Mazda Team Joest Driver Lineup For 2018 Season Introduced @AutoMobilityLA

Driver line up sans Rene Rast who was unable to attend. Holding a press conference at AutoMobility LA from press days at the LA Auto Show 2017 while sitting on the Joest Mazda RT24-P Prototype, Jonathan Bomarito, Oliver Jarvis, Tristan Nuñez, Spencer Pigot, & Harry Tincknell (L to R). Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2017)

Mazda Team Joest Driver Lineup For 2018 Season Introduced @AutoMobilityLA

Six Drivers Will Pilot Two Mazda RT24-P Prototypes

Mazda Motorsports has announced the team of drivers that will pilot the two Mazda RT24-P race cars in the 2018 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with Mazda Team Joest. Racing under the Daytona Prototype international (DPi) rules package, this is the first season for the combination of Mazda and Joest Racing, joining the third-winningest manufacturer in IMSA racing history with the team that has won 15 times at Le Mans.

Competing for the championship in the 10-race season will be long-time Mazda drivers Jonathan Bomarito and Tristan Nuñez, both Americans, who will be joined by British racers Oliver Jarvis and Harry Tincknell, who both join Mazda for the first time. For the four longest endurance races, the quartet of drivers will be supplemented by IndyCar racer Spencer Pigot and 2017 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) touring car champion René Rast. The driver combinations for each car have not been set, as the team continues a busy testing schedule ahead of the season-opening Rolex 24 at Daytona in late January.

“Mazda has had a driver development program since 2007,” explained John Doonan, director of Mazda Motorsports in North America. “So, it’s a big part of our Mazda Prototype program to feature drivers that have come up through the Mazda ranks, whether that’s in sports cars like Tristan Nuñez, or the open-wheel side of things with Bomarito and Pigot. We’re thrilled that those superb young men are back with us again in 2018.

"Working with Joest, we were also able to secure fast, winning drivers from their recent history, which makes Jarvis and Rast a good fit, as is Tincknell, who has been successful in both GT and Prototype cars,” said Doonan. “We ask a lot of our drivers outside the car as well, so it’s great to add drivers who will fit the chemistry of what we hope to achieve as a team.”

LA Auto Show (2017) trade show booth helmet display used to announce the 2018 driver line-up for the Mazda Motorsports IMSA Joest Mazda Prototype racing season challenge. Image Credit : Edmund Jenks (2017)

JONATHAN BOMARITO
Age: 35
Hometown: Louisville, Tennessee
Twitter: @JBomarito

Bomarito won the 2010 Rolex 24 at Daytona in the GT category, driving a Mazda RX-8. Bomarito, who grew up in Monterey, Calif., won the 2003 USF2000 open-wheel championship, was a race winner in the Mazda-powered Atlantic Series, and nearly won the 2014 IMSA GTLM drivers championship before his stint in the Mazda Prototype began in 2015.

“Whether you’re a young driver or an accomplished driver, the dream is to align yourself with a manufacturer,” said Bomarito. “So, I can check that box with Mazda. Second, it’s best to be with a good manufacturer, and I check that box with Mazda. Look at their involvement in motorsports history. It’s a really hard industry to find stability, so I’m glad to be with one of the heavy hitters in IMSA. And now, to be aligned with a team like Joest and their history with the sport, it’s great. Their experience, their professionalism and attention to detail is already showing. It’s huge for any driver to be with Mazda Team Joest and I’m proud to be one of them. I’m looking forward to 2018. I think we’re going to have some big improvement and it’s a very exciting time.”

OLIVER JARVIS
Age: 33
Hometown: Burwell, England
Twitter: @OllyJarvis

Jarvis joins Mazda after winning the LMP2 category (and nearly winning overall) at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Jackie Chan DC Racing in 2017. He finished tied for second in the season-long LMP2 class of the FIA World Endurance Championships (WEC), and has extensive experience with Joest, including an overall victory at the 2013 12 Hours of Sebring and multiple podiums at Le Mans. Jarvis has a GT class win at the 2013 Rolex 24 at Daytona with Alex Job Racing.

“I am absolutely delighted to be joining Mazda at such an exciting time,” Jarvis said. “I have followed the project closely since the launch of the stunning RT24-P and I am convinced that the project will be successful. It was an easy decision when the opportunity arose to be part of it. Having raced in and won both the Daytona 24 Hours and Sebring 12 Hours, the IMSA championship is one I know very well. It has always been a goal of mine to race in the championship full-time and I don't think there’s ever been a better time to be part of it as the championship continues to grow.”

