Pabst Racing signs Garth Rickards for 2016

Garth Rickards will pilot the No. 22 Pabst Racing car for the 2016 Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda.

Rickards had a disappointing rookie season in the series with Team Pelfrey, his best results a pair of fifth places on his way to ninth in the end-of-year standings. This was surprising, given his successes with the same team in F1600 in 2014, when he finished runner-up in the championship.

However, in the recent Chris Griffis Memorial Test sessions at Circuit of The Americas, Rickards was among the USF2000 frontrunners, and the Pennsylvanian is optimistic that 2016 will see a turnaround in fortunes.

He said: “My expectations are much higher [for 2016] and I know the guys at Pabst Racing have the same expectations as mine and that is to win races. Testing has been great and I felt right at home from day one with Augie [Pabst, team owner].

“To be honest it feels more like an Indy Lights program with the attention to detail and the focus on what needs to be done in order to be successful. At the same time I am focused this year on continuing to grow as a driver and continue to refine my race craft."

Rickards, who will graduate from Shippensburg University with a major in Business Management and Administration this month, added: “Most of all I just feel good and focused on the right things because I am finishing up school and have had a lot more time and energy to focus on the program.”