Field Narrowed to Eight Racers for the Mazda Shootout - Speedway Digest

The Mazda Club Racer Shootout is the single largest prize in club racing. Since 2007 Mazda has annually promoted one talented club racer to the professional ranks. The $75,000 prize will help fund one driver on his quest to the 2015 Battery Tender Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by BFGoodrich Tires. A record 22 racers were semi-finalists, having met the eligibility criteria for 2014: each won a recognized championship over a minimum number of competitors. Now, after each made a formal written business proposal, evaluated and ranked by industry professionals, the field has been narrowed to eight.

The 2014 Mazda Club Racer shootout finalists are:

Racer Club/Series Hometown/Residence

Sam Adams Skip Barber Racing School (Summer Series) Hubertus, Wisconsin

Ben Anderson NASA Eastern States Championships (PTE) Minneapolis, Minnesota

Steven Diem iRacing MX-5 Cup (Season 3) Kailua, Hawaii

Joey Jordan NASA Spec Miata Teen Challenge (West) Santa Barbara, California

Kyle Loustaunau NASA Western States Championships (Spec Miata) Vacaville, California

Evan Maillard iRacing MX-5 Cup (Season 2) Nesles La Vallée, France

Zachary Munro NASA Spec Miata Teen Challenge (Rocky Mountain) Granby, Colorado

Eric Powell NASA Western States Championships (PTD) Orlando, Florida

John Doonan, Director of Motorsports, Mazda North American Operations noted, “Each year this shootout evolves. For 2014 we have our first simulator-racing champions, from the iRacing MX-5 Cup, and our first racers from outside of North America. The criteria for the shootout is to identify the aspiring professional racer who has the best range of skills required to succeed, including speed, consistency, racecraft, technical feedback, and off-track business and PR skills. History has shown that a driver will be limited in success if they are lacking in any of these areas. Past shootout winners have performed well both on and off the track, using this prize as a springboard for their career.”

The final shootout will be at California’s Buttonwillow Raceway Park on December 1 and 2. The first day will test the finalists’ communication skills, marketing plans, and other essential attributes and skill sets required to continue to climb the racing ladder. The second day will consist of significant track time, data analysis, and a few surprises to help the judges gage the finalists’ skills behind the wheel. It is a winner-take-all event with only one racer moving up the Mazda ladder in 2015.

“The diversity of backgrounds and racing experience across the competitors is truly remarkable. The proposals reflect that diversity and highlight how social media and modern technologies are embraced by Mazda Motorsports participants at all ages and around the world. Each year the quality of competition on and off track continues to improve. The finals at Buttonwillow should be fantastic,” stated Peter Calhoun – Motorsports Marketing Manager, BFGoodrich Tires.

Additional information about the Mazda Club Racer shootout and Mazda support can be found at www.mazdamotorsports.com

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Adam Sinclair

NHRA, IHRA, Motocross and other forms of motorsports Staff writer
About Me: Adam has been a race fan since the first time he went through the tunnel under the Daytona International Speedway almost 30 years ago. He has had the privilege of travelling to races all across the state of Florida (as well as one race in Ohio), watching nearly everything with a motor compete for fame and glory, as well as participating in various racing schools to get the feel of what racecar drivers go through every week. Adam has spent the last three years covering motorsports for Examiner.com., where he had the opportunity to see the racing world from behind the scenes as well as the grandstands. He invites everyone to follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus, and looks forward to sharing his enthusiasm for all things racing with the readers of SpeedwayDigest.com.Be sure to tune in for his weekly sports talk program, Thursday Night Thunder, where he discusses the latest in motorsports news with drivers, crew members, and fans. The show takes place every Thursday at 8:00 pm EST on the Speedway Digest Radio Network.