PR

Jonathan Bomarito Returns to No. 70 Mazda for 2015 TUDOR United SportsCar Season October 29, 2014 (IRVINE, Calif.) — It was confirmed today that Jonathan Bomarito, a driver with extensive history and success in Mazda-powered open wheel cars and RX-8 sportscars, will return to the Mazda SpeedSource team for the 2015 IMSA TUDOR United SportsCar […]”

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2014 Mazda MX-5 Cup Club Racer Shootout Rules

Background: The heart and soul of MAZDASPEED is club racing, and supporting those racers who have invested in our product. The criteria for the shootout is to identify the aspiring professional racer who has the best range of the complete set of skills required to succeed. These skills include speed, consistency, racecraft, technical feedback, and off-track business and PR skills. History has shown that a driver will be limited in success if he or she is lacking in multiple areas. All previous shootout winners submitted above average business plans. The business plans will be used to filter the pool of all eligible competitors to our finalists. Only those finalists will be invited to attend the on-track driver portion of the competition.

Eligibility criteria:

  • Any driver winning a recognized (Full MAZDASPEED contingency paying) club racing national championship with the SCCA or NASA with Mazda power.
  • NASA Teen Challenge Spec Miata Champions.
  • The Skip Barber Racing School MAZDASPEED MX-5 Winter and Summer series champions.
  • Formula Car Challenge National Champions.
  • Recognized Mazda-powered Club Champions from Canada – as nominated by Mazda Canada.
  • Identified iRacing MX-5 Cup Champions.
  • Note:  Drivers with significant professional motorsports experience are not eligible.

Mazda’s Objectives:

  • Discover and retain a fast and consistent racer able to win professional championships, improving the odds that the shootout winner reaches his or her dream of racing at a top-level series, while illustrating to the (potential) racing community that Mazda’s development system has the most talented racers, encouraging more drivers to race Mazda’s.
  • Partner with the shootout winner in a 12-month co-op marketing effort to 1) build his or her brand and network, increasing his or her odds of partnering with another entity to help climb the ladder, and 2) drive additional engagement within the Mazda community.
  • Deliver on our passion to help those ambitious and deserving drivers fulfill their dreams.

Timing: 
October 23rd               Rules posted for all eligible competitors
October 26th               Optional conference call with competitors to answer questions
November 9th             Business plan, bio, and video submission deadline
November 18th          Conference call with competitors to announce finalists
November 19th           Finalists announced in conjunction with the Los Angeles Auto Show
December 1st/2nd    On-track shootout among finalists at Buttonwillow Raceway Park
December 4th              Conference call with competitors to announce winner
December 5th              Press release announcing winner

Required Format:  The business proposal must be submitted via e-mail as a PDF that does not exceed 2MB in size.  Entries must be submitted to MAZDASPEED@MazdaUSA.com by 6:00pm (PDT), Sunday, November 9, 2014.

Required content:  The written proposal is two parts as follows:

  1. Racing bio; two-page max. To highlight your racing career, noting which other top drivers you raced against during the past three seasons, if applicable. Provide a copy of your final championship points standings for the last three seasons, if applicable.
  2. Social media and website marketing co-op plan with Mazda; four-page max. To build both party’s brands, and what your proposed strategy is with Mazda during the next 12 months to achieve your three-to-five year goals; consider including exhibits, such as a current, real business plan you aim to present, social media marketing or newsletter example, etc.

These two documents should be submitted as a single PDF with the file name: 2014_Mazda_Prop_YourName.pdf

There is a required video, four-minute maximum in length.  To highlight your Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-related objectives  that will help you accomplish your three-to-five year goals related to your desired racing ladder (e.g., network with Prototype Lites racing team manager by attending SEMA) and professional skill set (e.g., participate in Toastmaster’s weekly to enhance communication skills).

Video to be posted to YouTube with the title “2014 Mazda MX-5 Cup Shootout: Your Name” and link emailed along with your written proposal.

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

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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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

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

Mazda’s R.A.C.E. STEM Education Outreach Program Surpasses 10,000 Students September 19, 2014 (AUSTIN, Tex.) – It’s back-to-school time for school kids across the county and the acclaimed R.A.C.E. STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) education outreach program is back in action. Launched by Mazda in January, the Racing Accelerates Creative Education (R.A.C.E.) outreach program has now […]”

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U.S. Marine Staff Sergeant Seeking To Repeat Lime Rock Win August 19, 2014 (IRVINE, Calif.) – When Hollywood scripts a racing movie, they tend to go overboard. Having an injured U.S. Marine Staff Sergeant winning a professional race, in only his second start, just miles from where he grew up, on the third anniversary of […]”

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June 27, 2014 (WATKINS GLEN, New York) – At this stage last year, Mazda had scored three of their nine wins with the SKYACTIV-D Mazda6 in the Grand-Am GX class on their way to the manufacturers’ championship. This year has been a massive step up to the highest level. Mazda is now racing in the top prototype class of the new TUDOR United SportsCar Championship. While the team is still chasing their first win of the season, the progress has been dramatic with significant gains made at each race.

John Doonan, Director of Motorsports for Mazda North American Operations noted that, “As racers, we won’t be happy until we win races and challenge for championships. As a car company, developing new technology in the harshest of environments, we couldn’t be happier with how the season has progressed. This is year two of a five year plan, and we have lived up to the Mazda standard of Courage, Creativity, and Conviction. After the sprint races, it will be great to return to a true endurance race, one where our SKYACTIV efficiency has an opportunity to pay off in terms of fewer pitstops. We knew that coming to a new series with the smallest engine would be a challenge, but that’s why we race – to build better cars. We are asking our race engine to do three times the workload of the production engine – a huge task. We are now within a few percentage points of the lap speeds of the fastest cars while beating everyone on fuel economy. Our collective efforts will be rewarded.”

Since the opening race, the Rolex 24 at Daytona, the Mazda SpeedSource team has been operating on an almost 24/7 level developing the powertrain and chassis. At each race, the team has brought new hardware to test in real world race conditions. Since the first race, there has only been one mechanical DNF, and both cars ran flawlessly at Detroit. The latest improvements, focused on cooling, include:
The additional of a cooling fan on the high pressure intercooler
The addition of radiator extraction louvers on the top of the sidepods
A change from a single pass to a dual pass radiator
Ongoing optimization of engine mapping for efficient shifting

For Watkins Glen, the regular driver lineups of Sylvain Tremblay and Tom Long in the #70 and Joel Miller and Tristan Nunez in the #07 will be supplemented by Ben Devlin and Tristan Vautier. Miller and Nunez scored the GX class win in 2013 in their Mazda6.

To make the racing as accessible as possible, Mazda will once again be offering a live ‘second screen’ during the race. Fans watching the race live on FOX Sports1 can simultaneously ride along in the Mazda cars via the Mazda YouTube channel.

In addition to the TUDOR Championship race, the Watkins Glen weekend will also feature round six of the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge and a doubleheader for the Cooper Tires IMSA Prototype Lites Powered by Mazda.

Mazda leads the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Street Tuner Manufacturers’ Championship thanks to three straight wins. Freedom Autosport and CJ Wilson Racing will both have their MX-5’s ready to do battle with BMW, Porsche, Honda, Nissan, and Hyundai. This race will be on Saturday morning.

MX-5 fans will also want to follow the action from the streets of Houston where rounds five and six of the SCCA Pro Racing Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by BFGoodrich® Tires will take place. John Dean II and Kenton Koch have each scored a pair of wins in the first four races.

Mazda Motorsports is not a story. Mazda Motorsports is a wide variety of stories that cover the latest in automotive technology, business, along with amazing, often inspiring, people stories. These include:

RACE WHAT YOU SELL — Mazda is using their latest SKYACTIV Technology to power a Mazda Prototype in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship. Mazda has the smallest displacement engine in the class, a true David and Goliath story. Race what you sell translates into improved Quality, Durability, and Reliability (aka QDR). Over the years, Mazda has made direct improvements in street cars from lessons learned on the track.

RACE GREEN – The fuel in the Mazda SKYACTIV Prototype is a RENEWABLE, SYNTHETIC DIESEL (not a bio-diesel). The fuel is produced by Dynamic Fuels from waste food products and is approved for use by the U.S. Military. Mazda is the only race team in the world using this fuel.

INSPIRING THE NEXT GENERATION OF ENGINEERS AND SCIENTISTS – Earlier this year Mazda introduced a new national educational outreach program designed to encourage the nation’s middle and high school students to consider studies in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). Called Racing Accelerates Creative Education (R.A.C.E.), the program is visiting schools near each of the 2014 TUDOR Championship events. The curriculum of this turn-key, interactive learning forum is designed to provide stimulating, real-world examples of why it is important to know science and math. Mazda utilizes their racecar, race drivers and race engineers in the interactive presentation.

THE MOST POPULAR RACE CAR AT ANY GIVEN ROAD COURSE – Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, the Mazda MX-5 Miata is the all-time best selling two-seat roadster with sales of over 900,000 units. With thousands of used MX-5s for sale at affordable prices, the MX-5 has become the most road-raced car in America. Mazda Motorsports has sold over 2,500 Spec Miata racing kits.

