Archives for Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire – TSO

TSO Ladder Viewpoint — Pro Mazda 2017, the best ROI in motorsports

Posted by  on Wednesday, December 21st 2016     

Pro Mazda Logo

By Steve Wittich

From a financial AND learning standpoint, the 2017 Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire Championship currently offers the best return on investment in motorsports.

However, with only one driver confirmed (Sting Ray Robb at World Speed Motorsports) and one more driver in the expected category (Cooper Tires USF2000 Powered by Mazda champion Anthony Martin) there is “some” understandable concern that the Pro Mazda series could struggle for entries in this transition year.

Here are the reasons that a driver should give the 2017 Pro Mazda Championship a chance.

Return on investment… the $$$

There is not another open wheel ladder championship worldwide where the winning driver has the opportunity to earn at least twice as much as what a full season budget will cost.

The 2017 Pro Mazda Champion will receive a prize package with a value of$889,300. Mazda has increased their portion of the scholarship by $200,000, which equates to a $790,300 package from the car makers. The final $99,000 comes in the form of a new $75,000 award from Cooper Tire and a $24,000 series entry award from Andersen Promotions.

While we won’t give exact funding required to contest the 2017 Pro Mazda season (it varies depending on the team and amount of testing — any potential driver can contact the teams to learn the exact number), the amount required is on par or less than what a driver will pay in similar series in Europe. A full-season 2017 Pro Mazda budget is very similar to what a season in Italian Formula 4, Formula Renault 2.0, EuroFormula Open F3 or the BRDC British F3 Championship will cost, and well under half of what a season in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship or GP3 will set back a driver. And… none of those European series offer a prize package that even comes close to the package that Mazda, Cooper Tire and Andersen Promotions has put together.

Return on investment… the perfect training ground

Despite its age, the current Pro Mazda car is still an extremely valid training tool for drivers looking to scale the final two steps of the American open wheel ladder.

“The Pro Mazda car was the best balance between mechanical and aerodynamic grip, and as a young driver trying to learn it really allowed you explore aerodynamics, and to learn about downforce, but at the same time it was a very mechanically driven car, and what that meant was the racing was awesome,” explained 2005 Pro Mazda alum James Hinchcliffe, who scored three wins and six podiums on the way to a third place championship finish. “As far as wheel to wheel action, I’m not sure there is a better formula that I’ve been in. The race craft that I developed as a young driver in the series with a lot of competitive drivers and a very race-able car has me served me very well for the rest of my career.”

“The Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire Series continued my development as a driver,” explained 2014 series champion and current IndyCar driver Spencer Pigot.  “There is a lot you can learn in USF2000, it’s your first car with slicks and wings, and then the Pro Mazda car just takes it to that next level. It’s a bigger car, a little heavier, and you have to drive it a little smoother. In the lower level formula cars, you can get away with throwing the car around and driving a little bit rougher. But, the Pro Mazda car reacts more like a big car, so it gets you in that learning mode and mindset to move forward into Indy Lights and IndyCar.”

Spencer Pigot celebrates his 2014 Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire championship at Sonoma Raceway ((Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)

Spencer Pigot celebrates his 2014 Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire championship at Sonoma Raceway ((Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)

Of the 21 drivers that contested Indy Lights races in 2017, 11 of those were graduates of Pro Mazda. The last of names is as follows: Neil Alberico, Scott Anderson, Shelby Blackstock, Heamin Choi, Garett Grist, Scott Hargrove, Kyle Kaiser, Dalton Kellett, Juan Piedrahita, Santiago Urrutia, and Zach Veach.

In 2016, there were 10 Verizon IndyCar Series drivers who took part in the Pro Mazda series at some point in their previous careers, they are: Marco Andretti, Matthew Brabham (2013 champion), Gabby Chaves, Max Chilton, Conor Daly (2010 champion), Jack Hawksworth (2012 champion), James Hinchcliffe, Spencer Pigot (2014 champion), and Graham Rahal.

When a young race car driver reaches a certain point in their career, the desire to get paid to drive Formula 1 or IndyCar machinery develops into a desire to get paid for driving anything with four wheels, and that is where having as much open wheel experience as possible is beneficial.

The majority of top level sports car drivers have experience in open wheel racing. Taking a look at the World Endurance Champions from 2016 and you’ll quickly see that having some open wheel experience is key to being successful.

Marc Lieb, Neel Jani, and Romain Dumas were the winners of the World Endurance Drivers’ Championship while at the wheel of the No. 2 Porsche 919 Hybrid. Before moving into sports cars, Lieb was a regular in Formula Renault competition. Jani, a name that should be familiar to American open wheel fans, had extensive open wheel training, starting out in Formula Renault 2.0 before moving to Formula Renault 3.5 and GP2. From there, Jani moved to the top level Champ Car and A1GP careers before making the switch to Prototypes in 2009. Dumas, the third member of the championship winning Porsche squad spent the early part of his career in Formula Renault 2.0, Formula 3 and Formula 3000 before moving to GT and eventually prototypes.

One member of the FIA Endurance Trophy for LMP2 Drivers winning squad of Gustavo Menezes, Nicolas Lapierre and Stephane Richelmi is particularly relevant to our discussion. Menezes, a 22 year-old Californian, took part in two seasons of Pro Mazda competition before moving to Europe to contest three seasons of Formula 3 competition. 2016 was the first full season of sports car racing for Menezes and he won the 24 Hours of Le Mans and a FIA World Championship. Menezes teammate both got their starts in open wheel racing as well. Lapierre made it as far as A1GP and Richelmi contested two seasons of GP2. It’s also worth noting that Luis Felipe “Pipo” Derani, hailed as one of the top drivers in LMP2 this year with wins overall at Daytona and Sebring, spent half a season in Pro Mazda before moving to his eventual sports car career, where he’s starred.

Even in the world of “tin-tops,” having some open wheel experience is the norm. Nicki Thiim and Marco Sorensen won the World Endurance Cup for GT Drivers while piloting an Aston Martin Vantage GTE in the nine round championship. Thiim, a second generation racer, completed three years of Formula Ford racing before moving to sports cars. Sorensen, a 26 year-old Danish driver, spent nine years on the European open wheel ladder before making the move to the Aston Martin factory team in 2015.

