Mazda Motorsports Poised for Podium in 2004
IRVINE, Calif., March 18 -- On any given weekend, there are more Mazdas racing on the racetracks, dragstrips and parking lots of America than any other brand of vehicle -- and Mazda will continue to support that enthusiasm into 2004. Understanding that the love of motorsports is stronger than ever for fans in North America, Mazda is committed to supporting racing from the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) grassroots level to the SPEED World Challenge and Pro Formula Mazda professional series.
"Mazda has all the makings of another stellar year in 2004," said Steve Sanders, manager, MAZDASPEED motorsports development. "Mazda fans should keep an eye out for our RX-8s in the Grand Am Cup Sports Touring Series, Ed Bergenholtz's 1000-horsepower MAZDA6 drag car, blisteringly fast MAZDA6 cars in the SPEED World Challenge Touring Class, and more great competitive action from our Pro Formula Mazda series."
PRO RACING SPEED World Challenge
Mazda will continue to play a significant role in the SPEED World Challenge series, a production-car-based racing series that supports most American Le Mans Series (ALMS) races. Founded 14 years ago by the SCCA as a competitive arena to showcase production-based sedans and sports cars, World Challenge races are made up of 50-minute timed races in an all-out sprint format, and feature the only standing start in North America. The 2004 SPEED World Challenge series kicks off March 19 at the 12 Hours of Sebring and sets the Mazda Protege head-to-head against Acura RSXs, BMW 325s and Nissan Sentras for pure motorsports excitement from flag to flag. Mazda plans on upping its podium stake when it introduces the new MAZDA6 racecar later in the season.
Mazda's involvement will extend beyond simply entering cars, as the company offers the richest contingency program of all manufacturers. Monetary rewards totaling $46,400 per event are awarded to cars finishing in the top 20 spots, with an $8,000 purse going to the winning driver.
Pro Formula Mazda
Featuring an open-wheel racing format, Pro Formula Mazda is a breeding ground for developing drivers. A favorite among sponsors and spectators alike, the series runs on the same race tracks used for major-league events (such as the American Le Mans Series) and offers an attractive championship prize package of $500,000. All cars feature an advanced carbon-fiber body and use the critically acclaimed production Mazda RENESIS rotary engine found in production RX-8s. Numerous professional drivers have used the Pro Formula Mazda Series as a jumping-off point, such as Formula Atlantic Series Rookie of the Year Joey Hand, ALMS 675 Class winner Jeff Bucknam and Le Mans 24 Hours GT Class winner Bruno Lambert.
Grand Am Cup
Mazda is continuing to extend its racing reach with a new presence in the Grand American Road Racing Association's Grand Am Cup Sports Touring division. SpeedSource Race Engineering returns to the Mazda racing family and is campaigning a five-car fleet of Mazda RX-8s this season in a bid to claim the Manufacturers' Championship. The five-car fleet will be led by professional champion Sylvain Tremblay and rising star David Haskell. The hotly contested Sports Touring division of the Grand Am Cup consists of production cars driven straight off the showroom floor with limited racing modification and improved safety features.
MAZDASPEED Miata Cup
Mazda's proprietary series, the SCCA Pro Racing MAZDASPEED Miata Cup returns for its second year in 2004. By supporting both a Pacific and Atlantic schedule, Mazda further demonstrates its commitment to all motorsports levels and ensures that as many interested participants as possible have access to full-throttle racing excitement.
Spec Miata is wildly popular at both the pro and amateur levels. Nowhere is Mazda's commitment to motorsports more evident than in the Spec Miata class, a series designed to provide an affordable, nationwide class in which all regions are using similar rules and regulations. Spec Miata class participation is so rampant that, on any given weekend, more Miatas are raced at the club level than any other vehicle.
CLUB RACING
Mazda continues to have a dominant presence in club racing. The two most prominent races of the regular and post season will feature significant participation from Mazda-involved clubs. The June Sprints and SCCA Runoffs, the two not-to-be-missed races of the year, are integral to Mazda's leadership role at the club level.
The June Sprints is the biggest SCCA National Race during the Club Racing regular season and serves as the first leg of the organization's highly coveted Triple Crown. The 49th annual June Sprints take place June 17-20, 2004, at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis.
The SCCA Runoffs, held in mid-September, is widely known to be the Super Bowl of amateur road racing, bringing together drivers, crews, workers and manufacturers from all over the country. Even Car and Driver magazine recognizes the Runoffs as one of the world's top-10 racing events. With more racers competing than any other import manufacturer in more than half of the classes, Mazda is sure to have another successful year at the Mid-Ohio course.
DRAG RACING
Mazda's presence in drag-racing will be represented by drivers Abel Ibarra and Ed Bergenholtz. Ibarra, 2000 NIRA Pro Import Champion, 2000 IDRC Pro Import Champion, NIRA Pro Import speed record holder and the Mazda world e.t. record holder, drives a Mazda RX-8. Bergenholtz, whose vehicle was the first import to grace the cover of the Road & Track, is well known and respected among the import-tuning crowd for being the first person to affix a wheelie bar to a front-wheel drive (FWD) dragster and for being the first person to take a full-bodied FWD car into single-digit quarter-mile times. Bergenholtz competes with an in-line, four-cylinder MAZDA6 with a wild paintjob and an estimated 1000 horsepower.
Mazda North America Operations is responsible for the sales and marketing, customer parts and services support of Mazda vehicles in the United States. Headquartered in Irvine, Calif., MNAO has more than 700 dealerships nationwide.
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