Pabst Racing announced Jan. 20 that 17-year-old Yufeng Luo will return for his second season with the team in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda.
Luo was born in Beijing, China and lives in Arcadia, Calif., will drive the No. 23 Pabst Racing USF2000 car for the 16-race season, alongside teammate Garth Rickards. The team is hoping to secure a third driver for 2016.
“My hope for the second season with Pabst Racing is to grab the championship,” Luo said.
Luo finished eighth in the standings and scored three top-five and eight top-10 finishes in the USF2000 Championship as a rookie in 2015. After a strong first year, he looks to improve his performance in year two.
In addition to running the 2015 USF2000 Championship, Pabst Racing and Luo won the Formula Continental National Championship at the SCCA Runoffs in September at Daytona International Speedway.
Filgueiras, Spencer Racing join USF2000 National Class
Eric Filgueiras and Spencer Racing will step up to the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda National Class for a full season campaign in 2016.
Filgueiras and the team, which announced their plans on Jan. 19, had a successful professional racing debut in the SCCA Pro F2000 Championship in 2015 where the 21-year-old Florida native racked up five top-three, 10 top-five and 13 top-10 finishes en route to a second place in the point standings.
"I’m extremely excited to be back with Spencer Racing," Filgueiras said. “This team is my home. After such a great season last year we decided collectively after many discussions and weighing different options that it made the most sense to join the USF2000 National Class competition. With so much knowledge gained last year, we’re taking our experience into this series and will be expecting to fight for the championship in our class.”
In addition, the team also announced an association with Verizon IndyCar Series team KV Racing Technology and team owner Jimmy Vasser with support on the technical side of the team’s at-track operations.
“Jimmy has been my hero since I was a child and someone I’ve looked up to my entire life,” Filgueiras said. “To be associated with him and his team is a dream come true and I can’t wait to learn everything I possibly can from their entire organization.”
Date change for races at Lucas Oil Raceway Park
The three Mazda Road to Indy series will all race in Indianapolis on May 27.
In addition to the Freedom 100 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway as part of Miller Lite Carb Day, the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda and Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires races will now race on May 27 at Lucas Oil Raceway Park.
More times and event details will follow at a later date.