Archives for Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire – TSO

MRTI Update #6 – Friday – VeeKay grabs his fourth pole of the season – inches closer to point leader Thompson

Posted by  on Friday, July 27th 2018     

By Steve Wittich

Combine the fact that a dozen of the fifteen Pro Mazda Presented By Cooper Tire winners at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course has come from the front row with a seven point gap between points leader Parker Thompson and second place Rinus VeeKay and qualifying takes on a lot of importance.

Double winner at Toronto, Rinus VeeKay continued his hot streak and will start on the pole for the third straight race and fourth time in 2018. The 17-year-old will begin Saturday’s first race six points behind Thompson.

It’s the fourth pole on the 2.258-Mile, 13-Turn Road Course for Juncos Racing which breaks a three-way tie with Cape Motorsports and Team Pelfrey for team poles at the Lexington, Ohio track.

The Dutch driver’s quick lap of 75.446 seconds obliterated the track record of 78.1385 seconds set by Nico Jamin in qualifying in 2016.

Thompson will start right behind VeeKay in on the inside of the second row.

David Malukas, who won the last two Pro Mazda races on natural terrain circuits will start outside of VeeKay. VeeKay’s Juncos Racing teammates Carlos Cunha and Robert Megennis will start fourth and fifth, with reigning USF2000 champion Oliver Askew starting on the outside of the third row.

Mathias Soler-Obel, who is making the step up from USF2000 with RP Motorsport this weekend will start seventh with an impressive lap only seven-tenths of the pole.

The third of three straight Mazda Road To Indy Presented by Cooper Tires qualifying sessions began promptly at 2 PM under sunny skies.

Oliver Askew was forced to sit out the first quarter of the session for

Just before the halfway mark of the 20-minute session, the field began to come to pit road for fresh Cooper Tires and adjustment. The Juncos Racing trio were the first drivers to head back out on the track.

After ten minutes, Thompson held the provisional pole and the next nine drivers were: VeeKay, Malukas, Askew, Sting Ray Robb, Mathias Soler-Obel, Cunha, Andres Gutierrez, Megennis, and Felipe Drugovich.

With six minutes left on the clock, times started to drop quickly with VeeKay grabbing the provisional pole.

With only a few seconds left before the session went checkered, Malukas was able to grab the provisional pole, but that only last for a few seconds when VeeKay crossed the timing line right behind him.

The top six drivers all turned their quickest laps on their final laps of the qualifying session

Cooper Tires Pro Mazda Mid-Ohio Grand Prix Unofficial Qualifying #1 Results

RANK CAR NO. DRIVER QUICK LAP DIFFERENCE
1 2 Rinus VeeKay 1:15.446 –.—-
2 79 David Malukas 1:15.595 0.1485
3 90 Parker Thompson 1:15.760 0.3139
4 1 Carlos Cunha 1:15.968 0.5216
5 9 Robert Megennis 1:16.013 0.5671
6 3 Oliver Askew 1:16.093 0.6472
7 27 Mathias Soler-Obel 1:16.169 0.7226
8 82 Sting Ray Robb 1:16.268 0.8218
9 10 Felipe Drugovich 1:16.275 0.8287
10 78 Kris Wright 1:16.689 1.2424
11 81 Andres Gutierrez 1:17.033 1.5869
12 12 Moises de la Vara 1:17.088 1.6416
13 8 Nikita Lastochkin 1:17.415 1.9686
14 83 Charles Finelli 1:19.472 4.0256

The Pro Mazda Presented By Cooper Tire series is back on track for their second qualifying session at 11 AM on Saturday.

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MRTI Update #3 from Mid-Ohio – Friday – Championship leader Thompson tops Pro Mazda practice

Posted by  on Friday, July 27th 2018     

By Steve Wittich

With two-hours of test time yesterday, the tire strategies for the teams and drivers in the 14 car Pro Mazda Presented By Cooper Tire field varied considerably.

Points leader Parker Thompson, who had the quickest lap at 75.942 seconds used the entire session to work on his race car, turning a total of 17 laps.

Juncos Racing’s Rinus VeeKay, who set the second quickest time sat early in the session, turning seven laps.

David Malukas, who won the last two Pro Mazda races on a natural terrain course, didn’t turn any laps.

Carlos Cunha, Oliver Askew, and Robert Megennis completed the top five and were all within a half-second of Thompson.

RP Motorsport pilot Felipe Drugovich was the quickest of the newcomers.

The top nine drivers were all within a second of the leading Exclusive Autosport driver.

The Pro Mazda Presented By Cooper Tire drivers head back to their paddock through the Friday crowds at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. (Photo Courtesy of Patrick Stephan)

For an interesting comparison, the pole lap the last time the Toyota Atlantic Series visited was 72.97 seconds by Jonathan Summerton in a Mazda powered Swift in 2009. In that first session, the PM-18 was only three-tenths off A.J. Allmendinger’s pole lap of 75.668 seconds.

The Pro Mazda Presented By Cooper Tire drivers are back on track for qualifying at 2 PM.

Cooper Tires Pro Mazda Mid-Ohio Grand Prix Practice #1 Results

RANK CAR NO. DRIVER QUICK LAP DIFFERENCE TOTAL LAPS
1 90 Parker Thompson 1:15.942 –.—- 17
2 2 Rinus VeeKay 1:16.082 0.1405 7
3 1 Carlos Cunha 1:16.341 0.3993 14
4 3 Oliver Askew 1:16.444 0.5022 17
5 9 Robert Megennis 1:16.475 0.5330 17
6 82 Sting Ray Robb 1:16.633 0.6907 15
7 10 Felipe Drugovich 1:16.687 0.7446 15
8 27 Mathias Soler-Obel 1:16.971 1.0292 17
9 81 Andres Gutierrez 1:16.999 1.0569 15
10 78 Kris Wright 1:17.198 1.2555 11
11 8 Nikita Lastochkin 1:17.704 1.7625 17
12 83 Charles Finelli 1:19.333 3.3908 16
13 12 Moises de la Vara No Time — —
14 79 David Malukas No Time — —

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Pro Mazda from Mid-Ohio – Steve’s preview – Thompson and VeeKay embroiled in a give-and-take battle for the $790,000 Mazda Motorsport Advancement Scholarship

Posted by  on Thursday, July 26th 2018     

By Steve Wittich

The Cooper Tires Pro Mazda Mid-Ohio Grand Prix Saturday/Sunday double-dip will be the 16th and 17th times that the Pro Mazda Presented By Cooper Tire (formerly known as Star Mazda) series will race on the 2.258-Mile, 13-Turn Road Course.