From FIA World Endurance Champions, to WeatherTech SportsCar Prototype Champions, to full-time NASCAR drivers, to Pirelli World Challenge regulars, the Pro Mazda Championship has been a great learning tool for drivers, no matter where there career takes them next. (see full list of Pro Mazda drivers that are competing around the world below this article).

One of those drivers that recently transitioned from Pro Mazda to sports cars is Canadian Danny Burkett. Burkett spent three years in the MRTI (two years in USF2000 and one year in Pro Mazda) before making the jump to the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge in 2016. Coming home second in the championship, the 21 year-old had one win, two poles, seven podiums and three quickest race laps while piloting a Porsche Cayman GT4 for C.J. Wilson Racing.

“The cut-throat nature of the Mazda Road To Indy is compared to none,” Burkett told TSO. “You’ve got the best drivers in the world that all come to one place for one goal: To get to IndyCar. It’s definitely the best bang for your buck for training. You’re not racing against gentlemen drivers, you are racing against the best kids your age who are going to eventually be in IndyCar. I definitely do not regret my years in the MRTI, it was a spectacular experience and I think I’m a better driver for it.

Daniel Burkett spent one year in Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire before moving to the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge series in 2016. (Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)

Daniel Burkett spent one year in Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire before moving to the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge series in 2016. (Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)

Some other advantages to racing in the 2017 Pro Mazda season

  • If a driver is worried about missing schooling, the 2017 schedule is a great fit, with only the first four rounds falling within a traditional school calendar.
  • For drivers from outside the United States, it’s generally recommend to move to the U.S.A., but with the shorter 2017 schedule, it would be possible to live on another continent and “commute” to the races. There is a two month break between the opening two rounds, a one moth break between rounds three, four and five, and rounds five and six are back-to-back.
  • With only one oval (Gateway) on the schedule, the potential for crash damage is lower.
  • With Cape Motorsports with /WTR, Juncos Racing, Team Pelfrey and World Speed Motorsports all expected to field teams, a driver is guaranteed to be driving for a professional team with full time mechanics and engineers.

Pro Mazda grads around the world

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2017 Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire schedule

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Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire teams

Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire series and partners

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category: Pro Mazda News/Results, Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire - TSO
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Introduction of Pro Mazda PM-18 completes re-fresh of the entire Mazda Road To Indy presented by Cooper Tire

Posted by  on Thursday, December 8th 2016     

Pro Mazda Logo

By Steve Wittich

Dan Andersen, Owner/CEO of Andersen Promotions Andersen Promotions, John Doonan, Director Motorsports for Mazda North American Operations, and Chris Pantani, Director of Event Marketing and Motorsports for Cooper Tires kicked off the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Trade Show on Thursday morning by unveiling a brand new Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire race car.

The Mazda powered, Cooper Tire shod,Tatuus built PM-18 is the final step in a complete refresh of the Mazda Road To Indy presented by Cooper Tire that began with the introduction of the Indy Lights Dallara IL-15 during the 2015 race season.

The PM-18 will be in the hands of teams for testing on June 1, 2017, before making it’s race debut in 2018. The PM-18 is the big brother of the USF-17, which made it’s public debut at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during the Chris Griffis Memorial Test on October 8-9, 2016. The USF-17 is completely sold out with 35 chassis ordered.

“We are very excited to unveil the next generation Pro Mazda chassis,” said Andersen. “Scot Elkins [Project Manager and Race Director Pro Mazda and USF2000] and Tatuus have done a great job in augmenting the USF-17 base car to provide everything drivers on the second step of the ladder need to continue their career development. We currently plan to begin prototype testing in March of next year, with the first shipment of cars delivered to teams in June to allow for a summer test program. With the success of the USF-17, I can’t wait to see this car on track.”

For cost effectiveness and ease of transition for teams, the PM-18 utilizes the same Tatuss chassis as the USF-17, with the following upgrades:

  • more sophisticated aerodynamics with an adjustable dual-element rear wing and single plane carbon fiber front wing with adjustable flaps with adjustable flaps and Pro Mazda specific front and rear endplates
  • larger American Racing alloy wheels (13”x10” front and 13”x12” rear) featuring Cooper Tires
  • a more powerful Elite Engines developed 2.0-liter Mazda MZR-PM18A motor with 275 HP utilizing a fly-by-wire throttle system, Cosworth SQ6 engine management system, and Sadev SL82 six-speed sequential transmission and limited-slip differential.

“It’s a pretty good next step based on all the work that we have done so far,” said Elkins. “We know that the performance level is going to be a lot higher than the USF2000 car and the aero is going to be more like the Indy Lights car which fits within the ladder quite well. It will allow drivers to transition to the next step much easier. We obviously have more horsepower and more aero than the USF2000 car, which was the entire intention, and we are excited about it.”

2016 will mark the final season of pro racing for the venerable Mazda Renesis powered, Star Race Car designed, Elan Motorsports Technologies built chassis which made it’s debut in 2004.

The middle-rung of the MRTI ladder offers an incredible value for up-and-coming open wheel drivers. Mazda has increased the value of their scholarship by $200,000 to $790,300, Cooper Tires has added a $75,000 awards and Andersen Promotions will have a series entry award of $24,000. The 2017 Pro Mazda champion will receive a prize package of $889,300.

“We talk frequently about the global growth of the Mazda Road to Indy program, and having top- line, modern race cars on each step of the MRTI ladder increases the likelihood of seeing the finest young drivers in the world at each step,” said Doonan. “We also talk about providing value for our teams and drivers, and the PM-18 is a wonderful example of an affordable race car that is safe and fast. We’ve already seen the huge interest in the new USF2000 car for next year, and we expect much the same for the Pro Mazda series in 2018.”

We’ll be back later to update this post with pictures and driver/team owner reactions.

category: Pro Mazda News/Results, Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire - TSO
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2017 MRTI schedule features complete immersion with INDYCAR, Watkins Glen International finales, and new ovals

Posted by  on Wednesday, September 14th 2016     

MRTI logo

For the first time ever, every single Mazda Road To Indy presented by Cooper Tire race will take place in conjunction with a Verizon IndyCar Series event.

