Australian rookie Lochie Hughes romped to a conclusive victory in this afternoon’s Cooper Tires Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, the opening round of the new USF2000 Presented by Cooper Tires season.

Andersen Promotions today announced a new partnership with Discount Tire, a leading independent retailer of tires and wheels, as the Official Tire Retailer of USF Pro Championships Presented by Cooper Tires.

A new North American open-wheel racing season is set to begin this coming weekend with the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg hosting the top two levels of the USF Pro Championships Presented by Cooper Tires driver development ladder in conjunction with the first round of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES.

All three levels of the newly rebranded USF Pro Championships Presented by Cooper Tires open-wheel racing development ladder will descend upon the 3.27-mile Sebring International Raceway road course next Monday and Tuesday, February 27/28, for its annual Spring Training.

USF Pro Championships TV (formerly Road to Indy TV) is debuting a new weekly pre-season show entitled “In The Making with Emilee Smarr” which showcases the development of professional athletes.