I had the chance to speak with James Hinchcliffe, driver of the #27 Andretti Autosport GoDaddy.com car this week. James is set to start Middle Front Row this Sunday in the 96th Indianapolis 500 Mile Race, the second Indy 500 of his career. Thanks to the Indycar PR staff, I was able to ask James a few questions during a media scrum held on Wednesday. For the past few years, the IZOD Indycar Series has used the Shootout to decide pole. In this format, drivers take their first qualifying run…
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Hello, May. It’s Time For The Indy 500
If you are a fan of the IZOD Indycar Series and the month of May doesn’t give you a case of the warm fuzzies, then something is seriously wrong. This is the month when speed is king and our diets consist solely of tenderloins. The smell of E85 gasoline intertwines with fresh Firestone rubber on the yard of bricks, and that’s when you know you are home. It might not be your physical home, but there’s something about hearing “Back Home Again in Indiana” over the sound of turbochargers that…
Read MoreStar 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 additions to the Juncos Racing stable, Connor Di Philippi and Martin Scuncio. Martin ran with…
Read MoreUSF2000 – Cape Motorsports Dominates at Sebring
Looks as though Race #1 of the USF2000 Cooper Tires WinterFest was no fluke! The Cape Motorsports trio of Spencer Pigot, Matthew Brabham, and Trent Hindman swept the podium in all three races held at Sebring International Raceway! Today, Races #2 and #3 were held, and the trio performed just as strongly as they did yesterday. There was one exception, Matthew Brabham. Matthew finished Race #1 in P2, nearly three seconds adrift of race winner Spencer Pigot. During Race #2, he set the fast lap of the race with a…
Read MoreStar Mazda – Formula Car Challenge Winning Streak Shorts Out for Veach
Andretti Autosport’s Star Mazda driver, Zach Veach, came to the Auto Club Speedway for the final three rounds of the Formula Car Challenge Presented by Goodyear Winter Series with an 11-point lead having won the first two rounds held at Infineon Raceway from pole position. Veach picked up where he left off in Sonoma by taking pole again for both the regional and national races, this time on the rain-soaked road course at Fontana. Rain has never bothered the young racer, quite the contrary, he enjoys it. “I have always…
Read MoreMazda Road to Indy – Veach to Participate in the Formula Car Challenge
Zach Veach, veteran USF2000 driver for Andretti Autosport, will compete in the Formula Car Challenge Presented by Goodyear Winter Series in the Pro Formula Mazda class at Infineon Raceway this weekend, November 12th and 13th. In addition to being a great event, this will give Zach even more time behind the wheel of a Star Mazda machine in preparation for his full-season effort in the 2012 Star Mazda Championship for Andretti Autosport. “Coming off a successful test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, I’m really looking forward to this opportunity to…
Read MoreMazda 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 the teams and what we can expect looking forward through the off-season and…
Read MoreStar Mazda – Team Pelfrey and Tristan Vautier Win Championships at Laguna Seca
It was Championship Weekend for the Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear at the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. As we has mentioned previously, JDC MotorSport’s Tristan Vautier had only to show up in Monterrey to win the championship. As soon as the green flag fell, Tristan was officially the 2011 Star Mazda Drivers’ Champion and will receive a scholarship to compete in the Firestone Indy Lights series in 2012, and presumably drive for Sam Schmidt Motorsports. As is common amongst any champion, the key to Tristan’s success was not just…
Read MoreUSF2000 – Spencer Pigot Wins Team USA Scholarship
Andretti Autosport’s Spencer Pigot, driver of their #8 Cooper Tires Presents the US F2000 National Championship Powered by Mazda entry, was selected as winner of the Team USA Scholarship and will take part in the Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch and will have a chance to compete for the prestigious Walter Hayes Trophy. Pigot earned the honor thanks to his strong performance in his rookie USF2000 efforts, coming in 2nd in the championship to Petri Suvanto. “Being selected for Team USA for a second year is a great honor…
Read MoreStar 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 for the championship. “I felt very much in control…
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