Sixteen-year-old Patricio “Pato” O’Ward arrived on the Mazda Road to Indy scene this season with a poise and realistic outlook not often seen from a driver his age. But then again, O’Ward, who finished sixth in this year’s Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires, has managed his share of hurdles along the way.

To win at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a career highlight for all race car drivers. For Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires driver Will Owen, earning his first Mazda Road to Indy victory last year at the Indianapolis Grand Prix was just the next step in a journey that he hopes eventually will take him to the Verizon IndyCar Series.

Scholarship prizes and awards totaling more than $2.3 million were distributed during last night’s Championship Celebration banquet at the Monterey Plaza Hotel following another hugely successful Mazda Road to Indy season which concluded this past weekend at nearby Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Just shy of 300 people attended the banquet including more than 30 drivers representing 12 nations from around the globe

Canadian Garett Grist secured a weekend sweep at Mazda Raceway, propelling Grist from sixth to third in the title chase and allowing his Juncos Racing team to clinch the coveted Team Championship in style

Garett Grist scored an accomplished victory for Juncos Racing but a second-place finish for Team Pelfrey’s Santiago “Santi” Urrutia was enough to clinch the title