Day 2 of testing for the Mazda Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires saw two series hit the Homestead-Miami Speedway road course for pre-season testing. The Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires and the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda both got their turns on Saturday after the Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires took to the 1.5-mile oval on Friday.
Both series got in two sessions apiece during the day. Below are quick reports for Pro Mazda and USF2000.
Pro Mazda: Thompson, Askew Lead Opening Sessions
A pair of USF2000 graduates led the two sessions for Pro Mazda. In Session 1, it was Parker Thompson and Exclusive Autosport leading the way, while Cape Motorsports’ Oliver Askew, last year’s USF2000 champion, led the way in Session 2. Times from both sessions are below.
Checkered flag on test session one. @parkertracing @sting_ray_robb and @malukasdavid leading, more than four seconds quicker than last year's times #MRTI #SpringTraining #TeamCooperTire pic.twitter.com/v6cbPDVSoh
— USF Pro 2000 (@USFPro2000) February 24, 2018
Three very familiar names to @USF2000 fans at the top of the charts #MRTI #SpringTraining #TeamCooperTire pic.twitter.com/Upmei69CxE
— USF Pro 2000 (@USFPro2000) February 24, 2018
Juncos Racing’s Rinus VeeKay, last year’s runnerup in the USF2000 championship, also put in a strong showing, ending up second in Session 2.
This was also the first official session for the brand new Tatuus PM-18, and it’s first official outing showed off quite a bit of speed. Lap times were reportedly upwards of four seconds a lap faster than the previous Elan Pro Mazda chassis.
USF2000: Pabst Racing, Cape Motosports Lead the Way
The teams that battled for last year’s USF2000 crown, Cape Motorsports and Pabst Racing, traded early blows during Saturday testing, with each team leading a session.
Pabst Racing’s Rasmus Lindh led the way in Session 1, with four Pabst cars in the top five, while Kyle Kirkwood led Session 2 for Cape. Times from both sessions are below.
.@PabstRacing takes four of the top five spots in the first test session of the day, with @RasmusLindhRaci leading the way #MRTI #TeamCooperTire #SpringTraining pic.twitter.com/EaG5dW1TJQ
— USF2000 Series (@USF2000) February 24, 2018
.@KKirkwoodRacing, Michael d'Orlando and @KoryEnders lead session two from @HomesteadMiami #MRTI #SpringTraining #TeamCooperTire pic.twitter.com/ayRh9PZQkq
— USF2000 Series (@USF2000) February 24, 2018
However, it should be noted that DEForce Racing’s Kory Enders spent most of Session 2 at the top of the speed charts before getting pushed down to third late in the running. With the top three finishers from last year’s USF2000 championship all moving on to Pro Mazda (Askew, VeeKay, and Thompson), this USF2000 season could be anyone’s for the taking.
Of note, Keith Donegan, who signed with ArmsUp Motorsports after winning the $200K scholarship from Mazda Motorsports in November’s Mazda Road to Indy Shootout, was 16th in Session 1, but did not turn laps in Session 2.