News

This week’s Behind the Zoom blog comes from Tom Long. In addition to being in the driver lineup with the Mazda Prototypes, Tom is an accomplished driver instructor and the man behind the wheel in the development of the 2016 MX-5 Global Cup race car. Today, he offers pro tips for grassroots racers on the […]”

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Production of North America-bound ND MX-5 models means the wait is almost over for those itching to get their hands on Mazda’s latest roadster. America-bound 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata production has begun, signaling the imminent arrival of the next generation of the world’s most popular two-seat roadster at U.S. dealers. Additionally, Mazda North American Operations […]”

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Three Mazda racers double up with wins on two days while Spec Miata features two winners.

Day one of the SCCA U.S. Majors Tour at VIRginia International Raceway ran  under sunny skies, but halfway through Sunday, the skies opened up. The races served as Rounds Nine and 10 for the Southeastern Conference and was the season-opening race for the Northeastern Conference.

Drivers in each of the eight race groups, made up of 28 Runoffs-eligible classes, took to the 3.27-mile, 17-turn circuit for 25-minute sprit races on Saturday and 16-lap races on Sunday.

Spec Miata led Saturday off in a big way. With oil-dry on the course near the finish line, the opening moments saw six cars make contact just after taking the green flag. Three of those cars were able to continue the race, while three were not. The rest of the race, restarted on lap five, proved to be just as intense with a multi-car battle for the lead that included eventual race winner Dillon Machavern. Jonathan Goring won Spec Miata on Sunday.

Three drivers doubled up with a pair of victories, scoring in both the sprint races and the features on Sunday. Ken Kannard (Miata) won F Production both days, as did Ray Stephensen in GT-3 (RX-7) and Robert Noell in Formula Mazda.
 
SCCA Northeastern/Southeastern Conferences Majors
VIRginia International Raceway
Alton, Va., April 18-19, 2015

Saturday Mazda Winners

Class,Driver,Hometown,Car Formula Mazda,Robert Noell,”Cary, N.C.”,Formula Mazda F Production,Ken Kannard,”East Troy, Wis.”,Mazda Miata GT-3,Ray Stephenson,”Miami, Fla.”,Mazda RX-7 Spec Miata,Dillon Machavern,”Charlotte, Vt.”,Mazda Miata

Sunday Mazda Winners

Class Driver Hometown Car
Formula Mazda Robert Noell Cary, N.C. Formula Mazda
F Production Ken Kannard East Troy, Wis. Mazda Miata
GT-3 Ray Stephenson Miami, Fla. Mazda RX-7
GT-Lite Michael Kamalian Marietta, Ga. Mazda Miata
Spec Miata Jonathan Goring Norfolk, Va. Mazda Miata

Young Mazda racers are promoting distracted driving awareness. Racers in all three rungs of the Mazda Road to Indy will be carrying the Project Yellow Light message at this weekend’s Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, becoming ambassadors for highway safety. Over the past decade, Mazda Motorsports has established a leadership position in the development […]”

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First street circuit of 2015 requires different mindset for Mazda SKYACTIV Prototype Team. IRVINE, Calif. (April 14, 2015) – The first two races of the TUDOR United SportsCar Series were endurance contests on predominantly wide circuits, a sharp contrast to this weekend’s Tequila Patron Sports Car Showcase at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. […]”

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Today, our weekly series of blogs features Mazda Prototype driver Joel Miller, who is also a mechanical engineer with the factory Mazda team, SpeedSource. Hailing from Hesperia, California, this week’s Long Beach Grand Prix brings Miller very close to home, and he tells us how much this event means to him. “This is where the […]”

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Being able to properly explain what the car is doing – to your crew chief or yourself – is the key to making the car better, says Tom Long. Driver feedback is often thought of as the information a racer gives back to his team – to the engineers, to the crew chief, to all […]”

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The first development vehicle for the 2016 MX-5 Cup car has hit the track for some systems checks. On Tuesday, April 7, the fourth generation (ND) Mazda MX-5 race car put tire to racetrack for the first time, in its first shakedown. For those who understand the adage, Long Live the Roadster, you likely know […]”

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A beautiful Northern California Spring weekend met racers at the SCCA Western Conference Majors Tour at Thunderhill Raceway. Perfect Northern California Spring Weather greeted SCCA racers for Rounds Seven and Eight of the Western Conference Majors Tour at Thunderhill Raceway in Willows, Calif. A field of 130 drivers in seven race groups ran 30-minute sprint […]”

