While the new Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires chassis is not being introduced until 2018, 2016 may be the biggest transition year for the series. While the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda and Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires are both seeing a significant uptick in grid sizes, Pro Mazda has gone the opposite direction. Just 12 cars are entered for the season opening Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, down from the 18 entries for the 2015 edition of the race. What it lacks for it quantity, though, the Pro Mazda field sure makes up for in quality. Let’s dive into the 2016 Pro Mazda season preview.

As is the case with USF2000, Pro Mazda makes one new stop on the schedule this year, taking part in the highly anticipated return of the Verizon IndyCar Series to Road America. The two ovals on the schedule remain, with Lucas Oil Raceway and Iowa Speedway reprising their roles in 2016.

While there are no new teams to speak of in 2016, there has been an attempt to increase grid sizes by retooling the former Expert Class into a new National Class for this year. This sees older cars able to compete in the series with an age limit of only 18 for drivers competing in the class. In the short-term, no new drivers or teams have jumped into the National Class, with just Expert Class returnees Bobby Eberle and Jay Horak taking part at St. Pete, with only Eberle expected to compete in the full championship.

Team Pelfrey, who won the 2015 championship with Santi Urrutia behind the wheel, return with three cars for the start of the season. Two-time USF2000 winner Aaron Telitz moves up to Pro Mazda, joining sophomore driver and four-time Pro Mazda winner Weiron Tan in the team’s recognizable yellow and black liveried machines. Tan makes the move over from Andretti Autosport, with Andretti ceasing operations of its Pro Mazda outfit to concentrate on an expanded effort in Indy Lights. Joining Tan and Telitz for at least the first two rounds of the championship is Mexican Pato O’Ward, who competed with the team last season.

Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing has enjoyed considerable domination of USF2000 in their history, but has yet to see that success translate to their Pro Mazda team. After expanding their outfit and adding a Pro Mazda team in 2014, the team has finished runner-up in the championship with Scott Hargrove and Neil Alberico, respectively, in their two seasons of competition. Reloading for 2016, the team brings eight-time USF2000 winner Jake Eidson back to the team to run alongside dominant 2015 USF2000 champion Nico Jamin. The team ran three cars last season, but for the time being only has two entered in the championship.

Juncos Racing enjoyed a spectacular 2014 season in Pro Mazda, winning the championship with Spencer Pigot. Perhaps owing to their rapid expansion into Indy Lights, the team struggled a bit in 2015, finally picking up steam later in the season with a win by Timothe Buret at Indy and three wins for Garett Grist at Toronto and Laguna Seca. Grist was able to finish third in the championship despite his early season struggled. Grist has elected to return to the team for a third season in Pro Mazda along with returning sophomore Will Owen, while rookies Nicolas Dapero of Argentina and Australian Jake Parsons will flank them.

Also making up the grid will be a single-car effort from JDC MotorSports for Mexican youngster Jorge Cevallos. JDC had an up-and-down 2015 season, and with just one full-time car to focus on they will be aiming for stronger results this year.

With just three multi-car teams making up three-quarters of the grid, it doesn’t require too much effort to figure out where the champion will come from. If I had to place a bet, though, I’d say this is another year for Team Pelfrey. I think the double-T combination of Tan and Telitz will be a tough nut to crack, even for the might of Cape Motorsports and Juncos Racing. Tan was blindingly quick at times if a bit unpolished in 2015, with a few incidents to his name alongside his four race victories. In a more comfortable environment, I’d expect Telitz to flourish. He was actually at his best in USF2000 with ArmsUp Motorsports in 2014, despite a stronger championship finish in 2015 with Cape Motorsports. I think someone in yellow will wind up as the champion.

That doesn’t mean to count everyone else out. Jamin and Eidson, along with Telitz, made up the JAN (Jake, Aaron, and Nico) show in USF2000 in 2015. The trio, all in their sophomore seasons, stood on the podium together in half of the races run. Expect the Cape duo to fight tooth and nail to bring the St. Petersburg-based outfit their first championship. I think the early season Cape learning curve may bite them, though, and diminish their chances of a championship.

For Juncos Racing, it’s got to be all eyes on Grist. The third-year Canadian driver came into his own at the end of 2015, sweeping the final weekend at Laguna Seca after bagging a much-celebrated home country win in Toronto. The rest of their trio are talented, but their best chance will come from the young Canadian. I’d look out for Dapero, though, as the young Argentinean has shown good pace in early testing. As the first product of the Juncos Driver Development program, I’d expect Juncos to want Dapero to succeed.

With a lot of room for the grid to grow as we progress later into the season, there’s room for a number of wildcards to enter the fight and really mix it up. Thus, you must stay tuned.