OPERATING MOTORSPORTS AS A BUSINESS – It’s easy to hire a professional team to race your products – just pay them. Getting people to spend money BUYING cars and parts requires a completely different approach. The products must be great – capable of winning. And there must be great customer service. Mazda Motorsports has a full-time staff of motorsports parts and technical professionals who assist club racers in buying the right parts, and with guidance on vehicle set-up. This is racers supporting racers. The result is Mazda North American Operations has sold over $75,000,000 in parts since 1991.

RACING AT HOME – MAZDA SUPPORTS iRACING PROGRAM – Announced earlier this year, iRacing competitors competing in the 2014 iRacing MX-5 Cup season beginning April 29th will be eligible to compete in the annual Mazda Club Racing Shootout held each fall. The shootout winner earns a Mazda Motorsports scholarship for the following year’s Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by BFGoodrich® Tires. Complete details are posted at iRacing.com

IF IT TURNS LEFT AND RIGHT, THERE IS LIKELY A MAZDA IN THE RACE – The list of professional series where you can find Mazda cars or Mazda-powered cars competing includes:
TUDOR United SportsCar Championship (Prototype Class)
Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge (Street Tuner)
Pirelli World Challenge (Touring Car, Touring Car A, Touring Car B)
Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by BFGoodrich® Tires
Skip Barber MAZDASPEED Pro Challenge
Cooper Tires Prototype Lights Powered by Mazda
Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda
Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires
Atlantic Championship Series
This is in addition to the dozen plus club racing classes in the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) and National Auto Sport Association (NASA) where Mazda cars and engines compete.

SAVING LIVES OFF THE TRACK – Mazda Motorsports is promoting awareness of the dangers of distracted driving, and formed a strategic partnership with Project Yellow Light in 2012. With hundreds of teenage race drivers Mazda is uniquely positioned to have teenage racers take this message to their peer group. Mazda funded Project Yellow Light Scholarships are being awarded to high school and college students who produce the best public service videos. Details can be found at http://www.projectyellowlight.com/

ICONIC MAZDA RACEWAY – Mazda North American Operations doesn’t have a company picnic. They have a company track day. That’s the type of people who work at Mazda. Throughout the 1970’s and 80’s, Laguna Seca was a favorite track of Mazda racers and fans. At the end of the millennium, as the raceway was entering its fifth decade as one of America’s premier sports car circuits, Mazda entered into a naming rights agreement with the Sports Car Racing Association of Monterey Peninsula (SCRAMP), operators of the track, which is a Monterey County recreational area, and made a substantial investment to bring the track up to 21st century standards. The track has been Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca since the year 2000. The remaining 2014 schedule is as follows:
July 11-13 ENI FIM Superbike World Championship
Aug. 8-10 Monterey Motorsports Pre-Reunion
Aug. 15-17 Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion
Oct. 10-12 SCCA National Championship Runoffs

DEVELOPING THE MOTORSPORT HALL OF FAME OF 2064 – Racing is where sport, technology and commerce come together. Many young drivers succeed at one level of the sport but often, because of a lack of financial resources, struggle to move up. Thanks to the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Driver Development Ladder, the Mazda Road to Indy, and the Mazda SportsCar Racing Academy, over three dozen racers have been promoted to the next level with Mazda scholarship money. Mazda is developing the next generation of road-racing superstars. This year eight of the 33 racers in the Indy 500 had Mazda on their racing resume.

THE UNITED NATIONS OF RACING – Racing is a global sport and the top U.S. series attracts talented racers from around the world. At the first races of 2014, over two dozen racers from beyond the U.S. borders chose to come to America and race with Mazda power. Racers from Canada, Mexico, Brazil, France, Italy, Norway, Colombia, the Philippines, Argentina, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Jamaica are represented on the grid between multiple Mazda series.

AFFORDABLE AND FUN SHOWROOM STOCK – The Mazda2 is a B-segment car. Horsepower snobs may not think much of a 100 hp econobox, until they drive a great one that is set up for the track. The fun factor of the car amazes everyone who gets it onto the track. A DIY racer can buy a used Mazda2, add a MAZDASPEED B-Spec kit plus safety equipment and be ready to race for under $15,000.

RACE TO THE SHELTER – Since 2007 Mazda has worked with multiple animal welfare organizations to actively promote shelter animal adoptions using Mazda racecars as billboards. The company has also helped raise money for shelters. Mazda has multiple activities planned with the SPCA for Monterey County in 2014.

