IRVINE, California — The heart and soul of MAZDASPEED Motorsports is club racing, and September is THE month for club racers. Three events tower above the rest:
What: The 37th Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Championships
When: September 8-11
Where: Lincoln Airpark, Lincoln, Nebraska
What: The 2009 NASA Championships Presented By Toyo Tires
When: September 11-13
Where: Miller Motorsports Park, Tooele, Utah
What: The 46th Annual SCCA National Runoffs
When: September 25-27
Where: Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin
Dozens of champions will be crowned as the best in the country in both wheel-to-wheel racing and solo/time trials at the three gatherings. Mazda remains the #1 brand at all of these competitions and pays out more contingency prize money than any other car company.
Those in the racing categories are aiming for the fourth annual Mazda MX-5 Cup shootout. Since 2006 Mazda has hosted a shootout for a select group of national champions. Those club racing champions who were Mazda powered are eligible to enter the shootout. The winner of the shootout is rewarded with Mazda support to compete in the following season’s SCCA Pro Racing Playboy Mazda MX-5 Championship. This is the single largest prize in club road racing and is valued in excess of $50,000. The past shootout winners were Andrew Caddell, Brad Rampelberg, and Justin Piscitell. Mazda also pays contingency money to eligible racers at the NASA National Championship level -- $4,500 for a win, $2,000 for a second, and $1000 for a third place. Class winning drivers in NASA Time Trial categories can win $400.
The first MX-5 Cup Shootout eligible candidates were indentified in Tooele, Utah this past weekend. Over five dozen Mazda racers competed in a wide variety of classes at the 2009 NASA Championships presented by Toyo Tires.
Mazda racers finishing on the podium, and earning Mazda money, in Utah were as follows:
Spec Miata (SM)
1st Andrew Rushing MX-5 Miata
2nd Dean Thomas MX-5 Miata
3rd Sammy Valafar MX-5 Miata
Showroom Spec Miata (SSM)
1st Jeffrey Walter MX-5 Miata
2nd Jason Holland MX-5 Miata
3rd Brady Flaherty MX-5 Miata
Performance Touring A (PTA)
3rd Jeff Diffenderfer MX-5 Miata
Performance Touring B (PTB)
1st Jim Holloway RX-8
Performance Touring C (PTC)
2nd Dennis Holloway RX-8
Performance Touring D (PTD)
1st Robert Davis RX-8
Performance Touring E (PTE)
1st Mike Rose RX-7
2nd Bruce Pendleton MX-5 Miata
3rd John Gibson MX-5 Miata
Performance Touring F (PTF)
1st Kevin Madsen RX-7
2nd Dave BongiovanniMX-5 Miata
PTF results are provisional pending NASA certification
Super Touring R 2 (STR2)
2nd JamesWagaman RX-7
3rd Bob Stebbins RX-7
Super Touring 2 (ST2)
3rd Tom Dragoun RX-7
Mazda powered nine national champions at the 37th Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Championships at Lincoln Airpark in Lincoln, Nebraska.
C Stock L: Sierra Danielle Pedroza, Round Rock, Texas MX-5 Miata
E Stock: Jerry Jenkins, Vancouver, Washington MX-5 Miata
C Street Prepared: Matt Mccabe, Omaha, Nebraska MX-5 Miata
C Street Prepared L: Juliann Pokorny, Ft. Worth, Texas MX-5 Miata
Super Street Modified: Dan Chadwick, Smyrna, Tennessee RX-7
B Stock: Bryan Heitkotter, Fresno, California RX-8
B Stock L: Debbie Kerswill, Reno, Nevada RX-8 .
Street Touring Xtreme L: Jennifer Isley, Coto De Caza, California RX-8
E Prepared L: Amy Lee, Kailua, Hawaii RX-3
Next Up: The 2009 SCCA National Championship Runoffs
After three years at Heartland Park Topeka, the SCCA Runoffs have moved to legendary Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Over 600 racers in 25 classes will be competing on September 25-26-27. Over 140 Mazda-powered racers will be competing in over a dozen of the classes including the exclusive Spec Miata and Formula Mazda categories.
Mazda is the brand of choice for road-racers across North America. More than 9,000 grassroots racers compete in various classes with the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) and the National Auto Sport Association (NASA). Racers who are years away from earning a driver’s license can now begin a professional motorsports careers in the Mazda family. A driver can begin in karts and progress through the Skip Barber series, Club Racing Formula Mazda, professional Star Mazda and finally to Formula Atlantic, all with Mazda. No other car company has ever connected the dots this way.
On any given weekend, there are more Mazdas on the road-race tracks of America than any other brand of vehicle. At the track, you’ll see MX-5 Miata, RX-8, MAZDA3, MAZDA6, RX-7 and other vintage Mazda models competing, because every Mazda has the Soul of a Sports Car. In fact, the largest road-racing class in the world is Spec Miata, with more than 1,500 first- and second-generation Miatas tearing up America’s racetracks, making it the most-raced production car in the world. Mazda’s involvement in motorsports extends to its relationship with Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, one of the world’s premier road-racing circuits, and the Skip Barber Schools for driving and racing.
Celebrating its 40th Anniversary in the United States in 2010, Mazda North American Operations is headquartered in Irvine, Calif. and oversees the sales, marketing, parts and customer service support of Mazda vehicles in the United States, Canada and Mexico through nearly 900 dealers. Operations in Canada are managed by Mazda Canada, Inc., located in Ontario; and in Mexico by Mazda Motor de Mexico in Mexico City.