TRISTAN NUÑEZ
Age: 22
Hometown: Boca Raton, Florida
Twitter: @TristanNuñez

Nuñez holds the record as the youngest champion in a professional class of road racing in North America. He won the IMSA Prototype Challenge presented by Mazda (nee Prototype Lites) series in 2012 with 11 wins at age 17. He became a Mazda-backed driver after winning the prestigious open-wheel Walter Hayes Trophy event at Silverstone, England in 2011. Nuñez does presentations across the country on behalf of his “Dnt txt n drV Foundation,” which is devoted to educating young people about the dangers of distracted driving.

“It’s a continuous dream come true,” said Nuñez. “Sometimes you think ‘there’s no way that could happen to me,’ but it’s really cool to see where I’m at now. Things just keep getting better and better. I signed on with Mazda when I was 17-years old. Some guys don’t get to be on a factory team at all, so I got really lucky, especially now with the new partnership with Mazda Team Joest. I grew up watching Joest and all the success they had with their previous manufacturer. I’m excited to get going and get to the first race of the year.”

SPENCER PIGOT
Age: 24
Hometown: Orlando, Florida
Twitter: @SpencerPigot

Spencer Pigot will contest the 2018 Verizon IndyCar Championship with Ed Carpenter Racing, and will also be a part of four races with Mazda Team Joest. This will mark Pigot’s third year as an endurance driver for Mazda. He is the first and only driver to win four Mazda driver development scholarships, which included championships in Pro Mazda (2014) and Indy Lights (2015).

“It’s very exciting to be back,” said Pigot. “Mazda Team Joest is really impressive, and it’s been a big improvement already in testing. It’s what you’d expect with a team like this, and it’s really nice. Multimatic and Joest have done a great job with the improvements of the car. It’s all very encouraging and we’ll be able to give it a good fight at Daytona and the other endurance races.”

RENÉ RAST
Age: 31
Hometown: Minden, Germany
Twitter: @ReneRastRacing

The versatile Rast will compete with Mazda at Daytona, Sebring, Watkins Glen and Road Atlanta. As a rookie in the DTM series in 2017, Rast won the prestigious drivers championship. He will defend his title in 2018. Rast has previously driven for Joest Racing and has significant Prototype experience, including a podium finish at the 2017 Rolex 24 at Daytona with Visit Florida Racing.

“I worked with Joest Racing in 2015 and 2016, and I enjoyed every single day with their team,” said Rast. “They are one of the most professional teams I have worked with and the atmosphere is always very relaxed but focused. Obviously its a big honor driving for Mazda and one of the most successful endurance racing teams on this planet. The Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona is always one of my favorite races of the year and I can’t wait to hit the track again. Racing after a long winter break is always great and that’s also what I look forward to the most.”

HARRY TINCKNELL
Age: 26
Hometown: Exeter, England
Twitter: @HarryTincknell

The young British driver joins Mazda Team Joest after a third-place championship finish in the 2017 FIA World Endurance Championship GTE category driving for Ford Chip Ganassi Team UK. Like several other Mazda Prototype drivers, Tincknell had a sparkling young career in open-wheel categories before joining the sports car ranks. He won the LMP2 class at Le Mans in only his fourth sports car race in 2014, and was the driver’s champion in the LMP2 class of the 2016 European Le Mans Series.

“I am really honored to be able to race for Mazda Team Joest this season in the WeatherTech Championship,” said Tincknell. “The whole Mazda team has put in so much effort and made a lot of progress in every area, and after my first test in the car I can’t wait to see how we get on at Daytona. The Mazda RT24-P DPi has taken huge strides over the winter and I immediately felt comfortable in the car. I know the championship is very competitive and it will be a tough fight, but the spirit of the whole team is so determined and ready for it.”

... notes from The EDJE



TAGS: @AutoMobilityLA, Mazda, Joest, Mazda Motorsports, RT24-P Prototype, Jonathan Bomarito, Oliver Jarvis, Tristan Nuñez, Spencer Pigot, Rene Rast, Harry Tincknell, The EDJE

Mazda to field Prototype Class SKYACTIV Technology diesel in 2014

SpeedSource Race Engineering will be responsible for the Mazda cars on the track - drivers and race management to be announced at a later date. Image Credit: Mazda Motorsports (2013)

Mazda to field Prototype Class SKYACTIV Technology diesel in 2014

At Mazda, “Never Stop Challenging” isn’t just a catchphrase, it’s a company maxim. 

