2018 Mazda Road to Indy (Indy Lights, Pro Mazda, USF2000)

[NaBUru38]

Urrutia has been successful at Mid-Ohio. Let's see if Herta and O'Ward can keep up.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Mazda to end support of the Road to Indy programme at the end of 2018, after nine years.

http://classic.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/137775

[broadrun96]

But they are funding all of this year's winners in the 2019 season as promised to them. Indy has some time to come up with a replacement but hard to get non-funded drivers in to seats for 2019 without that carrot out there for the 2020 season.

[peebee2]

Originally Posted by NaBUru38

Urrutia has been successful at Mid-Ohio. Let's see if Herta and O'Ward can keep up.

O’Ward won both races. Herta second both times.

Urrutia placed fourth and sixth in a seven car field.

Not sure I would call that “successful” fella!

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by broadrun96

But they are funding all of this year's winners in the 2019 season as promised to them. Indy has some time to come up with a replacement but hard to get non-funded drivers in to seats for 2019 without that carrot out there for the 2020 season.

I would have thought that whoever replaces Mazda in 2019, will provide funding for 2020 and beyond.

[Formulahistory]

it doesn't look good for Road to Indy. Indy Lights with just 7 cars, Mazda to withdraw...

[broadrun96]

Originally Posted by bjohnsonsmith

I would have thought that whoever replaces Mazda in 2019, will provide funding for 2020 and beyond.

They've done a great job of replacing Verizon so far so Indy Lights and the scholarship money should be no problem right? Sorry if I don't trust TG and company but Mazda put that money up themselves and it was not part of their deal for the affiliation. They wanted to support racers and thought that was the best way. No guarantee another sponsor would want to commit the same money for the entire Road to Indy program.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by broadrun96

They've done a great job of replacing Verizon so far so Indy Lights and the scholarship money should be no problem right? Sorry if I don't trust TG and company but Mazda put that money up themselves and it was not part of their deal for the affiliation. They wanted to support racers and thought that was the best way. No guarantee another sponsor would want to commit the same money for the entire Road to Indy program.

We don't know what's going on, regarding Verizon's replacement but I'm sure we will find out all in good time. Mark Miles is running the show and TG's pretty much out of the equation.

Are you sure that putting up their own money, wasn't part of the deal because that's the sort of thing a series sponsor would do?

[NaBUru38]

Damn, Mazda was a great partner.


Damn, Urrutia's international career is endangered.

[broadrun96]

Originally Posted by bjohnsonsmith

We don't know what's going on, regarding Verizon's replacement but I'm sure we will find out all in good time. Mark Miles is running the show and TG's pretty much out of the equation.

Are you sure that putting up their own money, wasn't part of the deal because that's the sort of thing a series sponsor would do?

Multiple people have said Mazda came to them and proposed the idea of cash toward a ride over cash into the series as the sponsorship. They apparently did not pay toward anything but the rides in the next series in the deal.

And it seems like Indy will be continuing (and increasing from 1 to 1.1 mil) the payout from Lights to Indy and there will be future announcements about the lower series payouts, according to Racer this morning. And it seems like the push for cost cutting has come up again and seems like they are making headway there. And the common chassis between Indy and Lights cars looks like it's on their minds again.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by broadrun96

Multiple people have said Mazda came to them and proposed the idea of cash toward a ride over cash into the series as the sponsorship. They apparently did not pay toward anything but the rides in the next series in the deal.

And it seems like Indy will be continuing (and increasing from 1 to 1.1 mil) the payout from Lights to Indy and there will be future announcements about the lower series payouts, according to Racer this morning. And it seems like the push for cost cutting has come up again and seems like they are making headway there. And the common chassis between Indy and Lights cars looks like it's on their minds again.

Thanks for the link.

The idea of a common chassis/tub was originally put forward back in 2010, by Lola, when they were bidding for the new IndyCar car to replace the ageing Dallara IR-05. Lola also had the idea of visually varying the car, depending on the engine manufacturer. It's a shame, their bid wasn't accepted. I think IndyCar would be further ahead than it is.

http://www.racecar-engineering.com/a...-2012-concept/

[peebee2]

Not so sure, they were on their knees then so that probably wouldn’t have been healthy for the series.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by peebee2

Not so sure, they were on their knees then so that probably wouldn’t have been healthy for the series.

Lola didn't go into financial administration until May 2012, so who knows, securing the IndyCar deal may have saved them.

[NaBUru38]

https://www.airbag.uy/Airbag/Este-do...ativo-uc691446





This Sunday on Children's Day, Ancap petrol stations will give every kid a children's book. It features girl who wants to follow Urrutia's steps to become a racecar driver. He teaches her about healthy food, road safety and ecology.

[rwintle]

Originally Posted by NaBUru38

https://www.airbag.uy/Airbag/Este-do...ativo-uc691446





This Sunday on Children's Day, Ancap petrol stations will give every kid a children's book. It features girl who wants to follow Urrutia's steps to become a racecar driver. He teaches her about healthy food, road safety and ecology.

That's pretty cool!

[NaBUru38]

Damn, I forgot to ask one for... my nephews and nieces.

[rwintle]

The Mazda pull-out is "just" the prize/scholarship money, right? Is there any indication it will affect engine supply for the various MRTI series?

[joeb]

Originally Posted by rwintle

The Mazda pull-out is "just" the prize/scholarship money, right? Is there any indication it will affect engine supply for the various MRTI series?

I think the same engineers will be used, they will just no longer be Mazdas

[rwintle]

Originally Posted by joeb

I think the same engineers will be used, they will just no longer be Mazdas

Ah, I see (I think). Elite builds them (with Cosworth management systems and bits). So do you think they could simply be re-branded as something else, even though it's the Mazda MZR engine design?


TBH, Cosworth-branded engines would be cool.

[NaBUru38]

Congratulations to Patricio "Pato" O'Ward, the 2018 Indy Lights champion.

I'm very worried about the international career of Santiago Urrutia. This year he did worse than in the previous two seasons.