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.

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 

MAZDASPEED Ladder Drivers Try Out for Rolex 24 At Daytona

November 18, 2008 (Irvine, Calif.).  Sylvain Tremblay has a “good
problem”.  He is seeking to lead the SpeedSource Castrol Mazda RX-8
team to a repeat win at the 2009 Rolex 24 at Daytona.  Sylvain is
searching for a fourth driver to join the team of Tremblay, Nick Ham,
and David Haskell.  While every team owner has a stack of driver
resumes to consider, Tremblay has a list of several dozen who have all
won with Mazda power in the past year.

SpeedSource tested four of the top racers from the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Driver Development Ladder last week in Daytona.

• Jonathan Bomarito — 2008 Cooper Tires Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda Runner-up
• Ben Devlin - 2007 & 2008 Driver of the B-K Motorsports Mazda powered ALMS LMP2 entry.
• Joel Miller — 2007 BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National Presented by Mazda Champion & 2008 Star Mazda Presented by Goodyear Runner-Up
• Jason Saini - 2007 SCCA Pro Racing Mazda MX-5 Cup Champion & 2008 SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge Touring Car Rookie of the Year

An announcement will be made later this year as to the final SpeedSource driver line-up for the Daytona season opener.

SpeedSource was not the only Mazda team testing at Daytona and not the only team testing Mazda ladder grads.  Racers Edge had 2007 Star Mazda champion Dane Cameron in their car while the HyperSport team had SPEED World Challenge Tri-Point Motorsports MAZDA6 driver Charles Espenlaub.  Beginning their preparations for their debut season in GrandAm GT was the Yellow Dragon Mazda RX-8 team.

Quotes:

Sylvain Tremblay, Owner/Driver SpeedSource : “It was an excellent test for the SpeedSource team.  Thanks to great preparation by the crew our car ran flawless for two days.  The new Pirelli tires for 2009 coupled with the added weight and reduced redline for the RX-8 did just what GrandAm wanted in terms of slowing our lap times.  I’m really proud of all four drivers who tested with us.  All four did an amazing job in adapting to the car.  Each demonstrated the talent and the hunger to win that we’ll need in January.  This will be a very difficult choice to make.”

John Doonan, Manager MAZDASPEED Motorsports Team Development: “With four Mazda spec series to draw from, we are extremely fortunate to have a very deep talent pool.  For everyone at Mazda it’s very special that we can promote from within and reward those drivers who have invested their careers in series that we support.”

Jason Saini: “What an amazing opportunity - the chance to drive at such a historic place, in preparation for such a historic event is just another dream come true thanks to the Mazda ladder system.  A few years ago, I was figuring out how to get my Spec Miata to the track, and now I’m sharing the track with DaMatta, Fittipaldi, Busch and others - and sharing a car with Tremblay, Ham and Haskell who delivered such an emotional with for Mazda last year.  I can’t express how excited and I am, and how impressed I was with the car and operation.  SpeedSource is a truly professional team with a talented crew and I was proud to be with them for this test.  Getting to drive in the 24 hour would be a fairy tale for me, a lifetime fan of sports-car racing that has always dreamed of running at Daytona!  I honestly can’t see how any aspiring racer wouldn’t choose to race a Mazda with the program they have put in place.”

Joel Miller: “With this being my first time in a sports car and on the Daytona circuit, 10 laps was not a lot of time which made for a quick learning curve.  Once I figured out the braking capabilities and overall balance I was getting comfortable with each lap.  In the end I was able to be consistent and show well.  I have to give many thanks to Sylvain Tremblay and the entire SpeedSource crew for helping me get up to speed in the RX-8.  Mazda has again given me a great opportunity to further my career with the help of all the people in the MAZDASPEED organization, and I am happy to be in the Mazda family.”

