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In 2010, the Pro Formula Mazda Championship entered its twentieth season as one of North America's premier open-wheel driver development series.
Series graduates have gone on to race in F1, Indy Cars, NASCAR, American Le Mans and Grand-Am.
In 2007, Mazda introduced their company-sponsored 'motorsports ladder' from karting to Champ Car. This year there are two driver development programs that converge in the Pro Formula Mazda Championship; the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Driver Development Ladder and the Indy Racing League's 'Road to Indy" program. The MAZDASPEED Ladder provides scholarship funding for champions to move up into the Pro Formula Mazda Championship, and for the Pro Formula Mazda champion to move up to the next level of Mazda-powered competition. The Road to Indy is designed to provide a clear path for top young drivers who set their sights on competing in the Indy 500. After several years the Mazda open-wheel championship replaced its race-proven and reliable Star Mazda with a new model. Beginning in 2004, competitors would be racing a Pro Formula Mazda. The Pro Formula Mazda is manufactured by the Van Diemen / Elan Motorsports Technologies group. The chassis is a carbon-fiber tub with fiberglass bodywork. The front and rear suspension is a pushrod setup with two-way adjustable shock absorbers. Stopping the Pro Formula Mazda are four-piston calipers with vented rotors. It is powered by a 240-horsepower Renesis Mazda engine, also used in the road-going version of the Mazda RX-8. Bolted to the motor is a six-speed sequential transmission with a no-lift shift. Last year, there were some upgrades made to the car. The Modifications, including new wings, shock absorbers and suspension rockers, are designed to increase the car's aerodynamic efficiency and top speed while improving engine cooling; in addition, it will be easier for drivers and their engineers to arrive at the best setup for each track. The cumulative effect of the upgrades will be to increase both top speed and cornering speed, reduce maintenance costs and enhance mechanical reliability. The opening round of the 2010 Pro Formula Mazda Championship was held at Sebring International Raceway and ended in October at Road Atlanta.
In addition to the overall title, championships were on the line for:
Round two of the 2010 Pro Formula Mazda Championship took place at the fourteen-turn 1.800-mile temporary street course in Saint Petersburg, Florida.
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The driver of the No. 22 Juncos Racing / Indeck / College Network Pro Formula Mazda, Conor Daly, was off the pace in the opening practice session. With the crew making changes to the car, he topped the timesheets in the next outing and qualifying. Despite two caution periods during the race, Daly would go flag-to-flag for the victory. Combined with his third-place result at Sebring, he leads the championship. |
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Joao Horto, a veteran of the Formula BMW Americas Series, finished second in round two at Saint Petersburg. Horto drove the No. 18 Team Apex / Wabash Capital Investments Pro Formula Mazda. Horto was fast in the practice sessions and qualified second for the forty-five-minute contest. He challenged the winner, Conor Daly, during the race but could not make a pass and finished second. |
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Brazilian Caio Lara was in his third year of the series and drove the No. 19 JDC Motorsports Pro Formula Mazda. Lara finished tenth in round one, but it appeared from his times in the practice sessions at Saint Petersburg he would be more competitive. Unfortunately, Lara had a massive accident in qualifying but not before setting the third-fastest time. With repairs made to the car, he delivered a solid performance and finished third. |
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Anders Krohn qualified on the pole for the season opener last week in Sebring but finished a disappointing fifth. However, he was back on form at Saint Petersburg, setting the fastest time in practice one. The driver of the No. 47 Andersen Racing / Norse Cutting & Abandonment Pro Formula Mazda was gridded fourth for round two. Krohn drove a clean race and was rewarded with a fourth-place result. |
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The No. 11 JDC Motorsports Pro Formula Mazda was driven by Connor De Phillippi. De Phillippi won the 2009 BFGoodrich / Skip Barber National presented by Mazda award and also captured the prestigious Walter Hayes Trophy, an international event for Formula Ford drivers. He qualified sixth fastest at Saint Petersburg. A pass on Rusty Mitchell netted De Phillippi a fifth-place finish. |
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| FINISH | START | DRIVER | CAR | LAPS | RETIREMENTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Conor Daly | Pro Formula Mazda | 33 | - |
| 2 | 2 | Joao Horto | Pro Formula Mazda | 33 | - |
| 3 | 3 | Caio Lara | Pro Formula Mazda | 33 | - |
| 4 | 4 | Anders Krohn | Pro Formula Mazda | 33 | - |
| 5 | 6 | Connor De Phillippi | Pro Formula Mazda | 33 | - |
| 6 | 21 | Mikael Grenier | Pro Formula Mazda | 33 | - |
| 7 | 6 | David Ostella | Pro Formula Mazda | 33 | - |
| 8 | 14 | Richard Kent | Pro Formula Mazda | 33 | - |
| 9 | 12 | Tristan Vautier | Pro Formula Mazda | 33 | - |
| 10 | 5 | Rusty Mitchell | Pro Formula Mazda | 33 | - |
| 11 | 20 | Juan Piedrahita | Pro Formula Mazda | 33 | - |
| 12 | 10 | Michael Furfari | Pro Formula Mazda | 33 | - |
| 13 | 9 | Court Vernon | Pro Formula Mazda | 33 | - |
| 14 | 18 | Patrick O'Neill | Pro Formula Mazda | 33 | - |
| 15 | 8 | Chris Miller | Pro Formula Mazda | 33 | - |
| 16 | 23 | JW Roberts | Pro Formula Mazda | 33 | - |
| 17 | 12 | Jorge Goncalvez | Pro Formula Mazda | 32 | - |
| 18 | 19 | Carlos Conde | Pro Formula Mazda | 32 | - |
| 19 | 15 | Tatiana Calderon | Pro Formula Mazda | 32 | - |
| 20 | 16 | Hayden Duerson | Pro Formula Mazda | 13 | - |
| 21 | 11 | Nick Andries | Pro Formula Mazda | 6 | - |
| 22 | 17 | Carlos Linares | Pro Formula Mazda | 0 | - |
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