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The four Mazda RX-8 Grand-AM GT race cars were fast, their rotary engines powerful and reliable, yet the final result was a single top-ten finish.  After the race, car owners Sylvain Tremblay, Jon Mirachi, Joe Foster, and Patrick Dempsey had nothing but praise and appreciation for their crews and drivers, for all went above and beyond the call of duty.

Team Recaps

Team: SpeedSource #70

Car: Castrol Syntec Mazda RX-8
Drivers: Sylvain Tremblay, Nick Ham, David Haskell, Jonathan Bomarito
2009 Result: Started first, finished 19th
Notes:  Led the first 20 minutes of the race until a hard bump to the curbing damaged the fuel cell.  The replacement of the fuel cell took over an hour, losing over 40 laps in the process, dropping the team to dead last after 90 minutes.  During the night, the team driving was superb – The #70 car the fast car on the track.  The combination of Tremblay, Ham, Haskell, and Bomarito made up six laps on the leader and it looked like a top-ten finish was still possible until a broken exhaust and half shaft further delayed the team.

Team: SpeedSource #69
Car: FXDD Mazda RX-8
Drivers: Emil Assentato, Nick Longhi, Matt Plumb, Jeff Segal
2009 Result: Started fourth, finished ninth.
Notes: The FXDD car was well prepared to uphold the SpeedSource honor until an on-track incident with a slower car caused extensive front end damage.  The team spent almost an hour behind the pit wall replacing the front clip and the left front suspension.  The team carried on to score valuable points with a solid ninth-place finish.

Team: Racers Edge #30
Car: 3-Dimensional Services Group/ Idemitsu Mazda RX-8
Drivers:  Doug Peterson, Dane Cameron, Bryan Sellers, Dion von Moltke
2009 Result: Started 17th, finished 13th
Notes:  The team ran very strong with Dane Cameron setting the second fastest lap of the race – especially impressive as it was set in the night.  The team was delayed by difficult to diagnose electrical problems for the first half of the race.  The team left Florida knowing they had a car and team capable of finishing on the podium, but confident for the races to come.

Team: Dempsey Racing #40
Car: Avon Walk for Breast Cancer Mazda RX-8
Drivers: Patrick Dempsey, Joe Foster, Charles Espenlaub, Tim Lewis Jr., Jep Thornton 
2009 Result: Started 28th, finished 22nd
Notes:  Needless to say, Patrick Dempsey was the star of pre-race activities.  The team partnership with the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer generated a great deal of favorable attention from beyond the motorsports press.  The team was on-track for a strong finish until Jep Thornton crashed the car in the evening.  The team rebuilt the front of the car only to have Jep involved in a second accident in the middle of the night.  This was the first ever DNF for Dempsey Racing/Hypersport in the Rolex Grand-Am series.

January, 21 2009 (Daytona, Florida) While reruns are usually dreaded on TV, Mazda welcomes a rerun of the 2008 Rolex 24 at Daytona where the SpeedSource Castrol Syntec RX-8 team scored an amazing underdog win in the GT class against a massive fleet of Porsches and Pontiacs.

While Mazda will only have four cars in the GT field this year, they are a powerful group, each team with the capability of adding Daytona win #23 to the Mazda collection. “There is no better place to kick off the season than the Rolex 24 at Daytona. Mazda won the GT class last year and we aim to repeat that success this year,” noted 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.

The Rolex 24 takes the green flag at 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday. The opening portion of the race will be televised live on FOX (3:00-4:30 p.m.), with SPEED resuming coverage from 4:30 - 10:00 p.m. ET and covering Sunday’s activities from 7:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. ET. All four Mazda racecars will be equipped with on-board cameras.

The Mazda team line-up

Team: SpeedSource #70

Car: Castrol Syntec Mazda RX-8

Drivers: Sylvain Tremblay, Nick Ham, David Haskell, Jonathan Bomarito

2008 Result: GT Class Winner

Notes: The SpeedSource Castrol Syntec team returns to Daytona as the defending race champions. The team led 323 of 664 laps in the 2008 Daytona race. The team finished third in the 2008 championship with three wins, and ten top-ten finishes. Nick Ham led a season high 236 laps over eight races. The team is racing with a special purpose this year in the memory of Carol Tremblay who was tragically killed in a highway accident in December 2008. New to the team for 2009 is Jonathan Bomarito, a rising star and the 2008 Cooper Tires Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda Championship runner-up.

Team: SpeedSource #69

Car: FXDD Mazda RX-8

Drivers: Emil Assentato, Nick Longhi, Matt Plumb, Jeff Segal

2008 Result: Fifth

Notes: The breakout Mazda team of 2008 scored their first win in the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen at Watkins Glen in June. The team finished ninth in the championship with eight top-ten finishes.

