Cooper Tires Presents the USF2000 National Championship powered by Mazda

For nearly 20 years, F2000 has earned its reputation as the entry-level pro series of choice for career-minded open-wheel drivers.

No one disputes that our economy is challenging. It is time to meet the challenge, refine and develop the F2000 series, and promote it as the first professional step on an established ladder system for open-wheel racing.

At stake is nothing less than the next generation of professional racers.

In 1991 Mike Foschi and I founded the USF2000 National Championship. We ran it for 10 very successful seasons. It then continued for five additional years under different ownership.

During the nineties the USF2000 series was the place to be. We attracted full fields of 40 to 60 cars and provided excellent training for hundreds of young-gun drivers. Many of our alumni climbed the ladder to eventual careers in the IndyCar Series and/or professional sports car racing, and many still compete today. Names like Wheldon, Hornish, Rice, Lally, Schmidt, Moore, Knapp, McGehee, Ray, Barron, Gidley and countless others all learned race craft on our training ground.

The F2000 formula has been used by other promoters as well over the past 20 years with varying degrees of success, and generally with a different focus than what we utilized during our tenure as owners of the USF2000 Championship.

Since selling the series in 2001, I have continued to stay involved in junior open-wheel racing, fielding teams in two different F2000 series as well as in Star Mazda and Firestone Indy Lights. I also operate several kart teams and a kart/race car test track in Palmetto Fla. I believe my experiences as a team owner give me a unique perspective as a returning series promoter, enabling me to structure a championship that will serve the needs of both drivers and teams.

I also understand the needs of parents, since both my son and my daughter are former F2000 drivers.

In recent years I have been pleased to see open-wheel racing come together. It is clear to me that the current landscape now needs the return of the USF2000 National Championship, operated with the same focus and vision that worked so well a decade ago.

We will not undertake this alone. We are pleased to announce that we are being sanctioned by the Indy Racing League, the sanctioning body that presents both Firestone Indy Lights and the IndyCar Series. We occupy the first step on a three step ladder, followed by Star Mazda, Firestone Indy Lights and ultimately the IndyCar Series itself.

Beginning in 2010, the "new and improved" USF2000 National Championship will again offer a schedule of events that includes road courses, street circuits and oval speedways, all geared towards training young drivers on all three types of circuits. We plan to offer a schedule that features high-profile spectator events, proper PR and marketing opportunities for drivers, a scholarship for our champion to proceed to the next level, and professional-level coaching in both driving techniques and marketing.

We are structuring our program in a cost-effective way to enable teams to offer realistic annual budgets with excellent value, thereby attracting career-minded drivers into the series. We are excited about marketing partnerships we are developing with engine and component manufacturers, and we will work hard to promote our series and our drivers to the media.

We expect our drivers to come from karting, quarter midgets, Skip Barber, Russell School series, Canadian Formula Ford, Pacific F2000, F2000 Northeast, Formula Mazda series, SCCA Club Racing and open-wheel junior championships in Europe and South America. We also plan to reach out to midget and sprint car drivers who would like to gain experience in rear-engine cars as well as road racing and street courses.

We see ourselves as a training ground for drivers, team owners, engineers, mechanics and even series operations personnel, all of who may seek careers in motorsports higher up the ladder.

The time is right for this series. We are proud to have been selected by the Indy Racing League to train a new generation of professional racers. We do not take the responsibility lightly.

Sincerely,
Dan Andersen