Almost 50 drivers representing 15 different nationalities from around the globe will convene this week in rural Wisconsin, where all three levels of the Mazda Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires open-wheel development ladder will feature a pair of races in support of the Verizon IndyCar Series’ Kohler Grand Prix at the historic Road America facility in Elkhart Lake, Wis.

Perfect weather conditions proved conducive to fast lap times, with several contenders unofficially bettering the existing records both for the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires and the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda. Kaylen Frederick, from Potomac, Md., narrowly topped the USF2000 times for the Wisconsin-based Pabst Racing team.

The 18-year-old from Jupiter, Fla. sped to a dominant victory for Cape Motorsports in the Cooper Tires Freedom 75, Round Seven of the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda.​

For many competitors in both the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda and even the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires, tomorrow at Lucas Oil Raceway will mark their very first competitive outing on an oval track. To aid them with the transition from road racing, reigning Verizon IndyCar Series champion Josef Newgarden and last year’s Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires champion Kyle Kaiser, along with six-time Indianapolis 500 starter Johnny Unser and Gerardo Bonilla, Director of Competition for the Lucas Oil School of Racing, were on hand this morning for the annual MRTI Oval Clinic.

Aspiring Indy 500 Drivers Compete Both at the Brickyard and Lucas Oil Raceway