After nearly two years of planning, Mazda Motorsports will field a pair of factory-backed SKYACTIV-D Smart Diesel-powered racecars in the top Prototype Class for the 2014 TUDOR United SportsCar Championship (USCC), beginning with the Rolex 24 at Daytona on January 25-26, 2014. This is a major step up for Mazda, having won the 2013 Grand-Am GX Manufacturers Championship. Mazda will be challenging for overall race wins against the toughest sports car competitors in North America.

“This is the most significant step Mazda has taken towards returning to the global racing stage since our overall victory at Le Mans in 1991,” said John Doonan, director of Mazda Motorsports. “And thanks to our SKYACTIV-D Mazda6 racecars winning nine of 12 Rolex GRAND-AM GX races and the GRAND-AM GX Manufacturers Championship this year, we’re confident that our two prototype cars will challenge the best North America has to offer.”

Long-time racing partner SpeedSource Race Engineering, the team that oversaw Mazda’s GX-class championship in 2013, will carry responsibility to develop and run the cars on track. Additionally, Mazda also is in discussions with customer teams interested in the prototype class, as well as teams interested in developing the championship winning Mazda6 into a GT Daytona class car.

Sylvain Tremblay, Owner, SpeedSource Engineering noted; “As a racer, you always want to be in the fastest class. The development of the Mazda SKYACTIV-D was a great deal of work by Mazda and SpeedSource and it will be quite the task to take this to the front of the prototype class in only our second year of competition. Mazda and SpeedSource will have a busy November and December of testing as we prepare for Daytona.”

As part of its challenger frame of mind, Mazda is the only OEM racing with a diesel engine. The SKYACTIV-D Smart Diesel race engine is a true production-based engine and a carry-over from the development work done with the Mazda6 GX-class racing cars. The engine is 51 percent stock by parts count, and 63 percent stock by weight. Mazda chose this path as it is the most honest way to demonstrate the performance, quality, durability, and reliability of Mazda powerplants.

Driver line-ups and team partners will be announced at a later date. The cars will make their first public appearance at the “Roar Before the 24” test at Daytona, January 3-5, 2014.

... notes from The EDJE

 

Project Yellow Light Video Contest Winners For 2013 Announced

Project Yellow Light is a scholarship competition designed to bring about change. As an applicant you have one clear mission: encourage your peers to develop and embrace safe driving habits. For both the high school and college contests, the first-place winner will receive a scholarship in the amount of $5,000. Second-place finisher will receive $2,000. Third-place finisher will receive $1,000. Mazda Motorsports is a major supporting partner. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2013)

Project Yellow Light Video Contest Winners For 2013 Announced

An important part of the process of being a participant in the Mazda Motorsports Ladder System for driver development is to be an advocate for safety in automobile operation.

Kenton Koch, an 18 year old Glendora High School student and Mazda Ladder race car driver, finds time to give safe driving education at high schools near race day locations throughout the country - as do many of the drivers associated with Mazda Motorsports. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2013)

As a component of this outreach agenda, ladder participants/alumni Ben Albano, Kenton Koch, and Elliott Skeer acted as judges in the second annual Project Yellow Light scholarship contest supported by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), Mazda Motorsports, the Ad Council and the National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS).

Project Yellow Light is a film competition for high school seniors and college students designed to create compelling video stories that will convince their peers to develop safe driving habits.  The project was created by Julie, Lowell and Alex Garner in memory of their son/brother, Hunter who died tragically in a car crash in 2007. Each year the winner of the film competition receives The Hunter Garner Scholarship.  Project Yellow Light/Hunter Garner Scholarship is a non-profit organization that began in Hunter’s school, Riverbend High in Fredericksburg, VA, with aspirations to inspire and motivate youth all over America.  The program is designed to give young adults a voice and a role in reversing the number of car crashes — the number one killer of teenagers and young adults in the U.S.

