CONNOR DE PHILLIPPI SCORES BACK-TO-BACK VICTORIES… SIX MONTHS APART – WITH A WIN FROM THE SECOND ROW IN STAR MAZDA ROUND 1 AT THE G.P. OF ST. PETE

Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (March 26, 2011) – Connor De Phillippi, the California racer who won the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear season finale from the pole at Road Atlanta, scored his second victory in a row – six months later – winning Round 1 of the 2011 season at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg in the Team Pelfrey / Justice Brothers Products / Trademark Garage Floors Mazda.

Starting from the inside of the second row, De Phillippi kept his cool through a multi-lap full-course yellow on the first lap of the race, and on the second lap of the re-start, passed pole-sitter Martin Scuncio's #60 Juncos Racing / Fuerza Chile Mazda for the lead… a position he held until he crossed the finish line with a two second margin in hand. Finishing 3rd was French racer Tristan Vautier in the #5 JDC Motorsports / Cecibon / Circuit du Laquais Mazda; Vautier dominated pre-season testing and
was the quickest driver in the first practice session at St. Pete, but his team missed the setup by just a hair and he was content, relatively, to take home 3rd-place points.

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CHILEAN ROOKIE MARTIN SCUNCIO CAPTURES ST. PETE STAR MAZDA POLE BY 5/100ths OF A SECOND OVER LOCAL HERO NICK ANDRIES

Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (March 26, 2011) – On the final lap of qualifying, and by the thinnest of margins, Chilean rookie Martin Scuncio took the pole position for the 4:10 pm start of today's Round 1 of the 2011 Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.  His lap of 1:10.921 (91.369 mph) in the #60 Juncos Racing / Fuerza Chile Mazda was just .053 of a second quicker than local hero and St. Petersburg College student Nick Andries, who, on the previous lap, turned a 1:10.974 (91.201 mph) in the Team Pelfrey / Lithionics Battery / GS610 Brake Fluid / Trademark Garage Floors Mazda. 

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SHIFTING BREEZES – CHILEAN RACER MARTIN SCUNCIO TOPS FRIDAY STAR MAZDA TEST TIMES AT GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG

Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (March 25, 2011) – While the overall wind continues to blow from the same direction that was set in three days of Star Mazda Championship
presented by Goodyear testing during IndyCar spring training at Barber Motorsports Park, the breezes are starting to shift. For the first time since Session 2 on Day 1 of the Barber test, Chilean racer Martin Scuncio bested French driver Tristan Vautier – and since he turned the 1:11.413 (90.740 mph) lap in his #60 Juncos Racing / Fuerza Chile Mazda during the final practice session before tomorrow morning's qualifying, he stands as the quickest driver of the day… an distinction wildly applauded by his Juncos Racing team when the final number came up on the timing screens.

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VAUTIER REMAINS ON FORM IN FIRST STAR MAZDA PRACTICTICE AT G.P. OF ST. PETE

Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (March 25, 2011) – Continuing the fast form that saw him
dominate five of the six test sessions during the Star Mazda series test during IndyCar spring training at Barber Motorsports Park, French racer Tristan Vautier set the quick time in the first practice session of the 2011 season opener at the Grand Prix of
St. Petersburg.

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PART 1 OF THE 'INDY SUMMIT' EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE FOR 2011 MAZDA ROAD TO INDY DRIVERS BEGINS WITH A DAY IN THE RACING CLASSROOM AT ST. PETE

Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (March 23, 2010) – The 'Indy Summit' is one of the most eagerly-awaited events on the Mazda Road to Indy, an unparalleled educational experience in which drivers get to listen and interact with the top figures in motorsports. The subject – the hard and fast truth about what it takes to be a racing driver at the top level in today's media, marketing and financial environment.

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STAR MAZDA'S 21st SEASON OF DEVELOPING TOMORROW'S INDYCAR RACING STARS STARTS THIS WEEKEND IN THE STREETS OF ST. PETE

Evolution has been hard at work in IndyCar racing between the end of last season and the beginning of this one, and the results are… impressive.

The innovative new Road to Indy program that made its debut in 2010 as a series of media, marketing and cross-promotional initiatives, has now become the Mazda Road to Indy, a full-fledged, open-wheel scholarship program backed by a global automaker and offering financial resources to the champions in each of three series to move up and compete at the next level.

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