Palmetto, Fla. - The cosmopolitan Canadian city of Toronto, Ont., is the next stop on the calendar for the entire Mazda Road to Indy development ladder as all three series – 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 two races this weekend on the challenging 1.755-mile street circuit at Exhibition Place.
Drivers from eight different countries are set to do battle in the ninth and 10th rounds of the 16-race Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires. Uruguayan rookie Santi Urrutia (Team Pelfrey) and second-year American Neil Alberico (Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing) currently lead the pack, separated by just eight points prior to the Cooper Tires Grand Prix of Toronto, but among their challengers will be three Canadians who are all capable of winning.
Garett Grist, 20, from nearby Grimsby, Ont., won two races last year but is still seeking his first victory in 2015 after joining the defending champion team, Juncos Racing. Dalton Kellett (Andretti Autosport) also hails from the Toronto area, Stouffville, and, after recently completing his studies at Queen’s University in Kingston, with an Engineering Physics Degree is keen to build upon the promise of a front row qualifying position in the most recent race at Lucas Oil Raceway. The third Canadian on deck is rookie Daniel Burkett (Cape Motorsports), from Winnipeg, Man., who already has a podium finish to his name after stepping up this year from USF2000.
Malaysian Weiron Tan (Andretti Autosport) and Frenchman Timothé Buret (Juncos Racing) also are among a strong rookie contingent, and currently hold third and fourth positions in the point standings. Tan already has won three races, including a dominant performance on the Lucas Oil Raceway oval, while Buret has four podium finishes to his name in addition to a win on the Indianapolis Grand Prix circuit. Fellow Frenchman and Pro Mazda rookie Florian Latorre (Cape Motorsports) also should be a contender after claiming two poles and one race win last year in Toronto en route to the USF2000 championship title and a MAZDASPEED scholarship.
The Team Championship is finely poised with Juncos Racing and Cape Motorsports separated by just seven points, and Team Pelfrey only 16 points further in arrears.
The Cooper Tires Pro Mazda Grand Prix of Toronto will start with a pair of practice sessions on Friday, followed by qualifying at 8:45 a.m. on Saturday and the first of two 40-minute races at 1:35 p.m. Race Two will start at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, June 14. Live timing and commentary for all sessions will be available on the new Mazda Road to Indy App and at promazda.com.