News Releases
AUSTIN, Texas (March 5, 2015) – The success of Mazda Motorsports is in large part thanks to thousands of racers across the country choosing to race Mazda vehicles. One of the great showcases for the quality, durability, and reliability of Mazda cars, and the skills of Mazda racers, is the Pirelli World Challenge. This year, 10 Mazda racers will be taking the green flag for the three-day, three-race weekend beginning Friday, March 6, at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas.
Pirelli World Challenge comprises seven different classes of competition, with Mazda racers competing in three. The Mazda MX-5 will go head-to-head with Porsche, Honda, Nissan, Volvo, VW and Ford in the Touring Car (TC) class. In the Touring Car “A” (TCA) class, for cars with fewer modifications, the Mazda RX-8 will compete with Honda and Kia. In Touring Car “B-Spec” (TCB), it will be the nimble Mazda2 up against the Honda Fit, Mini Cooper and Fiat 500.
“It’s great to see so many strong Mazda teams ready for the 2015 Pirelli World Challenge. Mazda has a long history in the series, and we look to our current racers to add their names alongside past race winners and champions like Randy Pobst, Jeff Altenberg and Michael Cooper. Having the season conclude at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in September will make this a special season for us,” said John Doonan, director of motorsports, Mazda North American Operations.
Mazda Entries for this weekend:
| Car # | Driver/Hometown | Team/Car/Sponsor |
|---|---|---|
| #9 (TCB) | Chris Holter Rochester, New York |
Breathless Performance Mazda2 Fuel Clothing / Spy Optics / Go Puck |
| #17 (TC) | Randy Hale Haddam, CT |
Hale Motorsports Mazda MX-5 TransAero/Hale Propeller |
| #22 (TCA) | Kevin Anderson Huntington Station, New York |
Tech Sport Racing Mazda RX-8 TechSportRacing.com |
| #23 (TCA) | Robby Foley (R) Randolph, New York |
Tech Sport Racing Mazda RX-8 TechSportRacing.com |
| #33 (TC) | Adam Poland Mount Vernon, Texas |
EASTEX Motorsports Mazda MX-5 Texas Track Works / Majestic Pet Products |
| #50 (TC) | Dinah Weisberg (R) Webster, New York |
BERG Racing Mazda MX-5 REDCOM Laboratories /Color Track / Red Line |
| #55 (TCB) | James Wilson Kyle, Texas |
Black Armor Helmets Mazda2 Black Armor Helmets |
| #64 (TC) | Austin Snader Sealy, Texas |
Snader Racing Mazda MX-5 Event Fresh / SR Enterprises / MAZDASPEED |
| #95 (TCB) | Steve Taake Houston, Texas |
Daylight Motorsports Mazda2 Black Armor Helmets / MAZDASPEED |
| #98 (TC) | Ernie Francis Jr. Davie, Florida |
Breathless Performance Mazda MX-5 Time4Learning |
Several of the Mazda racecars at COTA will be carrying artwork for the Austin Humane Society. Mazda racers have promoted shelter animal adoptions at various races around the country since 2007. Thanks to Roger Beasley Mazda, the Austin Humane Society (AHS) will be raffling off a 2015 Mazda MX-5. Additionally, the AHS will have shelter volunteers at the track selling tickets. http://www.austinhumanesociety.org/
The 2015 Pirelli Wold Challenge (TC/TCA/TCB) Race Schedule:
| March 6-8 | Circuit of The Americas | Austin, Texas |
| May 15-17 | Canadian Tire Motorsport Park | Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada |
| June 26-28 | Road America | Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin |
| Aug 14-16 | Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course | Lexington, Ohio |
| Aug 21-23 | Miller Motorsports Park | Tooele, Utah |
| Sept 11-13 | Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca | Monterey, California |
Each event is a triple-header, with three races per weekend, for an 18-race season.
About Mazda, Mazda Motorsports and MAZDASPEED
Mazda is a leading player in all aspects of sports car racing with an emphasis on endurance road racing. Mazda is the number-one brand for road-racers across North America among both club racers and professionals. Thousands of Mazda-powered grassroots racers compete in various classes with the SCCA and NASA highlighted by Spec Miata, the world’s largest spec class with over 2,500 cars built. Via the Mazda SportsCar Racing Academy, and the Mazda Road to Indy, Mazda supports racers at all levels of the sport from club racing up to the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship where it races with production SKYACTIV Technology.
Mazda remains the only Asian car company to score an overall win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans (1991). Mazda has had a naming rights agreement at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca since 2000.
Mazda Motorsports is managed by Mazda North American Operations (MNAO). MNAO is headquartered in Irvine, Calif., and oversees the sales, marketing, parts and customer service support of Mazda vehicles in the United States and Mexico through nearly 700 dealers. Operations in Mexico are managed by Mazda Motor de Mexico in Mexico City.
Consumer information can be found at www.mazdausa.com, with press information at www.mazdausamedia.com. Racers and fans can follow the action on Facebook (Mazda Motorsports), Twitter (@mazdaracing), Instagram (MazdaMotorsport) and www.mazdamotorsports.com
Contact:
Dean Case, Communications Officer, Mazda Motorsports Mazda North American Operations(310) 318-4582, mazdaspeed@MazdaUSA.com
