The top two rungs on the Mazda Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires open-wheel development ladder will end a one-month hiatus this weekend when they return to action at Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds, Ala. The scenic and challenging 2.3-mile, 17-turn road course will play host to a pair of races each for Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires and the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires in support of the Verizon IndyCar Series headline event.

The Dutch prodigy remained unflustered after a miscue at the initial start which caused his Juncos Racing Tatuus-Mazda PM-18 to be shuffled back in the pack after having claimed the pole position during qualifying yesterday morning

Teenager Rinus VeeKay faced plenty of challenges prior to the opening round of the new Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires, but he put all that behind him this afternoon as he swept to an impressive victory for Juncos Racing in the first of two races which will comprise the Pro Mazda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg Presented by Allied Building Products.

Cooper Tire and Mazda continue their efforts to assist young drivers in developing their brand and message with platforms that include the Mazda Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires Hashtag Program, which rewards drivers and teams for utilizing the #MRTI and #TeamCooperTire hashtags on Twitter and Instagram.

Fans attending the St. Petersburg Grand Prix this weekend will be given a unique opportunity to test their skills against some of the biggest names in the sport as well as rising stars in the Mazda Road to Indy “Beat the Pros Challenge” presented by Andersen RacePark to benefit Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital.