Driven To Race Screening At Toyota Grand Prix Of Long Beach

Driven To Race - A feature length, documentary film, Driven To Race follows ambitious, young male and female drivers (and engineers - pictured, Kate Gundlach - now fulltime with the Star Mazda racing series) Peter Dempsey who struggles to find enough funding to stay in the race - even as he’s winning races; 17 year old American John Edwards, the youngest person ever to win an open wheel race in North America (at 12 years old!); JC and Kristy Kester - the only brother sister team in professional racing; and 28 year-old Charles Hall who was on the verge of a promising career in Europe before a major auto accident kept him out of racing for nearly 2 years. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2010)

Driven To Race Screening At Toyota Grand Prix Of Long Beach

Cargo Productions, in concert with MAZDASPEED Motorsports, have created a documentary style film depicting the process, competition and commitment of drivers, teams, sponsors, and culture displayed through the course of a 12 race season in an open-wheel automobile racing series.

Driven To Race - Screening at the The Art Theatre of Long Beach - Thursday, April 15th - Two showings - 2:00 PM and 9:00 PM - Admission: $7 with flyer (below) - Get in FREE with your IRL, ALMS & SCCA Hard Card, MPG and AARWBA members also FREE!

For the record - Cargo Productions produced the film independently and had complete creative control. Mazda USA and MAZDASPEED Motorsport was pleased Cargo Productions chose one of the many racing series Mazda has a commitment to for automobile technology and driver development, but did not fund or influence the film. It is largely due to this distinction, Driven To Race stands on its own as one of the best documentaries about a competitive pursuit, any competitive pursuit, ever made.

The "Premiere" screening was held for a select group of invitees to the 2010 MAZDASPEED Motorsports pre-season media gathering held at the The District @ Tustin Legacy about a month ago to rave reviews. The evening was introduced by Mazda Sr. VP Robert Davis who gave an update as to what was new and expectations for the 2010 racing season and the famed MAZDASPEED Motorsports ladder series development and participation.

Joel Miller gets the green light to run on the streets at Long Beach. The Firestone Indy Lights schedule for the Toyota Grand Prix Of Long Beach weekend shows practice sessions on Friday, April 16 at 12:15 p.m. and Saturday, April 17 at 8 a.m. followed by qualifying at 12:55 p.m. Saturday afternoon. There is a warm-up session at 8 a.m. Sunday, April 18 before the 45-lap race gets underway at 10:40 a.m. It precedes the IZOD IndyCar race that will get the green flag at 1:15 p.m. All times shown are Pacific Time Zone. Image Credit: Andersen Racing

One of the key players in the Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear 12 race season featured in "Driven To Race", was upcoming driver from Hesperia, Joel Miller. Joel will be driving at Long Beach in the next rung up the ladder for open-wheel motorsports, the Firestone Indy Lights Series ... this is first season on this platform toward his ultimate goal of getting a fulltime ride in the IZOD IndyCar Series.

Driven To Race attendance authorization - one must CTRL-CLICK and then print this flyer to bring to one of the two offered screenings at The Art Theatre of Long Beach - Thursday, April 15th - 2:00 PM or 9:00 PM - and Admission: $7.00 ... with flyer! NOTE: Flyer does not guarantee admission if all seats are taken. See you there. Image Credit: MAZDASPEED Motorsports

Some of the most notable reactions to Driven To Race are as follows:

This excerpted and edited from Automotive .com -

Movie Review: Driven to Race by Mazdaspeed Motorsports, Cargo Productions
Posted March 15 2010 04:18 PM by Joel Arellano

The film showcases what happens to each team as they compete through the requisite twelve races. Director Brian Spillane breaks the two hour film into bite-size chunks, each focusing on a particular driver or aspect of racing. Hall, for example, had been involved in a horrendous non-racing auto accident that shortened his legs. Driver John Edwards, on the other hand, enters the series one race short.
----
In my opinion? Cargo Production did a bang up job in providing an insider’s look into the little documented world of “grassroots” racing. I found the film entertaining, highly educational as well as absorbing. Both serious racers as well as the general public will enjoy the film.
Reference Here>>



This excerpted and edited from The Motorsports Report -

“Driven To Race”
... or The best Documentary that every wannabe Race Driver should see
By Dicken Wear - The Motorsports Report - Thursday, March 11, 2010

“Driven To Race”, is by far one of the best documentaries ever made about open wheel racing, and where the world finds these new up and coming drivers.
----
Many movies, some with major stars and multi-million dollars budgets, have failed to covey to the viewer what this great independent film has accomplished, on a budget that most productions would have spent on “Craft Services” (snacks) .
----
The people at Cargo Productions hit the nail on the head. You only hope it will be this good, but above all else, this is the real story of what it takes. Luck, Money, Talent, Desire and Dedication.
Reference Here>>

For our money here at The EDJE, we could not have become more informed or entertained about all of the surrounding aspects of what it takes to be a part of the disciplined pursuit of motorsports competition.

