On the heels of signing Rinus Veekay to a full season effort, Juncos Racing announced earlier today that Robert Megennis, a fellow standout in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda, will be joining the team in a second entry for the 2018 Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires season.
Megennis contested the 2017 USF2000 campaign with Team Pelfrey and enjoyed a successful year in which he took his first career win at the season opener in St. Petersburg, Florida. He then entered the Pro Mazda rounds at the season finale weekend at Watkins Glen International with Team Pelfrey, but a crash in Race 1 relegated him to a 12th-place finish and kept him from starting Race 2.
Team owner Ricardo Juncos emphasized Megennis’ performance at October’s Chris Griffis Memorial Mazda Road to Indy Test as a deciding factor in the team’s decision to sign him.
“After what Rob showed us at the Chris Griffis Test this past October, I am thrilled to add him to our Pro Mazda driver line-up. This test really tests a driver since everyone is watching, unlike most other tests when you are there without the pressure of others. Rob ran into some electrical issues the first day of the test, but that did not stop him from putting up the fastest time in the last session and he came back the next day and did it again. After seeing how he performed under this type of pressure I am very confident he will have a great year in the Pro Mazda series,” Juncos said of Megennis’ outing with them.
Megennis expressed both excitement and optimism about joining the Juncos outfit.
“I’m very excited to be joining Juncos Racing for the 2018 Pro Mazda Championship,” said the 17-year-old Megennis. “We had a great Chris Griffis test, where we led sessions on both days. I have a lot of confidence in Juncos’ ability to not only give me the fastest car on the grid but also to help me become a better all around driver. The team has proven itself in every series it’s contested, and I’m confident that we will perform with the new PM-18.”