Grand-Am Series GX Class race winning race car driver, Joel Miller enjoys sharing a moment with the media about the outreach activities of Mazda on behalf Project Yellow Light at the 2013 Mazda Motorsports media day last month. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2013)

As part of Global Youth Traffic Safety Month, entrants were asked to develop and produce a short video that would depict for their peers the dangers of risky mobile behavior on our Nation’s roadways.  The high school grand prize was awarded to Brittany Devasure, a senior from North Carolina, for her video, and, for the first time, the contest was open to college students. Rachel Hall, who studies at the Cleveland Institute of Music, was recognized as the grand prize winner for her video.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2011, eleven percent of all drivers 15-19 years old involved in fatal crashes were reported as distracted at the time of the crashes. This age group has the largest proportion of driv­ers who were distracted.

"Distracted driving is a national epidemic, and our youngest drivers are particularly at risk," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. "We know that young drivers listen to their friends, which makes the Project Yellow Light ads so powerful.  Today’s scholarship winners have helped raise awareness of the dangers of texting while driving, and are potentially saving the lives of other teen drivers as well."

The ladder development racers Mazda Motorsports have dubbed the "MAZDASPEED 7"- with Bryan Hixon, Peter Portante, Patrick Gallagher, Matthew Brabham, Stevan McAleer and Yago Cesário along with the engineering and drivers of Sylvain Tremblay's SpeedSource. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2013)

"As racers we know about driver safety and take the subject very seriously.  With our extensive team of teenage race drivers, and our longstanding partnership with the Skip Barber Racing School, active support of Project Yellow Light was a natural fit for Mazda Motorsports." said John Doonan, Director, Mazda Motorsports, Mazda North American Operations. "Everyone at Mazda was impressed with both the quality and quantity of entries this year, and we were happy that our support allowed the Project Yellow Light team to add a category for college students."

This year’s contest ran from November 2012 through March 2013 and received nearly 500 submissions. 

Second place prizes were awarded to high school senior Sophie Koorhan of Pennsylvania and Katherine Duffy, a student at the University of Southern California. Third place prizes were given to high school senior Joanne Ly of California and Rahul Sharma, a college student at New York University.

All of the winners will receive college scholarships and One-Day Teen Survival Skills Classes at the Skip Barber Racing School, provided by Mazda Motorsports. Additionally, the first place winners’ videos will be digitally distributed to air as Public Service Announcements (aka PSAs) by the Ad Council to their network of more than 1,500 TV stations nationwide.

... notes from The EDJE

Mazda's New SKYACTIV-D Technology Sets First Racing Mark

Visit Florida Racing Mazda6 takes Grand-Am GX win at Road Atlanta as Mazda's SKYACTIV-D Clean Diesel engine technology occupies P1 and P3 on the podium. Image Credit: Mazda Motorsports

Mazda's New SKYACTIV-D Technology Sets First Racing Mark

The fruits of real-time, in-season race development program become realized after only four races into the first Grand-Am GX Class season. The all-new Mazda6, powered by a production-based SKYACTIV-D Clean Diesel engine, scored a win in the Rolex Grand-Am GX race at Road Atlanta.

#70 Mazda6 with the SKYACTIV-D turbo diesel showcar where the two turbo assist devices are used primarily to cool the engine as opposed to directly add to the development of power or torque. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2013)

In 2013, the Grand-Am racing series for full-bodied GT cars added a new class of racing platform to its field of formally pedestrian but hardened sedan cars that can be purchased from dealerships around the country. The GX Class will have 13 models from 12 different manufacturers to choose from, based on the list of cars eligible for the new GX class in the Rolex Sports Car Series. Eligible cars announced for the class include the Lotus Evora GX, Porsche Cayman, Mazda6 with the SKYACTIV-D turbo diesel, Audi TT, BMW 1 Series, Chevrolet Cruze, Ford Focus (four door), Hyundai Genesis, Subaru BRZ, Scion FR-S, Nissan 370Z or Altima, and Volkswagen EOS.

SpeedSource engineering improvements to the factory SKYACTIV-D clean diesel engine include changes to the crankshaft, fuel intake manifolds and pistons. Images Credit: Edmund Jenks (2013)

Joel Miller and Andrew Carbonell drove the #00 Visit Florida Racing Mazda6 to the win, with team-mates Sylvain Tremblay and Tom Long finishing third in the similar #70 SpeedSource Mazda6 SKYACTIV-D.  It was a three-way battle for most of the race with a Porsche Cayman splitting the two Mazdas.

