During the month of July, we asked the Mazda community to recommend and vote for who should be recognized as The Spirit of Mazda winner for June. We have tallied the votes and named Justin Hille as the winner. (In recognition of The Spirit of Mazda award, Mazda Motorsports provides a heavy-duty, tailored Mazda jacket to each award member.)

Master of the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Justin Hille has been making a lot of headlines lately. This year, he competed in the SCCA Northern Conference Majors, where he was the 2015 SCCA U.S Majors Conference championship. He took the win at Mid-Ohio in June during the Majors event where many of the best Spec Miata drivers in the country (and arguably the world) competed. The only event left – The SCCA National Championship Runoffs at Mid-Ohio. (And we have said before, we expect him to vie for the win. Mid-Ohio is his home track, and he can drive it forward and backward with his eyes closed, on any line he chooses.)

Hille’s talent is not why he earned his The Spirit of Mazda award; rather, it was for embracing the “One Mazda” spirit. With six years of Spec Miata competition under his belt, Hille is able to offer guidance to others. But as most know, able does not always translate to willing.

Back in June, Hille provided MazdaMotorsports.com with some tips about how to drive Mid-Ohio. With this being the biggest Club Racing (Road Racing) event in the country, to share tips with others is rare, particularly by a front-runner. This is, however, a “One Mazda” trait. Working together and helping others is not foreign to Hille as we hear this is a common trait of his. As such, this is one reason he was nominated and then voted to become the Spirit of Mazda winner for June.

To learn more about Justin Hille, read: Justin Hille: Spec Miata and The Runoffs Contender: Justin Hille

To prepare for Mid-Ohio, check out: Tips for Mid-Ohio (by Justin Hille)