Some highlights include: all thee series finales occurring at Watkins Glen International on Labor Day Weekend, Indy Lights returning to Gateway Motorsports Park, Pro Mazda making their first appearance at Gateway Motorsports Park, and USF2000 making their first appearance at Iowa Speedway since 2010.

“I am very pleased with our 2017 schedules,” said Dan Andersen, Owner and CEO of Andersen Promotions. “Not only will they assist both teams and drivers with budgets, they allow us to showcase the Mazda Road to Indy ladder alongside IndyCar at premier venues while once again providing our drivers with experience on ovals, road and street courses.

The Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tire teams and drivers will contest 16 races over 10 events, with doubleheaders occurring at St. Petersburg, Barber Motorsports Park, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, Road America, Toronto, and Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

Print

Due to the a 2018 transition to the Tatuus PM-18 the Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire season will feature a condensed six event, 12 race calendar. In addition to a shorter schedule leading to decreased budgets, Andersen Promotions and Mazda Motorsports are also offering some more inducements to increase interest in the middle rung of ladder: 1) the Mazda Motorsports advancement scholarship will increase in value from $601, 700 to $790,300, covering a larger portion of an Indy Lights budget, 2) each of the top thee in the championship will be eligible to receive a one day Indy Ligths test, and 3) the Pro Mazda rookie of the year will receive the Mazda street car of their choice.

“With the in-between year for Pro Mazda before the PM-18, we’ve added what we feel is an excellent incentive package to attract more teams and drivers to the grid, including a summer testing program with the new chassis,” explained Andersen. “Mazda and Cooper Tires’ commitment to the ladder is as strong as ever, and once again I have to thank them for being such tremendous partners.”

2017_SCHEDULES_PROMAZDA_23

The brand new Mazda powered Tatuus USF-17 will take part in eight events and 14 races. With the first 15 chassis arriving in Norfolk, Virginia in the last week, the first batch of orders should start arriving at team shops any day now, and the car will make it’s public debut at the Chris Griffis Memorial Test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on October 8-9, 2016.

“The Dallara IL-15 revitalized Indy Lights competition and I foresee our field counts growing significantly in 2017” said Andersen. We expect the same with USF2000 and the new car, where I do expect 30+ fields.”

2017_SCHEDULES_USF2000

The NBC Sports Network will once again be airing one-hour broadcasts of all Indy Lights races and IndyCar Radio will provide coverage on Sirius XM Satellite Radio, indycar.com, indycarradio.com and the INDYCAR App from Verizon.

Available on-demand via Apple TV, Amazon Fire and Roku, Road To Indy TV will feature expanded coverage in 2017.

category: Cooper Tires USF2000 powered by Mazda - TSO, Indy Lights News/Results, Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tire - TSO, Pro Mazda News/Results, Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire - TSO
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Mazda makes dreams come true on-the track AND off-the-track during “Soul Red Finale” weekend

Posted by  on Tuesday, September 13th 2016     

MRTI logo

The 2016 Mazda Road To Indy presented by Cooper Tire season officially came to a close on Monday night as drivers, teams, family and sponsors from all three steps of the ladder gathered at the Montery Plaza Hotel for their season ending banquet where $2.3 million in prizes were distributed

Included in that total was $1,964,700 in Mazda Motorsports Advancement Scholarships that were distributed to the three season-long champions.

“Mazda is honored to continue with the Mazda Road to Indy. Each year, we see a new crop of talent come through and at the end of the day there can only be one winner in each series, and we saw three terrific drivers crowned this evening,” said John Doonan, Director of Motorsports, Mazda North American Operations. “Our intention is to give drivers a clear path, and nothing like this exists anywhere else in the world. We are very proud of that and we hope to continue to see drivers go to the Verizon IndyCar Series and the Indianapolis 500 with the Mazda Road to Indy as their path. Just yesterday, someone asked me if Mazda would go to the Indianapolis 500 and I said – we already do.” (TSO note: 23 of the 33 starters in the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 have Indy Lights experience).

The three Mazda Road To Indy presented by Cooper Tire champions, Anthony Martin, Ed Jones, and Aaron Telitz, took home a total of $1,964,700 in Mazda Motorsports Advancement Scholarships (Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)

The three Mazda Road To Indy presented by Cooper Tire champions, Anthony Martin, Ed Jones, and Aaron Telitz, took home a total of $1,964,700 in Mazda Motorsports Advancement Scholarships (Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)

Anthony Martin winner of the Cooper Tires USF2000 Powered by Mazda title took home $363,000. The 21-year old Australian will also receive original artwork by Jim Swintal that was commissioned by Cooper Tire.

“It’s such a big accomplishment and it’s going to take some time to sink in. I just won the USF2000 championship in America, against some very talented drivers, so for me, my family, my friends and all my supporters, I couldn’t be happier,” beamed Martin.   “Facebook and Twitter has just gone through the roof! I just can’t believe it. We’ll take a few days’ rest and then get straight back into it. We’ll do some testing and push hard toward next year in the Pro Mazda car. I’m looking forward to working with Mazda and Cooper Tires and I know it will be a great year.”

Aaron Telitz, took home the $601,700 Mazda scholarship for winning the Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire title. Added to that total is $7,500 for winning the BBS Rookie of The Year, and Cooper Tire commissioned artwork by Jim Swintal.

“It’s slowly sinking in that I’m going to get to drive an Indy Lights car in 2017. I’m trying to take it slow, celebrating now with friends and family, but then I’ll go home and get to work on next season,” said Telitz, who won his second Mazda Advancement Scholarship. “It’s incredible, to be down as I was in the championship and to come back and win. It will take me some time to process how I did that or to put it in to words. Mazda and Cooper Tires do so much for the series. If you win, you have a chance to move on. That’s how I started my racing career and that’s how it is going to continue. I’m really excited for the future.”

The biggest winner of the night was Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tire title winner Ed Jones, who along with his $1,000,000 Mazda scholarship guaranteeing him entry to at least three Verizon IndyCar Series races, including the Indianapolis 500, took home: the $25,000 Cosworth Champion’s Cash Award, the $25,000 Dallara Champion’s Parts Credit and original artwork by Jim Swintal, that was commissioned by Cooper Tire.