The first race in 2002 was won by Guy Cosmo, who finished ahead of Justin Pruskowski (2nd), Scott Speed (3rd) and 28 other Mazda powered machines.

Over the past three season, it’s been Cape Motorsports drivers that have been dominant, winning five of seven races and leading 137 of 161 possible laps. Over that same three year span Cape Motorsports, Juncos Racing, and Team Pelfrey have split podiums equally – each collecting a lucky seven.

Championship winners who also won at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course include:
Victor Franzoni (2017)
Santi Urrutia (2015)
Matthew Brabham (2013)
Rafa Matos (2005)
Michael McDowell (2004)
Guy Cosmo (2002)

BN Racing’s David Malukas led the 11 drivers that took part in a two-day series test at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course last week, but it wasn’t by much. The top five times were within two-tenths of a second Malukas top lap of 75.8655 seconds. Included in that list were: Santi Urrutia, who was helping out Team Pelfrey by testing – points leader Parker Thompson, Carlos Cunha and Sting Ray Robb. Rinus VeeKay, who trails Thompson by a scant seven points turned in the sixth quickest time, a half-second shy of the BN Racing rookie.

How things can change in 24 hours. After a run of nine straight top-five finishes to start the season, rookie Parker Thompson was bound to run into some bad luck. Unfortunately for the Canadian, it corresponded with his closest championship competitor’s strongest weekend.

Thompson began Saturday’s Pro Mazda race on the streets of Toronto with a 46 point lead over VeeKay and after two forgettable races in a 24-hour span, left Sunday’s second race holding onto a seven-point edge in the chase for the Mazda Motorsports Advancement scholarship and a seat in the Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires series in 2019.

Thompson will be making his 9th, and 10th Mazda Road To Indy Presented by Cooper Tires starts at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. His results include a win, three 2nd place finishes, two 4th, a 5th and a 17th.

VeeKay will be making his 3rd and 4th start in Central Ohio finishing on the podium in both races one year ago.

Thompson was able to cross the finish line ahead of VeeKay in their head-to-head races in USF2000 in 2017.

Parker Thompson (right) and Rinus VeeKay (left) started on the front row of last year’s USF2000 Race #2 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)

VeeKay wasn’t the only Juncos Racing driver to make inroads into Thompson’s lead. Carlos Cunha enters the final five-race stretch 39 points behind the Canadian points leader.

The Brazilian suffered his first DNF due to contact in 23 career Pro Mazda starts, also ending an impressive streak of 20 races in which he was still running at the end. But, the 18-year-old is heading to a track where he scored his first Pro Mazda pole and a pair of podium finishes last year. Cunha ended the recent test with the fourth quickest lap time, only 0.15 seconds off of the fastest lap time.

Malukas has had a rookie Pro Mazda season full of ups and downs. But, after a pair of wins in the previous round at Road America, rebounding from a five-point penalty, a couple of DNFs due to contact and losing ground to the points leader will test the mettle of 16-year-old. The Chicago, Ill. led testing at the circuit last week and has a pair of solid sixth place USF2000 finishes last year to build a foundation for a bounce-back weekend.

Reigning USF2000 champion Oliver Askew was the second biggest winner of the Canadian doubleheader. The 21-year-old finished 4th and 2nd and had the quickest lap of the race on Sunday. More importantly, Askew showed that he could be aggressive when it was warranted, making many highlight reel passes during Sunday’s race.

Unfortunately, budget issues kept Askew from participating in the open test last week, but hopefully, the momentum from Toronto will continue to build, and the Jupiter, Fla. resident will fight for wins.

Sting Ray Robb, Robert Megennis, and Nikia Lastochkin are engaged in an entertaining battle for the seventh spot on the points table. Only 13 points separate the trio of drivers representing three different teams.

Robb has gone four races without a top five and has likely not had the sophomore season that he wanted. It’s easy to forget that Robb is only 16-years-old and that the maturity he has shown through some tough results is a sign of a mature driver. Robb had two solid races last year at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, had more pace than his results indicated in Toronto, and was less than three-tenths from the top time in testing last week.

Megennis who is coming off a masterful display of defending and a podium in Toronto has scored 16 and 15 more points then Robb and Lastochkin, respectively over the past five races.

Lastochkin is coming off what could be considered his best Mazda Road To Indy Presented by Cooper Tires race weekend. The Russian finished 5th and 4th and bagged the 2nd and 6th quickest races laps. Impressive stuff in a very deep field.

Andres Gutierrez, who is driving the second Team Pelfrey Mazda/Tatuus PM-18, is returning to the track where he made his Mazda Road To Indy Presented by Cooper Tires debut last year in USF2000. The impressive debut weekend for the 17-year-old included a pair of top 10 finishes. The Mexican driver is clearly more comfortable on natural terrain road courses, and is due for a breakout weekend.

Last, but certainly not least is Fatboy Racing! pilot Charles Finelli. The New Yorker kept his nose clean and had two impressive sixth-place finishes in Toronto. Bravo!

The big mo

After a pair of wins in the season-opening races, VeeKay grabbed the early momentum, but the “mo” swung back Thompson’s way during a scorching “Month of May.” The positive energy started to inch a little towards Malukas and Scott at Road America but made a big move back towards VeeKay with his two wins in Canada.

VeeKay has outscored Thompson by 15 points over the past five races.

Pro Mazda points scored over the last five races

RANK DRIVER POINTS
1 Rinus VeeKay 128
2 Parker Thompson 113
3 Carlos Cunha 104
4 David Malukas 103
5 Oliver Askew 93
6 Robert Megennis 88
7 Harrison Scott 73
8 Nikia Lastochkin 73
9 Sting Ray Robb 72
10 Charles Finelli 62
11 Antonio Serravalle 54
12 Toby Sowery 51
13 Raul Guzman 51
14 Andres Gutierrez 45
15 Kris Wright 31
16 Lodovico Laurini 21

Now, let’s look at a stat that favors Thompson.

With four of the final five Pro Mazda Presented By Cooper Tire races taking place on natural terrain road courses, now would be a great time to see how our contenders stack up. The series has contested six races (two each at Barber Motorsports Park, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and Road America) on natural terrain road courses. So far, Parker Thompson has a slight advantage over Harrison Scott, who will be missing this weekend’s action (see below) and double Road America winner David Malukas.

Championship leader Thompson has outscored his closest competitor VeeKay by 46 points over the course of those six races.

Points scored in the first six Pro Mazda natural terrain road courses.