View slideshow: Mazda's New SKYACTIV-D Technology Sets First Racing Mark

SpeedSource Fan Page Photos>>

This win represented a day of firsts for Grand-Am competition and for Mazda Motorsports.  This is the first-ever win for a diesel-powered car in Grand-Am competition.  It also marked the first win for the all-new Mazda6 in any race series.  It was the first Grand-Am race win for drivers Joel Miller and Andrew Carbonell.  Miller is a former Mazda Motorsports Scholarship winner, having won the Skip Barber National Championship in 2007.  Carbonnell has been racing Mazdas with Freedom Autosport for many years, and was part of the team that delivered the 2011 Continental Tire ST Manufacturers Championship to Mazda.  Carbonell was substituting for Miller’s usual teammate, Tristan Nunez, who had a schedule conflict with another race in Long Beach.

GX Class Mazda6 driver Joel Miller (r) discussed how driving a diesel-powered race requires a different, "more loving" feel in acceleration and shifting than other gasoline fueled race cars. It is kinda like "hyper-miling" for the race track because the strongest power band on diesel performance is a little tighter with lower RPM at the top of the range. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2013)

"The new Mazda6 prepared by SpeedSource ran perfectly," said Joel Miller, co-driver of the #00 Visit Florida Racing Mazda6 in a post race interview. "The torque of the SKYACTIV-D pulled up the elevation changes around Road Atlanta circuit strongly and the Mazda6 handled beautifully. During the course of the race we attacked when needed and paced ourselves when required. The event had only one caution during the two-hour and 45 minutes race, thus there was hardly any time to relax. The SpeedSource crew was in constant communication with myself and co-driver Andrew Carbonell as we worked through traffic. Bringing home the victory for the SpeedSource crew who worked so hard on this program brings great joy and I cannot wait to continue the [development] program. Over the past eight years Mazda has taken me from karting through their ladder program. I’m proud to be racing the Mazda6 and to be a part of Mazda history in gaining the first SKYACTIV Technology victory."

Joel Miller is the Southern California driver who's mother gave title to a 2011 documentary featuring the Star Mazda Series, an open-wheel driver development series that has since changed its banner to the Pro Mazda Series. "Driven To Race" was billed as a documentary film effort about what it takes to win which garnered several film festival awards when it was debuted.

Sylvain Tremblay, owner of SpeedSource Engineering, explains what changes were made to the Mazda6 SKYACTIVE-D clean diesel engine pistons for racing in the Grand-Am GX Class at the Mazda Motorsport 2013 media kick off meeting. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2013)

The truth behind this new Mazda6 SKYACTIVE-D development and win in the Grand-Am GX Class can be summed up by the owner of SpeedSource Engineering (the engineering firm behind the race tuned Mazda effort), Sylvain Tremblay. "While Joel and Andrew sprayed the champagne, this win truly defined the expression, ‘team work.’ The victory is shared with everyone at SpeedSource, Mazda North American Operations and Mazda Motor Corporation, and is a tribute to the thousands of hours of hard work over many months," said Sylvain. "After that rough debut at Daytona, everyone stepped up to make sure we had a fast, reliable car as soon as was humanly possible. The normal plan with a new car is to spend the first year in development, the second year seeking race wins, and challenging for a championship in year three. We are already at our year-two status after four races. We can’t wait to get to the Belle Isle course in Detroit for round five."

... notes from The EDJE

Mazda And SpeedSource Bring Something New To Race At The 51st Rolex 24

The trio of SpeedSource-built, Mazdaspeed Motorsports-manned, twin-turbo, 2014 SKYACTIV Diesel Mazda6 GRAND-AM Road Racing fighters, looking hungry for GX-class competition in this weekend's Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona! Image Credit: Via Facebook - Faulkner Mazda

Mazda And SpeedSource Bring Something New To Race At The 51st Rolex 24

Last year, Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) introduced a new approach to the engineering design of engines and transmissions designed to gain torque and miles per gallon ratings of their automobiles. This approach is marketed under the overall name of SKYACTIV and has two engine types that will be for sale to the public by the end of 2013 - SKYACTIV-G (for gas) and SKYACTIV-D (for diesel).

Mazda Motorsports will be using the 51st Rolex 24 at Daytona to preview a new racing platform that uses the revolutionary SKYACTIV-D Clean Diesel technology engines with added racing technology to bring them up to producing 400 hp @ 5000 rpm from a 2.2L displacement inline 4 cylinder turbo diesel block.

