April 2015

This week’s Behind the Zoom blog is from Jonathan Bomarito, who explains what it was like to grow up within earshot of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Here are some of his fond memories – and recommendations on the best locations to watch this weekend’s Continental Tire Grand Prix powered by Mazda. The race this weekend […]”

Read More

Namesake track  ideal for diesel-powered Mazda Prototypes; Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca plays to the cars’ strengths. There’s a new kind of pressure on the Mazda Prototypes for this weekend’s Continental Tire Monterey Grand Prix powered by Mazda. Race number four for the TUDOR United SportsCar Series will take place Sunday, May 3 at Mazda Raceway […]”

Read More

Number 5 in a countdown of the things that racers must do to achieve greatness is to be known for what you are off the track as well as your prowess behind the wheel. “The number one mission in sports is to make people care how it turns out,” says Paul Pfanner, president and CEO […]”

Read More

Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing teammates Aaron Telitz and Nico Jamin split victories at Barber Motorsports Park. It was a weekend to remember for Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing as it swept both Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda races at Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama. First, Aaron Telitz produced a stunning […]”

Read More

Rounds Four and Five of the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires feature different winners at Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama. Weiron Tan has developed an affinity for Barber Motorsports Park. The 20-year-old Malaysian won once and finished second in the two Cooper Tires Winterfest races at the 2.3-mile, 17-turn road course in February, […]”

Read More

Mazda scholarship driver takes two Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires victories to claim points lead. Spencer Pigot had a pair of nearly flawless Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires races at Barber Motorsports Park near Birmingham, Ala., a year after winning both races at the track in the Pro Mazda Championship. Pigot’s pair of […]”

Read More

See some of the highlights of the amazingly close action from the opening rounds of the Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by BFGoodrich® Tires. The opening rounds of the 2015 Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by BFGoodrich® Tires at Sebring International Raceway and NOLA Motorsports Park featured some incredibly close racing action in […]”

Read More

THE SERIES: What is the 2016 Mazda MX-5 Cup series?     The next generation 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata will be raced in a new Global Cup series slated to be held in North America, Europe, and Asia; full details of the MX-5 Cup will be announced as they are confirmed. The series will culminate […]”

Read More

This week’s Behind the Zoom blog comes from Tom Long. In addition to being in the driver lineup with the Mazda Prototypes, Tom is an accomplished driver instructor and the man behind the wheel in the development of the 2016 MX-5 Global Cup race car. Today, he offers pro tips for grassroots racers on the […]”

Read More

Production of North America-bound ND MX-5 models means the wait is almost over for those itching to get their hands on Mazda’s latest roadster. America-bound 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata production has begun, signaling the imminent arrival of the next generation of the world’s most popular two-seat roadster at U.S. dealers. Additionally, Mazda North American Operations […]”

Read More

Three Mazda racers double up with wins on two days while Spec Miata features two winners.

Day one of the SCCA U.S. Majors Tour at VIRginia International Raceway ran  under sunny skies, but halfway through Sunday, the skies opened up. The races served as Rounds Nine and 10 for the Southeastern Conference and was the season-opening race for the Northeastern Conference.

Drivers in each of the eight race groups, made up of 28 Runoffs-eligible classes, took to the 3.27-mile, 17-turn circuit for 25-minute sprit races on Saturday and 16-lap races on Sunday.

Spec Miata led Saturday off in a big way. With oil-dry on the course near the finish line, the opening moments saw six cars make contact just after taking the green flag. Three of those cars were able to continue the race, while three were not. The rest of the race, restarted on lap five, proved to be just as intense with a multi-car battle for the lead that included eventual race winner Dillon Machavern. Jonathan Goring won Spec Miata on Sunday.

Three drivers doubled up with a pair of victories, scoring in both the sprint races and the features on Sunday. Ken Kannard (Miata) won F Production both days, as did Ray Stephensen in GT-3 (RX-7) and Robert Noell in Formula Mazda.
 