Team: Dempsey Racing #40

Car: Avon Walk for Breast Cancer Mazda RX-8

Drivers: Patrick Dempsey, Joe Foster, Charles Espenlaub, Tim Lewis Jr., Jep Thornton

2008 Result: 24th

Notes: Hypersport has transformed into Dempsey Racing for 2009 reflecting Patrick’s increased involvement with the team. For the Rolex 24 the team is partnering with the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer to create a fundraising contest called the Dempsey Racing Challenge. This contest is designed to motivate participants in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer to reach their highest fundraising goals ever. The top fundraiser from each of the nine Avon Walks this year will special guests of Dempsey Racing at the 2010 Grand-Am Rolex 24. The car will race in new black, white and pink graphics as Patrick noted that “Yes - real men wear pink.” Go to www.avonwalk.org for more details.

Team: Racers Edge #30

Car: 3-Dimensional Services Group/ Idemitsu Mazda RX-8

Drivers: Doug Peterson, Dane Cameron, Bryan Sellers, Dion von Moltke

2008 Result: Tenth

Notes: The team set the second-fastest GT-class lap time in the final pre-season test. Equally important, both car and drivers proved competitive in each session throughout the test, under varying track conditions, fuel loads and traffic situations. “I’m obviously pleased with how fast the car went, but even more so with the way the team and drivers worked together and improved every time we went out on track,” said Jon Mirachi, owner and team manager of Racers Edge Motorsports. “In addition to our on-track performance, we focused on our pit stop procedures and reduced the time it takes to service the car and change drivers by more than ten seconds. There is even more speed in the car, and we know where to find it, so add it all together and I think we have reason to be optimistic about our chances in the Rolex 24.”

KONI Challenge Series — Fresh From Florida 200

Mazda will also be represented in the KONI Challenge season opener by with RX-8’s and MX-5 Miata’s in the Street Tuner (ST) class.

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 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.

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.

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.

MX-5 Cup racing at Road America. Credit: Mark Weber

TOPEKA, Kan. (Jan. 10, 2009) – For its fourth season, the SCCA Pro Racing Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup will expand to 10 rounds, making stops at some of the finest road courses in North America, as well as several new venues.

The 2009 MX-5 Cup season begins as the previous two did, as part of The Mitty Classic at Road Atlanta. MX-5 Cup will join Historic Sportscar Racing, May 1 – 3, to showcase the modern fun of MX-5 Cup alongside the classic racing machines of years past.

Two weeks later, MX-5 Cup is off to beautiful Monterey, Calif., where the series made its debut in 2006. MX-5 Cup joins the Grand-Am Rolex Series and KONI Challenge, May 15 – 17, at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca for the Monterey Festival of Speed.

A doubleheader at New Jersey Motorsports Park, in Millville, N.J., follows on June 12 – 14. The Mazda Grand Prix will bring the Mazda racing family together, as MX-5 Cup joins Star Mazda and the Atlantic Championship at the recently constructed Thunderbolt Raceway.

The halfway point of the season is marked by two tracks new to MX-5 Cup. On July 17 – 19, the series joins Grand-Am once again for the Porsche 250 weekend at Barber Motorsports Park, in Birmingham, Ala. The teams will then make a short trip north to meet up with their fellow Mazda series once again as well as the SPEED World Challenge Championships, July 24 – 26, at the Autobahn Country Club. The Mazda Grand Prix marks the first professional event at the Autobahn Country Club, which is located in Joliet, Ill., just outside of Chicago.

The MX-5 caravan won’t have to travel too far for the following round in Elkhart Lake, Wis. For the second year in-a-row, the series will take part in the combined American LeMans Series/SPEED World Challenge weekend at Road America, Aug. 14 – 16.

From one four-mile track to another, MX-5 heads to Miller Motorsports Park with Grand-Am, Sept. 18 – 20. The Tooele, Utah course has hosted a round of MX-5 Cup action in each of the series’ previous three years.

The 2009 season ends Oct. 2 – 4, with a doubleheader at scenic VIRginia International Raceway, in Alton, Va. It will be the series’ first trek to VIR, where it joins KONI Challenge.

“I couldn’t be happier with the 2009 MX-5 Cup schedule,” Mazda North American Operations Alternative Marketing Manager Jim Jordan said. “It’s the perfect mix of classic American road courses and new, exciting venues. There’s something there for everyone, which will encourage the kind of racing we’ve come to expect from this great series.”

“SCCA Pro Racing and Mazda have worked together to create a fantastic schedule for MX-5 in 2009,” SCCA Pro Racing President and CEO Robert Wildberger said. “It’s great to see MX-5 heading to tracks SCCA Pro Racing has yet to venture, like Autobahn Country Club and Barber Motorsports Park. We’re proud to watch MX-5 Cup expand the SCCA Pro Racing footprint.”

