USF2000 Championship Testimonials

• Alex Barron

  “The USF2000 series was exciting and very professionally run. It gave me experience working with wings to create downforce, using dampers, and many other tools to set up a real formula car. This was all new to me, coming from karting. It was wheel-to-wheel racing every weekend, with a high level of competition."
  
  Alex Barron
  (Won the Atlantic championship in 1997, drove in Champ Car and IndyCar. Co-Rookie of the Year at the 2002 Indy 500; has five Indy 500 starts. Won two IndyCar Series races. Also competes in endurance sports cars.)

• Randy Bernard

  “USF2000 is a very important tool for INDYCAR. We can take and build our new stars starting with the USF2000 and take them all the way up to the IZOD IndyCar Series and know that we are building stars for the future. It is so important to see what USF2000 does. To see what they started with this year at St. Petersburg, to see them have 35 drivers of which 30 plus were American drivers. This is so important to build our sport and to make sure that we are giving every opportunity for the best young drivers in the world, not only Americans but in the world, to come over here and to compete in open-wheel racing. As long as we can continue to keep this series growing on the top side and we have USF2000 to help us on the bottom side, I can promise you that you will see our sport grow tremendously.”
  
  

  Randy Bernard

  Former CEO of INDYCAR

  
  

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• Jonathan Bomarito

  “I won the 2003 Zetec F2000 championship with PR1 Motorsports, and I think a F2000 car is an amazing ladder car. It definitely helped me in my career. It's advanced enough to train you for what you'll face in the future. It has enough downforce, it runs on a good tire, and it handles well. It's always a very competitive series, and you learn how to communicate better with your engineers and mechanics. It made my transition to the next level seamless. Having the USF2000 Series as part of the MAZDASPEED Motorsports program makes it even better.”
  
  Jonathan Bomarito
  (2003 Zetec F2000 Champion; runnerup in 2008 Atlantic championship and 2010 Rolex 24 GT Champion in SpeedSource Mazda RX-8.)

• Nicholas Cape

  “We run in Dan’s [USF2000] series because we feel it is the best series out there. It is the most important one on the ladder for training young drivers and getting them where they need to be to move up.”
  
  Nicholas Cape
  

  (Team Owner alongside Dominic Cape of Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing, 2011 and 2012 USF2000 Driver and Team Champions)

  
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• Duncan Dayton

  “The USF2000 series was the premier, introductory, open-wheel feeder series in America. It provided an excellent platform for young drivers to develop their racecraft and chassis-engineering abilities. The skills I learned in F2000 served me well throughout my driving career and I view F2000 as an integral rung in the driver-development ladder.”
  
  Duncan Dayton 
  (Raced endurance sports cars before developing his team, Patron Highcroft Racing, to compete in the ALMS. Continues to race vintage cars.)

• John Doonan

  “The Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda is the next rung on the Mazda Road to Indy for drivers coming out of karting and the Skip Barber Winter or Summer Series. The series is the first opportunity for many of these young drivers to work on suspension tuning for the first time, a little bit more technical race car, work with a race engineer, work with a professional team with some of the mechanics and crew members having INDYCAR and high-level sports car experience. This is really a first chance for these drivers to be part of a professional race team. For Mazda, the engine behind the drivers is our 2.0-liter MZR engine. The engine is most popularly known as the engine in our MX-5 Miata, our Mazda3 and several of our other products. I am proud to say that over three seasons of USF2000 Championship racing, we have not had a single engine failure so it gives the drivers the confidence to know that when they get in the car, they can work on their driving, work on their feedback and engineering skills with their engineers to develop their skills and to climb up to Star Mazda, to the Indy Lights championship and ultimately, the IZOD IndyCar Series where many drivers have come through the USF2000 format. So, if anyone is looking forward to growing their career on the Mazda Road to Indy, the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda is absolutely the place to be.”
  
