2017 Pro Mazda Championship
# 2017 Pro Mazda Championship

The 2017 Pro Mazda Championship was the 19th season in series history. A 12-race schedule was announced in September 2016.

This was the final season using the Star chassis and Mazda rotary engine combination. In 2018, the Tatuus-designed PM18 chassis would be the specified car, mated to a Mazda MZR piston engine.

Brazilian Victor Franzoni, who secured his ride in Pro Mazda with Juncos Racing the week before the season started, prevailed in a season-long back-and-forth championship battle with 2016 U.S. F2000 National Championship winner Anthony Martin. Franzoni held a small lead heading into the series' final double-header at Watkins Glen International. Franzoni won both races to clinch the championship. Franzoni finished first or second in every race and finished with seven wins from six poles. Martin won five races from six poles. Carlos Cunha captured podium finishes in the last five races (for six total) to capture third in the championship ahead of TJ Fischer who finished on the podium in the first four races but faded down the stretch. Every race was won by either Franzoni or Martin and every pole but one was captured by them, with Cunha sitting on the pole for the first race at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

The less-expensive National Class was more hotly contested than usual on an individual race basis, with some races seeing as many as five entries. However, only one driver Brendan Puderbach contested all twelve rounds of the championship and by virtue of that captured the National Class title. Bob Kaminsky captured a class-best five class wins and finished second in the championship.

## Drivers and teams

| Team | No. | Drivers | Rounds |
| - | - | - | - |
| ArmsUp Motorsports | 3 | Matt Machiko | 3–4, 11–12 |
| ArmsUp Motorsports | 6 | Max Hanratty | 1–2, 5–9 |
| Cape Motorsports | 8 | Anthony Martin | All |
| FatBoy Racing | 3 | Matt Machiko | 1–2 |
| FatBoy Racing | 31 | Brendan Puderbach (N) | All |
| FatBoy Racing | 83 | Charles Finelli (N) | 1–6, 11–12 |
| JDC MotorSports | 12 | Kris Wright | 5–9, 11–12 |
| Juncos Racing | 23 | Victor Franzoni | All |
| Juncos Racing | 60 | Jeff Green | All |
| Kaminsky Racing | 57 | Bob Kaminsky (N) | 3–9 |
| Kevin Davis Racing | 44 | Kevin Davis (N) | 1–4 |
| Team Pelfrey | 80 | Nikita Lastochkin | All |
| Team Pelfrey | 81 | Carlos Cunha | All |
| Team Pelfrey | 82 | TJ Fischer | All |
| Team Pelfrey | 84 | Robert Megennis | 11–12 |
| Unfair Advantage Motorsports | 2 | Dave Zavelson (N) | 5–9 |
| Unfair Advantage Motorsports | 5 | Kevin Bury (N) | 5–9 |
| World Speed Motorsports | 2 | Steven Ford (N) | 3–4 |
| World Speed Motorsports | 13 | Bobby Eberle | All |
| World Speed Motorsports | 14 | Sting Ray Robb | All |
| World Speed Motorsports | 15 | Phillippe Denes | 1–4 |
| Icon | Class |
| (N) | National Class |

## Race calendar and results

| Rnd | Circuit | Location | Date | Pole position | Fastest lap | Most laps led | Winning driver | Winning team |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Streets of St. Petersburg | St. Petersburg, Florida | March 11 | Anthony Martin | Anthony Martin | Anthony Martin | Anthony Martin | Cape Motorsports |
| 2 | Streets of St. Petersburg | St. Petersburg, Florida | March 12 | Anthony Martin | Anthony Martin | Anthony Martin | Anthony Martin | Cape Motorsports |
| 3 | Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course | Speedway, Indiana | May 12 | Victor Franzoni | Victor Franzoni | Victor Franzoni | Victor Franzoni | Juncos Racing |
| 4 | Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course | Speedway, Indiana | May 13 | Victor Franzoni | Victor Franzoni | Victor Franzoni | Victor Franzoni | Juncos Racing |
| 5 | Grand Prix of Road America | Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin | June 25 | Victor Franzoni | Victor Franzoni | Victor Franzoni | Victor Franzoni | Juncos Racing |
| 6 | Grand Prix of Road America | Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin | June 26 | Anthony Martin | TJ Fischer | Anthony Martin | Anthony Martin | Cape Motorsports |
| 7 | Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course | Lexington, Ohio | July 28 | Carlos Cunha | Victor Franzoni | Anthony Martin | Anthony Martin | Cape Motorsports |
| 8 | Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course | Lexington, Ohio | July 29 | Anthony Martin | Anthony Martin | Anthony Martin | Victor Franzoni | Juncos Racing |
| 9 | Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course | Lexington, Ohio | July 30 | Anthony Martin | Anthony Martin | Anthony Martin | Anthony Martin | Cape Motorsports |
| 10 | Gateway Motorsports Park | Madison, Illinois | August 25 | Anthony Martin | Victor Franzoni | Victor Franzoni | Victor Franzoni | Juncos Racing |
| 11 | Watkins Glen International | Watkins Glen, New York | September 2 | Victor Franzoni | Victor Franzoni | Anthony Martin | Victor Franzoni | Juncos Racing |
| 12 | Watkins Glen International | Watkins Glen, New York | September 3 | Victor Franzoni | Carlos Cunha | Victor Franzoni | Victor Franzoni | Juncos Racing |