With an outstanding schedule in place, all races broadcast on cable TV and the continuance of Playboy as a title sponsor, MX-5 Cup appears poised for another successful season. The Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup also remains a part of the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development Ladder, offering the 2009 MX-5 Cup Champion a Mazda ride in SPEED Touring Car and welcoming one amateur racer to the series via the MX-5 Cup Shootout for Mazda road racing champions.

To learn more about MX-5 Cup, visit www.mx-5cup.com.

2009 SCCA Pro Racing Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup Schedule

Date	Venue	With
May 1 - 3	Road Atlanta	HSR
	Braselton, Ga.
May 15 - 17	Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca	Grand-Am
	Monterey, Calif.
June 12 - 14	New Jersey Motorsports Park *	Atlantics/Star Mazda
	Millville, N.J.
July 17 - 19	Barber Motorsports Park	Grand-Am
	Birmingham, Ala.
July 24 - 26	Autobahn Country Club	SPEED World Challenge/Atlantics
	Joliet, Ill.
Aug. 14 - 16	Road America	ALMS/SPEED World Challenge
	Elkhart Lake, Wis.
Sept. 18 - 20	Miller Motorsports Park	Grand-Am
	Tooele, Utah
Oct. 2 - 4	VIRginia International Raceway*	KONI Challenge
	Alton, Va.

* - Doubleheader

SCCA Pro Racing Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup

Stepping up in place of the former Mazdaspeed Miata Cup, the Mazda MX-5 Cup made its debut in 2006. Featuring identical MX-5s on spec tires, the Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup gives drivers the opportunity to run on high-profile weekends in an economical, entry-level racing series. The 2009 MX-5 Cup schedule features 10 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. For more information, visit www.mx-5cup.com.

Meyer Motorsports' RX-8

Who ran second fastest on Sunday’s Grand-Am test day for his first time ever on the high banks of Daytona? Meyer Motorsports driver Payton Wilson of Chantilly, VA. The Grand-Am Koni Sport Car Challenge drivers Payton Wilson and Eric Meyer drove the Mazda powered RX8 into the fastest top 3 cars during the 3 day “Roar before the 24” test in sunny Daytona Florida.

“We struggled with setup on Saturday and Sunday while trying everything to fight a mid-corner push in several areas on the track. For some reason we are getting a fair amount of understeer and I would guess there is at least another second of lap time to be earned when we figure it out” offered driver and team owner Eric Meyer.  Payton Wilson ran the 2nd and 3rd fastest times of Sunday and Monday without a tow. “If we can get a few good tows, our cars will do very well for the race. Our Mazdas are strong in the infield but just OK on the longer straights. This is not the best track for our cars so if we can do well in Daytona, the rest of the reason is very promising. We need to take advantage of the draft here at Daytona to get to the podium. I had one draft in 3 hours of testing and unfortunately it was not on a better run” offered Wilson.

Daytona test days marked the introduction of several new crew members including Ron Carroll (formerly of Tri-Point and Freedom Autosport) along with Alex and Kim Ratcliffe. “This team has the potential and chemistry to win” offered Carroll.  Ron Carroll took the Tri-Point Mazda6 to the 2007 SPEED World Challenge Championship as car chief for Jeff Altenburg.

Meyer Motorsports will run two Mazda RX8s for the entire season in the Koni Sports Car Challenge Series. The team is based in Indianapolis, IN. For more information please go to:   www.meyer-motorsports.com 

MER ES Winning MX-5

CRESSON, TX (December 15, 2008) — Team MER (Motorsport Enterprises Racing) returned to Thunderhill Raceway in Willows, CA this December to not only defend their NASA 25-Hours of Thunderhill E1 class title (3^rd overall) at the hands of drivers Charles Espenlaub, Eric Foss, Marc Miller and Jason Saini, but to take a shot at the overall title as well. The team scored big on both counts, as they brought home not only the E-1 class title for the second year in a row, but also won the race outright in their ES class Mazda MX-5 entry.

MER fielded five entries in this year’s event, four in E1 and one in ES, yet they all had one thing in common. They were all Mazda MX-5 Cup cars. The race started with the #19 ES entry 9th overall and 7th in class with the driving trio of Charlie Putnam, Saini and Espenlaub taking turns behind the wheel.  Putman started in the #19, and quickly settled into a nice rhythm. As faster cars stopped for fuel the MX-5 continued to move up the charts. Saini took over for the second stint with plans to run a double stint. In the end, the story of the race would be the #19 would pit yet continue to work it’s way back up into contention, staying within a few laps of the overall lead for much of the race.

