IndyCar driver Jay Howard confirmed today that Baltazar Leguizamon of Buenos Aires, Argentina, will compete under his Motorsports Driver Development team in 2018 in the newest SCCA Pro Racing championship, Formula 3 Americas Powered by Honda. MDD is the first team to sign a driver for the new series, making Leguizamon the first competitor to commit to the season.
“Baltazar is a talented young man,” said Howard. “I know under our Motorsports Driver Development program he will be a title contender in the new F3 Americas Championship. It is also an exciting time for the team, expanding to F3 is in line with our company’s vision, continuing to develop our drivers at the next level, keeping continuity and quality to help the drivers progress up the racing ladder to the highest levels of motorsports.”
MDD entered the 2017 season of Formula 4 United States Championship Powered by Honda as a rookie team, fielding five cars with a rotation of eight drivers. MDD finished fifth overall in the team championship.
In 2017, Leguizamon experienced the best season of his United States racing career, finishing ninth overall (out of 48 competitors) in national points. The young
South American scored 12 top-10 finishes which included a win and another podium finish. After the announcement of F3 Americas in October, combined with a successful sophomore season in F4, Leguizamon started formulating his next step in his racing development with his manager Bruce Bohlander.
“I had a good season this year in F4 and am looking forward to continuing the momentum with Jay Howard along with his engineers and mechanics,” Leguizamon said. “As soon as we spoke, Jay and I immediately understood each other, setting obtainable racing goals together. I feel like I will gain an exceptional amount of racing knowledge from him while still having fun behind the wheel. I am ready to start the new season with new beginnings. I am very thankful to Jay and the series sponsors such as Honda, Pirelli, Onroak and SCCA Pro for giving me the opportunity to continue racing in the U.S.”
The announcement of the two F3 Americas team was released jointly by Howard, Leguizamon and Bohlander earlier today.
The F3 Americas car debuted during the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas last month, receiving complete support from the FIA as a regional championship which will include Mexico, the United States and Canada. The inaugural season of F3 Americas kicks off at Virginia International Raceway April 27-29 serving as the support series to Pirelli World Challenge. For more information on the series, visit F3Americas.com.
