– Three Mazda scholarship winners will compete for championships –

The path to the upper reaches of open-wheel motorsports begins this week for nearly 50 Mazda-powered drivers from 17 countries. The Mazda Road to Indy season-opening races take place at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, March 10 – 12 in conjunction with the Verizon IndyCar Series. The Mazda Road to Indy program is the most comprehensive and successful open-wheel ladder system in the world.

The Mazda Road to Indy comprises three categories of racing, each powered by Mazda engines. Each series will have two races this weekend in St. Petersburg.

* Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires:  Drivers will compete for the season championship to earn a $1 million prize that guarantees the champion at least three races in the 2017 IndyCar Series. (Last year’s Indy Lights champion Spencer Pigot, a four-time Mazda scholarship winner, will make his IndyCar debut this week.)

* Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tires: The season champion in Pro Mazda – the middle rung on the ladder – earns a prize of more than $500,000 to be applied to an Indy Lights effort in 2017.

* Cooper Tires USF2000 powered by Mazda: The entry level category offers a championship bonus of more than $375,000 to allow the champion to move up to Pro Mazda.

Three 2015 Mazda Road to Indy scholarship winners will compete this year in race cars painted in Mazda’s unique Soul Red color. Those drivers are:

Santiago Urrutia, Indy Lights No. 55 with Schmidt-Peterson Motorsports
Urrutia, also known as “Santi,” won last year’s Pro Mazda title as a rookie to earn his scholarship into the Indy Lights Series. The 19-year-old Uruguayan was the quickest overall in the final pre-season test session last weekend at Barber Motorsports Park, and is confident he’ll compete for victory at St. Pete.

“I really like the Indy Lights car,” Urrutia said. “It has much more downforce than the Pro Mazda car, and it’s much more physical to drive. I had a very good adaptation to the car, and every time we were on track we were quick. I’m looking to do my best. I worked hard in this preseason, so I will go [to St. Pete] to take the victory!”

Nico Jamin, Pro Mazda No. 2 with Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing
The Frenchman moves up to Pro Mazda after a record-setting year in USF2000 last season. Jamin, 20, won 10 races and a record-setting 13 pole positions. In 16 races, Jamin finished on the podium in all but one race to secure the championship.

“We did a lot of testing this winter for me to get comfortable with the car,” said Jamin. “I feel like we have the keys to be fast right out of the gate at St. Pete. We did a lot of testing, but it’s different than racing. I love competition, so it’ll be good to be on track with other drivers. Obviously, we’re aiming for victories, but most important goal will be to score big points in the championship. It will be an amazing feeling to see the first green flag of the year at St. Pete.”

Dakota Dickerson, USF2000 No. 18 with Afterburner Autosport
The 19-year-old resident of San Diego earned his Mazda scholarship by winning the Skip Barber Shootout last winter. He also earned the prestigious Team U.S.A. scholarship last season, which provided him a trip to England to compete in the Formula Ford Festival (where he finished fifth) and the Walter Hayes Trophy. Dickerson has also won sports car races in a Mazda Spec Miata.

“Getting acclimated to the car is the biggest difference,” said Dickerson, about moving up to the USF2000 category. “The days of testing I’ve done in the off-season with Afterburner have been pretty helpful, but there’s still more speed to find. To race on a street circuit – especially with IndyCar – is going to be a new experience and I’m going to try to take it all in. It’s a different type of atmosphere and racing that we’ll try our best to be prepared for.”

Urrutia, Jamin and Dickerson will attend Thursday’s media luncheon in St. Pete and will be available for interviews.

Immerse yourself in all of the #MRTI action by following @MazdaRacing on Twitter, @MazdaMotorsports on Instagram and on Facebook at MazdaMotorsports. Each Mazda Road to Indy practice, qualifying and race can be seen live all season on the homepage of each series and with the Road to Indy mobile app.

Mazda Motorsports
Mazda Motorsports boasts the most comprehensive auto racing development ladder system of any auto manufacturer in the world. The Mazda Road to 24 program offers a number of scholarships to advance drivers up the sports car racing ladder which culminates in the Mazda Prototype team that races in the top level of IMSA sports car racing in North America. The Mazda Road to Indy is a similar system in open-wheel racing, which includes USF2000, Pro Mazda and Indy Lights racing categories with Mazda power. The new MX-5 Cup car makes its debut in 2016, with affordable, turnkey race cars. In the grassroots categories, more Mazdas road race on any given weekend in North America than any other manufacturer. Since 2000, Mazda has been the title sponsor of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, a race track operated as a non-profit organization in support of local charities and civic organizations.

Mazda North American Operations is headquartered in Irvine, Calif., and oversees the sales, marketing, parts and customer service support of Mazda vehicles in the United States and Mexico through nearly 700 dealers. Operations in Mexico are managed by Mazda Motor de Mexico in Mexico City. For more information on Mazda vehicles, including photography and B-roll, please visit the online Mazda media center at www.mazdausamedia.com. Motorsports information can be found at MazdaMotorsports.com.