POUGHKEEPSIE, NY January 20, 2009 – The debut of Dyson Racing’s two new Mazda-powered Lola B09/86 coupes at the 12 Hours of Sebring on March 21^st will feature the strength of continuity behind the wheel. All four of last year’s drivers will return for the 2009 American Le Mans season. Chris Dyson and Guy Smith will pair in the #16 BP Dyson Racing Mazda entry and Butch Leitzinger and Marino Franchiiti will pilot the #20 car. “We had very good driver chemistry last year and that is such an important component in developing a new car,” said Chris Dyson. “Butch has been with us for fourteen years, Guy four years and Marino fit in last year as if he had been with for us a long time.”

Series veteran Ben Devlin will be adding his experience to Dyson Racing’s line-up of drivers during the course of the season. “Ben brings his in-depth knowledge of the Mazda Lola LMP2 coupe from last year to our effort this year,” observed Dyson. “His race skills in the coupe will help provide added continuity and enhance our learning process with the new car. He will work closely with the team throughout the year and will co-drive with Butch and Marino at the longer races during the season.”

Devlin noted that “Dyson Racing has always been a team that stands out: not just in sports cars, but across the board: it is one of the best put-together teams in North America. It was a team I looked up to in 2001 when I first joined the ALMS and I am pleased to be part of their historical operation. I was at last week’s Sebring test and it was great to see how far the car has come from last years’ iteration. With the Mazda partnership and the team’s commitment, it certainly should be a strong year for us.”

Devlin started his racing career at the age of 12 in go-karts in the U.K. and moved up to the Jim Russell School three years latter, winning his first open wheel race and four more in succession to put his stamp on the series. Ben continued to race successfully in Europe until 2001 when he decided to advance his career by coming to the U.S. to drive sports cars. In 2002, he was second in the ALMS 675 championship and his competitive career in prototypes led him to BK Motorsports in 2007 driving the new LMP2 Mazda Lola. He continued with BK Motorsports for 2008 and is now part of the Dyson squad after the retirement of the owner of BK Motorsports. In 44 ALMS starts, he has eleven top-three finishes and two championship victories.

Ben Devlin will be appearing at the Detroit Auto Show on Friday, January 23 from 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM at the American Le Mans Series exhibit in Cobo Hall. There will be an autograph session followed by a Q & A for both the media and the public.

Mazda is the brand choice of road racers across North America. On any given weekend, there are more Mazdas on the road-race-tracks of America than any other brand. You will see MX-5 Miata, RX-8, MAZDA3, MAZDA6, RX-7 and other vintage Mazda models because every Mazda has the Soul of a Sports Car.

Mazda MZR-R powered Lola

Manufacturer Teams With Dyson Racing For Two-Car ALMS Go

ORLANDO, Fla. — Less than a week after the bad news of Audi’s potential withdrawal from the American Le Mans Series hit the streets, the series got some good news Thursday morning with the announcement that Mazda will enter the fray.

The car manufacturer, which has increased its auto- racing involvement each year, recently has entered a partnership with one of sports-car racing’s most veteran and most decorated teams — Dyson Racing.
Owned by Rob Dyson and managed by his son, Chris, who will serve as one of the drivers for the two Lola chassis carrying Mazda MZR-R engines built by AER, the team will announce its other drivers at a later date.

Read More at National Speed Sport News

http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/article/alms-video-inside-the-new-mazda-lola-lmp2-coupe/

August 8, 2008 (Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin).  The 2008 race season started off on a high note, both on-track and off.  An underdog win by the Castrol Syntec SpeedSource Mazda RX-8 team at the Rolex 24 at Daytona saw Mazda take its 22nd class win in the American 24-Hour classic.  Less than a month later, all eyes turned to the unification of open wheel racing.  While that was welcome news for race fans, it created a great deal of additional work for many organizations.  Mazda was hit especially hard with four Mazda-specific series directly impacted, and has spent the past six months in rebuilding schedules for 2008 and 2009.

