Sage Karam, the third-place finisher in the 2012 Pro Mazda (formerly Star Mazda) Championship, will drive in the 2013 Firestone Indy Lights Series for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports (SPM).

As he bids to make it back-to-back crowns across the other side of the Atlantic this year, Jack Hawksworth has received a timely pre-season boost with the venerable British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) elevating him within its ranks from the status of Rising Star to SuperStar.

Matthew Brabham was disappointed to finish third in yesterday’s opening round of the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires at the Circuit of The Americas, especially after setting the pace consistently during pre-season testing. Last year’s winner of the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda more than made amends in this afternoon’s Round 2, run over 12 laps on the 20-turn, 3.41-mile road course, sweeping from third to first at the drop of the green flag and never being seriously challenged.

Diego Ferreira had displayed dramatic improvement during his rookie season in 2012, and the youngster from Maracay, Venezuela, clearly demonstrated he had continued on that upward curve over the winter as he came out of the blocks to score a fine first-ever victory in today’s opening round of the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires at Circuit of The Americas.

The 2013 Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires will commence with a pair of eagerly awaited races at the Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas, on Friday and Saturday, March 1/2, in support of the GRAND-AM of The Americas presented by GAINSCO and TOTAL.