In news that is anything but shocking, Cape Motorsports with /WTR is still going to be the team to beat if a driver wants to contend for the Mazda Motorsports advancement scholarship. Sophomore Cape Motorsports with /WTR pilot Parker Thompson turned the quickest lap at 1:24.519. The 18 year-old Canadian was joined in the top five by Ayla Agren (John Cummiskey Racing), TJ Fischer (Team Pelfrey), Jordan Lloyd (Pabst Racing) and Nikita Lastochkin (Cape Motorsports with /WTR)

The first red flag of the second Cooper Tires USF2000 Powered by Mazda session was for the No. 20 RJB Motorsports of Clint McMahan ground to halt with mechanical issues at the exit of Turn 6.

So why were the times in the second session slower than the first session? The easy answer is tires. Each entry is allowed two sets of Cooper Tire racing slicks for each day of testing. Most teams started the day with an old set of tires from a previous session before using a set of sticker tires at the very end of the first session and continued to use those tires for the entire second session. This means that the quickest times of the day should come in the third session when drivers bolt on fresh rubber for a qualifying simulation in the final session of the day.

Complete Cooper Tires USF2000 Powered by Mazda time-sheet:

(please note that the times of Anthony Martin and Michai Stephens are not representative as both cars were having issues with their transponders)

Place Car No. Driver Quick Lap Difference
1 2 Parker Thompson 1:24.519 0.000
2 33 Ayla Agren 1:24.875 0.3562
3 82 TJ Fischer 1:24.914 0.3950
4 21 Jordan Lloyd 1:25.018 0.4989
5 3 Nikita Lastochkin 1:25.045 0.5260
6 83 James Munro 1:25.055 0.5359
7 34 Lucas Kohl 1:25.208 0.6884
8 18 Dakota Dickerson 1:25.244 0.7244
9 81 Jordan Cane 1:25.343 0.8241
10 22 Garth Rickards 1:25.530 1.0106
11 80 Robert Megennis 1:25.646 1.1267
12 23 Yufeng Luo 1:25.861 1.3413
13 72 Tazio Ottis 1:26.391 1.8713
14 20 Clint McMahan 1:26.416 1.8968
15 92 Cameron Das 1:26.556 2.0371
16 8 Anthony Martin 1:27.270 2.7513
17 17 Felipe Ortiz 1:27.575 3.0559
18 19 Michai Stephens No Time —

After a trio of Team Pelfrey cars led the morning session, it was rivals Juncos Racing who came out on top in the first of two afternoon sessions. A lap of 1:21.666 by Garett Grist was a scant eight one-hundredths ahead of his sophomore teammate Will Owen. Aaron Telitz (Team Pelfrey), Nicolas Dapero (Juncos Racing) and Jake Eidson (Cape Motorsports with /WTR).

The top nine drivers were covered by only one second, once again proving that the Pro Mazda field might not have huge numbers, but it does have huge talent.

Complete Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire time-sheet:

Place Car No. Driver Quick Lap Difference
1 5 Garett Grist 1:21.666 0.000
2 23 Will Owen 1:21.751 0.0855
3 82 Aaron Telitz 1:21.880 0.2144
4 31 Nicolas Dapero 1:21.951 0.2846
5 3 Jake Edison 1:22.405 0.7388
6 81 Weiron Tan 1:22.578 0.9117
7 80 Pato O’Ward 1:22.641 0.9754
8 2 Nico Jamin 1:22.647 0.9812
9 0 Jake Parsons 1:22.809 1.1431
10 19 Jorge Cevallos 1:24.357 2.6913
11 37 Jay Horak* 1:25.425 3.7590