Driver confirmations are hitting the news quickly these days as the run-up to the season-opening Grand Prix of St. Petersburg quickly draws to a close. The Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda grid is quickly filling up while the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires is finally starting to get some announcements. Meanwhile, there are more ways to enter the USF2000 and Pro Mazda fields this year. Read on to catch up with all the Mazda Road to Indy news.

Pro Mazda Race Winner Weiron Tan Moves to Team Pelfrey

Weiron Tan, who claimed four race wins and six pole positions during the 2015 Pro Mazda season while competing for Andretti Autosport, will continue in the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires in 2016 with reigning champions Team Pelfrey. Tan will partner the previously announced Aaron Telitz, giving the yellow-clad squad a stout driver lineup with which to challenge for a second consecutive championship in the series.

“My rookie year in the U.S. went really well and I cannot wait to get back into action in 2016,” said Tan. “I came very close to winning WinterFest and was in the title fight for Pro Mazda throughout the season, so this year the aim is definitely to go for the Championship title and I’m in a strong position to do that with Team Pelfrey. St. Pete can’t come soon enough.”

Eidson Jumps Up to Pro Mazda with Return to Cape Motorsports

Jake Eidson, who finished runner-up in the 2015 USF2000 championship with Pabst Racing following a third place championship finish in 2014 with Cape Motorsports, will make the jump to Pro Mazda in 2016. He returns to Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing, partnering with 2015 USF2000 champion Nico Jamin. Eidson will pilot the #3 entry, joining the Rising Star Racing family and enjoying their support for the coming season. Despite not winning a championship, Eidson is one of the most successful drivers in USF2000 history, claiming six wins, two pole positions, and 22 podium finishes in 34 races. That’s 64.7% of his starts he finished on the podium. Eidson hopes to bring that same success to Pro Mazda and finally claim a championship.

“I'm extremely grateful and excited to enter my first season of Pro Mazda and to rejoin Cape Motorsport with Wayne Taylor Racing,” Eidson offered. “After finishing second in last year’s USF2000 championship, we weren't sure if moving up to Pro Mazda was possible. When the season was over, we tested with the Capes and quickly knew that they have a winning team. Fortunately, we were able to make the 2016 season achievable. I know that my goal, as well as the team's goal, is to aim for the top spot in the Pro Mazda championship and I have a lot of confidence in their ability to make it happen. This is a dream come true and I can't wait to get started!"

Anthony Martin Returns to USF2000 with Cape Motorsports

More news from Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing as the team announced they filled their third and final USF2000 seat with Anthony Martin. Martin, who competed with John Cummiskey Racing last year, finished fourth in the championship, the highest-placed rookie. The promising young Australian racer joins an already potent lineup, with Canadian Parker Thompson and Russian Nikita Lastochkin set to contend for the championship with Cape.

“I am very happy to be able to announce that I will be joining Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing for the 2016 USF2000 Mazda Road to Indy season,” Martin confirmed. “It is going to be a very strong field of drivers this year and I am very proud to again be a part of it. To be able to race for a very competitive and professional race team like Cape Motorsports is an honor and to be back in America to fight for the 2016 Championship is something I am very much looking forward to. The 2015 season was a great learning year for me in the USF2000 Championship and to finish fourth in the series and win Rookie of the Year, I couldn’t have asked for a better introduction to the American racing scene. To be back in the USA for 2016 would not have been possible without the continued support from my sponsor in Australia, Burgess BLA and, of course, my family.”

Jordan Lloyd Joins Pabst Racing for 2016

Another Australian driver confirmed his return to action in USF2000 this past week as Pabst Racing announced Australian F4 champion Jordan Lloyd would pilot their third car in 2016. Lloyd, who competed with John Cummiskey Racing in the WinterFest and the first two rounds of the 2015 championship, showed tremendous speed during his brief time in the States. Lloyd, who hails from Will Power’s hometown of Toowoomba, Queensland, adds yet another strong driver to the 2016 USF2000 lineup.

“The atmosphere on the American racing scene is many steps above what I have raced previously,” said Lloyd. “I also could not be thankful enough for the opportunity from CAMS, the Australian body of motorsport, and of course JAYCO Australia for making it happen. Additionally, I need to thank Mark Larkham from the Australian Motorsport Academy for introducing me to the Pabst Racing Team. I only touched the tip of the iceberg when I was here in 2015, so on a personal level there is a lot of unfinished business that needs to be tended to. I am looking forward to a strong season.”

You can read our feature about Jordan Lloyd here.

Afterburner Autosport Announces First 2016 Driver

Afterburner Autosport, who only competed in a partial season effort in USF2000 in 2015, announced their first driver for the full 2016 USF2000 season as Brazilian talent Felipe Ortiz. Ortiz started in karting before moving to the F4 Sudamericana series in 2014, finishing second in that championship. He then competed in the Brazilian F3 Light series in 2015, but encountered numerous issues throughout the season. Now, with a race-winning team, Ortiz is excited to begin a new chapter of his career in the United States.

“I'm very excited to join Afterburner Autosports and I know that we'll have a great season together,” offered Ortiz, who will be moving to Orlando, Florida just after the start of the season. “It's an awesome team with awesome results in USF2000 and I'm pretty sure we'll be on podium this year. As for competing on the Mazda Road to Indy and in USF2000, it's a dream come true! I’ve been aiming at the series ever since I start racing karts and I'm very happy to be racing in one of the biggest motorsports series on the planet.”

National Classes Aim to Expand Grids in USF2000, Pro Mazda

Andersen Promotions announced that both the USF2000 and Pro Mazda fields will be bolstered in 2016 by the addition of a National Class in each series. For USF2000, the National Class returns after a two-year hiatus, allowing teams to compete using SCCA-legal Formula Continental chassis and either the Mazda MZR 2.0-liter engine or a 2.0-liter Ford Zetec engine. In addition to a reduction in entry fees, if the National Class averages five entries per event, the champion will be invited to the Mazda Road to Indy $200K Scholarship Shootout this fall to compete for a scholarship to race in the full USF2000 championship in 2017.

Pro Mazda has re-tooled the Expert Class to become the National Class, removing the stipulation that drivers be over 30 to compete in the class. Now, the class is open to any car running the current Pro Mazda configuration or other cars meeting the old Star Mazda technical requirements and any driver 20 years of age or older. As with the USF2000 National Class, entry fees will be discounted and drivers will compete for their own championship, but will be ineligible for overall series awards. The goal is to allow some of the many old Star Mazda cars a chance to compete in Pro Mazda and potentially entice new competitors to join the series ahead of the new Tatuus PM-18 chassis introduction in 2018.

“There are so many former Star Mazda race cars competing in North American club racing and in other forms of open-wheel competition that it just makes sense to create an opportunity for interested drivers to sample the fantastic schedule of events we have in the Pro Mazda Championship,” said Dan Andersen, Owner and CEO of Andersen Promotions.

“With the revival of the National Class in USF2000, the model is perfect to use as a replacement for the Pro Mazda Expert class as it does not require any investment in changes required for our championship class car regulations. We look forward to welcoming some new faces and hope they enjoy this great new place to compete.”