Robert Davis, Senior Vice President, Product Development and Quality, Mazda North American Operations, reflected on the season so far.  “As racing fans, we were thrilled to see open-wheel racing come together again.  But it was not without a cost, and one of the costs was our having to rebuild race schedules and TV packages with no time to spare. I’m proud of the effort put forth by Mazda and all of our partners, ranging from series sponsors like Playboy to sanctioning bodies like IMSA, to individual race promoters, to our teams, and it was very much a collective effort.”  Davis added, “On-track, our teams have managed to stay focused and we’ve addedanother four wins in Grand-Am Rolex GT and three in SPEED World Challenge.  Both of those seasons are far from over and we hope to keep the fight going to the last races.”

The Olympics of Motorsports?

While fans of human powered sports are tuning in to Beijing for the other Olympics, motorsports road racing fans are in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin for the Road America Road Race Showcase to be held August 7-10.  Nearly 200 cars will be competing in eight different race series.  Mazda alone will have almost 100 of those drivers and cars representing over a dozen countries competing in the following classes.

• American Le Mans Series (LMP2 class)
• SPEED World Challenge Touring Cars
• Cooper Tires Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda (Double-header)
• Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear
• BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National Presented by Mazda (Double-header)
• Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup

MAZDASPEED 2008 season highlights through July include:

• Four wins in Grand-Am GT for the RX-8 including both of the “endurance” races.  SpeedSource drivers Sylvain Tremblay & Nick Ham have closed to within six points of the points lead with two races remaining.
• Three wins in SPEED World Challenge with four Mazda drivers ranked in the top ten in points.
• Strong fields in all of the Mazda Ladder Series races.The inaugural Mazda Grand Prix of Portland.
• The MAZDASPEED Motorsports Driver Development supported drivers are doing extremely well in 2008.

• Dane Cameron - Racing in the Cooper Tires Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda — Currently seventh in points after five of 11 races.  Third among rookies. Three top-five finishes.
• Connor De Phillippi - Racing in the BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National Presented by Mazda - Currently eighth in points after eight of 14 races.  Three podium finishes.  Has led two races.
• Joel Miller - Racing in the Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear — Currently first in points after five of 12 races.  One win, four podium finishes.
• Brad Rampelberg - Racing in the Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup — Currently second in points after three of eight races.  One win and two podium finishes.
• Jason Saini - Racing in the SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge Touring Car Championship — Currently fifth in points after seven of ten races.  Leading rookie in series.  One win, two podium finishes.

Open Competition Series Updates:

Series:        Grand-Am Rolex Series - GT (11 of 13 races completed)

Recap:

In the Manufacturers Championship Mazda is currently tied for second in points with Porsche just six points behind Pontiac with two races remaining.

SpeedSource #70  is currently second in team standings after 11 of 13 races.  The team has scored three wins (including Rolex 24 @ Daytona), and six podium finishes.  Drivers Sylvain Tremblay & Nick Ham are now just six points behind the leading Pontiac duo, having made up ground over the last four races.

SpeedSource #69  is currently seventh in team standings after 11 of 13 races including a breakthrough win at Watkins Glen.  Emil Assentato is currently third in the chase for the Bob Akin Award for sportsman drivers.

Both Racers Edge #30 and HyperSport # 40 have scored multiple top-ten finishes and are currently 12th and 13th in points.

Next Up:     August 29-31 @ Thunderbolt Park, New Jersey

Series:        SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge Touring Cars (7 of 10 races complete)

Recap:

Mazda is currently second in points behind Acura in the manufacturers chase.  The defending champions from Tri-Point Engineering have scored one win, and two podium finishes, while Tindol Motorsports has two wins and three podium finishes.

Next Up:     August 10 @ Road America

Series:        American Le Mans Series - LMP2 (6 of 11 races completed)

Recap:

Mazda is currently third in LMP2 manufacturers points behind Porsche and Acura.  B-K Motorsports is currently seventh in team points after six of 11 races.  The team is preparing for the race debut of an all new Lola coupe at the Petit Le Mans.