Mazda will be seeking its 24th class win at the Rolex 24 at Daytona endurance race with three all-new 2014 Mazda6 race cars powered with the SKYACTIV-D Clean Diesel engine. This will be the first-ever diesel power plant to compete in GRAND-AM racing. The SKYACTIV-D engines are a majority production-based employment, with more than 60-percent stock components, including the engine block and head.

Cars line up to run first practice session laps for the Rolex 24 at Daytona. The historic #00 Mazda6 SKYACTIV-D gets pushed into line at far right. Mazda makes a statement for clean diesel technology and their SKYACTIV approach by placing three cars in the field for the Rolex 24 at Daytona this weekend. Image Credit: Via Twitter @michaellgoodwin

This excerpted and edited from Mazda Motorsports -

WHAT’S NEW WITH MAZDA MOTORSPORTS?  EVERYTHING!
New car, engine, fuel, teams, and drivers join Mazda and SpeedSource at Daytona
By Mazda Motorsports - January 25, 2013 (DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.)

The Car: Model Year 2014 Mazda6 SKYACTIV-D Clean Diesel Racecar

The Engine:   A production-based racing version of the same 2.2-liter SKYACTIV-D Clean Diesel engine that will be available in the second half of 2013 for retail sale.  The race engine includes over 250 stock components.  The block and head are Mazda production parts, identical to that used in their production cars.

The Teams/Drivers:

#70      SpeedSource: Jonathan Bomarito, Marino Franchitti, James Hinchcliffe, Tom Long and Sylvain Tremblay.  The two-time GT class winning team (2008 and 2010) will be seeking their third set of Rolex watches.


#00      VISIT FLORIDA Racing/SpeedSource/Yellow Dragon (Video Laps): Joel Miller, Tristan Nunez, Spencer Pigot, Yojiro Terada, and Tristan Vautier.  Terada is the veteran Mazda racer who has competed in more than two dozen 24 Hours of Le Mans races, and scored class wins with Mazda at Daytona in 1979, 1982, and 1985 .  The others are all racers who have won recent championships within the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Ladder and the Mazda Road to Indy.

The Freedom Autosport #25 Mazda6 with SKYACTIV-D power takes to the track during opening day practice at the 51st Rolex 24 at Daytona. Image Credit: Via Twitter @michaellgoodwin

In addition to the two SpeedSource cars, there is one customer team:

#25      Freedom Autosport with Andrew Carbonell, Tom Long, Rhett O’Doski, and Derek Whitis.  Freedom Autosport has been a winning team in the Continental Tire Challenge with Mazda.  They are moving up as a complete team.

The Soundbites:

John Doonan, Director, Mazda Motorsports, Mazda North American Operations -- "This is an amazing moment in Mazda Motorsports history because we are once again bringing innovative technology to the race track to demonstrate the performance, quality, durability and reliability of our brand.  While many know us as the ‘rotary engine’ company, and we love that part of our heritage, to race our latest SKYACTIV-D Clean Diesel technology in our newest car, in the race where we have scored our largest number of wins, is amazing.  To get to this point, thousands and thousands of hours by engineers within Mazda in both Japan and the U.S., along with the amazing team at SpeedSource, has produced what we see as our prime mover for the next decade, SKYACTIV engines for racing."

Sylvain Tremblay, Owner, SpeedSource Engineering, and two-time Rolex 24 GT class winner – "I feel fortunate to have been a part in adding a few pages in the history of Mazda Motorsports. Now I am humbled to be part of a whole new chapter! New engine, new car, new everything, SKYACTIV is the way forward for us at the racetrack, like it is for the 2014 Mazda6, better performance and better fuel economy, what’s not to love about that. Very excited and proud of all the work by Mazda and our team here at SpeedSource in bringing this fantastic program to fruition."

Streaming Video to Complement TV Coverage:

To complement the SPEED TV coverage, Mazda will be providing a ‘second screen’ of coverage via streaming video from onboard the Mazda cars as well as some behind-the-scenes access to the Mazda teams.  Mazda fans can log on at www.MazdaUSA.com/motorsports at anytime during the race.

