Scholarship prizes and awards totaling more than $2.3 million were distributed during last night’s Championship Celebration banquet at the Monterey Plaza Hotel following another hugely successful Mazda Road to Indy season which concluded this past weekend at nearby Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Just shy of 300 people attended the banquet including more than 30 drivers representing 12 nations from around the globe

Canadian Garett Grist secured a weekend sweep at Mazda Raceway, propelling Grist from sixth to third in the title chase and allowing his Juncos Racing team to clinch the coveted Team Championship in style

Garett Grist scored an accomplished victory for Juncos Racing but a second-place finish for Team Pelfrey’s Santiago “Santi” Urrutia was enough to clinch the title

Weiron Tan wasted no time in making his presence felt during his rookie season in North America, finishing second at the pre-season Cooper Tires Pro Mazda Winterfest with two wins in five races for Andretti Autosport. The 20-year-old from Kuala Lumpur has since won four races and claimed six poles in the regular season title-chase, but finds himself 51 points out of the championship lead going into the season finale.

Less than three years ago, Timothé Buret set himself on an ambitious racing program designed to put him into competitive open-wheel racing as quickly as possible. The young Frenchman has seen the fruits of that labor this season in Pro Mazda, earning a victory and eight podium finishes, which sets him third in the championship heading into the season finale at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.