Andretti Autosport’s Matthew Brabham Holds Points Lead

PALMETTO, Fla. – The Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires prepares for the second and final oval race of its 2013 season this week, joining the IZOD IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights at the Milwaukee IndyFest for Round Six of the 16-race schedule. Three days of track action will commence this Thursday at the historic Milwaukee Mile oval circuit located in West Allis, Wis., with testing for the second and third levels of the Mazda Road to Indy.

“The Milwaukee Mile always hosts great racing and we are extremely pleased to be able to offer our drivers the experience of competing on this challenging circuit,” said Dan Andersen, Owner and CEO of Andersen Promotions, the series promoter. “Andretti Sports Marketing has done a great job of making this an action-packed event for fans with numerous activities in addition to the racing action, and we are excited to be a part of it.”

Andretti Autosport’s Matthew Brabham, 19, of Boca Raton, Fla., enters the event riding a wave of momentum after a string of four wins, most recently in the prestigious “Night Before the 500” at the Lucas Oil Raceway oval on May 25. The reigning USF2000 champion and MAZDASPEED driver has yet to finish off the podium this year and has amassed a 31-point lead in the standings. Brabham also was the pacesetter in a recent test at Milwaukee on May 29.

While the markers currently stack up in Brabham’s favor, there are several drivers more than capable of challenging those odds beginning with the Team Pelfrey duo of Spencer Pigot and Anders Krohn. Pigot, 19, of Orlando, Fla., finished second to Brabham at Lucas Oil Raceway – a race he won in the USF2000 ranks last year – and in the recent Milwaukee test. Krohn, 25, of Stavanger, Norway, is the only driver in the field with experience at Milwaukee having won the 2009 Star Mazda race.

Brabham’s teammate Shelby Blackstock, 23, of Nashville, Tenn., is also circling his first Pro Mazda win. With podiums in the last four race events and two poles, Blackstock is currently third in the standings and will be looking to carve into the 49 points separating him from his teammate.

JDC MotorSports’ Zack Meyer, 20, of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, impressed by posting the third-fastest time in the recent test at the oval and, alongside Brabham and Pigot, was one of only three drivers to pace a lap in the 27-second range. The sophomore Pro Mazda driver has five top-eight finishes to his credit to date.

The Juncos Racing stable of Diego Ferreira and Scott Anderson will also add to the competition. Ferreira, 19, of Maracay, Venezuela, is the only other driver to score a win this season and, with four podiums to date, currently sits second in the point standings. Anderson, 23, of Fort Collins, Colo., who finished third in the 2012 USF2000 championship behind Brabham and Pigot, has posted fourth (2012) and fifth-place drives in his two oval races to date.

Other drivers looking to make their mark include Kyle Kaiser, 17, of Santa Clara, Calif., driving for World Speed Motorsports, who earned the Quarter Master Hard Charger Award at Lucas Oil Raceway; and JDC MotorSports’ teammates Juan Piedrahita, 20, of Bogota, Colombia, and Lloyd Read, 16, of Newport, Wales.

Pro Mazda debuted as a new series this year, replacing the Star Mazda Championship which last contested The Milwaukee Mile in 2011. Sage Karam, driving for Andretti Autosport, was the race winner. Karam, the 2010 Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda champion, will compete in the Firestone Indy Lights race this weekend with Schmidt Peterson Motorsports as he continues his climb up the Mazda Road to Indy ladder.

Friday’s schedule for the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires will be action packed with two 30-minute practice sessions at 8:15 am and 11:15 am CDT, followed by qualifying at 2:30 pm and the green flag for the 100-lap race at 6:00 pm. Live timing and scoring with commentary is available at www.promazdachampionship.com.