A thrilling 30-minute qualifying session for Round Three of the Cooper Tires Presents the USF2000 National Championship Powered by Mazda ended with 17-year-old MAZDASPEED Development driver Spencer Pigot turning a last-gasp lap at 1:13.955 (an average speed of 87.621 mph) to edge Colombian-born, Mexico City-based Juan Piedrahita by a scant 0.002 seconds.

Just one week after emerging victorious from a thrilling race at the famed Sebring International Raceway road course, young Australian Luke Ellery this weekend will defend his hard-earned lead in the Cooper Tires Presents the USF2000 National Championship Powered by Mazda on the tight and unforgiving 1.8-mile street circuit in St. Petersburg, Fla.

In a race filled with non-stop action and a constant battle for the lead, 22-year-old Luke Ellery emerged victorious at Sebring International Raceway this afternoon capturing his first win in the Cooper Tires Presents the USF2000 National Championship Powered by Mazda.

The 2011 Cooper Tires Presents the USF2000 National Championship Powered by Mazda season kicks off in style this week with a top-quality field set to do battle over two races in support of the 59th Annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, the opening round of the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón.

INDIANAPOLIS (Monday, March 7, 2010) - Grassroots racing stars with an eye on the IZOD IndyCar Series have a new way of jumping on the Mazda Road to Indy ladder. INDYCAR announced today that it will host the first Mazda Road to Indy Scouting Combine this fall with the winner having a chance to race in the Cooper Tires presents the USF2000 National Championship in 2012.