RANK DRIVER POINTS
1 Parker Thompson 146
2 Harrison Scott 139
3 David Malukas 130
4 Carlos Cunha 108
5 Rinus VeeKay 100
6 Oliver Askew 94
7 Andres Gutierrez 84
8 Sting Ray Robb 75
9 Robert Megennis 66
10 Nikia Lastochkin 66
11 Toby Sowery 51
12 Charles Finelli 50
13 Antonio Serravalle 50
14 Lodovico Laurini 42
15 Kris Wright 41
16 Rafa Martins 28
17 Raul Guzman 21
18 Kory Enders 21

Ch-ch-changes

Replacing Harrison Scott at RP Motorsport in the No. 10 this weekend will be highly touted Brazilian Felipe Drugovich. The 18-year-old has won seven of the first eight Euroformula Open Championship races to take a commanding lead in that series.

Drugovich won 10 of the 16 races in the MRF Challenge – Formula 2000 during the offseason, a series that featured Mazda Road To Indy Presented by Cooper Tires drivers Rinus VeeKay, Robert Megennis and Danial Frost.

Drugovich spent the past two years in the highly competitive ADAC Formel 4 (German Formula 4) series where he collected six wins on the way to a third-place finish in 2017.

Scott’s departure was a little surprising given this tweet a few days ago.

https://twitter.com/HScottRacing/status/1021448703469551617

We were in touch with a spokesperson for the reigning Euroformula Open champion, and they confirmed that Scott was ready to race this weekend, and will be prepared to step back into the car for the Italian team for the final rounds at Gateway Motorsports Park and Portland International Raceway.

The second RP Motorsport entry, the No. 27, will have it’s third different driver this season. Mathias Soler-Obel is making the step up from USF2000 after starting the season with the family-run Sol.O Racing. The Colombian born, Atlanta, Ga. based driver test with the team last week and was on pace with the rest of the Pro Mazda field.

Lodovico Laurini started the season in the No. 27 before handing off to Raul Guzman for the two rounds at Road America and Toronto. The Mexican finished on the podium in Race #1 on Saturday but had a massive shunt in Race #2 on Sunday.

Moisés de la Vara makes his return to the Mazda Road To Indy Presented by Cooper Tires with DEForce Racing. The 20-year-old Mexican was part of the team’s inaugural USF2000 season and just wrapped up the FIA Fórmula 4 Nacam Championship, where nine wins and 16 podiums earned him the championship.

 

Past Pro Mazda winners at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course

RANK DRIVER POINTS
1 Rinus VeeKay 128
2 Parker Thompson 113
3 Carlos Cunha 104
4 David Malukas 103
5 Oliver Askew 93
6 Robert Megennis 88
7 Harrison Scott 73
8 Nikia Lastochkin 73
9 Sting Ray Robb 72
10 Charles Finelli 62
11 Antonio Serravalle 54
12 Toby Sowery 51
13 Raul Guzman 51
14 Andres Gutierrez 45
15 Kris Wright 31
16 Lodovico Laurini 21

 

Pro Mazda Presented By Cooper Tire weekend schedule

Friday

  • 10:20AM – 10:45AM – Pro Mazda Practice #1
  • 2PM – 2:20PM – Pro Mazda Qualifying #1

Saturday

  • 11AM – 11:20AM – Pro Mazda Qualifying #2
  • 4:10PM – 4:50PM – Pro Mazda Race #1

Sunday

  • 11:05AM – 11:55AM – Pro Mazda Race #2

 

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MRTI Update #12 – Sunday – VeeKay goes wire-to-wire to close the championship gap to a single point

Posted by  on Sunday, July 15th 2018     

By Steve Wittich

Make it four straight Pro Mazda road course wins for Rinus VeeKay, who led all 35 laps in Sunday’s Cooper Tires Pro Mazda Grand Prix of Toronto Presented by Allied Building Products race.

“This is a tough place because the car moves around so much and you have to take some strange lines around the bumps,” explained the driver who won all four street course races in 2018. “I love it here.”

The hardest part of the race was the last lap with Oliver behind me and him being the fastest car. I just had to focus on getting good exits to the finish line!”

Rinus VeeKay was pumped to get his fourth straight road course win and second straight in Toronto. He moves to within a single point of Parker Thompson for the championship lead (Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)

The pair of wins in Toronto moved the 17-year-old to within in a single point of Parker Thompson.

The points leader, Canadian Thompson, had a miserable weekend, finishing eighth in both races.

Capturing his second podium of the season was reigning USF2000 champion Oliver Askew. The Cape Motorsports rookie made some outstanding passes on his run from sixth to second, and he also ended up with the quickest lap of the race.

Finishing on the final step of the podium for the third time in 2018 was Robert Megennis.

After a lot of work and a few late nights, the eight cars that retired from yesterday’s Race #1 all started Sunday morning’s race. Impressive work by the dedicated crews.

Pro Mazda race #2 got started with VeeKay and Malukas next too each other, and they make it cleanly through Turn 1. Yesterday’s high-flyer Harrison Scott locked up the tires at the braking zone and went into the run-off. He would not be able to return.

The field got through Turn 3, with the race settling in for the next few laps. Up front, VeeKay was leading Megennis by 2.33 seconds with Malukas in third.

Drivers were stacked up running through Turns 8-9-10, and at the exit of Turn 11 just before beginning Lap 4, the No. 27 of Raul Guzman tagged the wall in Turn 10 and collected the No. 82 of Andres Gutierrez.

The running order under yellow was: VeeKay, Megennis, Malukas, Robb, Askew, Cunha, Thompson, Lastochkin, Wright, Serravalle, Finelli, Gutierrez, Guzman and Scott.

It took the AMR INDYCAR Safety Team a number of laps to clean up all of the debris and fluid had been dropped.

They tried to go green for Lap 11, but the clean-up crew was still on Princes’ Boulevard, and the yellow flag remained out, meaning the race would be timed.

The Green flag came back out with 25 minutes remaining, and VeeKay was able to pull a big gap on his chasers.

At the end of the first lap back to green, VeeKay’s lead was 1.8 seconds over Megennis. The rest of the running order was Malukas, Askew, Robb, Cunha, Thompson, Lastochkin, Wright, Serravalle and Finelli.

With 20 minutes remaining, Oliver Askew got around Megennis for third, and Cunha, Thompson, and Lastochkin got by Robb. It appeared that Robb and Thompson made contact and the No. 90 black and red car was forced to pit road. The Exclusive Autosport crew looked over the car and sent the Canadian back out on the track.

With 16 minutes remaining, Askew was the quickest driver on track and was able to get by Megennis for second place. The Soul Red #3 was 6.6 seconds behind VeeKay after making the pass for second and took off after the Dutchman.

