At least logistically, opening weekend of the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires season is a bonus for Team Pelfrey.

The team’s new headquarters in Palmetto, Fla., is a short distance from the St. Petersburg venue that will host all three Mazda Rod to Indy series March 28-30. Pro Mazda and the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Presented by Mazda each have two races on the 1.8-mile, 14-turn temporary street circuit. Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires opens its season March 30 with a 45-lap race.

Team Pelfrey has undergone changes in the offseason as it seeks to recapture the form that enabled Jack Hawksworth to dominate the 2012 Pro Mazda championship with eight wins and 11 pole positions. After moving up to Indy Lights in 2013, Hawksworth has graduated to the Verizon IndyCar Series with Bryan Herta Autosport.

Luis Felipe Derani of Sao Paulo, Brazil, Dalton Kellett of Stouffville, Ontario, and Brandon Newey of Indianapolis will drive for Team Pelfrey.

Derani, 20, is making the move to North America after achieving success in Formula 3 in Europe during recent seasons, while both Kellett, 20, and Newey, 21, step up from the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda.

“Our recent testing has been very encouraging as we found some fundamental problems with components on the cars that, when corrected, produced a significant increase in performance,” team manager Nigel Tuckey said. “Obviously, having made these discoveries, we are excited to get back on track to not only see how we stack up against our competitors at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg but also as it is always extra-special to perform in front of our hometown fans who have been so supportive of our team and drivers.”

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