2014

Racers chase richest prize in club racing – a ride in the Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by BFGoodrich® Tires. Mazda has announced the date and some of the finalists for the single largest prize in club racing, the Mazda Club Racer Shootout. Since 2007 Mazda has annually promoted one talented club racer to the professional […]”

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Racers Chasing a $75,000 Prize, the Biggest in All of Club Racing.

October 22, 2014 (IRVINE, Calif.) The Mazda Club Racer Shootout is the single largest prize in club racing.  Since 2007 Mazda has annually promoted one talented club racer to the professional ranks.  The $75,000 prize funds a drive in the 2015 SCCA Pro Racing Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by BFGoodrich® Tires.

The heart and soul of Mazda Motorsports is club racing, and supporting those racers who have invested in racing a Mazda.  The criteria for the shootout is to identify the aspiring professional racer who has the best range of skills required to succeed.  These skills include speed, consistency, race craft, technical feedback, and off-track business, marketing and PR skills.  History has shown that a driver will be limited in success if they are lacking in multiple areas.

John Doonan, Director of Motorsports, noted: “Our shootout has become a signature event for Mazda Motorsports. Without exception, every driver who won the shootout proved to be competitive in MX-5 Cup, with several developing solid professional careers.  Each year we tweak the competition.  This year marks the inclusion of iRacing simulation racers and a new set of business criteria for the judges.”

In past years, typically a dozen to 18 racers qualified for the first level of the competition.  Each has won a recognized championship over a minimum number of competitors.  The next step is for the racer to submit a business presentation and video, which will be reviewed and scored by a team of motorsports and marketing professionals.  From those proposals, the finalists will be selected and advance to the winner-take-all shootout.

The final shootout will be at Buttonwillow Raceway Park on December 2nd where the racers will be tested on the track for their technical skills.

The 15 currently identified semi-finalists for 2014 are as follows:

Club/Series Racer
Skip Barber Racing School (Summer Series) Sam Adams
NASA Eastern States Championships (PTE) Ben Anderson
SCCA National Championship Runoffs (Formula Mazda) Mike Anderson
SCCA National Championship Runoffs (T4) Danny Bender
NASA Eastern States Championships (Spec Miata) Alex Bolanos
Canadian Touring Car Championship – B-Spec Champion Normand Boyer
iRacing MX-5 Cup (Season 3) Steven Diem
NASA Spec Miata Teen Challenge (West) Joey Jordan
SCCA National Championship Runoffs (Formula Atlantic) Conner Kearby
iRacing MX-5 Cup (Season 2) Evan Maillard
NASA Spec Miata Teen Challenge (Rocky Mountain) Zachary Munro
Toyo Tires Spec Miata Championship (Canada) Aaron Pettipas
SCCA National Championship Runoffs (E Production) Matt Reynolds
SCCA National Championship Runoffs (Spec Miata) Erik Stearns
Skip Barber Racing School (Winter Series) Jim Wilby

There are a few remaining slots that will be identified between now and November 9th:

Club/Series Season concludes on:
NASA Spec Miata Teen Challenge (Texas) November 2nd
Worldspeed Formula Car Championship November 9th
NASA Western States Championships (Spec Miata) November 9th
NASA Western States Championships (TBD) November 9th

Additional information about the Mazda Club Racer shootout can be found at www.mazdamotorsports.com

About Mazda, Mazda Motorsports, and MAZDASPEED
Mazda is a leading player in all aspects of sports car racing with an emphasis on endurance road racing.  Mazda is the number-one brand for road-racers across North America among both club racers and professionals.  Thousands of Mazda-powered grassroots racers compete in various classes with the SCCA and NASA highlighted by Spec Miata, the world’s largest spec class with over 2,500 cars built.  Via the Mazda SportsCar Racing Academy, Mazda supports racers at all levels of the sport from club racing up to the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship where it races with production SKYACTIV Technology.

Mazda remains the only Asian car company to score an overall win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans (1991).  Mazda has had a naming rights agreement at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca since 2000.

Mazda Motorsports is managed by Mazda North American Operations (MNAO).  MNAO is headquartered in Irvine, Calif., and oversees the sales, marketing, parts and customer service support of Mazda vehicles in the United States and Mexico through nearly 700 dealers.  Operations in Mexico are managed by Mazda Motor de Mexico in Mexico City.

Consumer information can be found at www.mazdausa.com, with press information at www.mazdausamedia.com.  Racers and fans can follow the action on Facebook (Mazda Motorsports), Twitter (@mazdaracing), Instagram (MazdaMotorsport) and www.mazdamotorsports.com

SCCA Solo competitor took his RX-8 where few others dared tread – right into the Street Prepared category. Marc Monnar didn’t listen to the naysayers. If he did, he never would have built an RX-8 to compete in the Street Prepared category in SCCA Solo. If he did, he would have ended up with a Street […]”

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Mazda Motorsports addresses the recent controversy regarding engine head modifications in Spec Miata at the SCCA Runoffs; will work with sanctioning bodies to make sure rules are understood and enforceable. To:              The Spec Miata Community From:         Mazda Motorsports, Mazda North American Operations Re:             Spec Miata engine rules Over the […]”

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Mazda racer Jason Cherry, whose brother is on the autism spectrum, seeks to raise funds through his racing. My name is Jason Cherry, and in 2014 I raced an MX-5 in the TCA class of Pirelli World Challenge. My initial introduction to the professional racing world was my debut in the World Challenge Series at […]”

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Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by BFGoodrich® Tires champ beat drivers from throughout the Americas in a shootout to move on to world-wide competition. Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by BFGoodrich® Tires champion Kenton Koch, of Glendora, Calif., will advance to the next stage of the FIA Institute Young Driver Excellence Academy after winning the Americas shootout […]”

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You’ve met Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda Rookie of the Year, Aaron Telitz, but now he embarks on a new adventure as a Team USA Scholarship recipient. The Mazda scholarship-supported driver will represent the U.S. competing in the UK at the Formula Ford festival and the Walter Hayes Trophy. As he anticipates the […]”

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I’m Kenton Koch, the 2014 Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by BFGoodrich® Tires champion. The Mazda ladder and scholarships helped me get here. 2014 was an extremely successful year for me. I was able to accomplish something that four years ago I thought would never happen – I was able to win the 2014 Mazda MX-5 […]”

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Mazda Racers Shine at Racing’s Biggest Club Event October 13, 2014 (MONTEREY, Calif.) — Mazda club racers added five more championships to the cumulative Mazda tally at the 51st annual SCCA National Championship Runoffs this past weekend. Making this years’ competition even sweeter for the Mazda racers was the venue, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. “Having […]”

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Daniel Bender wins Touring 4 in an MX-5, followed by two other Mazda drivers. Leading a Mazda sweep of the podium, Daniel Bender, of Northbrook, Ill., notched his first National Championship title in convincing fashion at the SCCA National Championship Runoffs at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Tom Wickersham, of San Ramon, Calif., came home second, […]”

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Matt Reynolds wins the National Championship as Mazdas fill the podium. Mazda swept the podium in E Production at the SCCA National Championship Runoffs at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, with a pair of Miatas and an RX-3 running up front for the entire race. Matt Reynolds, of Boerne, Texas, earned his first National Championship, while […]”

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Five Mazda drivers on pole for National Championship races. The grids are set for the 2014 SCCA National Championship Runoffs and its 24 races to crown champions in 27 different classes. Five Mazda drivers will be starting their respective races at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca from pole. Racing begins at 8:30 a.m. Pacific, and live […]”

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The qualifying picture begins to emerge as some competitors overcome hardships to make their race. Eric Prill topped the second qualifying session for F Production by nearly half a second in his MaxtonsFight.org/JPM/Hoosier Miata, an eternity around Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. The bad news for his competitors? He felt that he left some time on […]”

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132 Mazda Racers Looking to Score Gold in Racings Biggest Club Event

October 7, 2014 (IRVINE, Calif.) — Now in its 51st year, there is no bigger road racing club event than the annual SCCA National Championship Runoffs. Mazda racers have scored 81 Championships at the Runoffs since 1977. Making this years’ competition even sweeter for the Mazda racers is the venue, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. This will be the first time since 1968 that the Runoffs have been held on the West Coast, and the first time ever at Mazda Raceway.

“Club Racing is what has grown Mazda Motorsports for over two decades,” said John Doonan, director of Mazda Motorsports. “Key to that growth has been the MX-5 Miata and partnerships with the SCCA and Mazda Raceway. To bring them all together on the 25th anniversary of the Miata makes this a very special week for us.”

Of the 531 cars entered in the 2014 SCCA National Championship Runoffs, 132 are Mazda cars, or Mazda-powered cars. This is a 25% market share, the largest of any car company.

The 132 cars are entered in 15 of the 27 classes including two Mazda exclusive classes, Spec Miata and Formula Mazda. Spec Miata is tied for being the largest class with 46 entries.

The Mazda racers hale from 23 states and one Canadian province. Leading the charge is 55 entries from California. Also represented is Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, North Dakota, New Mexico, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. The lone Canadian lists his home as British Columbia.

Interesting storylines at the Runoffs include:

  • Danny Bender, who is a Mazda sales consultant. Danny will be racing a MX-5 in the Touring 4 class.
  • James Wilson who will be DRIVING his street legal Mazda2 B-Spec racecar from Austin, Texas to Monterey, California.
  • Jesse Prather, who in addition to building his own racecar, built the engines for over a dozen other Mazda competitors. Among his customers is his dad Kent. The MX-5 that Kent will be racing had 319,765 road miles on it before it became a racecar. The car has since won five Runoffs championships, three with Jesse, and two with Kent.
  • Professional racer Andrew Carbonell, taking a break from his Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge duties to race in Spec Miata, where he learned his racecraft.
  • Mazda SKYACTIV Prototype racer Tom Long and 2014 MX-5 Cup Champion Kenton Koch will be at the Runoffs, as driver coachs to several Mazda club racers.
  • Old school racers Aaron Downey and Gary Bockman, racing Mazda RX-3’s, among the oldest cars in the field.
  • Spec Miata is typically the largest race at the Runoffs. In 2013, Spec Miata set the all-time record for the Runoffs with 63 starters.
  • Mazda racers Jim Drago, Mark Drennan, Jason Godfrey, Dan Harding, Kyle Kaiser, Michal Karpinski, Matt Reynolds and Ken Sutherland are entered in two classes each.
  • Past Runoffs Champions competing this year include Jon Brakke, Jim Drago, Marc Hoover, Alan McCallum, Jesse Prather, Kent Prather, Rob Warkocki, and Darryl Wills. Jesse Prather and Darryl Wills are both seeking to become the first-ever four-time Mazda-powered champion at the Runoffs.
  • Mazda pays out more prize money than any other car company at the Runoffs, typically over $50,000.
  • Mazda racers who win a SCCA championship are eligible for the Mazda Club racer shootout, a $75,000 prize.

The racing takes place October 6-12, 2014 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California. Monday, October 6 is a test day followed by three days of practice and qualifying October 6th – 9th. There is an exclusive Mazda Motorsports team dinner on Wednesday, October 8th for the Mazda racers and their teams. The weekend concludes with 24 races over three days, October 10th – 12th (eight races per day). Tickets are available online at www.mazdaraceway.com

About Mazda, Mazda Motorsports, and MAZDASPEED
Mazda is a leading player in all aspects of sports car racing with an emphasis on endurance road racing. Mazda is the number-one brand for road-racers across North America among both club racers and professionals. Thousands of Mazda-powered grassroots racers compete in various classes with the SCCA and NASA highlighted by Spec Miata, the world’s largest spec class with over 2,500 cars built. Via the Mazda SportsCar Racing Academy, Mazda supports racers at all levels of the sport from club racing up to the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship where it races with production SKYACTIV Technology.

Mazda remains the only Asian car company to score an overall win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans (1991). Mazda has had a naming rights agreement at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca since 2000.

Mazda Motorsports is managed by Mazda North American Operations (MNAO). MNAO is headquartered in Irvine, Calif., and oversees the sales, marketing, parts and customer service support of

Mazda vehicles in the United States and Mexico through nearly 700 dealers. Operations in Mexico are managed by Mazda Motor de Mexico in Mexico City.

Consumer information can be found at www.mazdausa.com, with press information at www.mazdausamedia.com. Racers and fans can follow the action on Facebook (Mazda Motorsports), Twitter (@mazdaracing), Instagram (MazdaMotorsport) and www.mazdamotorsports.com

Rachel Kerswill is the 2014 SCCA Solo National Championship champion in C Street Ladies. Rachel Kerswill has been to two SCCA Solo National Championships. The fact that her winning percentage is now at 50 percent isn’t that unusual. The unusual part is that she went from worst to first. Granted, there were a few years […]”

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Nearly 130 Mazda racers head to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca to seek a Club Racing National Championship. Much has been made of the fact that, for the first time in 46 years, the SCCA National Championship Runoffs will be west of the Mississippi in California. And certainly many are celebrating the fact that the event […]”

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 Mazdas sweep each rear-wheel drive category at the SCCA RallyCross National Championships. A record-setting 110 drivers made the trip to the I-80 Speedway in Greenwood, Neb., for the SCCA RallyCross National Championships and their chance to take home top honors at the season-ending RallyCross event of 2014. The previous record was 104 entrants at the […]”

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Now blueprinted! Bearing pre-load is reset on each hub for tighter tolerances. Consider the forces on a front wheel that the average driver generates on a trip to the store, to work or school. Now consider the forces that same corner of the car endures in every turn in a racing situation with a driver […]”

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Road Atlanta Weekend Sees Finales in TUDOR, CTSCC, MX-5 Cup and IMSA Lites

October 4, 2014 (BRASELTON, Georgia) – The Petit Le Mans Powered by Mazda at Road Atlanta wrapped up the 2014 TUDOR United SportsCar Championship on Saturday night. While the headliner was the 10-Hour TUDOR race, the weekend also featured the season finale for the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge, and season ending double-headers for both the Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by BFGoodrich® Tires and the Cooper Tires IMSA Prototype Lites Powered by Mazda. These four series are among a wide variety of roadracing series featuring Mazda cars and teams. The Mazda Road to Indy seasons wrapped up in late August, while there are still a few more weekends of major club racing events between now and year end.

John Doonan, director of motorsports for Mazda North American Operations noted: “In a traditional ‘racing sense’ the highlight of the season was the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park race where we scored our best finish of the season. But the true highlight of the season is the ‘miracle’ that was achieved in this Mazda program…and the progress that was made each step of the way. What we did by putting a production diesel engine in an endurance racing prototype has never been done before and we believe it is the best way to showcase SKYACTIV Technology and Mazda’s overall brand strength. In the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge we enjoyed three great wins. Both our MX-5 Cup and the IMSA Prototype Lites saw large grids and amazing racing. Congratulations to our latest Mazda SportsCar Racing Academy champions.”

TUDOR United SportsCar Championship – Using the smallest engine, one that is 51 percent stock, meant that the Mazda SKYACTIV team had a huge engineering task in front of them. The team worked tirelessly all year long and their efforts were applauded by competitors and fans alike. The SpeedSource teams finished the season ranked ninth and eleventh in points.

Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge – Thanks to three race wins and a dozen podium finishes from Freedom Autosport and CJ Wilson Racing, Mazda finished third in the ST Manufacturers Championship, just one point behind second place. Andrew Carbonell and Randy Pobst scored two of the wins while Tom Long teamed up with U.S. Marine Staff Sgt. Liam Dwyer for their memorable Memorial Day weekend win.

