Always eager to further his racing knowledge and experience, MRTI rookie Jake Parsons made the most of the opportunity to drive at Laguna Seca this weekend. Competing in split category races, that included prototypes from IMSA Lights, the young Australian driver brought home two impressive wins in the Formula Atlantic class at the Mazda Raceway, finishing second overall.

”We were a little down on power, but it was really cool learning how to adapt to and manage different tyres to the ones I’m used to running. The car felt great and I’m so stoked to have got two wins in my category.”

Parsons, who moved to Indianapolis from Sydney to contest the 2016 Pro Mazda Championship, spoke excitedly about the unique Californian circuit.

“It was absolutely awesome to finally get to drive at Laguna Seca; it’s a real ‘bucket list’ track for me. I drove it so many times on video games when I was young, but nothing compares to being here for real.”

The 21-year-old Aussie was especially impressed by the circuit’s most iconic feature, “I never got tired of driving through the Corkscrew. No matter what was happening around me in the race, every time we went through that part of the track I had the biggest grin on my face!”

The 2014 AsiaCup champion now joins his team mates heading to Mid-Ohio for the official Pro Mazda series test, preparing for rounds eight and nine at Road America on June 24-26.

“I’m happy that the schedule is getting busy now and we get to do so much driving. It’s cool to carry the momentum of what I’m learning in each race forward,” added Parsons. “I’m excited for how much experience I’m going to gain from all of this.”