Ben Devlin: “It was 2001 when I last raced at Daytona and I had almost forgotten how unique this circuit is. I’m very grateful to everyone at SpeedSource and Mazda who made this test possible. I really enjoyed my run in the RX8 although it’s a while since I’ve driven a GT car I found it really responsive and very soon settled into a rhythm. It was a pleasure to work with the guys at SpeedSource who run a totally professional and focused outfit and it’s easy to see why they have won so many races.  I’ll look forward to another opportunity to test what is obviously a car capable of repeating the success of last year.”

Jonathan Bomarito: “I would like to thank everyone at Mazda and the SpeedSource racing team for giving up-and-coming drivers a chance. Mazda has been instrumental in getting many drivers to the top levels of motorsport and I am honored to be a part of that. SpeedSource did an amazing job outlining and preparing us for the test and it was a lot of fun to be a part of their team for the past couple of days.”

Jon Mirachi, Owner/Team Manager, Racers Edge Motorsports: “Our test went well. Since this was our first opportunity to try them, our main focus was on testing the new 2009 spec Pirelli tires. Our goal was to understand how to extract both maximum performance and maximum tire life from the new tires. We made great progress the first day and the detailed, analytical feedback from Dane Cameron was a huge contribution to that progress. He was able to evaluate the changes we tried to the set-up within only a couple laps and then provide accurate feedback to the engineers.”

Dane Cameron: “The test went very well both days, the second day was tough with the bad weather but still very productive. More teams were at this test compared to October so it gave us a good reference for pace so we know we have some work to do to beat the Porsches. The Racers Edge Team have been great to work with and the RX-8 has been a blast to drive so its been fun to work in a new discipline.”

Joe Foster, Co-Owner/Co-Driver, HyperSport: “We had a successful test with the Hyper Sport #40 Mazda RX-8 GT.  The car ran trouble free as usual and we ran through a range of settings in an attempt to come to grips with the 2009-spec Pirelli tire.  Myself and Charles (Espenlaub) had similar feedback on the tire and our engineer Kirt Wightman made big progress on the set up.  We have a huge amount of data to sift through in the next few weeks and I’m sure we’ll come back in January with plenty more to try.”

Jack Smith, Team Principal, Yellow Dragon Motorsports LLC: “The Yellow Dragon Motorsports team is very satisfied with its first test days at Daytona. The car performed well and demonstrated its capacity to run an acceptable lap time.  Our crew worked together very professionally and demonstrated the confidence that significant racing experience brings to the program. We appreciate the support that Mazda and SpeedSource have shown for our racing program and we look forward to a competitive 2009 season.”

About Mazda:

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.

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 world is Spec Miata, with more than 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.

“Qualifying went really well, considering where we were after the initial practice sessions. We had a lot of work to do Friday and this morning to get our cars right for this track. We were very lucky to get #69 fixed in time for qualifying. I’m really proud of my crew for their tremendous efforts — they’re true professionals. And  #07’s technical infraction at qualifying gave us an all-Mazda front row.”

On the extremely hot and humid day, SpeedSource ran its usual race strategy. Nick Ham kept the #70 out of trouble in the front pack, turning the car over to team owner Sylvain Tremblay mid-way. With a clean pit-stop, #70 regained the hunt. At the final pit-stop, Tremblay put Ham back in. As on the equally hot day at Lime Rock, the rested driver took the wheel for a final stint.

With a disheartening problem with the #69’s power steering, the car went behind the wall for work, returning to the track to finish in P17 and give owner Emil Assentato and driver Jeff Segal the required seat time.

As the race clock wound down, the #70 did not make headway against the race leader during numerous restarts and seemed stuck in P2.

“Nick did such an incredible job at the end,” Tremblay said after the race. “We were P2 for such a long time, and Nick made a desperation move to pass for the lead.  He flat-spotted the tires and somehow it stuck. On the final green, he drove hard to keep #87 behind him. That’s what racing is. It could have been anybody’s day.”

With this third win this season, #70 now matches it 2007 efforts in class wins. The team needs just one more lap to lead 500 laps this year. The championship lead is now 14 points out of reach. Time will tell if the team can grab hold and hang on.

