BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Kory Enders surpassed a few racing career milestones after finishing eighth in his first race in the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires with DEForce Racing at the Honda Grand Prix of Alabama. 

Beautiful weather conditions graced the field of 16 Pro Mazda machines for qualifying where Enders ended up in 11th place. Race One started with an immediate case of contact from the very back of the grid, but Enders was not phased and held his own into the famous drop of Turn One. The first few laps allowed Enders to get comfortable before he began hunting down his competitors. Holding his race line and being patient to pounce, Enders moved his #11 DEForce Racing machine from 11th place all the way up to eighth place before the checkered flag.

The weather conditions changed drastically from Saturday to Sunday as the rain began to take hold of the Honda Grand Prix of Alabama. Starting from 11th for the second time, Race Two was kicked off with rooster tails sprouting from the back of the Tatuus-Mazda PM-18s. Enders moved up and down in positions throughout the race before a full-course yellow was called with five laps to go. With this being a weekend for Enders and his team, DEForce Racing, to gain data and experience, the team decided to call Enders to the pits and swap his slicks for rain tires. Unfortunately, race control let the race finish under yellow, taking away the opportunity for Enders to run away from the field and ultimately finished 13th.

As April comes to a close, Enders and the Mazda Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires prepare themselves for the "Month of May" in Indianapolis. Enders will be back in his DEForce USF2000 machine for the series test on May 10 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. 

KORY ENDERS - #11 DEForce Racing 
"We had a really good weekend. The results weren't there but it's not always about that. As a team, we worked amazingly together. We had a technical problem going into the first practice, which hurt us a little in qualifying, but the team worked so hard to get everything ready for the race. I had my first wet conditions experience in the Pro Mazda, which was only my second wet race ever and it was really hard. It was difficult to find the grip but I gained a lot of valuable experience. I entered this weekend with an open mind, so overall I can say that we had a very good weekend."