  

  John Doonan

  Director of Motorsports, Mazda North American Operations

  
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• Neil Enerson

  “My son RC Enerson, who is 15-years-old, started in the National Class of the [2012] Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship running with ZSports with Team E Racing and we couldn’t be happier. I would recommend, as my son did, people moving up through karting would go to a 2-liter school and get some skills and come to the National Class of USF2000 for the experience. You will truly get to run with the best drivers that are moving up through the Mazda Road to Indy, and RC will be running next year in the Championship Class after the great experience that he has got running with these people that are going to be moving up, the top drivers in USF2000. We are thrilled to be here. It is the best run series that I have been involved in.” 
  
  

  Neil Enerson

  (Owner of Team E Racing, a Firestone Indy Lights team founded in 2008, and father of USF2000 driver RC Enerson)

  
  

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• A.J. Foyt

  "The USF2000 series was a lot of fun. The people were real nice to work with, and I thought they took good care of Larry [Foyt] when he ran there."
  
  A.J. Foyt
  (Racing legend; only driver to win the Indy 500 [which he won four times], the Daytona 500, the 24 Hours of Daytona, the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 12 Hours of Sebring. Currently a team owner through A.J. Foyt Enterprises.)

• Larry Foyt

  "I am glad to see these cars getting back on the national scene. They are a great learning ground for car control, and can be raced on a very reasonable budget. I'm sure with Dan Andersen's experience, this will be a great step in a driver's path to the IndyCar Series."
  
  Larry Foyt
  (Competed in three Indianapolis 500s and the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Busch [Nationwide] and Truck series before assuming his current position of team director at A.J. Foyt Racing.)

• Memo Gidley

  “The USF2000 series was an unbelievable training ground for me. The huge fields and the competition level really pushed me to get the most out of myself. The cars were light, fast, responsive and the wheel-to-wheel racing was sensational. The F2000 cars were also very sensitive to mechanical changes and this drove me to learn as much as possible about the mechanical aspects of these cars and race cars in general. At that time we never had a field below 40 cars...with the most being 60 cars! Even with all those cars, the races and weekends ran smooth which is a real testament to Dan Andersen and his staff. Not to mention, Dan and all the people working the series seemed to be involved for the right reasons, to help and support the racers. They all had the passion for racing which made the series fun and a great place to be around. The USF2000 Series was a very valuable training ground that helped me launch my career in racing and I'm very glad I was able to do it."
  
  Memo Gidley 
  (Made 38 Champ Car starts from 1999 through 2004 for various teams, finishing on the podium three times. Currently drives Daytona Prototypes in the Grand Am Rolex Series.)

• Jim Guthrie

  “It's about time! The USF2000 series gave many of us 'retro' guys our start in professional racing. I can't think of a better man to run the new USF2000 series! Dan Andersen is an honest, hard-working, stand-up guy who loves racing and trying to grow the sport. He made an impression on so many professional racers, and we are indebted to him.”
  
  Jim Guthrie 
  (IndyCar winner [Phoenix, 1997]; 1997 Indy Racing League Rookie of the Year; three-time Indy 500 starter; Firestone Indy Lights team owner.)

• Bryan Herta

  “I am really impressed with what the Andersen's have done since reviving USF2000. It's been a great championship. It is really a great entry level series for getting exposure at the same tracks as INDYCAR team owners so I get to watch what the young kids are doing. I think the whole Mazda Road to Indy program and the Mazda support of the series is really key because there is a clear path now - a way not just to advance all the way to IndyCar but to get attention from the right people and to earn your way through on talent and not just on budget. So, good job to USF2000 and we'll be keeping an eye on you guys.”
  
  

  Bryan Herta

  Owner of Indy 500-winning team Bryan Herta Autosport and accomplished driver

  
  

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• J.R. Hildebrand

  “I got my start in U.S. open-wheel racing in the USF2000 Series really before it was part of the Mazda Road to Indy. Now, being sort of the first rung on the ladder, it is a fantastic stepping stone to continue on up the ladder towards racing in IndyCars or sports cars or a variety of other things that are going on here in the U.S. in motorsports. For me, I think winning that championship was really the starting point for me to be a little bit more well-known within the American open-wheel community, and to be able to catapult me up into the next level. At the time, I raced Formula Atlantics and got one of the few sort of truly funded sponsored rides because I won the USF2000 Series that year so it is really a great formula and I think teaches both drivers and teams a lot about what they are going to need to know when they continue moving up the ladder.”

  
  

  J.R. Hildebrand
  (Driver of the #4 National Guard entry for Panther Racing in the IZOD IndyCar Series; 2011 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year; 2009 Firestone Indy Lights Champion; 2006 USF2000 Champion)

  
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• Sam Hornish, Jr.

  "The USF2000 series was where I learned to race cars; before that I had only raced go-karts. I spent three years in the series, and although I had limited success, I learned so much in a short period of time. In the USF2000 series I learned how to race ovals and road courses, and I gained an understanding of shifting, aerodynamics and wings. Participating in the USF2000 series taught me all about racing an open-wheel car and helped prepare me for a successful career in the IndyCar Series."
  
  Sam Hornish Jr.
  (Polesitter and winner of the 2006 Indy 500 and three-time IndyCar Series champion [2001, 2002 and 2006]. Currently drives for Penske Racing in NASCAR Sprint Cup.)

• Sage Karam

  “Looking back on the events that got me here, I think we made all the correct decisions. The USF2000 series prepared me perfectly for the Star Mazda series. The terminology, and understanding of what different changes do to the car, was developed in the USF2000 series. I learned to develop a car and work with a team in USF2000. The amount of information was challenging, but not overwhelming at that level. My first year in Star Mazda was a huge learning curve, but not nearly as large as it would have been if I never did the USF2000 series. I feel I am properly prepared to move up to the Firestone Indy Lights car, because of the Mazda Road to Indy process.”

  
  

  Sage Karam

  (2010 USF2000 Champion, currently competing in the Star Mazda Championship)

  
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• Charlie Kimball

  “My career started in USF2000. What I learned there, I carried through today. It is the first step on the Mazda Road to Indy and it is a great place for drivers to learn – to get the tools they need behind the wheel and in the paddock to be successful at the highest level of motorsports and the Indianapolis 500.”
  
  Charlie Kimball
  (Driver of the #83 Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing entry in the IZOD IndyCar Series; finished third in the 2003 USF2000 Championship)
  

  
  

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• Steve Knapp

  “When I came to the USF2000 series I had already been a champion in Pro road-racing series previously but I had never raced on an oval. I was amazed at what a transition it was from road racing to oval racing. Everything was different. I learned everything that I took with me to Indy from the USF2000 series. The track time on the test days was incredibly valuable. I went from lifting off the throttle in every corner my first time on an oval to running flat out at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway from everything I learned in the USF2000 series.”
  
  Steve Knapp 
  (1998 Indy 500 Rookie of the Year; three-time Indy 500 starter; owner, Elite Engines.)

• Andy Lally

  “The USF2000 series was hands down the best ladder series I’ve ever been a part of. I learned every aspect of car set-up in F2000 and I also learned how to really dogfight on the track. We had a lot of wild races where I learned things on and off the track that I still apply to my racing today and pass on to young up-and-coming drivers.”
  
  Andy Lally
  (2001, 2004 and 2006 Rolex Grand Am champion; 2001 and 2009 Daytona 24-Hour winner; holds the record for the most top-three and top-five finishes in Grand Am Rolex Series history. Currently racing endurance sports cars and stock cars; made his first NASCAR Sprint Cup start in 2009.)

• Robby McGehee

  “The USF2000 series is where I did the majority of my training up the ladder to IndyCar. I went straight into the IRL after a successful third year in USF2000. It was a big horsepower difference, but for all practical purposes the cars were small Indy cars. You learned about wings, shocks, ride height, etc. - all of the things you pay attention to in setting up a formula/Indy car. The series was definitely NOT a gentleman's series; it was young kids trying to race cars professionally. Like several of the European series, it was so competitive, a pass typically consisted of having at least a couple of wheels in the grass. At that stage, everybody wants it really bad. I would go as far as saying that the USF2000 series was the most competitive racing I have ever done. There is not a lot of parity in the cars, unlike some of the bigger series, so the driver plays a huge role.”
  
  Robby McGehee 
  (1999 Indy 500 Rookie of the Year after finishing fifth; has six Indy 500 starts in all.)

• Jason Penix

  “USF2000 is our first official step on the Mazda Road to Indy program. It is the essential training ground and clear path for drivers to make it to the IZOD IndyCar Series. Past graduates include J.R. Hildebrand and Charlie Kimball. They have both used this series to get to the top and they are there today. Now we see almost 30 drivers competing every weekend in the USF2000 that have the same desire to get to IndyCar. The program is fantastic. It is really the essential place for drivers to start. We at INDYCAR love this series and couldn’t be happier with what it is doing. It is a fantastic training ground for our future stars of INDYCAR.”
  
  Jason Penix

  INDYCAR’s Manager of Grassroots Marketing

  
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• Sam Schmidt

  “I was extremely pleased to hear that Dan Andersen and his group were re-establishing the USF2000 series. Under their guidance when I participated in the series, it was clearly THE training ground to get to the top level of open-wheel racing in the United States. Everything they do is first class and directed toward excellent competition on an even playing field. I wish them the utmost success."
  
  Sam Schmidt
  (Three-time Indy 500 starter; won an IndyCar race at Las Vegas in 1999 from the pole before suffering career-ending injuries in testing. Currently owns the most successful team in Firestone Indy Lights history. Also often does one-off Indy 500s as a team owner.)

• Bryan Sellers

  “USF2000 is where I got my start as a driver. I think it is the best place for any young driver to start. The things I have learned in USF2000 from the team I ran with are things that have carried me through my whole entire career. You build a huge baseline in USF2000 that can carry you through the ladder of motorsports and, hopefully, get your end goal.”
  
  Bryan Sellers
  (Driver for Team Falken Motorsports in the American Le Man Series; won the 2012 ALMS Most Popular Driver Award; 2002 USF2000 Champion)
  
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• Chris Simmons

  “I raced USF2000 in 1992 and 1993 and won the championship both years. I found my time there very beneficial both as a driver and now as an engineer. My time there was successful and led to a lot of my success these years engineering Dario in the IndyCar Series and racing myself all the way up through Indy Lights.”
  
  Chris Simmons
  (Multiple championship and Indianapolis 500 winner as engineer of the #10 Target/Chip Ganassi Racing IZOD IndyCar Series entry driven by Dario Franchitti; 1992 and 1993 USF2000 Champion)
  
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• Otmar Szafnauer

  “I can’t think of a better proving ground for young drivers than the USF2000 Series. It taught me the basics of racing and gave me an understanding of motorsport that I continue to draw upon even today. Whether it’s learning about downforce and car set-up or working with engineers, it’s a vital stepping stone on the motorsport ladder and has a proven track record for producing future champions.
  
  "I have fond memories of racing in the series. The grids were always big and competitive, and the championship was run very professionally by Dan Andersen and Mike Foschi. Having been involved in the motorsport industry for most of my professional life, both in the United States and overseas, I can’t think of a better introduction to single-seater racing than the USF2000 Series."
  
  Otmar Szafnauer, Chief Operating Officer for Sahara Force India
  

• Dan Wheldon

  “I very much enjoyed my 1999 USF2000 series run. My participation in the USF2000 series definitely helped develop my racing and was an important step on the path to achieving my dream of winning the Indianapolis 500 and the IndyCar Championship. It was an encouraging time, and proved to be a great career move."
  
  Dan Wheldon 
  (2005 and 2011 Indy 500 Winner; 2005 IndyCar Series Champion; 2006 Daytona 24-Hours Winner; 1999 USF2000 Champion - a true friend of the series and always in our hearts)