Florida-born, third-generation racer Matthew Brabham put down a marker by besting a huge, 36-car field and winning this afternoon’s opening round of the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda at Sebring International Raceway.

Interest in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda, the first step on the Mazda Road to Indy ladder, has skyrocketed over the winter, such that a high-quality field of 35 entries is poised to take the green flag in the opening rounds of the 14-race championship.

Feature article on Michael Johnson by Kyle Austin of MLive.com

The Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda is adding to its growing list of season-ending prizes with the new PEAK Performance Award.

Mazda has teamed up with ESPN International for coverage of USF2000 and Star Mazda in 2012.