SCCA Northeastern/Southeastern Conferences Majors
VIRginia International Raceway
Alton, Va., April 18-19, 2015

Saturday Mazda Winners

Class,Driver,Hometown,Car Formula Mazda,Robert Noell,”Cary, N.C.”,Formula Mazda F Production,Ken Kannard,”East Troy, Wis.”,Mazda Miata GT-3,Ray Stephenson,”Miami, Fla.”,Mazda RX-7 Spec Miata,Dillon Machavern,”Charlotte, Vt.”,Mazda Miata

Sunday Mazda Winners

Class Driver Hometown Car
Formula Mazda Robert Noell Cary, N.C. Formula Mazda
F Production Ken Kannard East Troy, Wis. Mazda Miata
GT-3 Ray Stephenson Miami, Fla. Mazda RX-7
GT-Lite Michael Kamalian Marietta, Ga. Mazda Miata
Spec Miata Jonathan Goring Norfolk, Va. Mazda Miata

Young Mazda racers are promoting distracted driving awareness. Racers in all three rungs of the Mazda Road to Indy will be carrying the Project Yellow Light message at this weekend’s Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, becoming ambassadors for highway safety. Over the past decade, Mazda Motorsports has established a leadership position in the development […]”

Read More

First street circuit of 2015 requires different mindset for Mazda SKYACTIV Prototype Team. IRVINE, Calif. (April 14, 2015) – The first two races of the TUDOR United SportsCar Series were endurance contests on predominantly wide circuits, a sharp contrast to this weekend’s Tequila Patron Sports Car Showcase at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. […]”

Read More

Today, our weekly series of blogs features Mazda Prototype driver Joel Miller, who is also a mechanical engineer with the factory Mazda team, SpeedSource. Hailing from Hesperia, California, this week’s Long Beach Grand Prix brings Miller very close to home, and he tells us how much this event means to him. “This is where the […]”

Read More

Being able to properly explain what the car is doing – to your crew chief or yourself – is the key to making the car better, says Tom Long. Driver feedback is often thought of as the information a racer gives back to his team – to the engineers, to the crew chief, to all […]”

Read More

The first development vehicle for the 2016 MX-5 Cup car has hit the track for some systems checks. On Tuesday, April 7, the fourth generation (ND) Mazda MX-5 race car put tire to racetrack for the first time, in its first shakedown. For those who understand the adage, Long Live the Roadster, you likely know […]”

Read More

A beautiful Northern California Spring weekend met racers at the SCCA Western Conference Majors Tour at Thunderhill Raceway. Perfect Northern California Spring Weather greeted SCCA racers for Rounds Seven and Eight of the Western Conference Majors Tour at Thunderhill Raceway in Willows, Calif. A field of 130 drivers in seven race groups ran 30-minute sprint […]”

Read More

Four Mazda racers take double victories in Mid-States Conference Majors at Oklahoma circuit. Gambling on precipitation during the 25-minute timed races on Saturday at the SCCA Mid-States Conference Majors Tour at Hallett Motor Racing Circuit rewarded many drivers while catching others out. The first day started sunny, but by the third race of the afternoon […]”

Read More

Mazda scholarship driver wins both IMSA Cooper Tires Prototype Lites races in Louisiana to make it three of four for the season. Kenton Koch captured his second and third wins in the 2015 Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Powered by Mazda series with wins in Rounds Three and Four at NOLA Motorsports Park. Koch, 20, from […]”

Read More

Dean Copeland shows mastery of NOLA Motorsports Park in taking double win in MX-5 Cup’s first visit to the track. Dean Copeland, of Bowie, Maryland, took Rounds Three and Four of the SCCA Pro Racing Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by BFGoodrich® Tires at NOLA Motorsports Park as part of the Indy Grand Prix […]”

Read More

Some heat is good. Too much can start hurting the performance of both you and your car. Racecars are hot. No, we don’t mean in a metaphorical sense, nor are we saying they are attractive (although both can certainly be true – have you seen that Mazda SKYACTIV Prototype?). They are, literally, hot. Powered by explosions, […]”

Read More

Our weekly series of blogs from inside Mazda Motorsports continues with a very personal story of passion from 19-year old Tristan Nunez, the youngest driver on the Mazda Prototype team. Read a new entry here every Thursday. “Passion is the one thing that will push you beyond what your body and mind ever thought would […]”

Read More

Ongoing multi-million dollar investment by Mazda to grow the sport IRVINE, Calif. (April 8, 2015) –Mazda will have its race cars in four unique series on the schedule this weekend at the inaugural Grand Prix of Louisiana, including two each from the Mazda SportsCar Racing Academy and the Mazda Road to Indy. Mazda engines will […]”

Read More