Indy Lights, Pro Mazda and USF2000 Series All Set for Double-Header Action

PALMETTO, Fla. (July 13, 2016) – The Mazda Road to Indy is set to provide some thrilling action this weekend as all three steps on the open-wheel development ladder – Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires, the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires and the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda – will hold a pair of races on the demanding Exhibition Place street circuit in downtown Toronto, Ont., Canada in support of the Honda Indy Toronto. The unique Mazda Road to Indy initiative provides Mazda scholarships at every level to assist aspiring professionals in graduating from the grassroots of the sport to the Verizon IndyCar Series and the Indianapolis 500.Teammates O’Ward, Telitz to Continue Battle for Pro Mazda Supremacy

Teammates O’Ward, Telitz to Continue Battle for Pro Mazda Supremacy

Teenaged Mexican Patricio “Pato” O’Ward and Wisconsin-born-and-bred Pro Mazda rookie Aaron Telitz have proven to be a dominant force this year, combining to win all nine races for Florida-based Team Pelfrey. O’Ward holds the edge in points after winning six of the first seven races (just one shy of the best ever start to a Pro Mazda campaign in 2013, when Matthew Brabham romped to the title), but Telitz, who won Round Two at St. Petersburg, Fla., bounced back with a vengeance last month at his home track, Road America, to claim two more victories from the pole. The pair are currently separated by 28 points with seven races remaining. At stake is a substantial Mazda scholarship to assist in the progression to Indy Lights in 2017.

Rival teams Juncos Racing and Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing are anxious to derail the Team Pelfrey freight train and have been working hard to reduce the deficit.

Frenchman Nico Jamin, who scored a win and a second last year in Toronto on his way to winning the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda title and a Mazda scholarship to progress into Pro Mazda, posted the fastest lap in Race One at Road America before finishing second in Race Two for the Cape brothers’ team.

The Juncos trio of Will Owen, from Castle Rock, Colo., Jake Parsons, from Melbourne, Australia, and Nicolas Dapero, from Buenos Aires, Argentina, have all recorded podium finishes this season, while Parsons, in particular, is looking to maintain his form from Road America, where he ran with the leaders in both races before encountering a variety of misfortunes.

California’s TJ Fischer will drive a third yellow-and-black car for Team Pelfrey this weekend, while Mexico City’s Jorge Cevallos will rejoin the series aboard a second Cape Motorsports entry. Bobby Eberle, who leads the National Class standings, will continue his charge for JDC MotorSports.

The Cooper Tires Pro Mazda Grand Prix of Toronto will comprise a pair of practice sessions on Friday, qualifying on Saturday morning, then Race One later in the afternoon at 5:20 p.m. and Race Two at 9:25 a.m. on Sunday, July 17.