Mazda Motorsports has been providing aspiring professional racers with scholarships to advance their racing careers every year since 2006.  These scholarships are awarded at the annual Mazda Shootout, which was created to identify racers who have both the on-track and off-track skills required to excel in motorsports.  The traditional on track skill sets of speed, consistency, race craft, and an understanding of vehicle dynamics are supplemented with off-track skills involving public relations, social media, and business/marketing that modern racers are increasingly finding necessary to flourish.  “The response to this program continues to be impressive, which makes it very difficult to narrow down the candidate list to the twelve finalists,” said Mazda Motorsports Senior Manager Jonathan Applegate.

Winning an amateur racing championship while driving a Mazda-powered car is the primary way to be nominated for the Shootout, but other deserving drivers may be selected as at-large nominees.  Automatic nominations go to Mazda winners from the SCCA Runoffs and NASA Champs, plus the Spec MX-5 Champion from the SCCA Hoosier Super Tour.

At-large nominees can be standout drivers competing at the amateur level in Mazda-powered machinery or from national karting series.  Potential nominees don’t even need to have a physical race car, since iRacing MX-5 Cup Champions can also receive nominations.

Each fall, Mazda Motorsports announces a list of nominees for the Mazda Shootout.  Nominees who wish to take part are then required to submit a written proposal and video.  The written proposal must include a racing resume that highlights the racer’s motorsports accomplishments, a biography listing how the racer aligns with Mazda’s core values, along with a social media/marketing plan that outlines how the nominee will achieve sustainability with Mazda.  In the video submission, nominees should state measurable goals they will be working toward and the strategies they will use to achieve them.

Twenty-one nominees across both the Spec MX-5 and MX-5 Cup levels are selected as finalists and invited to compete in a two-day competitive selection process.  All finalists will have several timed sessions around the track and will receive a debrief with professional coaching after each session.  Lap times are not the sole determining factor in choosing a winner; drivers will also be judged on their ability to understand data, implement recommendations from coaches, general attitude, and even media interactions.

Five scholarships are awarded at the conclusion of the Mazda Shootout. At the Spec MX-5 level, two drivers are awarded a scholarship which provides support for a season of racing in Spec MX-5.  “The Mazda Spec MX-5 Shootout was designed to offer young racers a clear pathway into sports cars in order to help develop them towards a professional career behind the wheel,” said Mazda Motorsports Business Development Manager Josh Smith.  “Many aspiring drivers focus solely on open-wheel or stock car racing and overlook the vast opportunities available in sports car racing.”

At the professional level, one driver receives the Mazda Shootout Champion Scholarship valued at $150,000 to compete in the 2026 Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin.  A second driver receives the Runner Up Scholarship, valued at $100,000.  For the sixth consecutive season, the best performing female will be selected for the Women’s Initiative Scholarship, also valued at $100,000.

Mazda Motorsports remains committed to helping aspiring professional racers build sustainable careers in racing by providing them with opportunities to shine, both in the MX-5 Cup and Spec MX-5 Shootouts.  This year’s events are poised to showcase a new wave of racing talent and continue Mazda’s legacy of supporting drivers as they rise through the ranks.  Winners of Spec MX-5 scholarships often return to compete in the MX-5 Cup Shootout, while winners of the MX-5 Cup Shootout often become MX-5 Cup Rookie of the Year, which comes with a substantial prize of $80,000. It’s an opportunity that will invariably kickstart a driver’s career.