Angleton, Texas – The newly formed race team, DEforce, announced today its plans to compete in the 2017 Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda in a three-car assault with industry veterans David Martinez and Ernesto Martinez leading the squad and its drivers in the Mazda Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires. The team, which is based out of MSR Houston in Angleton, Texas, has purchased three Tatuus USF-17 chassis and will begin its on track preparations for the 2017 season in the fall. The team will announce its driver lineup in coming weeks.

David Martinez is a highly accomplished driver who made a name for himself by scoring the best ever debut by a Mexican driver in IndyCar in 2006 (then Champ Car). Outside the cockpit he is also a partner in Speed Group and has helped develop and coach the career of many successful drivers including Esteban Gutierrez, David Garza, Will Owen, Jose Gutierrez, among others.Ernesto Martinez started Falcone GP in 2006 and it quickly became one of the leading race teams across the racing ladder in Mexico including karting, open wheel racing and touring cars, as well as being a leading driver development program in Mexico.

David Martinez:

“It´s been so busy with our announcement that it´s been hard to get emotional or think about it too much. What can I say, this is a great opportunity that was presented to me as a team owner. Me and Ernesto are more than partners, we are family and great friends. Our past experience is helping us make wiser decisions as we understand that the result will come from a collective effort. We are working hard on getting the best people inside our project. We're really looking forward to getting everything started. We can´t wait to get our new cars and go testing.”

Ernesto Martinez:

"David and I have been talking about this partnership for years. I think it’s the wisest decision we could take. Exploiting David’s extensive experience in driver development and my expertise in team management is something that we believe will be a winning combination."