Neil Alberico will return to Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing for the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires season.

Alberico, 22, of Los Gatos, Calif., finished third in the 2014 Pro Mazda Championship with seven top-five finishes (runner-up at Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, Houston and Sonoma Raceway). Series champion Spencer Pigot and second-place Scott Hargrove have moved up a rung on the Mazda Road to Indy ladder to Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires.

Following the Cooper Tires Winterfest this week at NOLA Motorsports Park and next week at Barber Motorsports Park, the season kicks off with a doubleheader on the streets of St. Petersburg, Fla., in conjunction with the Verizon IndyCar Series race weekend.

“It feels really good to be heading into the year with a full season of Pro Mazda racing already under my belt,” said Alberico, who finished second to Hargrove in the 2013 Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda.

“We learned a lot last year and were able to get some solid results. This year has a lot of the same tracks as last so I’m really confident about those weekends and having some good data from last year to build on. I think Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing has proven that they are one of the best teams out there and I know I’ll have the best equipment under me. I’m stoked to get going at St. Pete and hopefully get the year started out with a good finish there.”