“It’s still sinking in. Yesterday was an amazing achievement by the whole Carlin team,” exclaimed Jones. “The realization is really just coming through that I’ll be in the Indianapolis 500 next year. I’ll enjoy this during this week but then we’ll start working on getting the deal sorted, trying to get a full ride as well. I can’t thank Mazda and Cooper enough for what they’ve done for drivers like myself, to have the opportunity to be in IndyCar – there’s no other ladder system like this in the world. I can’t wait to get back into an Indy car, to get up to speed properly. We’ve been speaking with teams so hopefully we can sort something out soon. But for now, I’ll enjoy what we’ve accomplished in 2016.”

The complete list of all of the award is at the bottom of this post.

Also announced at the banquet were the newest inductees into Mazda Road To Indy presented by Cooper Tire Hall of Fame. Enshrined this year are:

  • U.E. “Pat” Patrick, and Roger Bailey who founded the forerunner to Indy Lights, the American Racing Series in 1986
  • Former MRTI drivers Chuck West, Peter Dempsey, Tonis Kasemets, and Spencer Pigot.

Dan Anderson, Owner and CEO of Andersen Promotions also made a few other announcements at the banquet.

  • The 2017 Mazda Road To Indy presented by Cooper Tire schedule will be released tomorrow (Wednesday, September 14, 2016).
  • The Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire championship winner in 2017 will receive a scholarship and other prizes valued at $800,000.

It’s not only the drivers that benefit from the Mazda’s generosity during the “Soul Red Finale” weekend.

On Thursday afternoon, before on-track activity began a group of 20 MRTI and MRT24 drivers took the opportunity to tour the Monterey County SPCA, who’s facility is located directly across Highway 68 from Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

Andretti Autosport Indy Lights driver contemplate taking this puppy home (Photo by Steve Wittich)

Andretti Autosport Indy Lights driver contemplate taking this puppy home (Photo by Steve Wittich)

The ten year relationship between the shelter and manufacturer has resulted in Mazda Motorsports providing over $100,000 in monetary support for the animal welfare organization. The relationship between the two organizations also doesn’t end there, as both organizations help co-promote each other and their events.

I (Steve) was lucky enough to attend this event and it was great to see a very different side of the drivers.

Mazda Road To Indy presented by Cooper Tire drivers Parker Thompson, Neil Alberico, and Shelby Blackstock look on as Ayla Agren makes a new friend (photo by Steve Wittich)

Mazda Road To Indy presented by Cooper Tire drivers Parker Thompson, Neil Alberico, and Shelby Blackstock look on as Ayla Agren makes a new friend (photo by Steve Wittich)

For the second year in a row, during the Sunday lunch break, one of my very favorite moments of 2015 at any race track was duplicated

Mazda Motorsports invited three wounded veterans for a weekend at the track on the manufacturer, and these heroes had no idea that their lives were about to change.

Army Specialist Alberto Diaz, who was wounded in an IED attack in Afghanistan, and Lance Corporal Arturo Weber, who has had surgery over 80 times after being wounded in Iraq were both given keys to two Mazda CX-9’s. The pair of Mazda’s largest crossovers were parked on pit road and the two veterans were told that only one of the CX-9’s would start, however, when the keys were turned, both vehicles started.

It was a stirring moment that brought tears to the eyes of the veterans, families and the large group of gathered on-lookers, that included all of the drivers competing in the five different series.

However, the giving was not finished, as Mazda and Building Homes For Heroes had one more surprise.

Sergeant Mitchell Melott, who lost his left leg to an IED in Iraq was also presented with a set of key. This time, the keys didn’t fit a Mazda, but were for the front door of Melott’s new mortgage free home.

Truly an amazing weekend of giving by Mazda.

Mazda Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires Award Winners:

Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires

  • Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires Champion ($1 million scholarship) – Ed Jones, Carlin
  • Second place ($75,000) – Santi Urrutia, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports w/Curb-Agajanian
  • Third place ($50,000) – Kyle Kaiser, Juncos Racing
  • Fourth place ($25,000) – Zach Veach, Belardi Auto Racing
  • Fifth place ($10,000) – Dean Stoneman, Andretti Autosport
  • Indy Lights Rookie of the Year Award ($15,000) – Santi Urrutia, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports w/Curb-Agajanian
  • Tilton Hard Charger Award ($1,000) – Zachary Claman De Melo, Juncos Racing
  • Indy Lights Team Championship ($15,000, plus $5,000 from SSTube) – Carlin
  • Indy Lights INDYCAR Mechanic of the Year ($1,000) – Tom Edwards, Carlin
  • Hi-Tide Boat Lifts Kids On Track Spirit Award ($5,000) – Zach Veach, Belardi Auto Racing
  • Royal Purple “Slickest Pass” Award ($5,000) – Felix Serralles, Carlin
  • Dallara Bent Pushrod Award ($2,000) – Carlin
  • Jostens Indy Lights Champion’s Ring – Ed Jones, Carlin
  • Freedom 100 Champion’s Ring – Dean Stoneman, Andretti Autosport
  • Mazda Road to Indy Rings (drivers contesting all three levels) – Neil Alberico, Garett Grist, Dalton Kellett
  • American Racing Winning Driver Team Owner Trophy (set of street wheels) – Trevor Carlin
  • Cosworth Champion’s Cash Award ($25,000) – Ed Jones, Carlin
  • Dallara Champion’s Parts Credit ($25,000) – Ed Jones, Carlin
  • Original artwork by Jim Swintal – Ed Jones, Carlin

 

Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires 

  • Pro Mazda Champion ($601,700 scholarship) – Aaron Telitz, Team Pelfrey
  • Second place ($25,000) – Pato O’Ward, Team Pelfrey
  • Third place ($12,500) – Nico Jamin, Cape Motorsports w/ Wayne Taylor Racing
  • Fourth place ($7,500) – Will Owen, Juncos Racing
  • Fifth place ($5,000) – Nicolas Dapero, Juncos Racing
  • BBS Rookie of the Year ($7,500) – Aaron Telitz, Team Pelfrey
  • Pro Mazda National Class Champion – Bobby Eberle, JDC MotorSports
  • Pro Mazda Team Championship ($7,500) – Team Pelfrey
  • Pro Mazda INDYCAR Mechanic of the Year ($1,000) – Joe Haynes, Team Pelfrey
  • Hi-Tide Boat Lifts Kids On Track Spirit Award ($5,000) – Nico Jamin, Cape Motorsports w/ Wayne Taylor Racing
  • Royal Purple “Slickest Pass” Award ($5,000) – Will Owen, Juncos Racing
  • Carl Haas Auto Golden Wishbone Award – Team Pelfrey
  • Quarter Master Hard Charger Award ($1,000) – Will Owen, Juncos Racing
  • Jostens Pro Mazda Champion’s Ring – Aaron Telitz, Team Pelfrey
  • PFC Pro Mazda Team Award ($1,000 product certificate) – Team Pelfrey
  • Original artwork by Jim Swintal – Aaron Telitz, Team Pelfrey

