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USF Pro 2000 Championship
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USF Pro 2000 Championship
The USF Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Continental Tires, formerly known as the Star Mazda Championship, Pro Mazda Championship, and later Indy Pro 2000 Championship, is an open-wheel racing series serving as the third step on the Road to Indy ladder system, between the USF2000 Championship and Indy NXT. The series is sanctioned by the United States Auto Club (USAC) and operated by Andersen Promotions. The series' champion is awarded a scholarship package to advance to Indy NXT competition for the following season. It competes on all open-wheel disciplines: road courses, street courses, and ovals.
The series' primary sponsor is the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company via their Cooper Tires brand.
Many Pro Mazda graduates have gone on to race in top-tier open-wheel series, including American Formula One and NASCAR driver Scott Speed, IndyCar Series drivers Marco Andretti, Graham Rahal, James Hinchcliffe and Raphael Matos, and Rolex Sports Car Series and NASCAR driver Michael McDowell.
In 1983, a number of Formula Ford race cars powered by Mazda rotary engines were built by Hayashi Racing in Japan and imported to the United States for use by the Jim Russell Racing School. Enough cars were constructed to run a one-make series, the Mazda Pro Series, which began in 1984 at the Long Beach Grand Prix. In late 1984, following modifications to the cars' rollover structures to bring them in line with SCCA regulations, the so-called "Formula Russell" became so popular that numerous regional and divisional series were established by the Jim Russell Racing School.
Throughout the remainder of the 1980s, the series would gain six geographic divisions, each of which held their own championship.[citation needed] Early Mazda Pro Series competitors included Johnny O'Connell, Tommy Kendall, Mike Groff, Jeff Krosnoff, Norm Breedlove (son of Craig Breedlove), and Jon Beekhuis.
The Star Mazda Championship debuted in 1991 at Willow Springs, with Mark Rodrigues driving for Valley Motor Center (the constructor of the new 1990 chassis) claiming the inaugural win. The series gradually rose in importance on the American open-wheel racing landscape, as similar series such as the Barber Dodge Pro Series, Formula BMW Americas and Formula TR 2000 Pro Series ceased to operate, and later emerged as the primary series of its kind in the US.
1996 marked the first Star Mazda Championship race as a supporting event on an Indy Racing League weekend at the Phoenix 200 in March, and the first nationally televised Star Mazda Championship race.[citation needed] A new title sponsor was gained in 1999, making the series the Best Western Star Mazda Championship; the same year, it became a national professional series supporting the American Le Mans Series in its inaugural year. Joey Hand won five of the season's seven races and became the first driver in series history to win four races in a row. His prize included a new Mazda Miata road car.[citation needed]
In 2001, the series was renamed the Star Mazda North American Championship Presented by Goodyear. Scott Bradley with World Speed Motorsports claimed the championship.
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USF Pro 2000 Championship AI simulator
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USF Pro 2000 Championship
The USF Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Continental Tires, formerly known as the Star Mazda Championship, Pro Mazda Championship, and later Indy Pro 2000 Championship, is an open-wheel racing series serving as the third step on the Road to Indy ladder system, between the USF2000 Championship and Indy NXT. The series is sanctioned by the United States Auto Club (USAC) and operated by Andersen Promotions. The series' champion is awarded a scholarship package to advance to Indy NXT competition for the following season. It competes on all open-wheel disciplines: road courses, street courses, and ovals.
The series' primary sponsor is the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company via their Cooper Tires brand.
Many Pro Mazda graduates have gone on to race in top-tier open-wheel series, including American Formula One and NASCAR driver Scott Speed, IndyCar Series drivers Marco Andretti, Graham Rahal, James Hinchcliffe and Raphael Matos, and Rolex Sports Car Series and NASCAR driver Michael McDowell.
In 1983, a number of Formula Ford race cars powered by Mazda rotary engines were built by Hayashi Racing in Japan and imported to the United States for use by the Jim Russell Racing School. Enough cars were constructed to run a one-make series, the Mazda Pro Series, which began in 1984 at the Long Beach Grand Prix. In late 1984, following modifications to the cars' rollover structures to bring them in line with SCCA regulations, the so-called "Formula Russell" became so popular that numerous regional and divisional series were established by the Jim Russell Racing School.
Throughout the remainder of the 1980s, the series would gain six geographic divisions, each of which held their own championship.[citation needed] Early Mazda Pro Series competitors included Johnny O'Connell, Tommy Kendall, Mike Groff, Jeff Krosnoff, Norm Breedlove (son of Craig Breedlove), and Jon Beekhuis.
The Star Mazda Championship debuted in 1991 at Willow Springs, with Mark Rodrigues driving for Valley Motor Center (the constructor of the new 1990 chassis) claiming the inaugural win. The series gradually rose in importance on the American open-wheel racing landscape, as similar series such as the Barber Dodge Pro Series, Formula BMW Americas and Formula TR 2000 Pro Series ceased to operate, and later emerged as the primary series of its kind in the US.
1996 marked the first Star Mazda Championship race as a supporting event on an Indy Racing League weekend at the Phoenix 200 in March, and the first nationally televised Star Mazda Championship race.[citation needed] A new title sponsor was gained in 1999, making the series the Best Western Star Mazda Championship; the same year, it became a national professional series supporting the American Le Mans Series in its inaugural year. Joey Hand won five of the season's seven races and became the first driver in series history to win four races in a row. His prize included a new Mazda Miata road car.[citation needed]
In 2001, the series was renamed the Star Mazda North American Championship Presented by Goodyear. Scott Bradley with World Speed Motorsports claimed the championship.
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