In the world of competitive Mazda Road to Indy racing, it’s always important to get out of the gate quickly. For race-winning USF2000 Championship squad Afterburner Autosport, the first two official series tests of the 2015 season have gone according to plan. The team’s lead driver – series sophomore Victor Franzoni – was at the top of the timesheets at both Palm Beach International Raceway and Homestead-Miami Speedway in late January as the team worked through a plan of attack to develop set-ups for early season events.

Today, Pabst Racing announced that it has added 16-year-old driver Yufeng Luo to its 2015 lineup. The team is proud to add the first year Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda driver to its team and is busy preparing as the 2015 Cooper Tires Winterfest Championship quickly approaches. Yufeng will drive the #23 Pabst Racing USF2000 car in both the National and Winterfest Championship.

Swan Motorsports is pleased to announce that Max Mällinen will be driving for its Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda team in 2015. Mällinen is a 16-year-old professional race car driver who competed in the 2014 F1600 Championship Series that marked his first full season in race cars.

After a successful race season and a 19-week long off season, ArmsUp Motorsports has completed their final pre-season USF2000 test at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The two-day test for the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda comprised three practice sessions on the 2.21, 14-mile turn course. Following the test, ArmsUp Motorsports has announced three of their four drivers for the 2015 race season.

Brazilian Victor Franzoni may have only just confirmed his return to Afterburner Autosport squad last week, but the series sophomore looked as though he’d never left the seat of his car as he topped two of the three sessions run on the 2.21-mile circuit on Sunday.