The Soul Red #3 of Oliver Askew makes a daring pass of Sting Ray Robb around the outside in Turn 8 on his way to second place in the second Pro Mazda Presented By Cooper Tire in Toronto (Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)

“The Cape Motorsports guys gave me a super-fast car and things just worked out as the race progressed,” said Askew after the physical race.  “I’m relieved to finally get back on the podium – just still missing that win. I like street courses because I’m a bit of a perfectionist and I like to be smooth and precise, and that style of driving works here. I like being close to the walls. The best feeling in racing for me is being in the zone, clicking off laps and figuring out where to go faster and I got back in that zone in this race. It’s been frustrating at times this season, but that’s why I’m on the Mazda Road to Indy, to learn – and adversity is part of that.”

Further back, Megennis, Malukas, and Cunha were nose-to-tail for the final spot on the podium.

With 12 minutes remaining, Askew was running laps a half-second quicker than VeeKay and had cut the lead to 5.6 seconds.

Malukas was working over Megennis, trying in Turn 1, Turn 3 and Turn 5. Megennis was utilizing a defensive line, running the inside line into each passing zone, forcing the No. 79 to go around the outside.

With seven minutes to go, Cunha had a great run down the back straight going by Malukas, who appeared to have a wounded car and made a run around the outside of the Juncos Racing teammate for the final spot on the podium.

The Brazilian carried too much speed into Turn 3, making flush contact with the tire barriers with the left side of his car.

With 1.5 minutes left, the green flag came back out with VeeKay leading Askew to Turn 1. The Juncos Racing rookie was able to hold the American behind him, but a lock-up in Turn 3 on the final lap made the last eight corners interesting

Cooper Tires Pro Mazda Grand Prix of Toronto Presented by Allied Building Products Unofficial Results Race #2

RANK CAR NO. DRIVER DIFFERENCE
1 2 Rinus VeeKay —
2 3 Oliver Askew 1.1127
3 9 Robert Megennis 2.1098
4 8 Nikita Lastochkin 7.1542
5 78 Kris Wright 2.1884
6 83 Charles Finelli 3.2108
7 82 Sting Ray Robb 15.3764
8 90 Parker Thompson -2 laps
9 79 David Malukas -6 laps
10 1 Carlos Cunha -6 laps
11 91 Antonio Serravalle -7 laps
12 81 Andres Gutierrez -29 laps
13 27 Raul Guzman -30 laps
14 10 Harrison Scott -32 laps

The Pro Mazda Presented By Cooper Tire series is back on track for testing at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course for testing next week in preparation for their race weekend on the 1.786-mile, 11-turn Exhibition Place street circuit on July 27th – 29th.

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MRTI Update #8 – Saturday – Chaos and post race penalties and a win by Rinus VeeKay in Saturday’s Pro Mazda Race

Posted by  on Saturday, July 14th 2018     

By Steve Wittich

Rinus VeeKay survived a carnage-filled Cooper Tire Pro Mazda Grand Prix of Toronto to win his third straight Pro Mazda street course over his Juncos Racing teammate Carlos Cunha and RP Motorsport rookie Raul Guzman.

“A bit, yes, especially when you are leading,” said VeeKay to TSO Ladder after the race, when asked about having to survive so many restarts. “I’m happy that there is such a big restart zone, there are a few corners before, so you get a good advantage as the leader. It was good. A little bit lucky with Parker and David not finishing. We took maximum points, and I’m really happy about that. I think I gained about 20 points in the championship, so this is a big boost for me.”

The Dutch driver cut championship leader Parker Thompson’s lead from 46 points to 26 points. (More on Thompson below)

After sixteen practice and qualifying sessions spread across six different series, the 14 Pro Mazda Presented By Cooper Tire drivers had the honor of being the first race of the weekend.

The command to start the Mazda 2.0L engines was given at 10:50 AM, and after one pace lap, the front row of VeeKay and Malukas was shown the green flag. The skies were The ambient temperature 80F, and the track temperature was

As VeeKay led the field to green, points leader Parker Thompson, who started behind him was right under his rear wing. The field fanned out to enter the newly paved braking zone for Turn 1, and only 13 cars came excited.

The Pro Mazda Presented By Cooper Tire field goes five-wide to start a chaotic first race on the 1.786-mile, 11-turn Exhibition Place street circuit (Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)

The No. 9 of Robert Megennis, who started fifth, ended up in the tire barriers. We talked to the Juncos Racing New Yorker after the race, and he explained that Harrison Scott pushed him into the other RP Motorsport driver Guzman, forcing the eventual podium driver to pit road to affix a front wing.

You can see the Race #1, Turn 1 mayhem in this video that Megennis posted.

Scott was penalized 30 seconds for avoidable contact for the Turn 1 incident.

When we checked at 7 PM on Saturday evening, the Juncos Racing crew was still working on the No. 9.

Cunha was able to move up to fourth from his 11th starting spot by diving inside of the conflagration in Turn 1.

Behind the top four, the field fanned out going across Lakeshore Drive, where It appeared that the No. 10 RP Motorsport machine of Scott tapped the wall on driver’s right in the kink before Turn 3. Scott then climbed over the right side of the No. 91 of Antonio Serravalle lifting the No. 10 of the ground, the race car then continued forward and into the pair of Team Pelfrey cars of Andres Gutierrez and Sting Ray Robb. Scott launched at least 20 feet in the air, twisted sideways and into the extensive Turn 3 runoff.

Here a view of Scott’s wild ride from the grandstand in Turn 3

Serravalle received a 30-second penalty, lost ten driver points and was placed on probation for the remainder of the season for his role in the incident.

Scott, Robb, and Serravalle were all retired immediately, and Andres Gutierrez and Raul Guzman were forced to pit road for repairs. Gutierrez was forced to retire, and Guzman was able to continue.

Scott was checked and released by INDYCAR medical. The 22-year-old was not initially cleared to drive, but after a second visit with the medical staff in the afternoon, was cleared.

The RP Motorsport crew was still working on getting the car rebuilt.

When we chatted with Scott after the incident, he told TSO Ladder that his wild ride was by far the scariest incident in his career. He also gave a lot of credit to Tatuus for building a strong race car and the AMR INDYCAR Safety Team for reaching him within seconds of his car coming to rest.

The field circulated under yellow for the next five laps while the various incidents were cleaned up. The running order when they went back to green was VeeKay, Thompson, Malukas, Cunha, Askew, Wright, Lastochkin, Finelli, Guzman and Guttierez.

The green flag came back out to start Lap 6. This time VeeKay got a better jump and was able to build 1.5 seconds on the first lap back to green.

Malukas tried to make a move onto the inside of Thompson for second place and the late move ended in right front (Malukas) to left rear (Thompson), and both drivers ended in the wall at the exit of Turn 1

Malukas was penalized 30 seconds, lost five driver points and was placed on probation for the remainder of the season for avoidable contact.