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Four Mazda racers take double victories in Mid-States Conference Majors at Oklahoma circuit. Gambling on precipitation during the 25-minute timed races on Saturday at the SCCA Mid-States Conference Majors Tour at Hallett Motor Racing Circuit rewarded many drivers while catching others out. The first day started sunny, but by the third race of the afternoon […]”

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Mazda scholarship driver wins both IMSA Cooper Tires Prototype Lites races in Louisiana to make it three of four for the season. Kenton Koch captured his second and third wins in the 2015 Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Powered by Mazda series with wins in Rounds Three and Four at NOLA Motorsports Park. Koch, 20, from […]”

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Dean Copeland shows mastery of NOLA Motorsports Park in taking double win in MX-5 Cup’s first visit to the track. Dean Copeland, of Bowie, Maryland, took Rounds Three and Four of the SCCA Pro Racing Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by BFGoodrich® Tires at NOLA Motorsports Park as part of the Indy Grand Prix […]”

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Some heat is good. Too much can start hurting the performance of both you and your car. Racecars are hot. No, we don’t mean in a metaphorical sense, nor are we saying they are attractive (although both can certainly be true – have you seen that Mazda SKYACTIV Prototype?). They are, literally, hot. Powered by explosions, […]”

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Our weekly series of blogs from inside Mazda Motorsports continues with a very personal story of passion from 19-year old Tristan Nunez, the youngest driver on the Mazda Prototype team. Read a new entry here every Thursday. “Passion is the one thing that will push you beyond what your body and mind ever thought would […]”

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Ongoing multi-million dollar investment by Mazda to grow the sport IRVINE, Calif. (April 8, 2015) –Mazda will have its race cars in four unique series on the schedule this weekend at the inaugural Grand Prix of Louisiana, including two each from the Mazda SportsCar Racing Academy and the Mazda Road to Indy. Mazda engines will […]”

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Number 6 in a countdown. Education doesn’t stop once you’re strapped in; there is something to learn at every stage of a racing weekend. The great basketball coach John Wooden is credited with saying, “It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.” The coach who led UCLA to 10 NCAA National Championships […]”

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Ernie Francis Jr. took his former MX-5 Cup car from TCA to TC configuration for 2015. Ernie Francis Jr. found that taking an MX-5 Cup car to Pirelli World Challenge Touring Car A was a fairly simple transition. Put on a hardtop, change the graphics, go racing, win. Taking that same car into the Touring […]”

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Front and rear tow hook set for Miatas mean secure transport out of the gravel trap. Tow hooks aren’t the most anticipated purchase when building a racecar. They won’t make the car faster, they don’t make it look better. But they are required by the rules, and you’ll sure be glad to have them if […]”

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New details are released about the 2016 ND MX-5, its launch and how you can virtually drive one now. The excitement surrounding the 2016, fourth-generation ND MX-5 is building before it goes on sale this summer, with the announcement of the Club edition this week at the New York International Auto Show and the build […]”

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5 Pitfalls to Avoid when Selecting a Solo Teammate In yesterday’s article, the 6 Benefits to Working with a Solo Teammate, we shared how two great teammates work together. Today, we share common pitfalls or challenges to avoid and consider when selecting or working with a teammate. For good reason, the competitors we turned to […]”

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Welcome to the second installment of BEHIND THE ZOOM, a weekly series of blogs from the drivers and the key players behind the Mazda Prototype program. Each Thursday, we will bring you a personal view of what it takes to be a part of the TUDOR United SportsCar Series with Mazda. Today, driver Jonathan Bomarito […]”

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April 14 online seminar with autocross experts Karen Babb, Neal Tovsen and Rachel Kerswill will discuss ways to improve your autocrossing skills. MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development and MotorsportReg.com are teaming up for a free webinar on how to get quicker in autocross, and get quicker fast. With an all-star team of experts that includes multi-time SCCA […]”

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North American special trim level introduced at New York International Auto Show features some key performance goodies. Lighter, smaller, quicker and more nimble than its predecessor, MX-5 has adopted Mazda’s full suite of SKYACTIV Technology and KODO—Soul of Motion design. In the process, MX-5 has shed approximately 150 pounds from its predecessor, with a curb […]”

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6 Benefits to Working with a Solo Teammate Should you consider a teammate in autocross? We think so. Should you definitely go with one? It’s not for everyone, but like most things in life, there are trade-offs; it is what we make of them that should determine whether to partner-up. We learned of a team […]”

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