Four karters selected for USF2000 test day
The drivers are each awarded a one-day Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda test Jan. 28 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, with the support of both Mazda Road to Indy and MAXSpeed Group personnel.
Selected by a panel of judges were Oliver Askew, 17, of Tequesta, Fla.; Christian Brooks, 14, of Santa Clarita, Calif.; Sabre Cook, 19, of Grand Junction, Colo.; and Austin Versteeg, 15, of Sandy, Utah. All are competitors in the United States Rotax MAX Challenge program.
"Karting is such an important element to the health and growth of motorsport in North America," said Verizon IndyCar Series driver James Hinchcliffe, who was a member of the judging panel along with Indy Lights champion Gabby Chaves. "The talent pool was deep and all of them should be proud of what they have accomplished and of making it into the finals."
The partnership between the Mazda Road to Indy and Rotax MAXSpeed Group was announced in June to foster the next wave of up-and-coming drivers. Rotax is the largest racing series in the world in any form of motorsports with more than 15,000 drivers competing each year.