SONOMA, Calif. -- This season the Mazda Road to Indy USF2000 $200K Scholarship Shootout will invite one racer from the 2016 Formula Car Challenge presented by Goodyear. The shootout invites champions of select junior level open-wheel and karting series from around the world. 2016 Formula Car Challenge champions Jonathan Sugianto and Bruno Carneiro have qualified as semi-finalists for this invitation.

Sugianto, 21, from Alhambra, Calif., secured his bid by clinching the FormulaSPEED category as a VMB Develoment Driver last weekend at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif., while Carneiro, 17, from Salt Lake City, Utah, secured the Pro Mazda division.

“We are very pleased to be officially recognized as a breeding ground for future Mazda Road to Indy superstars, and we are even more excited to send one of our own champions to the shootout. We are proud to have young drivers like Bruno and Jonathan in our series, and we know either one of them would be a great choice for the scholarship,” stated Formula Car Challenge President Telo Stewart.

The Shootout will be an unprecedented event, bringing the champions of North American and international series together for the first time in a knockout-style format. The overall winner will be awarded a $200K scholarship from Mazda to enter USF2000 in 2017. 

“Mazda prides itself on providing the most comprehensive scholarship and ladder system for drivers in open wheel and sports cars,” said John Doonan, Director of Mazda Motorsports in North America. “Now, with the Scholarship Shootout, we can expand the Mazda Road to Indy entry-level opportunity to young champions from around the world. From an aggressive grassroots program to a well-defined ladder system to the top levels of racing in North America, Mazda strives to help develop superstars of the future.”

“The response from the various series about this new program has been incredible and we are thrilled to have them as partners as we help the rising stars of the sport take the next step in their career in USF2000 on the Mazda Road to Indy path,” said Dan Andersen, Owner and CEO of Andersen Promotions. “I have to thank our terrific partner Mazda for thinking outside the box and opening up this opportunity to so many more drivers. It will be exciting to bring together all of the series champions and watch them compete.”

Details on how the Formula Car Challenge driver will be chosen are available here.