Next Up:     August 9 @ Road America.

MAZDA SPEC SERIES UPDATES:

Series:        Cooper Tires Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda (5 of 11 races completed)

Recap:

With five of 11 races completed thus far in Atlantic Championship, the championship battle remains wide open for the top prize in the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Driver Development Ladder. The first five races have produced five different winners, including a three drivers who celebrated their first career victories.  Swiss driver Simona De Silvestro opened the 35th Anniversary season of Atlantic with her first career victory in Long Beach, becoming just the second woman in series history to earn a race victory. Round 2 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca went to popular Canadian racer James Hincliffe, who celebrated in Victory Circle for the second time in his Atlantic career but the first time since 2006. Junior Strous dominated the Mont-Tremblant weekend en route to his first career victory.  The Edmonton doubheader was split between the Jonathans; Bomarito and Summerton.  Just 23 points separate first and fifth in points as the teams prepare for the second half.

Next up:      August 9 & 10 @ Road America — The second “doubleheader” weekend for the season

Series:        Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear (5 of 12 races completed)

Recap:

Seven months through the year but only five races into a 12-event schedule thoroughly scrambled by the Champ Car/IRL unification, the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear has seen four different winners.

1. Sebring - Joel Miller
2. Miller Motorsports Park - John Edwards
3. Watkins Glen - Charles Hall
4. Portland #1 - Tom Gladdis
5. Portland #2 - John Edwards

Miller, now leads an extremely tight championship battle with just 11 points separating first from third. With four class victories, Vancouver native Chris Cumming leads the Expert Series for drivers 30 to 44 years of age, while California Chuck Hulse, with three class wins, leads the Master Series for drivers 45 and older.  Diversity among Star Mazda Championship drivers is at an all-time high, including competitors from the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Brazil, U.K., Ireland, Gibraltar, Poland and the Philippines.  There are three fast young female drivers, drivers ranging in age from 16 to 64, a father/son team and a brother/ sister team.

Next up:      August 9 @ Road America

Series:        BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National Presented by Mazda (8 of 14 races completed)

Recap:

Through round eight of 14, the 2008 BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National Presented by Mazda season has been - as usual - extremely competitive and tremendously close-fought. How close? Well, consider that these first six races have totaled 91 laps - and there have been 30 official lead changes - 10 of those in the first Mosport race alone.

1.     Sebring #1 - Gabby Chaves

2.     Sebring #2 - Fabio Orsolon

3.     VIR #1 - Gabby Chaves

4.     VIR #2 - Gabby Chaves

5.     Mosport #1 - Josef Newgarden

6.     Mosport #2 - Conor Daly

7.     Barber Motorsports Park #1 - Conor Daly

8.     Barber Motorsports Park #2 - Josef Newgarden

The points battle has become a four racer battle with Newgarden leading over Felipe Polehtto, Orsolon, and Daly all within nine points.

Next up:      August 9 & 10 @ Road America

Series:        SCCA Pro Racing Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup (3 of 8 races completed)

Recap:

Three races into the eight-race SCCA Pro Racing Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup schedule, Eric Foss, of Fort Worth, Texas, leads the Championship point standings on the strength of a perfect three-for-three podium finishes. Foss topped a record 30-car field at Road Atlanta (including five female drivers) to take his first MX-5 Cup win at the season opener.  Foss backed it up with a runner-up finish at Mosport, and third at Portland.  Robert Huffmaster, the 2007 SCCA Touring 3 National Champion won the very wet Mosport race while 2007 SCCA Spec Miata National Champion Brad Rampelberg winning at Portland and is challenging for the championship.  Thirteen points separate Foss from third place Todd Buras.  A fun highlight of the Portland round was the race within a race - the battle of the authors, Garth “The Art of Racing in The Rain” Stein vs Sam “Fast Guys, Rich Guys, and Idiots” Moses.  Sam edged Garth as the highest placed scribe.

