RACER: Marshall Pruett with John Doonan on 2016 MRTI launch

Mazda's Road to Indy ladder system is set for another outstanding season of open-wheel competition. The three-tier training program provides aspiring drivers a chance to start in the USF2000 series, move upward to Pro Mazda, climb to Indy Lights, and ultimately, the Verizon IndyCar Series.

Champions in USF2000 earn graduation packages that pay for a free season the following year in Pro Mazda, and Pro Mazda champs receive a free season in Indy Lights. And for the Lights champion, a partial season of IndyCar, including the Indy 500, is awarded, making the Mazda Road to Indy the most lucrative ladder system of its kind.

With the three series adding six races this weekend's Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, Mazda Motorsports director John Doonan (RIGHT) was beaming with pride as he spoke to the size and impact the Mazda Road to Indy has on display to open the 2016 season.

"All of us at Mazda are thrilled with the Mazda Road to Indy and how it has progressed," he told RACER. "54 cars here among the three series. The tried and true MZR, two-liter [engine] in the USF2000 championship. Brand icon with the Renesis Rotary [engine] in Pro Mazda. And now the second season for the new Indy Lights car with our MZR-R, two-liter powerplant that we've developed with AER.

"Thrilled with the car counts. Even more so, thrilled with the personalities that we've seen come out among the drivers. 54 drivers, 24 Americans, but 17 countries represented. So [it's a] really fantastic opportunity the drivers around the world have identified as a way to grow their career thanks to [Mazda's] support."

2015 Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires champion Spencer Pigot is at St. Pete this weekend making his IndyCar debut as a result of the Mazda Road to Indy graduation prize.

"I had someone say to me earlier it's like when one of your kids go off to college," Doonan continued. "For Mazda, we do care about the industry; that is why we established this program nine years ago – the scholarship programs that have evolved over the years into the Mazda Road to Indy and the Mazda Road to 24. To see Spencer Pigot, who has won at all levels, finally get his IndyCar debut at St. Petersburg; he's originally from Florida so this is a little bit of that race for him.

Doonan is also moved by the number of Mazda graduates who fill the Indy 500 grid.

"To know that 23 of the 33 drivers last year in the Indianapolis 500 at some point were in a Mazda Road to Indy series over the course of their career...who knows what the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 [in May] will bring in terms of those numbers?" he said. "I think it is validation for the investment. It's validation that these young drivers who want to see their career evolve to the very top of the sport now have a very clear opportunity. The message is out and I think you are seeing that in the car accounts across the whole platform."

The USF2000 and Pro Mazda cars will soon be replaced by a new chassis from Tatuus, which follows the recent upgrade to a brand-new Dallara IL15 chassis in the Indy Lights series.

"Back at the Performance Racing Industry show in December we announced that for 2017 there would be new a platform for the USF2000 championship, and that is the Tatuus chassis with the tried and true MZR powerplant, the two-liter production-based engine that has been so reliable in the USF2000 cars," Doonan said. "And I think the teams are presented with a terrific value equation [with] that chassis because it would also be eligible for the Pro Mazda championship in 2018. Same chassis, slightly different powerplants are planned, but all along, it's about Mazda reliability and durability for these drivers as they develop their careers."

With the Mazda Road to Indy going from strength to strength, Doonan expects the program to continue building future IndyCar and Indy 500 champions.

"It comes down to driving for them," he added. "Certainly, our advertising slogans lately have been all about driving because that is what our brand stands for – producing vehicles that are fun to drive. And certainly, you see a lot of smiles among the drivers here this weekend."