 

Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda

  • USF2000 Champion ($363,850 scholarship) – Anthony Martin, Cape Motorsports w/ Wayne Taylor Racing
  • Second place ($10,000) – Parker Thompson, Cape Motorsports w/ Wayne Taylor Racing
  • Third place ($5,000) – Victor Franzoni, ArmsUp Motorsports
  • Fourth place ($3,000) – Jordan Lloyd, Pabst Racing
  • Fifth place ($2,000) – Luke Gabin, JAY Motorsports
  • Rookie of the Year ($1,500) – Robert Megennis, Team Pelfrey
  • USF2000 National Class Champion – Eric Filgueiras, Spencer Racing
  • USF2000 Team Championship ($4,000) – Cape Motorsports w/ Wayne Taylor Racing
  • USF2000  INDYCAR Mechanic of the Year ($1,000) – Jake Strack, ArmsUp Motorsports
  • Hi-Tide Boat Lifts Kids On Track Spirit Award ($5,000) – Victor Franzoni, ArmsUp Motorsports
  • Royal Purple “Slickest Pass” Award ($5,000) – Parker Thompson, Cape Motorsports w/ Wayne Taylor Racing
  • Carl Haas Auto Golden Wishbone Award – Cape Motorsports w/ Wayne Taylor Racing
  • Tilton Hard Charger Award ($1,000 product certificate) – Robert Megennis, Team Pelfrey
  • Jostens USF2000 Champion’s Ring – Anthony Martin, Cape Motorsports w/ Wayne Taylor Racing
  • PFC USF2000 Team Award ($1,000 product certificate) – Cape Motorsports w/ Wayne Taylor Racing
  • Original artwork by Jim Swintal – Anthony Martin, Cape Motorsports w/ Wayne Taylor Racing
category: Cooper Tires USF2000 powered by Mazda - TSO, Indy Lights News/Results, Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tire - TSO, Pro Mazda News/Results, Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire - TSO

Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire from Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca – “Soul Red Finale” Race #3 – title decider

Posted by  on Sunday, September 11th 2016     

Pro Mazda Logo

The story of Aaron Telitz’s Pro Mazda season is currently what shows up when you look up perseverance in the dictionary.

Team Pelfrey rookie Aaron Telitz celebrates the win and Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca (Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)

Team Pelfrey rookie Aaron Telitz celebrates the win and Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca (Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)

Telitz, from Birchwood, Wisconsin, headed to his home race at Road America with a 55 point deficit to his teammate Pato O’Ward, who had won six of the first seven races of the season.

Telitz won both races at Road America, and finished ahead of O’Ward in eight of the last nine races, out scoring the young Mexican 255 points to 172 points.

The 12 car field took to the track for their final race of the weekend and when they were on their warm-up lap, the DE FORCE Racing No. 12 of Moises de la Vara came to a stop after spinning at the exit of Turn 3. The Holmatro Safety Team pulled him behind the wall, but the race still began under yellow.

The 11 remaining Mazda Renesis rotary powered cars paired up in the Rainey Curves and got the green flag to begin the third lap.

The running order at the end of the first lap was: Telitz, O’Ward, Dapero, Owen, Jamin, Parsons, Fisher, Burton-Harris, Enders, Swanbeck, Eberle, and de la Vara.

Telitz’s lead as the drivers began the fourth lap of the race was a slim 0.52 seconds over teammate O’Ward. Dapero, who was looking for his second win and third podium of the weekend slotted into third ahead of his Juncos Racing teammate Owen. Rounding out the top five was the Soul Red Cape Motorsports with /WTR No. 5 of Nico Jamin.

On lap 6, Bobby Eberle went for an off track excursion, but he was able to keep the JDC Motorsports No. 13 pointed in the right direction. On the very next lap Eberle lost control again, this time in Turn 11.

With 25% of the 40 minutes completed, Telitz was able to pull out to a 1.2 second lead over O’Ward, who held a 1.4 second lead over Dapero. Dapero was being pressured closely by Owen.

At the half-way point of the 40 minute third race of the weekend, Telitz held a just over a second-and-a-half lead over O’Ward. Dapero was a further 1.7 seconds back and doing a good job of defending the final podium position over Will Owen, his more experienced Juncos Racing teammate.

Further back in the field, Parsons was hassling Jamin for fifth.

With 75% of the 40 minute race complete, Telitz’s lead had bulged to … over O’Ward. Instead of looking forward like he needed to, O’Ward was forced to look rear-ward in his mirrors as Dapero was pressuring him for second.

The battle between O’Ward and Dapero allowed Owen to enter the mix as the three crossed the line on the 21st lap covered by only half-of-a-second. Owen used the tow of both cars to get by Dapero in Turn 2. Owen continued moving forward passing O’Ward in Rainey corner. O’Ward continued his backwards slide, losing the final spot on the podium in Turn 11 on the same lap.

Telitz’s lead with five minutes remaining was 4.7 seconds over a charging Will Owen. Owen was clearly the fastest car on track, turning laps a second quicker than Telitz. Unfortunately for the 21 year-old Owen he ran out of time to catch Telitz and had to settle for another second place finish, finishing only one second behind the 2016 Pro Mazda champion

During the final laps, O’Ward continued to drop like a rock, losing fourth place to Jamin, fifth place to Parsons, and ending up in sixth.

Kory Enders became the third different driver in the weekend’s three races to come home first in the National Class.