Mazda would like to congratulate three successful alums who claimed championships this weekend. 2008 MX-5 Cup Champion Eric Foss won the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge ST Drivers Championship, 2010 Mazda/Skip Barber Karting Shootout winner Trent Hindman won the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge GS Drivers Championship, and 2007 Star Mazda Champion Dane Cameron won the TUDOR GT Daytona Drivers Championship.

Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by BFGoodrich® Tires – Sebastian Landy was the star of the weekend scoring his first two race wins. Kenton Koch finished fourth and second, which added to his six previous wins, earning him the championship. Drake Kemper won the Skip Barber MAZDASPEED Pro Challenge class championship. Lucas Catania was the Rookie-of-the-Year, while his father, Joseph Catania, was awarded the Masters Championship. ALARA Racing was awarded Team-of-the-Year, while Ken Murillo won the Spirit of Mazda award.

Cooper Tires IMSA Prototype Lites Powered by Mazda – Mikhail Goikhberg ended the season the same way he started it – with a win. Goikhberg won nine of the 14 races to easily take the championship. Matt McMurry won the other Lites race at Road Atlanta.

While the Petit weekend closes out the professional road racing season, the action is not completely done for the year. October 10-12 will see the 51st Annual SCCA National Championship Runoffs take place at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. This is the largest club road racing event in the country and more than 500 cars have entered. Among the entries are 132 Mazda and Mazda-powered racers.

About Mazda, Mazda Motorsports, and MAZDASPEED
Mazda is a leading player in all aspects of sports car racing with an emphasis on endurance road racing. Mazda is the number-one brand for road-racers across North America among both club racers and professionals. Thousands of Mazda-powered grassroots racers compete in various classes with the SCCA and NASA highlighted by Spec Miata, the world’s largest spec class with over 2,500 cars built. Via the Mazda SportsCar Racing Academy, Mazda supports racers at all levels of the sport from club racing up to the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship where it races with production SKYACTIV Technology.

Mazda remains the only Asian car company to score an overall win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans (1991). Mazda has had a naming rights agreement at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca since 2000.

Mazda Motorsports is managed by Mazda North American Operations (MNAO). MNAO is headquartered in Irvine, Calif., and oversees the sales, marketing, parts and customer service support of Mazda vehicles in the United States and Mexico through nearly 700 dealers. Operations in Mexico are managed by Mazda Motor de Mexico in Mexico City.

Consumer information can be found at www.mazdausa.com, with press information at www.mazdausamedia.com. Racers and fans can follow the action on Facebook (Mazda Motorsports), Twitter (@mazdaracing), Instagram (MazdaMotorsport) and www.mazdamotorsports.com

Sebastian Landy wins second race at Road Atlanta; Drake Kemper claims Skip Barber MAZDASPEED Pro Challenge title. Sebastian Landy, of Great Falls, Va., completed the weekend sweep at Road Atlanta after winning Round 12 of the SCCA Pro Racing Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by BFGoodrich® Tires. Kenton Koch, of Glendora, Calif., and Joey Bickers, of […]”

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Sebastian Landy wins penultimate round at Road Atlanta while Kenton Koch claims the Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by BFGoodrich® Tires title. Sebastian Landy won the battle, but Kenton Koch won the war. Landy, of Great Falls, Va., captured the top spot in Round 11 of the SCCA Pro Racing Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by BFGoodrich […]”

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Sylvain Tremblay compares the 1991 Mazda 787B and the current Mazda SKYACTIV Diesel Prototype. There’s no doubt that racing technology, like every facet of technology, has advanced rapidly in the last two decades. Although to a casual observer, a prototype racer from the early ’90s may not look vastly different from a current closed-cockpit prototype […]”

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Mazda teams look for victory in Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge finale at Road Atlanta. The 2014 IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge season is drawing to a close this weekend. The CJ Wilson Racing and Freedom Autosport Mazda MX-5 teams in the Street Tuner category are looking for strong performances to finish out the season, give […]”

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