9,000+ RACERS, 9,000+ STORIES – You cannot stereotype a racer. Mazda has racers from all walks of life. People who race Mazdas are contractors, lawyers, doctors, engineers, students, retirees, and many more. We have racers too young to have a license for the street, and some who are AARP members. Mazda racers are in 44 of the 50 states. Pretty impressive when you realize that only 37 states have road-racing tracks.

MEET A FEW MAZDA RACERS – Among those 9,000 stories, we have recently been inspired by:
Liam Dwyer – A U.S. Marine who lost his leg in combat. In only his second professional start Liam co-drove to the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge ST win at Lime Rock Park last month. Liam will be racing at VIR in August.

C.J. Wilson – Mazda racer, Mazda team owner, Mazda dealer, who spends most of the year as a starting pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. C.J. is developing his own ‘farm team’ with an eye on becoming a full-time racer after his baseball career wraps up.

Natalie Feneroli – An 18-year-old high school student racing in the NASA Spec Miata Teen Challenge.

The Prather Family – Kent and Jesse Prather are father and son. Both have won SCCA Championships in Mazda MX-5s. They have one particular MX-5 that has won five championships, in three classes, after it completed 180,000 miles on the road. Jesse built the Mazda motors for over 20 of the cars that competed in the 2013 SCCA Runoffs.

Patrick Gallagher, Dalton Kellett, and Kenton Koch – All balancing a full race schedule with a full schedule of university engineering classes.

Julia Ballario, Michele Bumgarner, and Vicky Piria – While Indycar may not have any women racing full-time in 2014, the Pro Mazda Championship, a part of the Mazda Road to Indy, has three competing this season.

Michael Johnson – Seeking to be the first driver to win the Indy 500 racing with hand controls.

We have many many more compelling stories.

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 Motorsport), Twitter (@mazdaracing), Instagram (MazdaMotorsport) and www.mazdamotorsports.com

May 24, 2014 (LIME ROCK, Conn.) – All wins are special. A few are magical. Thanks to outstanding performances by Freedom Autosport and CJ Wilson Racing, it was the second straight Mazda MX-5 Miata 1-2-3 podium sweep in the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge Street Tuner race this weekend. The magical part relates to the winning […]”

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LAKEVILLE, Conn. – U.S. Marine Staff Sgt. Liam Dwyer will have a lot to commemorate when the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge visits Lime Rock Park from May 23-24. In addition to marking the Freedom Autosport driver’s homecoming race, the weekend is also the third anniversary of the I.E.D. explosion in Afghanistan that claimed Dwyer’s […]”

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MX-5 Podium Sweep Highlights Weekend May 4, 2014 (MONTEREY, Calif.) The only thing better than racing at Mazda Raceway, is winning at Mazda Raceway. Thanks to outstanding performances by Freedom Autosport and CJ Wilson Racing, it was a Mazda MX-5 Miata 1-2-3 podium sweep in the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge Street Tuner race this weekend. […]”

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Mazda Motorsports & BFGoodrich® Tires Celebrating Decades of Success In 1984, Mazda, BFGoodrich®Tires and Jim Busby Racing teamed up to score an historic class win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.  The car, a Lola T-616, was powered by a Mazda 13B rotary engine and shod with experimental BFGoodrich T/A™ Radial street tires.  The […]”

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  Six Races in Four Series Including a Record MX-5 Cup Field for Mazda   March 16, 2014 (SEBRING, Fla.) When it was all said and done, and the numbers were added up, Mazda had more cars, in more races, than any other car company at Sebring 68 cars in four classes for 28.6% of […]”

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New Entry Point for the Mazda SportsCar Racing Academy March 13, 2014 (SEBRING, Fla.) Mazda announced the latest addition to its driver development program with a partnership with iRacing. Mazda Motorsports has more than 9,000 club racers in the U.S., most of who race MX-5 Miatas. iRacing has more than 50,000 members worldwide, many who […]”

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Company Invests Millions of Dollars to Accelerate Young Drivers’ Racing Careers March 13, 2014 (SEBRING, Fla.) When Mazda created the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development Ladder in 2007, the company set out to help drivers manage one of the most difficult hurdles in racing moving up to the series above. Since 2007, Mazda has directly invested millions […]”

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Six Races in Four Series Including a Record MX-5 Cup Field for Mazda March 13, 2014 (SEBRING, Fla.) The annual Mobil-1 12Hours of Sebring race is recognized by sportscar fans around the world. For more than 60 years it has attracted the greatest sportscars and racers from around the world. What is sometimes overlooked is […]”