Pro Mazda Grand Prix of Monterey Presented by Allied Building Products race #3 results:

RANK DRIVER GAP
1 Aaron Telitz 27 laps
2 Will Owen 1.0543
3 Nicolas Dapero 3.3872
4 Nico Jamin 18.8287
5 Jake Parsons 19.5173
6 Pato O’Ward 27.5026
7 TJ Fischer 36.0748
8 Joseph Burton-Harris 42.9198
9 Kory Enders 63.7478
10 Dan Swanbeck -1 lap
11 Bobby Eberle -1 lap
12 Moises de la Vara -27 laps
category: Pro Mazda News/Results, Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire - TSO

Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca – “Soul Red Finale” Race #2

Posted by  on Sunday, September 11th 2016     

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Contact, penalties, and extended championship, a maiden win, and the first win of the season for a legacy team were the stories of the opening race of the final day of the “Soul Red Finale” at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

After three previous podiums in 2016, Nicolas Dapero got his first win in the U.S.A. and also helped Juncos Racing extend a team Pro Mazda winning streak. The Ricardo Juncos led team has now won a Pro Mazda race in every season since 2009.

Nicolas Dapero celebrates his first Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire win at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca (Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)

Nicolas Dapero celebrates his first Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire win at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca (Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)

The 18 year-old from Argentina said he was thankful to have his first win in the USA, and also heaped praise on the Juncos Racing crew for giving a him a winning car.

Heading into the morning race, Team Pelfrey teammates Aaron Telitz and Pato O’Ward were separated by only 8 points, with the rookie Telitz leading the sophomore O’Ward. After the two drivers made contact on the opening lap and were both assessed drive-thru penalties, Telitz ended up finishing the race in fifth and O’Ward finished 10th. That leaves Telitz leading the championship by 11 points with one race left at 3:35pm this afternoon to decide who takes home the $600,000 Mazda Motorsports Advancement Scholarship and moves up to Indy Lights.

Will Owen came home second, his seventh podium of the year and his 11th career Mazda Road To Indy presented by Cooper Tire podium. Owen was joined on the podium by Cape Motorsports with /WTR driver Nico Jamin.

After an almost two hour delay for foggy conditions, the first of two Pro Mazda Grand Prix of Monterey Presented by Allied Building Product races of the day got under way just before 10am.

Telitz, who was starting on pole for the second day in a row got a jump on O’Ward as the green flag flew, however O’Ward’s Topo Chico sponsored No. 80 was able to draft Telitz’s Rice Lake Weighing Systems sponsored No. 82 and get beside him heading to Turn 2. O’Ward went around the outside of Telitz in the Andretti Hairpin and the teammates made contact when Telitz slid wide at the exit of the double apex corner.

O’Ward was able to limp back to the pits where his damaged Team Pelfrey No. 80 came to the attention of his crew who immediately went to work on the left rear suspension. They were able to make quick repairs and get O’Ward back on track, but the 17 year-old was four laps down.

At the end of the first lap the running order was: Telitz, Dapero, Fisher, Parsons, Owen, Jamin, Burton-Harris, Swanbeck, de la Vara, Eberle, Enders and O’Ward.

Telitz was immediately dinged with an avoidable contact penalty, which the 24 year-old served on Lap 5. After the slow drive down the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca pit road, the native of Birchwood, Wisconsin re-entered the race in 11th.

On the following lap, O’Ward was also handed a drive-thru penalty for having too many men over the wall.

Telitz was able to get by Enders, and Swanbeck for 9th and 10th before the half-way point of the race, and was pressuring Burton-Harris for 8th.

The running order half-way through the race was: Dapero, Fisher, Parsons, Owen, Jamin, Burton Harris, de la Vara, Swanbeck, Telitz, Eberle, Enders and O’Ward. Diaper’s lead over Fisher 6.7 seconds, who was being hounded by Parsons, Owen and Jamin for the final spot on the podium.

On the very next lap, Fisher and Parsons made contact while battling for position in the “Corkscrew,” causing the first yellow flag of the day to fly on Lap 13.

Fisher and Parsons both retired which allowed Telitz to move up to 6th and O’Ward, despite being 3 laps behind, to move into the top 10.

The field went back to green with only 3 and a half minutes remaining on lap 16. Dapero was able to get the jump on Owen, his more experienced Juncos Racing teammate.

On the third last lap, Telitz was able to get by de la Vara as they exited Turn 11 and immediately set off after Burton-Harris for fourth, but was not able to get by the newcomer and settled for a fifth place finish.

The white flag flew on Lap 18, with Dapero, Owen, Jamin, Burton-Harris and Telitz crossing the line and heading to the Andretti Hairpin for the last time.

Moises de la Vara who is making his Mazda Road To Indy presented by Cooper Tire debut with DE Force Racing won the National Class. The team and driver are planning on taking part in the 2017 Cooper Tires USF2000 Powered by Mazda championship with the new Mazda powered Tatuus USF-17.

Results of the second Pro Mazda Grand Prix of Monterey Presented by Allied Building Products

RANK DRIVER GAP
1 Nicolas Dapero 19 Laps
2 Will Owen -0.4456
3 Nico Jamin -2.2509
4 Joseph Burton-Harris -4.854
5 Aaron Telitz -5.3339
6 Moises de la Vara -6.5866
7 Dan Swanbeck -10.5695
8 Kory Enders -11.1676
9 Bobby Eberle -14.6183
10 Pato O’Ward -3 laps
11 TJ Fischer -8 laps
12 Jake Parsons -8 laps
category: Pro Mazda News/Results, Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire - TSO
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Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire from Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca – “Soul Red Finale” – Saturday – race #1

Posted by  on Saturday, September 10th 2016     

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The box score for the first of three Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire races of the weekend won’t show any official lead changes, but that doesn’t tell the whole story, as three different passes were made for the lead.

Pato O’Ward made a daring pass of pole sitter and championship leader Aaron Telitz on the opening lap, and was able to build a huge lead before a late yellow flag set up one of the more exciting laps of the Pro Mazda season.

The Green and White flag flew at the start/finish line as the O’Ward and Teltiz streamed underneath them. Telitz moved to inside of the circuit but was thwarted by O’Ward who also moved to the inside.

Telitz then swung wide, executing a perfect over-under move and passing his young Mexican teammate. Telitz was only able to hold back O’Ward for two corners as the Topo Chico sponsored No. 80 of O’Ward got off of Turn 4 better and was able to get inside of Telitz in Turn 5. O’Ward was able to hold on for his seventh win of the year.