When the green came back out, Lastochkin was able to get around his teammate Askew in Turn 8 for the final spot on the podium.

The third and final yellow flag came out when the No. 78 of Kris Wright ended up in the tire barriers at the exit of Turn 8.

The race went green for the last time on Lap 17 with Askew right on the rear wing of his Russian teammate. Askew made light contact with Lastochkin in Turn 1, briefly moving into the final podium spot.

Juncos Racing’s Rinus VeeKay wheels his JUMBO sponsored No. 2 through the Cooper Tire Turn 5 in Toronto (Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)

However, both drivers were forced to slow, allowing Guzman to move up to the final podium spot.

Thankfully, the final eight laps were quiet with VeeKay managing his lead over teammate Cunha. Behind the Juncos Racing teammates, Askew was pressuring Guzman for third but was not able to get around him.

Cooper Tires Pro Mazda Grand Prix of Toronto Presented by Allied Building Products Race #1 Results

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MRTI Update #7 – Saturday – Entertaining Indy Lights race ends with O’Ward on the top step of the podium

Posted by  on Saturday, July 14th 2018     

By Steve Wittich

If you only looked at the boxscore for Saturday’s Cooper Tires Indy Lights Grand Prix of Toronto Presented by Allied Building Products, it would appear that Patricio O’Ward, who led all 35 laps had a relatively easy drive to his fifth Indy Lights race win of 2018. That was anything but the case.

“It was not an easy race – at all,” explained O’Ward to TSO Ladder. “It’s a good win for me, I’ve got the points lead and some good momentum heading into the second race tomorrow and Mid-Ohio.”

Adding: “I think so far this is the most physical track I’ve done. It’s super bumpy. It’s super hard to get everything perfect, and it’s so easy to put it in the wall. If you go over that edge, you’ll lose it.”

Pure emotion as Patricio O’Ward celebrates his fifth win of the 2018 Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires series. (Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)

Urrutia, who scored his 32nd career Mazda Road To Indy Presented by Cooper Tires podium, had an eventful race, dropping four spots on the start, driving his way up to second, falling back to fourth after an ill-timed spin, and finishing on the second step of the podium.

Ryan Norman finished on an Indy Lights podium for the second time on a road course this season. The 20-year-olds solid finish solidified his fifth-place championship standing and moved him to within 20 points of Victor Franzoni in fourth.

“I had a good start and was up to third, but I was struggling to keep the car under me early on,” explained Norman. “The car came to me by Lap 10, and I was able to chip away at it. It was pretty wet toward the end, but my car felt good in the rain, so I was able to power down and keep it clean. It was just a matter of braking on the inside and staying away from the rubber on the main braking line. I could brake deep, and that’s where I made up most of my ground. I got a podium at St. Pete in the first race of the season, and it’s been a drought since then so it’s good to be back here. There’s something about street races, I guess – this is definitely one of my favorite places!”

Pole sitter Colton Herta ended the morning qualifying session in the Turn 8 tire barriers and unfortunately sustained a non-displaced fracture at the base of his thumb. He was fitted with a brace and cleared to race.

After a pair of pace laps, the front row of Herta and O’Ward brought the field the green flag with light raindrops visible on the in-car camera of Dalton Kellett’s K-LINE sponsored No. 28 Andretti Autosport race car. The air temperature was 77F, and the track temperature was 95F.

It appeared that pole sitter Herta got a poor start with the car stepping out as he got to the gas. That caused the inside line behind him to accordion and the bright red Belardi Auto Racing No. 5 made nose to tail contact with the points leader.

Herta’s engineer Doug Zister told the ADVANCE Auto Parts IndyCar Radio Network that Herta’s poor start was due to Urrutia lifting Herta’s rear tires off the ground.

After the race, Urrutia told TSO Ladder: “Colton didn’t go, I don’t know what happened. At one point I just went, and I hit him, and then Franzoni came from behind and hit me really hard and broke my front wing.”

The ragged start of the Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires race (Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)

At the end of the first lap, the running order was: O’Ward, Teltiz, Norman, Herta, Franzoni, Kellett and Urrutia.

Herta and his teammate Norman went side-by-side through Turn 4 for the final podium spot, with Norman holding him off after having the preferred inside line going into Turn 5.

Herta made a move for the final podium spot in Turn 3 on Lap 3, and when they crossed the line to start Lap 4, he was 2 seconds behind Telitz, who was three-quarters of a second behind leader O’Ward.

After ten clean laps, O’Ward’s lead was 1.1 seconds over Telitz with Herta another 1.3 seconds back.

After 10 of the scheduled 35 laps, O’Ward had a 1.1 second lead over Telitz, who had Herta another 1.3 seconds back.

On Lap 11, the familiar black and teal No. 28 of the Dalton Kellett, the only Canadian in the field, nosed it into the tires in Turn 8. The Andretti Autosport veteran was able to get going on his own, avoiding a full-course caution and came to pit road where his crew put on a new front wing.

Herta started to pressure Telitz for the final spot on the podium and was able to get by him on Lap 13. Herta immediately began to push to catch his teammate up front.

Further back in the field, Franzoni and Urrutia were waging an entertaining battle for the fourth spot.

After 20 laps, O’Ward’s lead over Herta was 1.6 seconds. Teliz had dropped 2.1 seconds back from the points leader.

Herta had cut O’Ward’s lead to 1.4 seconds on Lap 22, but on the next lap the yellow flag came out for the Yankee Blue and White No. 98 of Herta, who made substantial contact with the concrete barriers at the exit of Turn 5.

We caught up with Herta later in the afternoon and while he was in obvious pain, the second generation driver wasn’t too down. With the bumps, he did think this was one of the worst tracks that he could have hurt his hand at. He said Turn 1 through Turn 3 and Turn 6 and Turn 7 weren’t too difficult for him, but the rest of the bumpy 1.786-mile, 11-turn Exhibition Place street circuit was tough.

At the same time, there were some reports from around the racetrack that it was starting to drizzle.

The running order under the race’s first yellow flag was: O’Ward, Telitz, Urrutia, Franzoni, Norman, and Kellett, who was one lap down.

On the start of Lap 27, the green flag came back out. O’Ward got a great jump, and behind him, Urrutia put pressure on his teammate Telitz.

The two Belardi Auto Racing teammates fought for two laps before Urrutia got a good run down Lakeshore Blvd. and popped to the outside. The Uruguayan executed an over-under move getting ahead at corner exit. The two drivers made slight contact, which damaged the front wing of Telitz.

The No. 9 came to pit road for a new front wing and ended up finishing ninth.

