Pro Mazda – Race 2 at COTA Recap
Race 2 this afternoon for the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires at the Circuit of the Americas started out much like Race 1, with a giant furball headed into T1 and two drivers coming out worse for it. Yesterday’s winner, Juncos Racing’s Diego Ferreira, set the fast lap during Race 1 and earned pole position for Race 2. He would lose that spot to Andretti Autosports’ duo of Matthew Brabham and Shelby Blackstock as... [Read More...]
Indy Lights – Team Viso’s Palli Will Compete at Fontana
Movin’ on up! The Team Viso Project is already paying dividends for Bruno Pally, driver of the #15 Juncos Racing car in the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear. With five top-ten finishes so far this year, Bruno will now move up to compete in the Firestone Indy Lights season finale in Fontana alongside J.V. Horto with Juncos Racing. This is exactly the type of graduation that the Mazda Road to Indy program was designed to foster,... [Read More...]
Star Mazda – New Faces on the Podium at Barber
While a little moist at times, the Barber Motorsports Park featured some great racing in the Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear, and a bit of a mixup in regards to who we saw on the podium and especially on the top step. Unfortunately, Barber gets a bad wrap for a course that doesn’t permit much in the way of passing. I think every series there this weekend proved that Barber could support some great racing action. Rain on Friday... [Read More...]
Star Mazda – Returning Drivers and a Spring Training Recap
The season-opener for the Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear takes place this weekend on the Streets of St. Petersburg, but before we get to the race, there’s still some business to settle and shake out first. Drivers are still being added to the grid, and it looks like the field is shaping up quite nicely. Twenty-two drivers set times during the two-day Spring Training open test at Barber Motorsports Park including the two newest... [Read More...]
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...]
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...]
Star Mazda – Vautier Cruises to Victory in Baltimore, Clinches Championship
JDC MotorSports driver, Tristan Vautier, cruised to an easy win on the Streets of Baltimore this morning after qualifying on pole and leading every lap of the 21-lap event. Team Pelfrey’s Connor De Phillipi ran about a second behind Vautier during the first half of the race, but was never able to close the gap. A mistake would send De Phillipi to the lower half of the grid, one lap down, and taking him out of contention for the race and... [Read More...]
Inside The Helmet – Gustavo Menezes
Podcast: Play in new window | Download We have a wonderful chat with Gustavo Menezes, full-time driver for Juncos Racing in the Star Mazda Championship and part-time driver for the Interwetten.com Junior Team in the Formula Renault 2.0 (Eurocup and Alps divisions). Gustavo revisits his action-packed weekend at the Infineon Raceway and his battle with Nick Andries, describes the challenges and benefits to racing both here in the US and in Europe,... [Read More...]
Star Mazda Wrap-up – Iowa Results, and a Mid-Season Summary
Its been an eventful week for the Mazda Road to Indy, for both good and bad reasons. Before we get into the drama filled soap opera that has suddenly surrounded the Firestone Indy Lights series, let’s first focus on the outstanding racing we saw at the Iowa Speedway this past weekend and amid-season new-driver announcement from Jensen MotorSport and Andretti Autosport. Racing at the Iowa Speedway The Star Mazda race at the Iowa Speedway... [Read More...]
Inside the Helmet – Peter Dempsey
Podcast: Play in new window | Download We were fortunate enough to have a wonderful conversation with the winningest driver in the history of the Star Mazda Championship, scoring a total of 9 wins over the 2008 and 2009 season, Peter Dempsey. Dempsey now drives the #36 Pulse/Microbiology car for O2 Racing Technology in the Firestone Indy Lights series. Last weekend in his first race, he led the first 11 laps of the race, and finished on the podium... [Read More...]
