Ten outstanding Mazda racers and aficionados await your vote for Spirit of Mazda

From racers to mechanics to race workers, there are many people in motorsports who embody the Spirit of Mazda. Mazda Motorsports seeks to recognize those who go above and beyond in their quest to be the best they can be. 

The Spirit of Mazda has seven basic principles. They are:

• Integrity – We keep acting with integrity toward our customers, society and our own work.
• Basics/Flawless Execution – We devote ourselves to the basics, and make steady efforts in a step-by-step fashion.
• Continuous Kaizen – We continue to improve with wisdom and ingenuity.
• Challenger Spirit – We set a high goal, and keep challenging to achieve it.
• Self Initiative – We think and act with “self initiative.”
• Tomoiku – We learn and teach each other for our mutual growth and success.
• One Mazda – We think and act with the view of “Global” and “One Mazda.”

The nominees for the September Spirit of Mazda award are:

Eric Anderson
Eric Anderson built a Miata for autocross – but not just any Miata, a two-time SCCA national championship winning car. And he lets someone else drive it. Randall Wilcox has piloted Anderson’s Miata to two Super Street Modified titles, and he credits Anderson’s engineering prowess. Anderson drove the car in X Prepared at the 2018 Solo National Championships, finishing third.

Andrew Carbonell
Andrew Carbonell is not only a factory Mazda racer who came from Spec Miata and won in the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge, he has played a development role in the MX-5 Cup car and various other projects. Most recently he has been working on stewarding in the Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup and coaching Mazda racers at the NASA Championship.

Charlie Campbell
Charlie Campbell has been near the top of the F Production heap in his Miata for several years. He finished third at the 2018 SCCA National Championship Runoffs. He is also a former member of the SCCA Board of Directors.

Rick Harris
Rick Harris has raced in Spec Miata, plus he’s wheeled Miatas in E Production and F Production, winning the 2008 FP National Championship. That racing experience, in addition to a lifetime of working on cars and a background in the tech industry, made him well suited for the position of SCCA’s Road Racing Technical Manager, a role he has filled since November 2017.

Brian Haupt 
Brian Haupt has been in the racing game a long time, and recent competition vehicles have included a GT-3 RX-7 and an E Production Miata. He is noted as car builder, and built an EP RX-7 for his daughter Meredith, which she raced for eight years.

Mark Hazboun 
Mark Hazboun is a California-based racer who is the true weekend warrior. He competes in both club racing events and autocross, traveling as far as Lincoln, Neb., to compete at the 2018 SCCA Solo National Championships in a ’99 MX-5. Mark also attended the SCCA Runoffs at Sonoma Raceway this year, racing in Spec Miata. Mark is his own travel agency, truck driver, crew chief, engineer and driver.

Bill Hingston
Bill Hingston races a Miata in F Production. He claimed the 2018 SCCA Mid-States Conference championship and scored a top-five finish at the 2018 SCCA National Championship Runoffs at Sonoma Raceway.

Kent Prather
Kent Prather is an eight-time SCCA national champion, his most recent two coming in a GT-Lite Miata. Renowned as a car and engine builder, he is also the father of equally renowned car and engine builder Jesse Prather, himself a three-time SCCA national champ.

Matt Reynolds
Matt Reynolds just won his third E Production national championship at the 2018 Runoffs at Sonoma Raceway. He also races Spec Miata and has several top-10 Runoffs finishes in that class.

Sandra Saucier
Sandra Saucier offers the support every racing family needs. She is the wife of the late John Saucier, who won 28 Midwest Division SCCA championships racing a Showroom Stock Mazda and also the mother of Randy, who won two championships in an SSB Miata.

 

Voting is open through Friday, November 9. To vote, click here.