After eight hours of racing, the event was red flagged due to fog. With the race on an indefinite delay, the teams covered the cars on the front straight and waited for updates.  Around 5AM, the race resumed with Espenlaub taking over the #19 car. With a long stop for some mechanical repairs, the team thought they might have lost a shot at victory, but with the competition also having problems with several fast cars faltering, hope was renewed. With roughly four hours remaining, the V8 powered M3 dropped out and with under 2 hours to go, the Miller Mustang went out with a problem giving the overall lead to the #19 MER ES Class car. After solid stints by all three drivers, the team took home the overall win and first in the ES class as well!

“The winning ES car is actually nothing more than an MX-5 Cup car that’s been upgraded a bit with a Koni-Challenge fuel cell and RX8 brakes, differential, axles, hubs and uprights,” said Shannon McMasters, MER team owner. “It was mounted up with very good Hoosier racing slicks on 18″ wheels and ran a completely stock MX-5 engine and transmission. The beauty of it all is each part was a standard Mazda piece ordered from MAZDASPEED.”

“What an amazing day,” said Saini. “We thought we were out of this one, but nobody gave up and we just kept on going. This result far exceeded our goals coming in and we’re just so thrilled. The Hoosier slicks gave us so much grip that we could pass anywhere. My teammates both drove flawlessly and when the car crossed the finish line first, the celebration from the team was amazing!”

That wasn’t the only celebration however as the #29 Team MER entry defended their E1 class title from the 2007 event and finished first in class and 5^th overall at the hands of Ken Dobson, Mike Harvison, Nick Mancuso and Tyler McQuarrie. The drivers put on a solid display by running among the top 3 overall for much of the last half of the race. The car also carried the www.RaceNowForAutism.org charity sponsorship to raise awareness for autism.

“I was so impressed at the preparation level of Team MER, they really were ready for this.” said Mancuso. “The car was fast and handled great and we only needed to keep it on the track. It was a great battle with the other MX-5’s and such a fun event to participate in!”

Obviously it was a special moment for the entire Team MER team and months of preparation for the event.

“I’m so proud of our crew,” said Juliann Pokorny, MER Team Manager. “We had such an amazing group consisting of not only our core crew guys, but also help from members of the Tri Point and Hypersport teams. There was some serious talent in the pits! We cannot thank Mazda, Hoosier Tire and our crew enough for such a terrific job in accomplishing what we did!”

Team MER Entry Recap in 2008:
#19 1st in ES, 1st Overall (Drivers: Charles Espenlaub, Charlie Putnam, Jason Saini)
#29 1st in E1, 5th Overall (Drivers: Ken Dobson, Mike Harvison, Nick Mancuso, Tyler McQuarrie)
#26 4th in E1, 14th Overall (Drivers: Jeremy Barnes, Tim Buck, Nathan Edmunds, Shannon McMasters)
#30 5th in E1, 17th Overall (Drivers: Mark Jenkins, Mike Jenkins, Keith Verges)
#31 6th in E1, 20th Overall (Chris Cunningham, Jeff Mosing, Christopher Rhoades, Jamey Rhoades)

Team MER is already focusing on the preparation of Mazda MX-5 Cup cars for the 2009 championship season. Testing programs are currently available throughout January and February. The team boasts an experienced staff, public relations & marketing services, design department, driver coaching and testing facility.

For more information regarding testing programs and race seats for the 2009 season, contact Shannon McMasters, Jason Saini or Marc Miller at Motorsport Enterprises Racing at 817.396.4831 or email at info@motorsportenterprisesracing.com.

About MER

Motorsport Enterprises Racing & Team MER are Leaders in Mazda Performance. With a trackside location at the original Motorsport Ranch just outside of Fort Worth, TX, MER is uniquely positioned to build, maintain, develop and store racecars for individuals looking for the utmost performance. Armed with an in-house chassis-dyno and a test track on premises, they are prepared to develop the fastest cars for any series their customers choose to compete in. In addition, MER owns and operates a fleet of Mazda6 School cars for instruction and corporate outings.

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

Ed Bergenholtz proudly showing off billboard

The Bergenholtz Racing logo is currently featured on the NITTO Billboard off the 405 freeway (Southern California). The billboard is located on the southbound lanes of the 405 freeway between Inglewood and Hawthorne Blvd. exits in Torrance, California.   An estimated 10 million vehicles pass by the billboard per month.  The billboard features a beautiful bright red 2009 Mazda RX8 and Nitto’s amazing brand new high performance NT05.  “This is quite an interesting accomplishment for Bergenholtz Racing.  We have never had our logo on a billboard ever.  The billboard looks great.  The bright red 2009 Mazda RX8 really catches your attention right away off the busy 405 freeway.   In addition, the new tread-pattern of the NT05 really shows the performance engineering of the NT05.  I am completely overwhelmed with a sense of pride, being associated with the great companies of NITTO and Mazda.  Thank you NITTO Tires and Mazda!” Said Ron Bergenholtz Team Manager of Bergenholtz Racing.