Team USA Scholarship Drivers Shine in Mazda Road to Indy Openers

Written by Team USA. Posted in Feature, Team USA News

Published on April 02, 2015 with No Comments

Double Victories for Alberico and Eidson, Podiums for Telitz and Pigot on the Streets of St. Petersburg

Two Pro Mazda wins for Alberico.

Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif. – The Verizon IndyCar Series and entire Mazda Road to Indy ladder system kicked off their 2015 campaigns on the streets of St. Petersburg, Fla., last weekend, with a raft of former Team USA Scholarship winners earning a lion’s share of the plaudits.

Neil Alberico dominated both opening rounds of the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires, while Jake Eidson and Aaron Telitz took the top two places in each of the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Presented by Mazda races. Spencer Pigot also displayed his capabilities in the top level of the development ladder, Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires, by claiming a pair of podium finishes in the Mazda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. Our two representatives in Round One of the Verizon IndyCar Series, Josef Newgarden and Charlie Kimball, also ran very competitively in the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg before running into some difficulties in the closing stages.

Pigot finished twice on the Indy Lights podium.

Pigot endured a setback in the first Indy Liughts practice session when his Juncos Racing Doug Mockett & Company/Rising Star Racing/Mobe Dallara-Mazda was hobbled by an electrical fault. The youngster from Orlando, Fla., bounced back well to qualify fifth, then made flying starts in both races. The Sunday encounter was especially memorable as he fought off a tremendous challenge from ex-Formula 1 racer Max Chilton to finish third.

Fellow Team USA Scholarship winner Felix Serralles rebounded from an accident in Race One to finish eighth on Sunday for Belardi Auto Racing.

Alberico concluded a deal to rejoin Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing only a couple of weeks before the season but displayed imperious form all weekend. The Californian, who placed third following his rookie campaign in 2014, qualified on pole and led throughout both half-hour races in the Rising Star Racing/Mobe/D-A Lubricants car.

A pair of wins also for Eidson.

After narrowly losing out on the preseason Cooper Tires Winterfest title to a mechanical problem, Eidson, 19, was on a mission in St. Pete. He duly delivered two accomplished victories for Pabst Racing in the SAFEisFAST.com Van Diemen-Mazda. Telitz finished close behind on both days, earning fastest lap in his Rice Lake Weighing Systems car for Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing in Sunday’s race.

Fellow 2014 Team USA Scholarship winner Michai Stephens also was on hand all weekend, cementing many valuable connections as he aspires to join the USF2000 field later this season.

Michai Stephens.

“I couldn’t be more proud of all our guys,” said Team USA Scholarship founder Jeremy Shaw. “Thanks to our many supporters, I believe the future of American auto racing is in good hands.”

About Team USA Scholarship:
The program has been providing opportunities for talented young American race car drivers since 1990. Supporters included Doug Mockett & Company, the Road Racing Drivers Club and www.SAFEisFAST.com, Cooper Tire & Rubber Company, Mazda, Team Penske, Basecamp.com, Chip Ganassi Racing, Honda Performance Development, Robertson Racing, Allen Berg Racing Schools, Ellis Clowes North America, Co-Force International, Race Hero, CXC Simulations, RaceCraft1, PitFit Training, Sparco USA, RACER Magazine, Speedstar Management, Styled Aesthetic, Manifest Group and numerous past Scholarship winners.

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