PALMETTO, Fla. -- Andersen Promotions today announced a long-term partnership with the Lucas Oil School of Racing which will see the leading driver training platform and race series become the Official Driving School of the Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires through 2022. The alliance builds on the synergy already in place with the Lucas Oil School of Racing serving as a stepping stone to the Road to Indy driver development ladder.
Launched in 2015 by Neil Enerson – father of Road to Indy graduate RC Enerson, who has made three starts to date in the NTT IndyCar Series – the Lucas Oil School of Racing offers a unique concept, visiting more than a dozen circuits throughout North America each year providing basic and advanced two-days schools. Its programs are open to karters as young as 12 years of age who are preparing to make the move from karts to cars and delivers fundamental training aboard the championship-winning Ray Formula Cars GR11 chassis with an Elite Engines 2.0-liter powerplant (140HP with a top speed of 130+ mph) and Cooper tires.
The Lucas Oil Formula Car Race Series offers arrive-and-drive racing with six events generating 18 races in total and provides its champion with a $75,000 scholarship to advance to the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship. Accomplished karter Reece Gold is the reigning Lucas Oil Formula Car Series champion and currently competes in USF2000 with Cape Motorsports. The 14-year-old has impressed in his series debut with a third-place qualifying effort at Lucas Oil Raceway and five top-10 finishes to date.
In addition, the Lucas Oil School of Racing Cooper Tires Scholarship Shootout offers its champion a full season in the Formula Car Race Series.
“Our partnership is a natural progression of the relationships we already have in place with Neil and his family, Gerardo Bonilla, Director of Operations and former Road to Indy series driver coach, Cooper Tires and Elite Engines,” said Dan Andersen, Owner and CEO of Andersen Promotions.
“We receive a lot of requests from drivers, particularly in karting, asking how to get started on the Road to Indy and we always direct them to the Lucas School of Racing, so to welcome them as our Official Driving School makes perfect sense. With their scholarship programs, they have a driver development program in place and are a true feeder series to the Road to Indy as witnessed by Reece joining our series this year. Our new alignment will allow us to further expand that message in marketing, live streaming, social media, websites and beyond.”
Drivers in the Lucas Oil Formula Car Race Series will be provided with opportunities to attend Road to Indy events and be paired with USF2000 teams to go behind the scenes and learn more about the next step in their career development. Road to Indy representatives will also attend Formula Car Race Series events and the annual Cooper Tires Karting Shootout to promote and support the new partnership.
“A partnership between The Lucas Oil School of Racing and Andersen Promotions is a no-brainer,” said Neil Enerson, Lucas Oil School of Racing Founder and CEO. “It's an honor to be named the Official Driving School of the Road To Indy Presented by Cooper Tires and we look forward to cultivating the next crop of Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship drivers.
“As the dad to a successful graduate of the Road To Indy and team owner, I'm in a unique position to understand what it takes to move from karting to a professional race car driver at the top tier. My staff of passionate racers at the Lucas Oil Formula Car Race Series have pooled years of experience to create a race series that will teach drivers what is expected of them – both on and off the track – at the next level of their racing careers."
The Lucas Oil School of Racing and the Lucas Oil Formula Car Race Series will travel next to New Jersey Motorsports Park for basic and advanced classes on July 9/10 and the next championship rounds on July 16/17. The series is currently led by 16-year-old Jackson Lee of Avon, Ind.
The Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires will be back in action north of the border in Toronto, Ont., Canada on July 13/14.