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THE PARTNERSHIP THAT KEEPS BUILDING Mazda Motorsports Enters Fourth Year of Partnership with ModSpace January 23, 2014 (IRVINE, Calif.) — Mazda Motorsports spends a lot of time with young drivers talking about how to build business partnerships to advance their careers. The partnership that Mazda enjoys with ModSpace has been building on both a figurative […]”

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Mazda SKYACTIV Prototype Begins New TUDOR Championship Era January 21, 2014 (IRVINE, Calif.) — Mazda Motorsports is known for several things – sports cars, endurance racing, and taking the engineering path less traveled. This coming weekend, Mazda Motorsports will begin a new era of professional sports car racing when its latest SKYACTIV-powered Mazda Prototype takes […]”

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Mazda Bringing Game-Changing SKYACTIV-D Smart Diesel Technology to TUDOR United SportsCar Championship for 2014 Mazda Motorsports Announces Return to Elite Racing Prototype Program November 14, 2013 (IRVINE, Calif.)—At Mazda, “Never Stop Challenging” isn’t just a catchphrase, it’s a company maxim. After nearly two years of planning, Mazda Motorsports will field a pair of factory-backed SKYACTIV-D […]”

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Multiple Grand-Am Honors for Mazda6 SKYACTIV-D Clean Diesel

October 1, 2013 (New York, New York) After closing out a dynamic 2013 Rolex Grand-Am GX season with nine-straight wins, the Mazda Motorsports team proceeded to New York City for the annual post-season awards celebration. Mazda teams and racers received multiple awards and recognitions during the Grand-Am awards gala, highlighted by Mazda winning the 2013 Grand-Am GX Manufacturers Championship.

In twelve races, the SpeedSource Mazda team scored nine wins, five for the #00 VISITFLORIDA.com Mazda6 and four for the #70 Castrol Edge Mazda6. The season highlights were many:
• First diesel to compete in Grand-Am competition
• First diesel to win in Grand-Am competition
• First diesel to ever win at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
• Winner – North American Endurance Championship Presented by VISITFLORIDA.com (GX Class)
• Winner – Grand-Am Manufacturers Championship (GX Class)
• Sunoco Diamond Performance Award for most laps led during the season – #70 Mazda6
• TOTAL Performance Lubricants Pole Award – Tom Long with seven (7) pole positions
• Monticello Motorsports Club Grand-Am Rookie-of-the-Year – Joel Miller
• Rolex “Moment of the Year” Finalist

In accepting the GX Manufacturers Trophy for Mazda, John Doonan, Director of Mazda Motorsports for Mazda North American Operations, noted that; “The story of Mazda’s 2013 GX Manufacturer’s Championship began with our colleagues in Hiroshima, Japan who had the courage to design and build an amazing SKYACTIV-D Clean Diesel engine that will allow Mazda to be the first Asian automaker to bring modern clean diesel cars to the U.S. market. The vision of our management in the U.S. and Japan led us to take the very first five engines off the assembly line and ship them to our partners at SpeedSource Race Engineering to be built into race engines…with more than 50% of the stock engine still being used for the race engine….and to align this race program with the launch of our new Mazda6 road car.

The final part of our 2013 story is the conviction of everyone at SpeedSource, led by Sylvain Tremblay. There were many long hours by everyone in the engineering department and the race shop to develop the engine and the Mazda6 platform into a race winning package in the toughest environment possible. And for sure the driver line-up…all of whom have come up through the Mazda ladder system – Sylvain Tremblay, Tom Long, Tristan Nunez, Joel Miller, and Andrew Carbonell, who brought the cars home every race without a scratch on them.

We are grateful to all of our partners…especially BOSCH, Castrol, Continental Tire, and VISIT FLORIDA who have supported our vision, fought through early challenges with us, and celebrated our nine race wins alongside us. We are already planning for a great 2014 season in the new TUDOR United SportsCar Championship.”

The all-new SKYACTIV-D Clean Diesel engine in the all-new Mazda6 is a true production based engine. The engine is 51% stock by parts count, and 63% stock by weight. Mazda chose this path as it is the most honest way to demonstrate the quality, durability, and reliability of Mazda cars.

Mazda Once Again Tops the Charts at Americas Largest Club Racing Event September 23, 2013 (Elkhart Lake, Wisc.) There is no single event that better represents Mazda Motorsports than the annual SCCA National Championship Runoffs. Marking their 50th anniversary this year, the celebration was extra special. After a week of competition with over 700 racers […]”

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Labor Day is often a working holiday for racers with September and October being very busy as the racing seasons come to a close. In just eight weeks, over 400 Mazda racers will…

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