 Powered by Mazda test session #3
  • 4pm – 5:15pm — Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire test session #3
category: Cooper Tires USF2000 powered by Mazda - TSO, Pro Mazda News/Results, Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire - TSO, USF2000 News/Results
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Mazda Road To Indy presented by Cooper Tire testing at Homestead-Miami Speedway – Steve’s preview

Posted by  on Saturday, February 25th 2017     

By Steve Wittich

Over the course of four days between February 27, 2017 and March 2, 2017, the three levels of the Mazda Road To Indy presented by Cooper Tire ladder will take to the 1.5-mile oval (Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tire only) and 2.21-mile, 14-turn road course at Homestead-Miami Speedway for the first and only official test before the season kicks off with Cooper Tires USF2000 Powered by Mazda practice on Thursday, March 9, 2017 on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida.

TSO Ladder will have full on-site, in-depth coverage of the four day test.

Here are two questions for each series that we hope to have answers for by the time the roar of the Mazda engines go silent on Thursday afternoon.

Two questions, the Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tire edition. 

1) It is only testing, can we learn anything about who will be in championship contention for the $1 million Mazda Motorsports Advancement Scholarship when the series heads to Watkins Glen International in six months?

Possibly.

The Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tire series conducted an official two-day test on the 2.21-mile, 14-turn road course at Homestead-Miami Speedway at the end of January in 2016.

That test was led by Belardi Auto Racing’s Felix Rosenqvist, who’s quickest lap time of 1:14.4371 topped the swiftest laps turned by Santiago Urrutia, and Ed Jones by less than one-tenth of a second. Those three drivers combined to win half of the 18 races in 2016, and Jones and Urrutia battled for the title until the very last lap during the finale at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in September.

While it’s not guaranteed that the drivers who end the test on top of the timesheet on Thursday evening will be in championship contention come Labor Day weekend, it also wouldn’t be a surprise to see the speediest drivers dueling it out for the scholarship to end the season.

2) Who is the first driver to assert themselves among the rookies and the veterans? 

The 14 entries for the season’s first official test is split evenly among seven veteran drivers and seven rookie drivers.

If the past two seasons of Indy Lights competition are any indication of what fans will see in 2017, expect to see rookies and veterans battling for wins and the championship from the drop of the green flag in St. Petersburg in two weeks. But, first the veterans and rookies must sort out who amongst themselves will be fighting at the pointy end of the field.

Past results would lead one to believe that the battle to be the top veteran would be between Kyle Kaiser (Juncos Racing) and Santiago Urrutia (Belardi Auto Racing), a pair of 20 year-olds, who have stood on the top step of the podium a total of six times between them.

But, it wouldn’t be wise to count out a jump in performance from Neil Alberico (Carlin), Shelby Blackstock (Belardi Auto Racing), Zachary Claman DeMelo (Carlin), Dalton Kellett (Andretti Autosport), or Juan Piedrahita (Team Pelfrey). All five drivers have shown they have the pace to be on the podium. Could one of them be this year’s surprise?

If the first two seasons of IL-15 completion are any indication, don’t be surprised to see 2016 Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire champion Aaron Telitz (team TBA) fighting for wins and the championship. In 2015, Spencer Pigot won back-to-back championships, and last year, 2017 Pro Mazda champ Santiago Urrutia battled with Ed Jones for the crown.

Looking strictly at past racing resumes, one would could conclude that 2016 BRDC British Formula 3 Champion Matheus Leist (Carlin), 2015 Cooper Tires USF2000 Powered by Mazda champion Nico Jamin (Andretti Autosport), and five time Formula 3 race winner Colton Herta (Andretti Steinbrenner Racing), would be the drivers most likely to challenge Telitz.

Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tire Homestead-Miami Speedway spring training entry list. 

Indy Lights schedule

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Two questions, the Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire edition? 

1) Can anybody touch Team Pelfrey?

The Indianapolis, Indiana based Team Pelfrey dominated the 2016 Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire season by winning 13 of the 16 races, and finishing first and second in the championship.

The two day test at Homestead-Miami Speedway will serve as an exit-poll for the 2017 season, to see if World Speed Motorsports or Cape Motorsports will have anything for the black and yellow Mazda Renesis powered machines of Team Pelfrey.

2) Who emerges as the team leader at Team Pelfrey?

TJ Fischer, who has the most experience at the wheel of a Pro Mazda car. Nikita Lastochkin, who spent the past two months gaining valuable seat time in the Toyota Racing Series in New Zealand.  Or, will it be Carlos Cunha, a Brazilian who has two years of South American Formula 3 experience under his belt.

Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire Homestead-Miami Speedway spring training entry list. 

Two questions, the Cooper Tires USF2000 Powered by Mazda edition

1) With five straight championships, will it be business as usual for the Cape Motorsports, or will the brand new Mazda powered Tatuus USF-17 shake things up?

Matthew Brabham, Scott Hargrove, Florian Latorre, Nico Jamin, and Anthony Martin have brought home five consecutive driver’s championship for the St. Petersburg, Florida based, Dominic and Nicholas owned Cape Motorsports.

However, if the introduction of the new Indy Lights IL-15 taught us anything in 2015, it is that the status quo is certainly not safe when new equipment is introduced. In the decade prior to the introduction of the new Indy Lights car in 2015, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports won the majority of races and six of the ten championships. After the introduction of the IL-15, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports experienced stout competition from Indy Lights main stays Belardi Auto Racing, and newcomers Carlin, and Juncos Racing.

It would be surprising if Cape Motorsports was not near the top of the time sheets at Homestead-Miami Speedway, but don’t be surprised if they have close company from experienced teams like Pabst Racing and Team Pelfrey, and newcomers like Newman Wachs Racing and Exclusive Autosport.

It will likely be apparent by the end of the day which team or teams has gotten an early handle on setting up the USF-17.

2) Is this the year that a rookie can win the title?

Over the past few years, the Cooper Tires USF2000 Powered by Mazda championship has become a series dominated by veteran drivers.

The last time a rookie won the Cooper Tires USF2000 Powered by Mazda championship was in 2012 when Matthew Brabham beat his Cape Motorsports teammate Spencer Pigot to the title by a scant seven point margin.

The last time a rookie driver won a Cooper Tires USF2000 Powered by Mazda race was in 2014, when Jake Eidson, Aaron Telitz and Victor Franzoni all won races.

Will highly touted rookies Oliver Askew (Team TBA), Andre Castro (Newman Wachs Racing), Rinus Van Kalmthout (Newman Wachs Racing) and Kyle Kirkwood (Benik) be able to challenge veterans Dakota Dickerson (Newman Wachs Racing), Robert Megennis (Team Pelfrey), Ayla Agren (Team Pelfrey), Parker Thompson (Exclusive Autosport) and Luke Gabin (Exclusive Autosport). Only time will tell, but we should have a good idea of how the rookies stack up by Wednesday evening when the two-day test comes to an end.

Cooper Tires USF2000 Powered by Mazda Homestead-Miami Speedway spring training entry list

Pro Mazda and USF2000 schedule

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Don’t miss any of the action:

category: Indy Lights News/Results, Pro Mazda News/Results, USF2000 News/Results
tags: , , , , , ,
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