There were reports on a track that the sprinkles were becoming a drizzle, but Urrutia was quickly catching O’Ward. Urrutia appeared to use too much curb in Turn 8 while trying to catch O’Ward with his car doing a half-spin at corner exit.

Urrutia lost a pair of spots to Franzoni and Norman but was able to get by Norman in Turn 3. Franzoni was the first driver to get to Turn 5, and he told us that he oversteered on ice like concrete. The result of that was an overcorrection and a hard hit into the concrete barrier in the same spot that Herta hit.

The race ended under caution with O’Ward crossing the under the checkered flag ahead of Urrutia and Norman.

O’Ward’s win is the first Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires race win in Toronto for Andretti Autosport.

Cooper Tires Indy Lights Grand Prix of Toronto Presented by Allied Building Products Race #1 Results

The Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires series will be back on track for their final race of the weekend at 12:25 PM on Sunday.

The NBCSN Indy Lights broadcast will air at 6 PM on Monday, July 16th.

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MRTI update #5 from Toronto – Friday – VeeKay grabs second pole of the day – points leader Thompson will be fun to watch on Sunday

Posted by  on Friday, July 13th 2018     

By Steve Wittich

After only a five-and-a-half hour break, Rinus VeeKay and Juncos Racing put together their second Pro Mazda pole run of the day.

The Dutch rookie will start beside David Malukas. His teammate Robert Megennis will start right behind his teammate on the inside of the front row, the New Yorker’s best qualifying effort of the year.

Harrison Scott, Sting Ray Robb, and the Soul Red No. 3 of Oliver Askew round out the first three rows.

The top nine drivers were all within one second of VeeKay’s pole lap.

The third Pro Mazda Presented By Cooper Tire session of a busy Fan Friday in Toronto for the series began at 3:30 PM.

At the half-way point of the 20-minute session, race #1 pole sitter VeeKay held the provisional pole with a lap of 1:08.525. Robb, Malukas, Scott, and Megennis rounded out the top five.

The session came under red flag conditions with eight minutes remaining when the No. 90 Exclusive Autosport Mazda/Tatuus of points leader Parker Thompson came to a stop on track during his first lap. The Red Deer, Alberta driver, began experiencing a non-team related mechanical issue in the first session that also brought his second qualifying session to a premature end.

Thompson will start in the last spot for Sunday’s Cooper Tires Pro Mazda Grand Prix of Toronto Presented by Allied Building Products.

Championship leader Parker Thompson will have a lot of work to do in Sunday’s Pro Mazda race in Toronto. The Canadian will start last in the 14-car field. (Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)

The Canadian was upbeat when we talked with him post qualifying, telling his team that they will have fun watching him drive through the field.

The 1.786-mile, 11-turn Exhibition Place street circuit went back to green flag conditions with six minutes left and after a few laps to get their Cooper Tires into the optimal operating range, the lap times started to fall.

Megennis was the first driver to grab the provisional pole, but that didn’t last long when fellow rookie Malukas was able to go seven-hundredths quicker. That didn’t last long as VeeKay once again was able to push to the next level on his final lap, lowing the provisional pole lower.

RP Motorsport rookie Harrison Scott was the biggest mover as the checkered flag fell, moving up to the outside second row starting spot.

We checked with Scott after the first session to inquire why he was only able to run eight laps during qualifying, and he explained that they were experiencing brake issues throughout the session. The 22-year-old will have to start Saturday’s race on the inside of the fifth row but did perk up when we mentioned that there was a chance of rain on Saturday.

He was much happier when we saw him after qualifying for race #2.

Nikia Lastochkin, who missed the first qualifying session after a part broke forcing him into the concrete barriers early in the morning practice session made an impressive recovery. The Russian driver was within six-tenths of a second of his teammate Askew and will start inside the top ten.

Cooper Tires Pro Mazda Grand Prix of Toronto Presented by Allied Building Products

RANK CAR NO. DRIVER QUICK LAP DIFFERENCE
1 2 Rinus VeeKay 1:08.276 –.—-
2 79 David Malukas 1:08.489 0.2128
3 9 Robert Megennis 1:08.565 0.2891
4 10 Harrison Scott 1:08.578 0.3016
5 82 Sting Ray Robb 1:08.651 0.3753
6 3 Oliver Askew 1:08.742 0.4664
7 81 Andres Gutierrez 1:08.801 0.5253
8 1 Carlos Cunha 1:09.304 1.0285
9 8 Nikita Lastochkin 1:09.342 1.0661
10 27 Raul Guzman 1:09.395 1.1192
11 91 Antonio Serravalle 1:10.841 2.5656
12 78 Kris Wright 1:10.933 2.6571
13 83 Charles Finelli 1:14.550 6.2745

Saturday’s Cooper Tires Pro Mazda Grand Prix of Toronto Presented by Allied Building Products will roll off at 10:50 AM on Saturday morning

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MRTI Update #2 from Toronto – Friday – Rinus VeeKay obliterates Pro Mazda track record on the way to the pole for race #1

Posted by  on Friday, July 13th 2018     

By Steve Wittich

With the Pro Mazda Presented By Cooper Tire winner in all nine previous races in Toronto, Ont., starting Saturday’’s first of two Cooper Tires Pro Mazda Grand Prix of Toronto Presented by Allied Building Products races is critical.

It’s so essential that pole-sitter Rinus VeeKay wheeled a damaged car into the run-off in Turn 1 to avoid causing a red flag and losing his pole lap.

The Dutch driver’s final lap of 1:07.974 was only seven-hundredths quicker than Malukas. His pole laps obliterated the old Pro Mazda Presented By Cooper Tire track record of 1:10.7635 set by Aaron Telitz in 2016.

VeeKay is currently the owner of the USF2000 and Pro Mazda track records on the 1.786-mile, 11-turn Exhibition Place street circuit.

“It was really tough,” said the 17-year-old. “I was quickest in the first practice, so It started off well. But, of course, everyone gets better, so I knew it was going to be close, but not this close. Charles Crews (former Indy Lights driver), my driver coach was telling me you need half-a-tenth, and then again that you need half-a-tenth. So, I was pushing and pushing so hard, and I finally got it.”

Juncos Racing Pro Mazda rookie Rinus VeeKay gets buckled in for qualifying in Toronto. He would go on to win the pole (Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)

VeeKay told us that his lap time didn’t come up on his dash and because of that, he was pushing hard after crossing the timing line and tagged the wall with the right side rear of his No. 2 JUMBO sponsored Juncos Racing machine.

VeeKay, David Malukas, and Parker Thompson traded the provisional pole four times in the final five minutes and will start second and third. Sting Ray Robb will start fourth, tying his best start of the year on the Streets of St. Petersburg, Fla.