More importantly, O’Ward was able to cut six points off of Telitz’s championship lead and begins tomorrow’s race only 8 points behind his teammate.

Nicolas Dapero ended up the race in third, the third podium of the season for the 18 year-old Juncos Racing rookie. Nico Jamin and Jake Parsons made up the remainder of the top five.

The Mazda Renesis rotary engines powering the dozen Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire entries were fired at exactly 2:15pm and the first of seven “Soul Red Finale” championship tilts began with championship contenders Telitz and O’Ward on the front row.

Telitz brought the field slowly to the green flag and O’Ward was able to get the jump on the points leader and pull ahead of Telitz before the start/finish line. Telitz took a look around the outside of O’Ward, but wisely slotted in behind his teammate.

Telitz thought the start should have been waved off, but did admit that O’Ward definitely had a quicker car and would have got by anyway.

Telitz explained that his lack of pace came down to a set of tires that were not agreeable with the set-up on his No. 82 Team Pelfrey machine and that he expects to have much better pace in the final two races

At the end of the first lap it was O’Ward, Telitz, Dapero, Jamin, Parsons, Fisher, Owen, Swanbeck, Eberle, Burton-Harris, Enders, and de la Vara

World Speed Motorsports’ Burton-Harris had a malfunctioning transponder and was forced to the pits to rectify his problem.

Telitz spent the first five laps holding off Dapero, which allowed O’Ward to pull out to a 3.6 second lead.

On Lap 5, Will Owen was forced to the pits and the Juncos Racing quickly went to work on the right rear suspension. It need up being a bent rear toe and Owen was able to return to the track three laps behind the leaders. The 21 year-old was able to complete

At the one-third point of the 30 minute race O’Ward was able to grow his lead to 4.5 seconds over Telitz. Telitz was 0.9 seconds ahead of Dapero, while Jamin and Fischer made up the remainder of the top five.

O’Ward was able to build a substantial six second lead before by the half-way point of the race. Dapero remained glued to the rear of Telitz’s No. 82 for second. The gap back to Jamin in fourth was over seven seconds with Fisher, in fifth, a further four seconds behind.

Argentinian rookie Nicolas Dapero spent the majority of the race glued to the rear of Telitz’s Rice Lake Weighing Systems No. 82.

With only seven minutes left in the race, and O’Ward holding an 11 second lead, the yellow flag flew for DE Force Racing newcomer Kory Enders, who went off track at the Andretti Hairpin (Turn 2) and got stuck in the gravel requiring the assistance of the Holmatro Safety Team.

Bobby Eberle ended up leading Moises de la Vara to the line to claim the top spot in National Class.

The final results were:

RANK DRIVER LAPS COMPLETED
1 Pato O’Ward 20
2 Aaron Telitz 20
3 Nicolas Dapero 20
4 Nico Jamin 20
5 Jake Parsons 20
6 TJ Fischer 20
7 Bobby Eberle 20
8 Moises de la Vara 20
9 Dan Swanbeck 20
10 Joseph Burton-Harris 19
11 Will Owen 16
12 Kory Enders 15

The second of three Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire races goes off tomorrow morning at 8am.

category: Pro Mazda News/Results, Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire - TSO
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Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca – “Soul Red Finale” – qualifying – Saturday 10:10am

Posted by  on Saturday, September 10th 2016     

 

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For the sixth time in seven races and eighth time in 2016, championship leader Aaron Telitz scored an all important bonus point for starting on pole. The 24 year-old Team Pelfrey rookie ended the half-hour qualifying session over a half-second ahead of teammate and closest championship chaser O’Ward.

Aaron Telitz won his eighth Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire pole for the first race of the "Soul Red Finale" weekend at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca (Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)

Aaron Telitz won his eighth Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire pole for the first race of the “Soul Red Finale” weekend at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca (Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)

Juncos Racing rookie Nicolas Dapero will start the race in third, his best road and street course qualifying effort of the year.

Telitz and O’Ward’s teammate TJ Fischer will start outside the second row, his best qualifying result in six previous Pro Mazda starts.

The reigning Cooper Tires USF2000 Powered by Mazda champion and two time winner at Mazda Raceway in 2015, Nico Jamin ended up with the fifth quickest time of the session.

Qualifying for the Pro Mazda Grand Prix of Monterey Presented by Allied Building Products triple-header began under sunny skies after a one hour and ten minute delay for fog.

Telitz set the early pace, but was quickly passed by O’Ward. O’Ward’s early flyer was the first sub 1:24 lap of the weekend. A 1:24.677 set by Owen in the morning practice.

With ten minutes gone in the session the top five were: O’Ward, Fisher, Jamin, Telitz and Owen.

At this point the majority of the 12 car field came to pit road to make adjustments for the second half of the 30 minute session.

With 11 minutes left in the session, championship leader Telitz was able to get ahead his Team Pelfrey teammate O’Ward with a lap at 1:23.4472.

With ten minutes left in the session, the top five were: Telitz, O’Ward, Dapero, Owen and Fisher.

With seven minutes left in the session, Telitz was able to lower his quickest lap time to 1:23.2863, which at that point was 0.5878 seconds ahead of O’Ward.

With five minutes left in the session the top five were: Telitz, O’Ward, Dapero, Fisher and Jamin.

Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire qualifying results:

RANK NAME QUICK LAP
1 Aaron Telitz 1:23.2863
2 Pato O’Ward 1:23.8741
3 Nicolas Dapero 1:24.0098
4 TJ Fischer 1:24.4246
5 Nico Jamin 1:24.6104
6 Will Owen 1:24.6866
7 Jake Parsons 1:24.9107
8 Joseph Burton-Harris 1:25.8998
9 Kory Enders 1:26.1690
10 Bobby Eberle 1:26.7673
11 Moises de la Vara 1:27.5922
12 Dan Swanbeck 1:28.2080

The first of three Pro Mazda Grand Prix of Monterey Presented by Allied Building Products races this weekend is scheduled for 2:15pm (PT) or 5:15pm (ET). Your options to follow along are:

Or directly here:

category: Pro Mazda News/Results, Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire - TSO
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Mazda Road To Indy presented by Cooper Tire – “Soul Red Finale” – Saturday open at 8:18am – it’s foggy

Posted by  on Saturday, September 10th 2016     

MRTI logo

Good morning from Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca where it’s once again foggy and we are on a delay for the second day in a row.

