Star Mazda
| Category | Open Wheel Racing |
|---|---|
| Country | International |
| Inaugural season | 1991 |
| Drivers | 32 |
| Teams | 29 |
| Constructors | Star Race Cars |
| Engine suppliers | Mazda Renesis |
| Tire suppliers | Cooper |
| Drivers' champion |
 Aaron Telitz
|
| Teams' champion |
Juncos Racing
|
| Official website | ProMazda.com |
 Current season
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The Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires debuted as a new series in 2013, replacing the Star Mazda Championship which ceased operation in 2012 after 22 years. The series is sanctioned by INDYCAR and owned and operated by Andersen Promotions. It is the second official step on the Mazda Road to Indy ladder system bridging the gap between the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda and Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires. The series' champion is awarded a scholarship package from Mazda to advance to Indy Lights competition the following year. Cooper Tires Pro Mazda competes on all open-wheel disciplines: road courses, street courses, and ovals. The series' primary sponsors are Mazda and Cooper Tire and the cars, while purpose built for the track with carbon fiber monocoques, are powered by 260 horsepower Mazda 'Renesis' rotary engines. A new chassis will be introduced in 2018. The PM-18 will use the USF-17 chassis - to be introduced in 2017 - as the base car to help control the operational costs for teams who wish to move up. The USF-17 is a full carbon monocoque chassis built to the latest FIA F3 test specifications with additional safety features to meet the specific needs of racing in the United States.
The series is the second rung of the Mazda Road to Indy and is sanction by IndyCar. In December 2012, series founder Gary Rodriguez announced that the series had been sold to Dan Andersen's Andersen Promotions (which already sanctioned the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda) and would be renamed the Pro Mazda Championship. Andersen previously owned a multi-car Star Mazda team, Andersen Racing. Its IndyCar sanctioning and place in the Road to Indy remain unchanged.
In the past, the series had six geographic divisions, each of which held their own championship. In the late 1990s a single national series emerged as the primary venue for the cars. The series has gradually risen in importance on the American open wheel racing landscape as other comparable series such as the Barber Dodge Pro Series, Formula BMW Americas and Formula TR 2000 Pro Series ceased operating. In the mid-2000s the series formed a relationship with the Skip Barber National Championship and in 2010 Star Mazda became a part of the Mazda Road to Indy program, between USF2000 and Indy Lights. Through the Mazda Road to Indy program, the Pro Mazda champion receives funding to compete in Indy Lights the following year.
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