About SpeedSource
SpeedSource Race Engineering’s 2008 GT Mazda RX-8 campaign is supported by MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development, Mazda North American Operations, Castrol Syntec, Fresh From Florida, Road & Track, Racing Hart, Sparco, Motec, Hawk Performance Brakes, Dynamic Suspensions, Mothers Wax and Polish, Goodridge, SIRIUS Satellite Radio, Cobra Powersports, and Mechanix Wear.

“We’ve put a lot of work into the car since Watkins Glen,” said team owner Sylvain Tremblay at Mid-Ohio.  “We’re anticipating the stormy weather.  We have a good strategy and the Castrol Syntec Mazda RX-8 GT is prepared by one of the hardest-working crews in the series.  These upcoming races are important for our bid for the championship, and we’re working nonstop,” he added.

Starting fourth, the #70 Castrol Syntec Mazdaspeed RX-8 GT and the #69 FXDD Mazda RX-8 GT on the outside pole, started the race on slicks. Anticipating the changing weather conditions and numerous yellows complicated the race strategy. Starting driver Nick Ham kept the Mazda out of harm’s way, and turned the car over to Tremblay mid-race.  Determined not to let the rain beat him, he turned his quickest laps at the end, hoping to improve #70’s 7th-place position.  In the #69 FXDD Mazda RX-8 GT, owned by Emil Assentato, driver Jeff Segal pushed the #69 up to P2, and soldiered on in the waning minutes on heated rain tires, eventually giving up track position to change to slicks. Running out of time and caught in a front-straight melee, #69 finished in 9th.

“Certainly, these were not the results we aimed for,” Tremblay said post-race.  “While I’m glad the cars are not seriously hurt, some of the contact on track had nothing to do with the rain.  We’ll test the Castrol Syntec Mazda here on Monday and look forward to Daytona.”

Daytona International Speedway — SPEED race analysts calling the July 3rd Rolex Sports Car Series GT race commented that SpeedSource practically owns the track.  As the 3-rotor Mazda zoomed through the final laps, the SpeedSource #70 Castrol Syntec Mazda RX-8 GT gladly took ownership of its third-straight victory at the speedway, while gaining valuable points toward the championship. For the #69, a last-lap tangle with a DP ended the FXDD car’s bid for a 2nd-place finish. Jeff Segal walked away unhurt from the rollover on the turn 3 banking.  Thankful that Jeff escaped injury, #70’s win was nonetheless dampened by the loss of a 2nd-place finish for #69.

Tremblay recapped the team’s efforts. “I can’t thank our sponsors enough. Castrol Syntec and Mazda brought us here and I am pleased to win this trophy for them. Nick qualified on pole, the crew was tremendous, and the strategy worked out flawlessly. It’s good to be here, but I feel terrible for the #69. They had such a good run, and to see the car overturned in my mirror just devastated me. As a team we take the good and the bad. This turned out to be a day for both.”

Pictures from the Mid-Ohio Weekend:
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About SpeedSource
SpeedSource Race Engineering’s 2008 Mazda RX-8 campaign is supported by MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development, Mazda North American Operations, Road & Track, Racing Hart, Sparco, Motec, Hawk Performance Brakes, Dynamic Suspensions, Mothers Wax and Polish, Goodridge, SIRIUS Satellite Radio, and Mechanix Wear.

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 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.

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.

Wayne Nonnamaker

Press Officer - SpeedSource Race Engineering,
Inc.

http://www.SpeedSourceInc.com/

wayne@phoenixpromotions.com

330-563-0109

Read more at the Grand-Am website.

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A
limited edition (250 units) plaque with an actual lug nut from the
winning #70 GT Mazda RX-8 for the 2008 Daytona Rolex 24 hour race. With
2 color pictures, one shot of the winning crew and drivers and the
other, an action shot of a pit stop. SpeedSource will donate $10.00 for
every plaque that is sold to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

These are available directly through SpeedSource. $35.00 plus shipping.

Please call Debbie at 954-578-7071 or e-mail dcostello@speedsourceinc.com to order yours before they run out!!