The first of two Pro Mazda Presented By Cooper Tire Friday qualifying sessions began under blue Ontario skies at just after 10 AM. The ambient temperature was 76F, and the track temperature was 103F.

Impressively, the BN Racing crew was able to get the No. 78 race car ready for Kris Wright. The Juncos Racing gang were able to rectify the issue in the No. 1 ’s, and Carlos Cunha was able to qualify.

Unfortunately, the Cape Motorsports crew were not able to get the No. 8 repaired for Nikia Lastochkin.

At the half-way point of the 20-minute session, Rinus VeeKay, with a lap of 1:08.540 held the provisional pole by two-hundredths of a second over points leader Parker Thompson. Sting Ray Robb, David Malukas, and Robert Megennis made up the remainder of the top five.

Sting Ray Robb went to the top of the charts just past the half-way point before bringing the familiar team Pelfrey yellow and black No. 82 to pit road.

Robb didn’t hold the provisional pole for long before Thompson was able to surpass him.

Cooper Tires Pro Mazda Grand Prix of Toronto Presented by Allied Building Products Unofficial Qualifying #1 results

RANK CAR NO. DRIVER QUICK LAP DIFFERENCE
1 2 Rinus VeeKay 1:07.974 –.—-
2 79 David Malukas 1:08.049 0.0760
3 90 Parker Thompson 1:08.228 0.2547
4 82 Sting Ray Robb 1:08.295 0.3218
5 9 Robert Megennis 1:08.347 0.3732
6 27 Raul Guzman 1:08.469 0.4958
7 81 Andres Gutierrez 1:08.505 0.5311
8 3 Oliver Askew 1:08.749 0.7751
9 10 Harrison Scott 1:09.260 1.2863
10 91 Antonio Serravalle 1:10.154 2.1810
11 78 Kris Wright 1:10.225 2.2512
12 1 Carlos Cunha 1:10.285 2.3118
13 83 Charles Finelli 1:15.637 7.6638
14 8 Nikita Lastochkin No Time —

The Pro Mazda Presented By Cooper Tire drivers will be back on track for their second qualifying session at 3:30 PM for their second qualifying session.

 

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MRTI update #1 from Toronto –

Posted by  on Friday, July 13th 2018     

By Steve Wittich

 

Pro Mazda practice

A 25-minute Pro Mazda Presented By Cooper Tire session opened the 32nd Indy car event at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Ontario.

Nikia Lastochkin made contact in Turn 10 before completing his first hot lap. The team, Cape Motorsports, and driver confirmed that they had a part break that sent the Russian veteran into the concrete barriers.

At the halfway mark of the 25-minute session, Juncos Racing rookie Rinus VeeKay was the quickest driver with a lap of 1:10.091. That lap and the laps of the top six drivers were below the track record of 1:10:7635 set by Aaron Telitz during qualifying in 2016.

The Dutch driver clearly likes the 1.786-mile, 11-turn Exhibition Place street circuit; he currently holds the USF2000 track record.

The red flag came out with 10 minutes remaining for an incident in Turn 4 involving the No. 1 Juncos Racing machine of Carlos Cunha. We checked with Cunha after the session, and he confirmed that they had a mechanical issue in the steering and luckily he was able to feel it and didn’t make any contact.

The green flag came out for the final three minutes of the session, but no one was able to top VeeKays quickest lap from before the red flag.

At the very end of the session, the No. 78 BN Racing Mazda/Tatuus of Kris Wright made contact with the barriers in Turn 8. When the car came back to the paddock, it had damage to the nose, and the left front suspension was destroyed. The crew was already starting to take damaged parts off the car when it was on the wrecker and with only 90-minutes until qualifying the Chicago, Ill. based team will pull off an impressive feat if the 16-year-old makes it out for qualifying.

The damage on Kris Wright’s No. 78 BN Racing car after an incident in Turn 8 in practice for Pro Mazda Presented By Cooper Tire in Toronto, Ontario. (TSO Photo Courtesy of Steve Wittich)

The dozen drivers that took to the green circuit turned a total of 144 laps.

Cooper Tires Pro Mazda Grand Prix of Toronto Presented by Allied Building Products Practice #1 results.

RANK CAR NO. DRIVER QUICK LAP DIFFERENCE TOTAL LAPS
1 2 Rinus VeeKay 1:10.091 –.—- 14
2 82 Sting Ray Robb 1:10.198 0.1068 13
3 90 Parker Thompson 1:10.395 0.3036 14
4 79 David Malukas 1:10.404 0.3126 13
5 10 Harrison Scott 1:10.631 0.5393 13
6 3 Oliver Askew 1:10.649 0.5577 13
7 9 Robert Megennis 1:10.722 0.6308 12
8 81 Andres Gutierrez 1:11.003 0.9117 12
9 27 Raul Guzman 1:11.193 1.1015 12
10 1 Carlos Cunha 1:11.237 1.1452 7
11 91 Antonio Serravalle 1:12.725 2.6333 13
12 78 Kris Wright 1:13.445 3.3535 8

 

USF2000 practice

The 14 Pro Mazda Presented By Cooper Tire drivers have a busy Fan Friday. They are back on track for a pair of qualifying sessions at 10:05 AM and 3:30 AM. They will also be part of an autograph session in the atrium of the Enercare Centre.

After a quick break, the 19 Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda drivers took to the track for their lone 25-minute practice session.

There was a red flag with under 10 minutes left in the session for a quick track repair. The leader at that point of the session was Exclusive Autosport rookie Igor Fraga, who was followed by a trio of Pabst Racing drivers. Dakota Dickerson, who is back with ArmsUp Motorsports for the weekend rounded out the top five.

Late in the session, Fraga and Calvin Ming were able to improve their lap times, but it was championship leader Kyle Kirkwood who ended the session a scant two-hundredths quicker than Ming with a lap at 1:13.2848.

The 19 drivers that took to the green track turned a total of 144 laps.