Driven To Race is a must see (and when it is available on DVD or Blu-Ray), must have film to view and share over, and over as it is the best effort of its type to ever be produced ... a hallmark of honesty, information and entertainment!

Screening at the The Art Theatre of Long Beach - Thursday, April 15th - Two showings - 2:00 PM and 9:00 PM - Admission: $7 with flyer (above) - Get in FREE with your IRL, ALMS & SCCA Hard Card, MPG and AARWBA members also FREE!

... notes from The EDJE

The Greatest Manufacturer Influence In Motorsports? MAZDA, Really ... MAZDA!

MAZDASPEED Motorsport Supported Series - Open Or Closed include; American Le Mans, Grand American Rolex GT, Grand American, Koni Challenge, SPEED World Challenge, Mazda MX-5 Cup, Spec Miata, Atlantic Championship, Star Mazda, Skip Barber, and Karting. Caption and Image Credit: MAZDASPEED Motorsports

The Greatest Manufacturer Influence In Motorsports? MAZDA, Really ... MAZDA!

To the casual motorsports observer, it is easy to overlook the influence and participation automobile manufacturers have in the pursuit of motorsports and to what extent they shape and form activities that capture our attention on TV or our local track.

Once one learns how to drive, the concept of motosports competition crosses ones mind and, to some, becomes an obsession. For most, just beating someone off of the line at a green light on an everyday street is as deep as this interest goes, but for others, this obsession grows ... first by watching a major race like the INDY 500 or an international broadcast of the Formula 1 race from the Principality of Monaco to actually taking a car out on a track for a spin ... at speed.

We may first think about the manufacturer of a particular car as it relates to motorsports when we begin to recognize what the nameplate on the car is of our favorite driver. NASCAR is famous for sporting a manufacturers name on the cars they race, even though the cars they drive have almost nothing to do with the actual car one would see on any city or country street ... anywhere.

The cars that NASCAR use for competition are built from the ground up with tubular metal framing for the chassis, a combination of sheet metal and composite fiber outer panels for the body skin and decals located for where the head and tail lights are supposed to be. The names of Toyota, Ford, Chevy, Dodge adorn the cars but very little in the way of actual production vehicles are really a part of the process.

In other, more sophisticated forms of motorsports found on the racing venues around the world, automobile manufacturers do, in fact, give direct support with engineering, engine development, and actual platform creation development, and support. However, no other automobile manufacturer participates directly in the creation and development of competitive racing series, driver development and training around the world more than ... MAZDA.

At the beginning of this summer's racing season, the largest gathering of MAZDA motorsports racing series drivers from all of the supported series (pictured here at New Jersey Motorsports Park, June 2009) - 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. Caption and Image Credit: MAZDASPEED Motorsports

This excerpted and edited from the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development website -

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, MAZDA 3, MAZDA 6, RX-7 and other vintage Mazda models competing, because every Mazda has the Soul of a Sports Car. In fact, the fastest growing road-racing class in the U.S. is the SCCA's Spec Miata class, with nearly 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.

Over the past decade, Mazda has developed an increasingly strong presence at road racing tracks around the nation. At the 2007 Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring festivities, Mazda is represented in five of the eight races, and six of the thirteen different classes of cars, more than any other brand including Porsche, Ferrari, General Motors, Ford, Dodge, Toyota and Honda.

Mazda supports anyone who’s racing his or her Mazda in any sanctioned racing event in the U.S. or Canada. Mazda supports all types of racing, whether Road Racing, Rally, Drag, Off-Road or Autocross, as long as your event is sanctioned by a real racing organization and provides some kind of published racing results. You need to be a member of the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Racing support program to purchase parts or receive support.

Mazda North American Operations provides racing support in North America through MAZDASPEED MOTORSPORTS DEVELOPMENT. 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.
----

MAZDASPEED Motorsports factory-engineered vehicles, performance parts and accessories, and motorsports programs are the ultimate expression of our "Always the Soul of a Sport Car" spirit. MAZDASPEED is the destination for driving enthusiasts who desire to experience Mazda at the highest, most exhilarating level. Video Credit: gorotary

MAZDA CONNECTS THE DOTS FOR NORTH AMERICAN MOTORSPORTS LADDER

Up-and-coming race drivers have two major challenges: winning on the track, and finding the resources to move up to the next level. Mazda in conjunction with series corporate partners is making the second task significantly easier for this year's champion drivers. Mazda will provide a next-level, fully-funded ride in a Mazda powered car to the 2007 champions of selected Mazda series.

“We are committed to developing the next generation of racers with a ladder system that provides drivers with Mazda and Mazda-powered open and closed-wheel cars throughout their careers,” said Robert Davis, Senior Vice President, Product Development and Quality, and the man responsible for Mazda's North American motorsports operations under the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development banner. “Similar to our contingency program, these are performance-based rewards. Too often the cost of racing has meant that a promising career has stagnated due to a lack of budget. With this initiative, Mazda changes that.”
Reference Here>>


For more information on a specific series, visit:

www.atlantic-championship.com

www.scca.com

www.mx-5cup.com

www.starmazda.com

www.skipbarber.com

... notes from The EDJE