Mazda Road to 24 Shootout

Formerly known as the Mazda SportsCar Racing Academy, the Mazda Road to 24 (#MRT24) offers a route for sports car drivers to reach the upper echelons of motorsports.

The Mazda Road to 24 is a Mazda Motorsports program that provides a series of scholarships supporting drivers up a well-defined racing ladder to reach the ultimate level in sports car racing in North America. From grassroots racing through professional categories such as the MX-5 Cup, the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge and the Mazda Prototype Lites, championship-winning drivers earn scholarships all the way to potentially becoming a Mazda factory driver in the Prototype category in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

The Mazda Road to 24 joins the similar Mazda Road to Indy program, which offers scholarships for drivers in open-wheel racing. The two programs are a prime example of the depth and breadth of Mazda Motorsports involvement in creating the next generation of superstars. This year, Mazda will award more than $2,340,000 in scholarships to winning drivers in sports cars and open wheel categories.

History of the Mazda Road to 24 Shootout: Since 2006, Mazda Motorsports has provided one deserving racing competitor a scholarship to compete in the Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich® Tires. The criteria for the shootout have been created to identify the aspiring professional racer who has the most complete set of skills required to succeed in motorsport. These skills include speed, consistency, race craft, technical understanding, 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.  Each Mazda Road to 24 (MRT24) nominee will be required to submit specified information outlined below to be considered a finalist. Historically, three to eight nominees have been selected as finalists to compete on-track during the shootout, where additional assessment is conducted. A panel of judges selects one of these finalists to receive a scholarship valued at $100,000 to compete in the upcoming year’s Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup.

2015 eligibility criteria (2016 TBA):
• Any driver winning a recognized (Full MAZDASPEED contingency paying) club racing national championship with the SCCA or NASA using Mazda power.
• Mazda Teen Challenge Spec Miata champions – NASA.
• 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, Inc.
• Identified iRacing MX-5 Cup champions.
• At-large bids from NASA, SCCA, and other outlets.

For social media, the #MRT24 hashtag will be featured, matching the similar hashtag of #MRTI for the open-wheel categories.