SPEED, SPEEDTV.com and the Motor Racing Network will combine to provide 25 hours of flag-to-flag coverage.  SPEED’s Rolex 24 coverage begins at 3 p.m. ET on Saturday, Jan. 26, with a 30-minute pre-race show preceding the 3:30 p.m. waving of the green flag. When SPEED signs off on its opening day coverage at 11 p.m., SPEED.com will stream feeds throughout the night, including a rooftop camera, in-car cameras and radio calls by the Motor Racing Network.  SPEED returns at 9 a.m. on Sunday, with coverage including a 30-minute post-race show following the checkered flag at 3:30 p.m.  All 25 hours will be streamed live at www.grand-am.com and www.MotorRacingNetwork.com

... notes from The EDJE


** Article first published as Mazda and SpeedSource Bring Something New to Race at The 51st Rolex 24 on Technorati **

Pro Mazda Championship Gaining SpeedSource Focus

 

As the primary constructor for the GRAND-AM Rolex GT RX-8, SpeedSource led a field of Mazda products in capturing the 2010 Manufacturers championship. Since the program's inception, SpeedSource has been the exclusive supplier of rotary engines to Mazda GRAND-AM Rolex GT teams. SpeedSource's latest project has been the development of the Mazda SKYACTIV-D compound turbo diesel motorsports engine for use in GRAND-AM's GX class in 2013. Image Credit: Pro Mazda Championship

Pro Mazda Championship Gaining SpeedSource Focus

The Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires has contracted the services of SpeedSource Race Engineering as the Official Engine Builder and Technical Consultant of the newly formed Mazda Road to Indy series which fills the opening vacated by Star Mazda. The Coral Springs, Fla., company will begin the re-manufacturing of all Mazda Renesis rotary engines currently used in the championship to 2013 specifications and also provide internal modifications to ensure parity between engines and greater longevity of a season or more.

In addition to a long and notable history of racing under the Mazda banner, SpeedSource is the exclusive engine supplier of rotary engines to Mazda-powered GRAND-AM Rolex GT teams and is currently developing the Mazda SKYACTIV-D compound turbo diesel motorsports engine for the 2013 GRAND-AM GX class. Founded and led by accomplished driver and team owner Sylvain Tremblay in 1995 to provide full-service race services and custom components to club level and professional drivers, the company operates out of a 50,000 square foot facility that houses both development and racing applications.

"I am very pleased to add SpeedSource to our list of high-quality partners," said Dan Andersen, Owner and CEO of Andersen Promotions, the series promoter. "Although I have not had prior dealings with SpeedSource, it is clear to me that they not only have an impressive resume and reputation but also have put together a great new Pro Mazda engine program. I am very confident that this will result in a better championship for our competing teams."

SpeedSource will begin the remanufacturing process on Pro Mazda engines this month. The program will be fully implemented by May 1. Prior to this date, competitors will have the option of using either SpeedSource engines or prior specification engines built and sealed by the former Star Mazda Series with SpeedSource mapping to ensure parity. All cars entered after May 1 and any one-off entries which have not been through the SpeedSource process will undergo a rev limiter adjustment to offset any disparity.

"We are very proud to have been chosen as the engine supplier for the Pro Mazda Series," said Tremblay. "The series itself has a great standing and we look forward to continuing the fantastic reputation of Mazda's Renesis rotary engine. Andersen Promotions has been great to work with and it is easy to see why they are the primary resource for Mazda's ladder program." 

The Mazda Renesis rotary engine used in Pro Mazda is capable of producing 260 horsepower – providing an additional 90 horsepower over the Mazda MZR powerplant utilized in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda, the first step on the Mazda Road to Indy. The internationally award-winning engine also powers the Mazda RX-8 passenger car.

"With years of Mazda racing experience and specifically rotary engine experience on their resume, SpeedSource Race Engineering was the logical choice to serve as the new engine builders for the Pro Mazda Championship," said John Doonan, Director Mazda Motorsports, Mazda North American Operations. "They have put Mazda rotary engines to the ultimate tests in endurance racing and have hundreds of victories to show for it, including two Rolex 24 victories in the last five years. Mazda has every confidence that the work SpeedSource does for the Pro Mazda Championship will provide reliable engines that have a performance window that will continue the great, close racing that this series has been known for throughout its history."

A schedule for the 2013 Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires will be announced in the near future. Additional information can be found at www.promazdachampionship.com.
(ht: Pro Mazda Championship)

... notes from The EDJE


** Article first published as Pro Mazda Championship Gaining SpeedSource Focus on Technorati **