## Championship standings

### Drivers' Championship

| Pos | Driver | STP | STP | IMS | IMS | ROA | ROA | MOH | MOH | MOH | GMP | WGL | WGL | Points |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Championship class |||||||||||||||
| 1 | Victor Franzoni | 2 | 2 | 1* | 1* | 1* | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1* | 1* | 1* | 351 |
| 2 | Anthony Martin | 1* | 1* | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1* | 1* | 2* | 1* | 2 | 2 | 3 | 333 |
| 3 | Carlos Cunha | 4 | 12 | 4 | 3 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 237 |
| 4 | TJ Fischer | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 15 | 12 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 10 | 5 | 224 |
| 5 | Nikita Lastochkin | 5 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 13 | 4 | 203 |
| 6 | Sting Ray Robb | 7 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 10 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 185 |
| 7 | Bobby Eberle | 10 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 9 | 11 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 157 |
| 8 | Jeff Green | 13 | 9 | 10 | 13 | 6 | 5 | 13 | 13 | 10 | 5 | 11 | 10 | 151 |
| 9 | Max Hanratty | 8 | 6 | | | 5 | 15 | 6 | 10 | 8 | | | | 97 |
| 10 | Kris Wright | | | | | 13 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 11 | | 5 | 8 | 95 |
| 11 | Matt Machiko | 9 | 13 | 11 | 9 | | | | | | | 6 | 7 | 74 |
| 12 | Phillippe Denes | 6 | 7 | 5 | 6 | | | | | | | | | 61 |
| 13 | Robert Megennis | | | | | | | | | | | 12 | DNS | 21 |
| National class |||||||||||||||
| 1 | Brendan Puderbach | 12 | 14 | DNS | 11 | 10 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 8 | 8 | DNS | 187 |
| 2 | Bob Kaminsky | | | 9 | 14 | 7 | 13 | 8 | 7 | 9 | | | | 134 |
| 3 | Charles Finelli | 14 | 10 | 14 | DNS | 12 | 8 | | | | | 9 | DNS | 115 |
| 4 | Dave Zavelson | | | | | 11 | 7 | 11 | 9 | 12 | | | | 91 |
| 5 | Kevin Davis | 11 | 11 | 12 | 10 | | | | | | | | | 80 |
| 6 | Kevin Bury | | | | | 14 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 14 | | | | 64 |
| 7 | Steven Ford | | | 13 | 12 | | | | | | | | | 30 |
| Pos | Driver | STP | STP | IMS | IMS | ROA | ROA | MOH | MOH | MOH | GMP | WGL | WGL | Points |
| Color | Result |
| Gold | Winner |
| Silver | 2nd place |
| Bronze | 3rd place |
| Green | 4th & 5th place |
| Light Blue | 6th–10th place |
| Dark Blue | Finished (Outside Top 10) |
| Purple | Did not finish |
| Red | Did not qualify (DNQ) |
| Brown | Withdrawn (Wth) |
| Black | Disqualified (DSQ) |
| White | Did not start (DNS) |
| Blank | Did not participate |

In-line notation :

| Bold | Pole position (1 point) |
| - | - |
| Italics | Ran fastest race lap (1 point) |
| * | Led most race laps (1 point) Not awarded if more than one driver leads most laps |
| Rookie ||

### Teams' championship

| Pos | Team | Points |
| - | - | - |
| 1 | Team Pelfrey | 381 |
| 2 | Juncos Racing | 372 |
| 3 | World Speed Motorsports | 267 |
