MRTI – St. Pete Qualifications Summary
As Mr. Bob Varsha is famous for saying during the Formula 1 broadcasts on SpeedTV, “Before you can race, you must qualify!” As of this morning, all three of the Mazda Road to Indy series have qualified for their respective races on the Streets of St. Petersburg. The USF2000 National Championship and the Star Mazda Championship both qualified yesterday afternoon, and the Firestone Indy Lights series just finished their qualifying session... [Read More...]
Indy Lights – St. Pete Entry List and Preview
Not too long ago, we were looking at a mere seven confirmed car-driver combinations for the 2012 Firestone Indy Lights grid. When we talked with the King of the Mazda Road to Indy, Jason Penix, he reassured us that there would be at least 16 cars by time the first race on the Streets of St. Petersburg came around, and he turns out to have been absolutely right. Seventeen cars have been entered for this weekend’s race, including some cars from... [Read More...]
IndyCar – Graduates Talk About their Mazda Road to Indy Experience
Mazda Road to Indy – Juncos Racing Showing the Way
A few years ago, Tony George, Jr. and Jason Penix worked on building a clear and proper ladder system, the Mazda Road to Indy, that would enable young drivers to move up through the formula car ranks in the US and Canada, and eventually become one of the lucky 33 drivers to compete in the Greatest Spectacle In Racing. Once a young driver is in the Mazda Road to Indy program, talent combined with business acumen (an unfortunate necessity in motorsports... [Read More...]
Inside The Helmet – Jason Penix, King of the Mazda Road to Indy
Podcast: Play in new window | Download We had the opportunity to speak with INDYCAR’s Jason Penix. Jason was instrumental in the development of the Mazda Road to Indy Program which has grown by leaps and bounds, both in participation and in popularity. Now Jason serves as Director of Grassroots Initiatives, formally, but has been dubbed by Anders Krohn as the “Mazda Road to Indy King” during this year’s WinterFest. He gives... [Read More...]
Mazda Road to Indy – Juncos Racing and the Chilean Connection
The way into the Mazda Road to Indy program was broadened this week by Juncos Racing team principal Ricardo Juncos. In a recent trip to Chile, he was able to secure a deal that will give the Chilean Formula 3 champion the opportunity to come to the US, fully supported, and race for Juncos Racing in the Mazda Road to Indy program. As of now, Juncos Racing participates in the Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear and the Firestone Indy Lights... [Read More...]
IndyLights – Goncalvez and Yacaman On The Podium at Daytona
Last weekend, Firestone Indy Lights journeyman Gustavo Yacaman and rookie Jorge Goncalvez teamed up with stock car veteran Michael McDowell and British Formula Three Champion Felipe Nasr in the #6 Michael Shank Racing Ford-Riley Daytona Prototype. McDowell qualified the car in 8th, but the squad quickly advanced and kept the car in the top-5 for much of the 24-hour race. One would expect with racers unaccustomed to multi-class endurance racing,... [Read More...]
Indy Lights – Juncos Racing Joins Forces with Davey Hamilton Racing
Juncos Racing, joined the Star Mazda Championship in 2009 and instantly became one of the powerhouse teams fielding the winningest driver in Star Mazda history, Peter Dempsey, and in their second season they won the championship with Conor Daly. Last season they were 2nd in the team championship for the second year in a row. Not too shabby for a relatively new race team! Now, Juncos Racing is set to expand yet again and go racing in the Firestone... [Read More...]
Inside The Helmet – Josef Newgarden
Podcast: Play in new window | Download We had the great pleasure of speaking with the 2011 Firestone Indy Lights Champion, Josef Newgarden. Josef speaks with us about his decision to transition from European racing, where he was very successful in Formula Ford and competed in the GP3 series and was offered a spot in the FIA Young Drivers Academy, to American open-wheel racing in the Firestone Indy Lights series with Sam Schmidt Motorsports.... [Read More...]
Mazda Road to Indy – Fall IMS Test Recap: USF2000
This past weekend, all three series that are part of the Mazda Road to Indy program tested for two days on the infield road circuit at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. While there were certainly many familiar faces present, including Star Mazda champ Tristan Vautier and USF2000 champ Petri Suvanto, there were also many new-comers testing at all three levels. We’ll break down the test not by day, but by series and look at how things went for... [Read More...]
