Toronto is the next stop for the Mazda Road to Indy development ladder as all three series -- Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires, the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires and the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda -- will hold two races this weekend on the 1.755-mile street circuit at Exhibition Place.

Three Canadians ready to challenge Pro Mazda points leaders

Drivers from eight different countries are set to do battle in the ninth and 10th rounds of the 16-race Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires.

Uruguayan rookie Santi Urrutia (Team Pelfrey) and second-year American Neil Alberico (Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing) lead the pack, separated by eight points heading into the Cooper Tires Grand Prix of Toronto, but among their challengers will be three Canadians who are all capable of winning.

Garett Grist, 20, from Grimsby, Ontario, won two races last year but is still seeking his first victory in 2015 after joining the defending champion team, Juncos Racing. Dalton Kellett (Andretti Autosport) also hails from the Toronto area, Stouffville, and, after recently completing his studies at Queen's University in Kingston, with an Engineering Physics degree is keen to build upon the promise of a front-row qualifying position in the most recent race at Lucas Oil Raceway.

The third Canadian is rookie Daniel Burkett (Cape Motorsports), from Winnipeg, Manitoba, who already has a podium finish to his name after stepping up this year from USF2000.

Weiron Tan (Andretti Autosport) and Timothé Buret (Juncos Racing) also are among a strong rookie contingent, and currently hold third and fourth positions in the standings. Florian Latorre (Cape Motorsports) also should be a contender after claiming two poles and one race win last year in Toronto en route to the USF2000 championship title and a MAZDASPEED scholarship.

Jamin on a roll in USF2000

Nico Jamin has every intention of becoming the second Frenchman in as many years to win the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda and a MAZDASPEED scholarship to ensure graduation to Pro Mazda for 2016.

The 19-year-old from Rouen, France, had begun to distance himself from the pack on the heels of three consecutive wins for Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing.

Last time out, though, on the Lucas Oil Raceway oval, Jamin had to give best to Jake Eidson, who scored his third victory of the season for Pabst Racing. Eidson, 20, from Littleton, Colo., has fond memories of Toronto after earning his first USF2000 win there one year ago.

Aaron Telitz, from Birchwood, Wis., remains in the thick of the championship fight, only 30 points behind Jamin, his Cape Motorsports teammate, and also has experience on the Exhibition Place circuit after claiming a podium finish in 2014.

Best-placed rookie after nine rounds of the 16-race season is Indianapolis-based Australian Anthony Martin, who lies fourth in the standings and is riding a streak of six top-five finishes for John Cummiskey Racing. Other first-year drivers who have impressed include Canadian karting standout Parker Thompson, from Red Deer, Alberta, who has made solid progress with JDC MotorSports under the tutelage of 2004 Indianapolis 500 winner Buddy Rice.

Piquet to make Indy Lights debut

Second-year Indy Lights competitor Jack Harvey has moved to the top of the standings on the heels of two wins from the last three races for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports with Curb-Agajanian.

While Max Chilton is racing this weekend in the Le Mans 24 Hours, his seat will be filled by fellow ex-F1 racer Nelson Piquet Jr.

"I've been competing in a broad range of racing over the past few years and this will be another new experience for me," said Piquet, 29. "I love open-wheel racing but haven't yet tried it in a U.S. based series, so Toronto is going to be interesting. I can't wait to get in the car and see what we can do."

Spencer Pigot from Orlando, Fla., holds third place in the championship, having dominated both races at Barber Motorsports Park, and is looking to rebound after a difficult month of May.

Other contenders will include teenagers R.C. Enerson (Schmidt Peterson) and Kyle Kaiser (Juncos Racing), plus another ex-European Formula 3 racer, Felix Serralles, who drives for the defending series champion team, Belardi Auto Racing.