Mazda Road to Indy Driver Advancement Program Tests and USF2000 Scholarship Shootout Entry to be Awarded
DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla. – MAXSpeed Group, the sole distributor for Rotax Karting Products in the United States and the Caribbean, and Andersen Promotions, owner and operator of all three levels of the Mazda Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires, will continue their partnership into 2017. Forming an alliance in 2014 through the Driver Advancement Program, MAXSpeed drivers will once again be awarded test days in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda, and one champion will be awarded an entry to the MRTI USF2000 $200K Scholarship Shootout.
“I can’t say enough about our partnership with Andersen Promotions and the MRTI,” explains MAXSpeed Group President Richard Boisclair. “We have seen tremendous interest and success with our program, as we give drivers a taste of the open-wheel ladder system directly from our karting series. Four of the 18 drivers in last week’s $200K Scholarship Shootout are MAXSpeed Entertainment series drivers, with Austin Garrison earning his entry as this year’s US Open Rotax Senior Champion. Oliver Askew was one of the MRTI test winners from 2014, as was Trenton Estep from 2015. Congratulations to Oliver on winning the inaugural $200K Scholarship! The opportunities are real, and I am excited to continue to give these awards to deserving, young and talented karters.”
Next year, two drivers will be awarded two-day tests during off-season testing in the new Tatuus USF-17 cars in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda, which will make their official series debut in 2017 and be the series standard for at least the next five years. Additionally, a champion from a MAXSpeed promoted series will be awarded entry into the 2017 MRTI USF2000 $200K Scholarship Shootout. Details and criteria for both awards will be announced at a future date.
“We are excited to continue our partnership with Richard and the MAXSpeed Group,” said Michelle Kish, COO of Andersen Promotions. “This program has been a success from the start in not only introducing drivers to the next step on their careers but introducing us to the rising talent in the karting ranks. I want to again thank this year’s judges Spencer Pigot and Charlie Kimball for their time and valuable input.”
The partnership between the Mazda Road to Indy and MAXSpeed Group was announced in June 2014 to foster the next wave of up-and-coming drivers. The Rotax MAX Challenge, promoted by MAXSpeed Entertainment, is an Official Feeder Series of the Mazda Road to Indy.
###
ABOUT US ROTAX MAX CHALLENGE: The Rotax MAX Challenge (RMC) is a professional kart racing series established, supported and structured by BRP-Powertrain and its distributors. The RMC is a "one-make-engine" formula: only Rotax kart engines are allowed. There are seven different race classes: Rotax Micro MAX, Rotax Mini MAX, Rotax Junior MAX, Rotax Senior MAX, Rotax Masters MAX, Rotax MAX DD2 and Rotax MAX DD2 Masters.
The RMC utilizes Rotax kart engines, which are checked and sealed (for equal performance). The sealing is done by authorized distributors or their authorized service centers.
By following the “Rotax Sporting and Technical Regulations" of the Rotax MAX Challenge and by using a mandatory type of tire, the success in the competition is mainly up to the skills of the driver and his/her experience in the set up of the combination of the engine and the chassis.
Authorized distributors of Rotax kart products offer their customers a national RMC program according to the “Rotax Sporting and Technical Regulations” defined by BRP-Powertrain. This results in a fair competition between semi-professional kart racers that share the same interests.
For more information, please visit www.gorotax.com.