PALMETTO, Fla. – This weekend will mark a welcome return to the picturesque Road America circuit for all three levels of the highly acclaimed Mazda Road to Indy, with a pair of races on the docket for each series in support of the Verizon IndyCar Series’ Kohler Grand Prix. Located in Elkhart Lake, Wis., the 4.048-mile, 14-turn road course has long been a driver and fan favorite.
Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires has held only four events at the legendary circuit, making its last appearance 25 years ago in 1990 with Paul Tracy taking the win en route to the championship title. The Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires and the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda have a more recent history. The last Pro Mazda race took place in 2010 with IndyCar talent Conor Daly winning from the pole. USF2000 last held a tripleheader event in 2012 with Matthew Brabham and Scott Anderson earning victory honors.
With a string of five victories in the last five rounds, Cape Motorsports w/ Wayne Taylor Racing teammates Parker Thompson and Anthony Martin appear poised to lead the squad to its fifth consecutive team championship and sixth consecutive driver championship.
Thompson, of Red Deer, Alberta, Canada has been a mark of consistency, starting on the front row in all seven rounds held to date and only once finishing outside the top four. He has amassed the most wins this season with three. Martin, from Kalgoorlie, Australia, also has been a fixture at the top of the timesheets with six top-five finishes and two wins.
Not to be counted out in the championship title chase, however, are local teams Pabst Racing (Oconomowoc) and ArmsUp Motorsports (Sheboygan Falls). Pabst Racing teammates Jordan Lloyd and Yufeng Luo are the only other drivers to score victories to date this season, with Lloyd sitting third in the standings and Luo fifth. The pair are separated by Victor Franzoni of ArmsUp Motorsports who has scored podium finishes in each of the last three events.
Max Hanratty, also of ArmsUp Motorsports, will be one to watch as well as he looks to impress in his home race. Hanratty was born in Hartland and currently resides in Milwaukee. He is also a shareholder and season ticket holder for the Green Bay Packers.
The USF2000 National Class will see an expanded field this weekend with Eric Filgueiras (Spencer Racing), Green Bay’s Dale VandenBush (ArmsUp Motorsports), Brendan Puderbach (Fat Boy Racing) and Charles Finelli (Fat Boy Racing).
The Cooper Tires USF2000 Grand Prix of Road America Powered by Mazda will kick off with a pair of races on Saturday at 9:00 am EDT and 1:10 pm. All on-track activity will be live streamed on the Road To Indy TV App and at usf2000.com and indycar.com.