The first track activity for the Mazda Road To Indy presented by Cooper Tire, Pro Mazda qualifying, was scheduled to get the green flag at 8:35am. Pro Mazda is followed by Indy Lights qualifying at 9:20am, and USF2000 qualifying at 10:05am.

Races for Pro Mazda, Indy Lights and USF2000 are scheduled for 1:05pm, 3pm and 4:05pm respectively.

Here are some notebook type items that we’ve been working on…

Each USF2000 entry receives three brand new sets of Cooper Tire slicks for the two practice sessions, qualifying session and the two 30 minute races.

coopertires

Each Pro Mazda entry receives four brand new sets of Cooper Tire slicks for the two practice sessions, qualifying session, two 30 minute races and one 40 minute race.

Each Indy Lights entry receives four brand new sets of Cooper Tire slicks for the two practice sessions, qualifying session and one 40 minute race and one 50 minute race.

Zach Veach leads the field though "The Essess" at Watkins Glen International ((Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)

Zach Veach leads the field though “The Essess” at Watkins Glen International ((Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)

We had a chance to catch-up with Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tire race-director Tony Cotman to ask him about the penalty handed down to Zach Veach and Belardi Auto Racing after the Watkins Glen International race. The driver and team were both penalized 10 points for a floor height issue. Cotman told TSO that the transgression was fairly minor and that it definitely wasn’t done on purpose. Cotman explained it was the similar to the problem that saw Zachary Claman de Melo lose his second place qualifying effort at Barber Motorsports Park in April.

TSO had a chance to catch-up with Mazda Road To Indy presented by Cooper Tire veteran Peter Dempsey. The Pro Mazda and Indy Lights race winner has been leading the Juncos Racing Pro Mazda technical team for a few years, and he expects to be back with the Ricardo Juncos led team again next year. The Irishman has been spending quite a bit of time coaching and driving race cars at Autobahn County Club just outside of Chicago, Illinois, and is actively pursuing a sports car ride for next season. Dempsey and his wife are also expecting their first child in November.

Nineteen countries and 82 drivers are on-track at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca for the "Soul Red Finale" (Photo Courtesy of Mazda Motorsports)

Nineteen countries and 82 drivers are on-track at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca for the “Soul Red Finale” (Photo Courtesy of Mazda Motorsports)

Between the USF2000, Pro Mazda, Indy Lights, MX-5 Cup, and IMSA Prototype Lites there are 82 Mazda powered race cars on-track at Mazda Raceway this weekend. Representing 19 different countries, the drivers took the opportunity yesterday afternoon to take a Mazda class photo at the manufacturers spiritual home.

The following drivers are celebrating Mazda Road To Indy presented by Cooper Tire race anniversaries this weekend:
Zach Veach – 85th start on Sunday
Dalton Kellett – 75th start on Saturday
Neil Alberico – 75th start on Saturday
Kyle Kaiser – 65th start on Saturday
Garett Grist – 60th start on Sunday

If Juan Piedrahita had not called it quits on his season, he would have made his 100th career MRTI start on Sunday

category: Cooper Tires USF2000 powered by Mazda - TSO, Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tire - TSO, Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire - TSO

Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca – Practice #2 – 2:12pm

Posted by  on Friday, September 9th 2016     

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Redemption was the name of the game for championship leader Aaron Telitz during the final Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire practice session of the day. After missing the majority of the first session due to mechanical issues, the 24-year old led the second session over the Juncos Racing threesome of Jake Parsons, Will Owen, and Nicolas Dapero. Pats O’Ward, Telitiz’s closest championship rival turned in the fifth quickest time of the session.

The second and final Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire practice before qualifying bright and early on Saturday morning at 8:35am, began under a cloudless sky and perfect 70F temperatures.

The first 10 minutes of the session saw Team Pelfrey sophomore O’Ward, and Juncos Racing rookie Parsons head the top of the the 12 driver time-sheet. Championship leader Telitz, took over the top spot half-way through the session and ended up with a quick lap of 1:25.2311.

The entire session ran under green flag conditions and the 12 drivers turned a total of 189 laps on the 2.238-mile, 11-turn road course.

TSO was able to confirm that the No. 82 of Aaron Telitz had a number of issues that limited him to only four laps in the opening session. The Rice Lake Weighing Systems car had an oil leak, a slipping clutch, and when he finally got back out on track he had ran over debris and had a punctured tire.

Second Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire practice session:

RANK NAME QUICK TIME GAP
1 Aaron Telitz 1:25.231 0.000
2 Jake Parsons 1:25.400 -0.1691
3 Will Owen 1:25.453 -0.2218
4 Nicolas Dapero 1:25.669 -0.4379
5 Pato O’Ward 1:25.769 -0.5381
6 TJ Fischer 1:25.838 -0.6065
7 Nico Jamin 1:25.856 -0.6248
8 Joseph Burton-Harris 1:27.047 -1.8158
9 Bobby Eberle 1:27.650 -2.4194
10 Kory Enders 1:28.203 -2.9721
11 Dan Swanbeck 1:28.608 -3.377
12 Moises de la Vara 1:29.031 -3.7999

The combined time-sheet was led by Juncos Racing sophomore Owen. The 21-year-old from Plano, Texas is out of the championship discussion, but third place is still in play. Owen currently trails Nico Jamin for that spot by only 17 points.

Will Owen led the Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire combined time-sheet for the "Soul Red Finale" at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca (Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)

Will Owen led the Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire combined time-sheet for the “Soul Red Finale” at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca (Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)

Combined Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire time sheet:

RANK DRIVER QUICK LAP
1 Will Owen 1:24.677
2 Jake Parsons 1:24.971
3 Aaron Telitz 1:25.231
4 Nicolas Dapero 1:25.408
5 Nico Jamin 1:25.538
6 Pato O’Ward 1:25.568
7 TJ Fischer 1:25.837
8 Joseph Burton-Harris 1:26.526
9 Bobby Eberle 1:28.001
10 Kory Enders 1:28.203
11 Dan Swanbeck 1:28.608
12 Moises de la Vara 1:29.031
category: Pro Mazda News/Results, Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire - TSO
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