 |
– Skip Barber and NASA Teen Champions Now Eligible to Win Shootout –
Irvine, Calif., October 9, 2008 - The MAZDASPEED Motorsports Driver Development Ladder is proving to be the springboard for many aspiring racers to advance – just ask Raphael Matos and Jason Saini where they would be today without Mazda.
The heart of MAZDASPEED is in supporting club racers. There are over 9,000 Mazda customers who compete in club racing with the Sports Club of America (SCCA) and the National Auto Sports Association (NASA). More than a few of them have aspirations of racing professionally. Over the past two years, Mazda has directly assisted club racers with the leap to the professional ranks.
- In 2006 Andrew Caddell won the SCCA Runoffs in Spec Miata. Thanks to Mazda he raced in the 2007 MX-5 Cup winning two races, finishing as runner-up for the championship. In 2008 he won the inaugural Ford Racing Mustang Challenge for the Miller Cup as his career continues to advance.
- In 2007 Brad Rampelberg won the SCCA Runoffs in Spec Miata and he is currently chasing the 2008 Playboy MX-5 Cup having scored a win in only his third-ever pro race, and followed it up with a second win at the Miller Motorsports Park. Brad is currently sixth in points with one race to go.
The original MX-5 Cup shootout in late 2006 was open only to SCCA club racing champions. NASA was added to the mix for 2007, and for 2008, Mazda partner Skip Barber and a pair of NASA teen champions join the competition being eligible to compete.
The competition measures all aspects of a driver:
- Fast lap times
- Consistency
- Technical feedback and knowledge
- The ability to write a winning sponsorship proposal/business plan
- PR and media skills
For 2008, the competition will be held in two stages with a preliminary written portion to select the finalists for the on-track session.
The Prize: A factory supported ride in the 2009 SCCA Pro Racing Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup
Value: $50,000+
Eligible Racers: Anyone driving a Mazda or Mazda powered racecar to a championship within:
- The 2008 SCCA National Runoffs
- Winners to be crowned October 11-13 in Topeka, Kansas – With strong fields in both Spec Miata and Formula Mazda among the 100+ Mazda entries in the 25 classes, there will be at least two Mazda powered champions.
- The 2008 NASA National Championships. Two championships were won with Mazda power
- Todd Lamb – Spec Miata
- Scott Shelton – Performance Touring D
- The 2008 Skip Barber MAZDASPEED Cup series
- Justin Pushitell
- The NASA Spec Miata Teen Driving Champions
- East - Dean Copeland
- West – Two remaining races – season ends in October
- It is anticipated that approximately eight to ten racers will be eligible for stage 1
The Competition:
Stage 1 – Written sponsorship proposals/business plans will be judged. The purpose is to demonstrate to the judges that the racer has the business skills required to manage and grow a career beyond their one year MAZDASPEED sponsorship. The judges will select three to six drivers to progress to stage 2. The deadline for the eligible racers to submit their electronic PDF proposals is October 27th. The stage 2 finalists will be announced in early November.
Stage 2 – Driving and technical exercises at Buttonwillow Raceway in California are scheduled for Tuesday, December 9.
Exclusions: Racers are eligible to compete in as many shootouts as they qualify for, but cannot return after winning a shootout, thus past shootout winners Andrew Caddell and Brad Rampelberg are not eligible for 2008. Racers are also limited to one ladder prize per year.
The judges: Judges will be composed of a committee of motorsports professionals including team owners/managers, engineers, drivers, and journalists.
# # #
About Mazda
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 their 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.
Headquartered in Irvine, Calif., Mazda North American Operations 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, Canada, and in Mexico by Mazda Motor de Mexico in Mexico City.
About SCCA Pro Racing Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup
Stepping up in place of the former MAZDASPEED Miata Cup, the SCCA Pro Racing Mazda MX-5 Cup made its debut in 2006. Featuring identical Mazda MX-5s on spec Kumho tires, MX-5 Cup gives drivers the opportunity to run on high-profile weekends in an economical, entry-level racing series. The 2008 MX-5 Cup schedule features eight races at prestigious events across North America, and with grids composed of roughly 30 cars at each race, MX-5 Cup has become one of the best shows in motorsports today. The season champion is awarded a factory supported Mazda ride in the series above. 2007 MX-5 Cup Champion Jason Saini is racing a MAZDA6 in the 2008 SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge Touring Car Championship. Visit www.mx-5cup.com to learn more.
For more information on Mazda products, visit the online Mazda media center at: www.MazdaUSAmedia.com
For more information on MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development, visit: www.MAZDASPEEDDevelopment.com
For more information on the Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup visit: www.mx-5cup.com