Next up:      August 10 @ Road America

Club Racers Getting Ready:

Which club racer will be able to jump to the pros in the 2009 Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup? In 2006 the competition was open to any club racer in a Mazda or Mazda-powered who won an SCCA National Championship and four racers were eligible.  Andrew Caddell went on to win the first shootout and backed it up with a pair of wins in the MX-5 Cup.  In 2007 the competition was expanded to include NASA and the shootout included nine champions.  Brad Rampelberg won that shootout as is challenging for the championship.  For 2008, the competition will be expanded yet again to include the Skip Barber MX-5 regional champions.  The 2008 shootout will be a two stage competition.  All eligible drivers will submit a written proposal from which the driving finalists will be selected.  Those finalists will then compete in a post-season one-day winner take all shootout.

Even our non-track activities are race related

Robert Davis was recently nominated to the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (MSHoF) Board of Trustees.  Robert will be hosting a table at the annual MSHoF induction, August 13 in Detroit.  MAZDASPEED Motorsports Business Development Manager John Doonan currently serves on the MSHoF Board of Directors, while MAZDASPEED Communications Officer Dean Case has been active with the nominating committee for many years.

At the recent Lyn St. James Women in the Winners Circle lunch, Mazda was recognized with an Opportunity Award for their support of women racers.  Mazda Marketing Manager Jim Jordan was specifically acknowledged for his contributions to the program.  Six women are racing with Mazda in Road America this weekend.

- They are all helping the Oregon Humane Society This Week -

July 21, 2008 (Portland, Oregon) - While most people might not lump race drivers, adoptable animals, Playboy Playmates and best selling authors together in one room, that is exactly what will be happening this week during the build-up to the Mazda Grand Prix of Portland.  Fans of any of the aforementioned groups are being alerted to the following:

What:        Book Signing @ Auto Town Mazda - Oregon Humane Society Fundraiser

Who:    Garth Stein, author of The Art of Racing in the Rain and Sam Moses, author of Fast Guys, Rich Guys, and Idiots will be signing books.  Thanks to Mazda, HarperCollins, and Bison Books, 100% of the book sales proceeds will benefit the non-profit Oregon Humane Society (OHS).  The OHS may even bring a few adoptable animals that night.

Where:    Auto Town Mazda, 16903 SE McLoughlin Blvd., Milwaukie, Oregon 97267.

When:    Thursday, July 24th from 6:00pm to 8:00pm

Cost:    Free to attend.  Books are being sold for $20 each.  Supplies are limited.  If you already own the books, you are welcome to bring it to be signed.  
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
What:        Book Signing & Photo Op - Each of the participating drivers/authors/Playmates has an adoptable animal named in their honor at the Oregon Humane Society Shelter this week.

Who:    Mazda Race Drivers Joel Miller, Ernesto Otero, and Laura Olson who each carry “Adopt A Shelter Animal” graphics on their racecars and authors Garth Stein and Sam Moses, plus Playboy Playmates Stephanie Glasson (July 2004), Pilar Lastra (August 2004), and Shallan Meiers (September 2002)  

Where:    Oregon Humane Society, 1067 NE Columbia Blvd., Portland, OR 97211

When:    Friday, July 25th from 3:00pm to 5:00pm

Cost:    Free to attend.  Animals are available for adoption starting at $35.

This initiative is in conjunction with the Mazda supported “Adopt-A-Shelter Animal” campaign began last season with MUTTS Comics and The Humane Society of the United States. The on-track action will take place this weekend…

What:    Rounds #4 & 5 of the 2008 Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear and Round #3 of the 2008 SCCA Pro Racing Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup at the Mazda Grand Prix of Portland weekend.

Where:    Portland International Raceway, West Delta Park, 1940 North Victory Boulevard, Portland, OR 97217

When:    The races will be Saturday, July 26th & Sunday, July 27th.  Practice and qualifying will take place on July 25th and 26th. 

