Indianapolis, Ind. – The reigning 2014 Pro Mazda Champions Juncos Racing are ready to hit the track for the season opener of the 2015 Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires this week on the Streets of St. Petersburg, Florida. The season kicks off with Races 1 and 2 March 27-29 on the 1.8 mile, 14-turn street course.
Finishing up a busy offseason of testing and the conclusion of the Cooper Tires Winterfest, Juncos Racing is set for a new season featuring three new drivers and one returning driver to the Pro Mazda line-up.
José Gutiérrez driving the #7 Prisma car returns to Juncos Racing after an impressive rookie season which helped the team claim the 2014 Pro Mazda Team Championship. The young Mexican claimed his first podium at the Grand Prix of Indianapolis, one pole position at The Milwaukee Mile, and earned his first win in the season finale at Sonoma Raceway.
Canadian Garett Grist, who joined the team after a strong run in the 2014 Pro Mazda Championship, will pilot the #5 Lander Property Management car. Grist took home two wins, three top-fives, and three pole positions in the 2014 season.
Rookie Will Owen, driving the #23 AMR car, moved up the Mazda Road to Indy ladder system to join Juncos Racing after a successful season in the 2014 Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda. Owen started the 2015 year off on a high note with Juncos Racing, taking two podiums and earning his first pole position in the Cooper Tires Winterfest Championship.
Rookie Timothé Buret, driving the #6 BroadSign car, completes the 2015 Juncos Racing Pro Mazda driver line-up. Buret showed consistency and made great improvements early this year in the 2015 Cooper Tires Winterfest Championship.
Juncos Racing Team Owner Ricardo Juncos is set to get the 2015 season off to a strong start after promising results during six race Cooper Tires Winterfest Championship earlier this year. Juncos is confident his driver line-up will be one of the strongest in the competitive 2015 Pro Mazda field.
“I’m really looking forward to this year in the Pro Mazda Championship after an extremely successful run in the 2014 championship,” said Juncos. “We have three new additions along with a returning driver who all bring a lot of success to the team. Winterfest was a great way to get the drivers prepared for the season and we were able to learn a lot throughout the five race championship. The entire Juncos Racing organization has worked hard to give the drivers fast reliable cars along with the knowledge they will need when they visit each track and I am confident that will continue to show this week at St. Pete.”
Driver Quotes: Timothé Buret (Montpellier, France) : “I am very excited to officially enter the 2015 Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires at St. Petersburg. We have done a great job together with Juncos Racing to get to know each other and to learn the Pro Mazda car and Cooper Tires. I feel ready for this first event where I expect a strong result in a street track that should suit my driving style.”
Garett Grist (Grimsby, Ontario, Canada): “I’m looking forward to getting the Pro Mazda Championship started this week in St. Petersburg. I’ve learned a lot in preseason testing and look forward to showing it in St. Pete.”
José Gutiérrez (Monterrey, Mexico): “The preseason was very good for Juncos Racing. We worked a lot on the car and are 100% ready for St. Pete. I’m very confident that all of our hard will show off this weekend. Last year we ended on a very high note with a win at Sonoma, and I learned a lot during my rookie season. This year it will be great to go back to all the tracks that I already know, and to be able to fight for wins and the championship.
Will Owen (Castle Rock, Colorado, USA): “St. Pete was one of my favorite tracks last year and I can’t wait to get back. I hope that I can start this season out with a bang and build some great momentum into the early events. It’s nice to have a level playing field at our first race since nobody has tested there yet. Especially after Winterfest I am confident going into this event, but I am trying to keep my expectations open. As long as I bring my A-game I will have a chance to be in the front. The cars have handled great everywhere we have been and I know it will be no different in St. Pete.”
The 2015 Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires kicks off on the Streets of St. Petersburg, Florida March 27 with two 30-minute practice sessions, followed by qualifying March 28 at 8:45AM ET and Race 1 at 1:30-2:10PM. The series concludes on the Streets of St. Petersburg with Race 2 March 29 at 9:50-10:30AM. For more information please visit juncosracing.com and promazdachampionship.com.
About Juncos Racing: Ricardo Juncos, a second generation and former Formula Renault driver, grew up with a deep passion and desire for racing. At the age of 14, Juncos made his first steps in the racing community driving karts in Argentina. Through his success in karts Juncos was able to join the Formula Renault class competing throughout South America. After funding became difficult as many drivers experience over their career, Juncos began working for many race teams in order to continue his own racing career. During this time Juncos was able to learn all aspects of the car in and out, along with schooling in mechanical and electrical engineering. Stationed in Buenos Aires, Argentina and headed by Ricardo Juncos, in 1997 “Juncos Racing” became a full-service Formula Racing team. By 2003, the team relocated to Miami, Florida as a full-service karting team. During the first few years in the U.S., the team picked up 19 local, regional, and national karting titles. Juncos Racing moved operations north to Indiana, where they developed into a formula open-wheel racing team in 2008. The team went into full swing dedicating most of the time preparing drivers and crew members for the next level in racing. Following this transitional year, Juncos Racing participated in its first open-wheel series, in the 2009 Star Mazda Championship - INDYCAR’s Mazda Road to Indy ladder series. 2010 proved to be a big year for the team with driver Conor Daly capturing the driver championship and finishing second in the team Star Mazda Championship. By 2012, the team’s operations expanded to include cars in the Firestone Indy Lights series and even recorded the fastest lap of the Freedom 100 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. That same year Juncos Racing took second in the Star Mazda team championship and third driver in the championship with driver Conner De Phillippi while Diego Ferreria was awarded “Most Improved Driver of the Year.” Juncos Racing continued their run in the Pro Mazda Championship (former Star Mazda Championship) finishing second in the 2013 team championship. Most recently the team finished one of their most successful years winning the driver championship, with Spencer Pigot, and the team championship in both the Cooper Tires Winterfest Championship and 2014 Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires. The team operates of out Brownsburg, Indiana.