ATLANTA, Ga. - After a solid campaign in the Formula 4 United States Championship Powered by Honda where he finished 12th in the point standings among 47 entries, 15-year-old driver Mathias Soler-Obel announces his plans to race in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda for the 2018 season.
The Bogota native who currently resides in Atlanta said that participating in what is considered the first step on the Mazda Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires program is the best option for his racing career.
“We decided to compete in the USF2000 championship because it’s the best option for me in this moment. Due to my age, I cannot race in some series that require to be 16 years old and with the latest Tatuus chassis model, the USF-17, I will have a great competitive advantage in my career from the technological side, since I will drive the latest car of the brand,” the young driver said.
“The monocoque is made of carbon composite and aluminum honeycomb, with a Mazda 2 liter engine and Cooper tires; with this package I will drive an excellent car. I’ve heard good things about the series, which is competitive and it’s a good base to follow the Mazda Road to Indy. I’m very happy for this new challenge in my career,” the 2016 Lucas Oil Formula Car Race Series champion said.
“We were looking a lot of teams, but we prefer to have our own operation. Therefore, we are working to put all the pieces together to have a good team that allow us to be competitive,” the Colombian driver said.
“In about two weeks I will be able to practice with the car and the first official series test is on February in Homestead. We are going to have a schedule with very interesting tracks, with only one oval (the Lucas Oil Raceway) at Indianapolis and we’ll compete at tracks with a lot of tradition such as Road America, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. In addition, we’ll have the opportunity to race in some of the most famous street circuits such as St. Petersburg and Toronto, in Canada. All this mix will make a season with a lot of learning,” he added.