Formula Mazda

The Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear enters its 18th year in 2008 as one of the most prolific, successful and richest open-wheel driver development series in North America.  The Star Mazda Championship is a major step on the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development Ladder that reaches all the way from karting to Champ Car.  Many of today’s top drivers are Star Mazda graduates, including Champ Car star Graham Rahal, IRL standout Marco Andretti and hot NASCAR newcomer Michael McDowell.

Star Mazda Championship racers are high-tech open-wheel cars with a carbon fiber chassis, fully-adjustable suspension and 6-speed sequential gearbox.  The engine is Mazda’s legendary ‘Renesis’ rotary, race-tuned to produce 250 horsepower, speeds of over 160 mph and 0 to 60 mph acceleration of 2.8 seconds.  This engine is so reliable that it can last an entire racing season without a re-build, reducing the cost of racing in Star Mazda to a fraction of the budget required to compete in any comparable open wheel series in the U.S. or Europe. 

The ‘single-spec’ engineering of Star Mazda Championship race cars showcases driving talent instead of big budgets and unrestricted testing promotes rapid development of a driver’s skills.  Expert (30 to 44 years old) and Master (45 and older) categories provide competition for more mature drivers.
The 45-minute races feature standing starts, fields of 30+ cars and are held on Champ Car, Grand-Am and American Le Mans Series weekends.  Driver development is enhanced by race venues that include natural-terrain road courses, urban street circuits and airport tracks. 

All races are broadcast in a 1-hour show on the SPEED Channel.  Prize money approaches $1.5 million, including a Mazda-sponsored drive for the Star Mazda series champion in the next step up the motorsports ladder, the Champ Car Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda.

Formula Mazda Racing, which features open wheel race cars adaptable to both oval tracks and road courses, is conducted on several levels of competition.

Since 1991, the professionally organized Star Mazda Series has provided the most popular format for sponsors, spectators, and upward bound drivers.Administrative responsibility for the series is headed by Valley Motor Center Inc. which also constructs the Star Formula Mazda race car and oversees a comprehensive track-side support organization for competing teams and drivers.

The success of the Star Mazda Series is evidenced by the fact that fields of 30 to 40 cars have been commonplace at many races.

Drivers in the series may also pursue any one of six divisional championships based on geographically determined schedules (east, west, central, southwest, southeast and northwest) in addition to the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear. Prizes and awards valued over $1,000,000 are distributed annually to top series’ performers.

The annual schedules for the Star Mazda Series have included high profile events where Formula Mazda cars appear as the “opening act” to some of America’s top drawing racing series. In its supporting role, the Star Mazda Series has been paired with a variety of major types of racing, including such headliners as the American LeMans Series, IndyCar, ChampCar, Formula One, race trucks and NASCAR stock cars.

For 2007 the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear dates, the Star Mazda Series is sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association and currently appears with the prestigious American LeMans Series as well as with the Champ Car World Series and Grand Am. This series features its own points and prize schedule and the series is cablecast nationally in prime time on the Speed Channel Network.

Joint appearances with big name racing programs, plus related television coverage since 1996, have greatly increased Star Mazda Series exposure to the advantage of both current and prospective sponsors.Exposure is important to drivers as well since many hope that Formula Mazda racing will advance their own driving careers. This is an objective shared by the Star Mazda Series administrators who have designed both the cars and the series to maximize driver development opportunities.

In addition to the Star Mazda Series, the Formula Mazda race car may be seen at other types of racing events. At the amateur or club racing level, it is eligible for Regional and National championship competition in the Sports Car Club of America’s Formula Mazda Class. In National competition, drivers can ultimately qualify to race for a National Championship at year’s end.

In a typical season, Formula Mazdas will appear in over 150 pro or amateur sanctioned races in North America.

For More information go to www.starmazda.com