Uncategorized – Page 57 – Mazda Motorsports

The late, lamented Formula Atlantic Championship, in its final iteration, used Swift 016/Mazdas powered by the MZR engine as its racecar. When the series folded under economic pressure, many of the cars were left orphaned, with only SCCA Club Racing as an option. However, Formula Race Promotions, which already had series for F2000 and F1600 cars on the East Coast, created the Atlantic Championship Series. In 2014, the Series will expand to include five full event weekends with two races each, comprising a 10-round Championship calendar presented by Hoosier Racing Tire.

Furthermore, for competitors racing with the MZR-powered cars, Mazda will offer a year-end championship fund. The first pair of races at Road Atlanta were dominated by Mazda-powered cars, with Daniel Burkett winning both events.

“We’re happy and thrilled to welcome Mazda to the revived Atlantic Championship Series and into the Formula Race Promotions family,” said Chip Robinson, Formula Race Promotions race director. “Manufacturer support and recognition, along with a contingency, furthers the progress of bringing back a professional atmosphere and Championship for Atlantic cars.”

Competitors taking part in the contingency program will need to brand their cars with Mazda signage and register with the manufacturer. In addition, to be eligible, a competitor must use Mazda power for the course of the season.

“The Swift .016 Mazda-MZR Atlantic cars has been a favorite of both drivers and fans since 2006,” noted John Doonan, Director of Motorsports for Mazda North American Operations. “We’re happy to see so many of these cars back on track for 2014. Mazda supports racers who race with Mazda power and we’re pleased to post contingency prize money to the Atlantic Championship Series.”

The Atlantic cars will join the F2000 and F1600 Series on all their race weekends in 2014.

Similar to the business model behind F2000 and F1600, Atlantic drivers and teams can expect hefty amounts of track time, reasonable entry and registration costs, a controlled spec tire from Hoosier, and a dedicated and hard-working Series staff at every event.

Mazda’s payout structure for year-end points

Position	Payout
1st Mazda	$5000
2nd Mazda	$3000
3rd Mazda	$2000
4th Mazda	$1500
5th Mazda	$1000

2014 Atlantic Championship Schedule

Date	Venue
April 11-13	Road Atlanta
May 16-18	Watkins Glen International
June 6-8	VIRginia International Raceway
July 4-6	Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course
August 30-Sept. 1	Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park

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As the most-raced vehicle in the U.S., a new version of the Mazda MX-5 is certainly big news. While Mazda isn’t quite ready to reveal the next generation of MX-5, it did confirm development details of the next MX-5 Miata roadster. Making its world debut during a press conference at the New York International Auto Show, the vehicle’s all-new SKYACTIV®-CHASSIS bared its sports car soul and affirmed that the future model would be lighter, stronger and with a physical footprint more in tune with its first-generation predecessor than with its heavier, larger current-day cousin.

“This SKYACTIV-CHASSIS expresses a deep-dive chronicle – complete with beginning, middle and conclusion – of the passion, challenges and triumphs being poured into the next-generation MX-5 Miata,” said Robert Davis, senior vice president, U.S. Operations, Mazda North American Operations. “The dedication of the R&D and Design teams to honor the vehicle’s dynamic heritage and globally-recognizable features is evident from the chassis’ structural blueprint, and will undoubtedly translate into what we believe will be a remarkable production car.”

With the fourth-generation MX-5, the soul of the sports car is not only revisited, but reinvented. With no richly layered, character line-laden sheet metal to hide beneath, the SKYACTIV-CHASSIS lays out a narrative of MX-5’s continuing story with a perfectly arranged table of contents. This chassis is the first time SKYACTIV TECHNOLOGY has ever been shown in a front mid-ship engine rear-wheel-drive design. Also, its compact configuration showcases an engine closer to the vehicle’s center, a center of gravity which itself is lower than that of any previous generation. And not only lower but decidedly leaner, with a weight reduction goal of more than 220lbs., all with the goal of continuing to achieve the highest standards of body rigidity and collision safety performance.

This unwavering determination to keep the MX-5 faithful to its roots of being compact, light and fun-to-drive also is a further evolution of the brand’s Jinba Ittai signature – the oneness between a car and its driver. An early example is that of engineers painstakingly researching the optimum driver position for behind-the-wheel excitement and comfort as further proof that a driving experience intertwined with a history of courage, creativity and conviction is the Mazda way.

More information on the next-generation MX-5 Miata will be announced at a later date closer to the vehicle’s launch.
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Tristan Nunez: The Active Life

If things had gone a bit differently in his life, instead of racing in the Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring Presented by Fresh From Florida, 18-year-old Tristan Nunez might have spent the middle of March preparing to compete in the Sony Open tennis tournament in Miami. But, fortunately for him and Mazda race fans, […]”

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