Australian Pro Mazda Championship rookie Jake Parsons is relishing the opportunity to race another of his ‘bucket list’ circuits this weekend, as the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires heads to Road America in Wisconsin for rounds 8 and 9.
The 4.084 mile, 14 turn road course has long been a favourite for the 21-year-old Juncos Racing driver, who has been preparing hard for the track’s unique challenges.
"I’ve driven the track on video games for years, so it’s awesome to experience it for real now. I’d done practice laps in the simulator and also watched on board videos, creating my ideal lap in my mind from the data I’d learned,” said Parsons.
Parsons, who moved to Indianapolis from Sydney to join the Mazda Road to Indy ladder system, is particularly enjoying the fast, sweeping and undulating corners at the Elkhart Lake (Wisconsin) track.
“It a very fast, but long lap here, two minutes plus; and we spend over 1 min 30 seconds of that flat out, which is an exciting challenge. I’m really looking forward to the speed and some close battles, as the drafting is so strong.
“Both of our races are on Saturday, which will be something different for us to cope with. It will be important to manage my energy levels as I expect the day will be quite intense!” added the 2014 AsiaCup champion.
Rounds 8 and 9 of the Pro Mazda Championship take place at Road America on 25 June.
6/24/2016
8:00 AM-8:45 AM Practice 2
1:25 PM-1:55 PM Qualifying
6/25/2016
8:55 AM-9:45 AM Race 1
2:05 PM-2:45 PM Race 2