By alley - Mar 5, 2018, 3:11 PM ET

Mazda Road to Indy prepares to launch

A mix of seasoned veterans and fresh young faces will gather in St. Petersburg, Fla., on March 9-11, all intent on claiming a Mazda Motorsports scholarship to move to the next rung on the Mazda Road to Indy. They all hope to follow in the footsteps of Spencer Pigot and 2018 Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires champion Kyle Kaiser to the Verizon IndyCar Series.

"It feels just like yesterday we were at Watkins Glen crowning three incredible Mazda Road to Indy champions and putting the cap on a spectacular 2017 MRTI season," says Kyle Kimball, Mazda Motorsports Operations Manager. "However, as exciting as that weekend was, nothing beats the anticipation and promise that a new season brings."

Several of those drivers that will be at St. Pete are already Mazda scholarship winners. Victor Franzoni moves to Indy Lights on the strength of winning the 2017 Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires. He'll run with Juncos Racing, the team that he joined at the last minute for Pro Mazda last season.