|
In 2018, the Pro Mazda Championship presented by Cooper Tires entered its twenty-eighth 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 and IMSA.
The attraction of the Pro Formula Mazda series is the scholarship program which advances drivers to the Indy Lights series. The scholarship is valued at$790,000. A new chassis was introduced in 2018. The Tatuus PM-18 would be the spec car for the Pro Mazda Championship presented by Cooper Tires. Tatuus is an Italian chassis manufacturer founded in 1980 by Artico Sandona. The PM-18 uses the same chassis and components as the USF-17. The USF-17 is the car used for the USF2000 National Championship. The chassis is a full carbon and aluminum honeycomb monocoque chassis meeting FIA F4 safety standards, including side impact panels, front and rear impact structures. In addition to safety enhancements, the car includes a six-speed paddle shift gearbox and two-way adjustable shock absorbers. The Tatuus is powered by a two-liter Mazda MZR-PM18A engine featuring a fly-by-wire throttle system and a Cosworth SQ6 engine management system. The 2018 Pro Mazda Championship opening weekend was held at Saint Petersburg and ended in September at Portland International Raceway. Races were in support of the IndyCar Series, except for the contest at Lucas Oil Raceway. All road and street course events were doubleheaders, with the exceptions of Lucas Oil Raceway and Gateway Motorsports Park, which hosted one race each.
Rounds ten and eleven of the 2018 Pro Mazda Championship presented by Cooper Tires were held a Toronto's Exhibition Place. Drivers would compete in two forty-minute contests around the eleven-turn 1.755-mile temporary street circuit.
|
|
|
The opening lap of round eleven for the 2018 Pro Mazda Championship at Toronto's Exhibition Place. Leading the field of fourteen competitors through corner eight is the pole-sitter, Rinus VeeKay, in the No. 18 Juncos Racing Tatuus PM-18. Behind Veekay is his Juncos Racing teammate and the third fastest qualifier, Robert Megennis, driving the No. 9 Tatuus PM-18. Trailing the leaders are David Malukas and Sting Ray Robb. |
|
|
Rinus VeeKay began his 2018 campaign by sweeping the contests at Saint Petersburg. Toronto was another temporary street course that appeared to favour the Dutchman. VeeKay put the No. 2 Juncos Racing Tatuus PM-18 on the pole and led round ten flag-to-flag. He started on the pole Sunday and despite a couple of caution periods that bunched the field, VeeKay captured his fourth victory of the season. |
|
|
Last year Brazilian Carlos Cunha competed with Team Pelfrey and finished third in the championship. This season, Cunha was racing with the Juncos Racing driving the No. 1 Tatuus PM-18. He qualified eleventh for race one at Toronto but avoided the opening lap carnage, which eliminated five cars, to finish in the runner-up position. Cunha wasn't as fortunate in the finale. He started fifth but crashed on lap-17. |
|
|
|
Rookie Oliver Askew drove the No. 3 Cape Motorsports Tatuus PM-18. Before the series stopped in Toronto, Askew had only collected one podium result: a runner-up finish at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He qualified eighth for the weekend's first event at Toronto but was a beneficiary of the opening lap incident and finished fourth. The next Askew started sixth but crossed the finish line in second place. |
|
|
|
Robert Megennis was one of those drivers whose Saturday's race in Toronto ended on lap-1. Driving the No. 9 Juncos Racing Tatuus PM-18, he qualified fifth but was classified with a twelfth-place finish. Sunday was an opportunity for Megennis to redeem himself. He was gridded third for the forty-minute race. Megennis found his way by the second-place starter, David Malukas, but lost a spot to Oliver Askew and finished third. |
 |
 |
 |
| FINISH | START | DRIVER | CAR | LAPS | RETIREMENTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Rinus VeeKay | Tatuus PM-18 | 25 | - |
| 2 | 11 | Carlos Cunha | Tatuus PM-18 | 25 | - |
| 3 | 6 | Raul Guzman | Tatuus PM-18 | 25 | - |
| 4 | 8 | Oliver Askew | Tatuus PM-18 | 25 | - |
| 5 | 14 | Nikita Lastochkin | Tatuus PM-18 | 25 | - |
| 6 | 13 | Charles Finelli | Tatuus PM-18 | 25 | - |
| 7 | 12 | Kris Wright | Tatuus PM-18 | 13 | Accident |
| 8 | 3 | Parker Thompson | Tatuus PM-18 | 7 | Accident |
| 9 | 2 | David Malukas | Tatuus PM-18 | 7 | Accident |
| 10 | 7 | Andres Gutierrez | Tatuus PM-18 | 1 | Accident |
| 11 | 4 | Sting Ray Robb | Tatuus PM-18 | 0 | Accident |
| 12 | 5 | Robert Megennis | Tatuus PM-18 | 0 | Accident |
| 13 | 9 | Harrison Scott | Tatuus PM-18 | 0 | Accident |
| 14 | 10 | Antonio Serravalle | Tatuus PM-18 | 0 | Accident |
| FINISH | START | DRIVER | CAR | LAPS | RETIREMENTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Rinus VeeKay | Tatuus PM-18 | 32 | - |
| 2 | 6 | Oliver Askew | Tatuus PM-18 | 32 | - |
| 3 | 3 | Robert Megennis | Tatuus PM-18 | 32 | - |
| 4 | 9 | Nikita Lastochkin | Tatuus PM-18 | 32 | - |
| 5 | 12 | Kris Wright | Tatuus PM-18 | 32 | - |
| 6 | 13 | Charles Finelli | Tatuus PM-18 | 32 | - |
| 7 | 5 | Sting Ray Robb | Tatuus PM-18 | 32 | - |
| 8 | 14 | Parker Thompson | Tatuus PM-18 | 30 | - |
| 9 | 2 | David Malukas | Tatuus PM-18 | 26 | Accident |
| 10 | 8 | Carlos Cunha | Tatuus PM-18 | 26 | Accident |
| 11 | 11 | Antonio Serravalle | Tatuus PM-18 | 25 | Mechanical |
| 12 | 7 | Andres Gutierrez | Tatuus PM-18 | 3 | Accident |
| 13 | 10 | Raul Guzman | Tatuus PM-18 | 2 | Accident |
| 14 | 4 | Harrison Scott | Tatuus PM-18 | 0 | Mechanical |
| Copyright Notice: |
| All content (photographs and text) appearing on this website are the exclusive property of © www.zoompics.com and are protected under International copyright laws. The subject matter on this website may not be reproduced, copied, stored or manipulated. |