Cost:    Tickets are just $15/day.  More information at http://www.mazdagrandprix.com

For more information on the Oregon Humane Society, visit    www.oregonhumane.org
For directions to Auto Town Mazda visit    www.autotownmazda.com
For Mazda Grand Prix of Portland race tickets, visit    www.mazdagrandprix.com    
For more information on Garth Stein, visit    www.goenzo.com
For more information on Sam Moses, visit    www.sammoses.com        

The 13-turn, 2.25-mile Mid Ohio Sports Car Course has been a driver and
fan favorite for many years. The team also has fond memories of the
track as it was the site of their first Series win in 2005. But a lot
has changed since then, and both Devlin and Bonilla are confident that
their solid runs earlier this season can be repeated here this weekend.

“Mid-Ohio is really suited for our BP Lola Mazda,” Bonilla
said. “There’s a lot to like at this circuit because it’s a more of a
technical one. It’s a real thinking track, a lot like what Lime Rock
has now become with the new chicanes. But Mid-Ohio has even more
variety. It’s a technical track, but you have to be very precise with
your steering and with your throttle inputs. You can find time by
making very small adjustments to your driving. That rewards drivers
that think and take a lot of notes. It has a great variety of corners
too. Some are slow, some are medium and others are really fast with
some good straightaway distance.”

The Mazda MZR-R-powered
prototype completed a successful test here a few weeks back, confirming
the potential of the LMP2 machine on the circuit. With luck hopefully
back on their side, the Wisconsin-based team will be looking to add to
their top-10 overall finish record this season. The
Mazdaspeed-supported entry came home seventh overall in the streets of
St. Petersburg, followed up by 10th and ninth place overall finishes at
Long Beach and Salt Lake City. Mid-Ohio could very well produce an even
better result, something everyone is hoping for.

“We had a great
test here a few weeks back, so hopefully we can apply that and move
ourselves up the grid sheet,” said John Doonan, Manager, Motorsports
Team Development for Mazda. “We were very encouraged by the results we
saw at Mid-Ohio. Given the conditions are the same, we should have a
really great run this weekend.”
 
The American Le Mans Series
Acura Sports Car Challenge is scheduled for 2:10 p.m. ET on Saturday,
July 19 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. NBC Sports will televise the
race from noon to 2:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 20. XM Satellite Radio
will air the race from 5 to 8 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 20. American Le
Mans Radio will have live coverage onamericanlemans.com, which also
will feature IMSA’s Live Timing & Scoring.

About BP:
BP
markets more than 15 billion gallons of gasoline every year to U.S.
consumers through 13,000 BP and ARCO branded retail outlets and
supplies more than four billion gallons of fuel annually to fleets,
industrial users, auto and truck manufacturers, railroads and utilities.
 
BP
is the single, global brand formed by the combination of the former
British Petroleum, Amoco Corporation, Atlantic Richfield (ARCO) and
Burmah Castrol. BP is a global producer, manufacturer and marketer of
oil, gas, chemicals and renewable energy sources. For more information
go to www.bp.com
 
American Le Mans Series:
The
American Le Mans Series is the premium brand of motorsport in North
America, featuring high-tech sports cars from the most prestigious
automobile manufacturers in the world. Its unique four classes of
competition showcase exotic, open-top prototypes and sophisticated
production-based GT cars, all competing on the track at the same time.
The American Le Mans Series competes at the premier road racing tracks
across North America and at selected temporary street circuits in major
urban markets. With a 2007 television package that includes five
network broadcasts on CBS and NBC and seven telecasts on SPEED, plus
live broadcasts across Europe, the Series delivers a global marketing
platform that is unmatched in motorsports. The Series, founded in 1999
by Georgia entrepreneur Don Panoz, represents a mirror image to the
prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans, the world’s most famous and authentic
automobile race. The American Le Mans Series features elite marques
such as Audi, Porsche, Corvette, Aston Martin, Ferrari and Panoz, and
premium brands such as Michelin, Yokohama, Kumho, Lowe’s, Shell and
many others. To follow the series, go to www.americanlemans.com.