Cooper Tires USF2000 Grand Prix of Toronto Presented by Allied Building Products Practice #1

RANK CAR NO. DRIVER QUICK LAP DIFFERENCE TOTAL LAPS
1 8 Kyle Kirkwood 1:13.285 –.—- 18
2 21 Calvin Ming 1:13.312 0.0276 18
3 91 Igor Fraga 1:13.421 0.1367 19
4 24 Kaylen Frederick 1:13.662 0.3772 13
5 23 Rasmus Lindh 1:13.762 0.4771 14
6 9 Dakota Dickerson 1:13.867 0.5822 17
7 22 Lucas Kohl 1:13.975 0.6904 11
8 36 Darren Keane 1:14.049 0.7647 16
9 12 Jose Sierra 1:14.323 1.0387 15
10 28 Keith Donegan 1:14.684 1.3994 16
11 11 Kory Enders 1:14.908 1.6236 18
12 14 Max Peichel 1:15.012 1.7268 17
13 82 Bruna Tomaselli 1:15.030 1.5346 17
14 92 Danial Frost 1:15.445 1.9493 17
15 29 Russell McDonough 1:15.847 2.5619 16
16 27 Colin Kaminsky 1:15.971 2.6863 17
17 80 Julian Van der Watt 1:17.059 3.7747 13
18 38 Oscar DeLuzuriaga 1:17.070 3.7851 17
19 81 Kyle Dupell 1:17.349 4.0637 15

USF2000 will be back on track for qualifying at 12:55 PM, but before that, you can get their autograph in the atrium of the Enercare Centre at 11 AM.

category: Pro Mazda News/Results, USF2000 News/Results

Pro Mazda in Toronto – 2018 – Thompson heads to Toronto with points lead to defend a three race home race winning

Posted by  on Thursday, July 12th 2018     

By Steve Wittich

Current Pro Mazda Presented By Cooper Tire championship leader Parker Thompson comes to his home with on a roll in the “Great White North.” The Red Deer, Alberta pilot, has won his last three starts on the 1.786-mile, 11-turn Exhibition Place street circuit. The 20-year-old’s two trips to the top step of the podium last year came while driving for Canadian team Exclusive Autosport.

“Sweeping the weekend last year in Toronto in front of my fellow countrymen was probably the most memorable racing weekend of my career,” beamed Thompson. “The best part is we have the chance to relive some of the same emotions again this year, (and) I will do absolutely everything in my power to defend our win streak on the streets of Toronto.”

Parker Thompson celebrates his third straight Mazda Road To Indy Presented by Cooper Tires win on home soil – he’ll try and extend that streak to four this weekend (Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)

Thompson will busy with many media appearances and will have 75 guests to entertain, including the return of Badlands Motorsports Resort

Rounding out Exclusive Autosport’s “Eh Team” will be local stand-out karter Antonio Serravalle, who hails from Markham, a suburb of Toronto.

The Pro Mazda Presented By Cooper Tire series returns to the iconic street circuit after taking last year off.

The first Pro Mazda race on the streets of Exhibition Place took place in 2007 and was won by Dane Cameron. This year’s Cooper Tires Pro Mazda Grand Prix of Toronto Presented by Allied Building Products doubleheader will be the 10th and 11th races in Ontario’s capital city.

Pro Mazda Presented By Cooper Tire winners in Toronto

YEAR DRIVER TEAM
2016 Race #2 Aaron Telitz Team Pelfrey
2016 Race #1 Aaron Telitz Team Pelfrey
2015 Race #2 Garett Grist Juncos Racing
2015 Race #1 Florian Latorre Cape Motorsports
2013 Race #2 Matthew Brabham Andretti Autosport
2013 Race #1 Matthew Brabham Andretti Autosport
2012 Race #2 Jack Hawksworth Team Pelfrey
2012 Race #1 Jack Hawksworth Team Pelfrey
2007 Dane Cameron JDC Motorsports

A pair of Juncos Racing teammates, Rinus VeeKay and Carlos Cunha are currently 46 and 49 points adrift of Thompson at in the hunt for the $790,300 Mazda Motorsports scholarship.

The 17-year-old VeeKay won the first two Pro Mazda street course races of the year in St. Petersburg, Fla. and finished on the podium in both of his USF2000 races on the 1.786-mile, 11-turn Exhibition Place street circuit last year.

“I feel confident going into the race weekend in Toronto,” explained the Dutchman. “I had two podiums there last year and also broke the USF2000 track record. The team is working harder than ever to get me back at the top step of the podium, so I’m really looking forward to it.”

VeeKay’s 18-year-old teammate Cunha will be making his first visit to Toronto, and after a pair of disappointing sixth-place finishes at Road America will be looking to get back on the podium to get his season back on track.

The third member of Juncos Racing’s Pro Mazda squad is Robert Megennis. The pair of Pro Mazda races will be the New Yorker’s third trip to Toronto where he has three top-fives in four race starts.

BN’s racing David Malukas was the big winner at Road America, winning his first two Mazda Road To Indy Presented by Cooper Tires races and carving 20 points out of the deficit to Thompson.

The 16-year-old will need to put last year’s trip to Canada out his mind and focus on his previous street course race. Malukas retired in both of his Toronto starts in USF2000 last year, but finished second in the season opener this year at St. Petersburg, Fla.

“A repeat of Road America would be awesome,” explained Malukas, “But it is never easy. I really like the Toronto layout and we were very fast here last year in USF2000, but had some bad luck in both races so I’ll be looking to overcome that this year.”

Kris Wright will be returning to BN Racing to partner with Malukas. Wright, a 23-year-old who calls Pittsburgh, Penn. home is racing in Ontario for the second straight weekend. Wright finished second in the IMSA Prototype Challenge presented by Mazda event at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park.

Harrison Scott finished on the podium twice at the last doubleheader at Road America, moving his season podium total to five and keeping him in the championship hunt. The Althorne, England native needs to start winning races and finishing ahead of the drivers in front of him in the championship.

Scott will once again partner at RP Motorsport with Raul Guzman. The 19-year-old from Guadalajara, Mexico showed plenty of pace during his Pro Mazda debut at Road America. It will be interesting to see how Guzman adapts to a North American street circuit.

Team Pelfrey, with four victories, is the winningest Pro Mazda squad in Toronto and will be represented by Sting Ray Robb and Andres Gutierrez. Both drivers have shown pace to compete at the front of the field. Robb had the quickest lap of the race in the first street course race of the year in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Some more nuggets of information

  • The pole sitter has won all nine Pro Mazda races in Toronto.
  • Only seven different teams have scored podiums in the nine races with Team Pelfrey leading the way with eight.
  • All nine races have ended under green flag conditions. The closest margin of victory (0.295 seconds) was in 2012 race #1. The first race the following year had the most significant margin of victory (12.455 seconds).
  • Garrett Grist is the only Canadian winner in Pro Mazda in Toronto.

Pro Mazda Presented By Cooper Tire weekend schedule

Friday

  • 8 AM – 8:25 AM
  • 10:05 AM – 10:25 AM – Pro Mazda Qualifying #1
  • 11:45 AM – 12:15 PM – Pro Mazda Autograph Session
  • 3:30 PM – 3:50 PM – Pro Mazda Qualifying #2

Saturday

  • 10:50 AM – 11:30 AM – Pro Mazda Race #1

Sunday

  • 10:40 AM – 11:25 AM – Pro Mazda Race #2

 

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