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From Mazda
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 funds a drive in the 2014 Mazda MX-5 Cup.
The heart and soul of Mazda Motorsports is club racing, and supporting those racers who have invested in racing a Mazda. The criteria for the shootout is to identify the aspiring professional racer who has the best range of skills required to succeed.
These skills include 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 multiple areas.
Eighteen racers are semi-finalists, having met the eligibility criteria for 2013. Each has won a recognized championship over a minimum number of competitors. The next step is for the racer to submit a business presentation, which will be reviewed and scored by a team of motorsports and marketing professionals.
From those proposals, the finalists will be selected. The final shootout will be a one-day event at Buttonwillow Raceway Park in November where the racers will be tested on the track for their technical skills. It is a winner-take-all event with one racer moving up to the Mazda MX-5 Cup for 2014.
The 18 semi-finalists are:
Racer Club/Series Hometown/Residence
Ben Albano - Skip Barber Racing School Greenwich, CT
Joey Bickers - NASA Teen Challenge (California) Moorpark, CA
Jim Drago - SCCA National Runoffs Memphis, TN
TJ Fischer - Worldspeed Formula Car Championship Vacaville, CA
Dennis Holloway - NASA National Championships Huntington Beach, CA
Rob Huffmaster - SCCA National Runoffs Shelby Township, MI
Andrei Kisel - Sports Car Club of British Columbia North Vancouver, BC, Canada
Jason Kohler - NASA National Championships Waterford, MI
Zachary Munro - NASA Teen Challenge (Colorado) Granby, CO
Adam Poland - NASA Teen Challenge (Texas) Mount Vernon, Texas
Scott Rettich - SCCA National Runoffs Camden, OH
Matt Schultz - NASA National Championships Portland, OR
Cherie Storms - Sports Car Club of British Columbia Langley, BC, Canada
Jon Van Caneghem - NASA National Championships Marina del Rey, CA
Cal Vandaalen - Spec Miata Championship (Canada) Wellington, NS Canada
Rob Warkocki - SCCA National Runoffs Frankfort, IL
Michael Whelden - Worldspeed Formula Car Championship Sausalito, CA
Darryl Wills - SCCA National Runoffs Houston,TX
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 funds a drive in the 2014 Mazda MX-5 Cup.
The heart and soul of Mazda Motorsports is club racing, and supporting those racers who have invested in racing a Mazda. The criteria for the shootout is to identify the aspiring professional racer who has the best range of skills required to succeed.
These skills include 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 multiple areas.
Eighteen racers are semi-finalists, having met the eligibility criteria for 2013. Each has won a recognized championship over a minimum number of competitors. The next step is for the racer to submit a business presentation, which will be reviewed and scored by a team of motorsports and marketing professionals.
From those proposals, the finalists will be selected. The final shootout will be a one-day event at Buttonwillow Raceway Park in November where the racers will be tested on the track for their technical skills. It is a winner-take-all event with one racer moving up to the Mazda MX-5 Cup for 2014.
The 18 semi-finalists are:
Racer Club/Series Hometown/Residence
Ben Albano - Skip Barber Racing School Greenwich, CT
Joey Bickers - NASA Teen Challenge (California) Moorpark, CA
Jim Drago - SCCA National Runoffs Memphis, TN
TJ Fischer - Worldspeed Formula Car Championship Vacaville, CA
Dennis Holloway - NASA National Championships Huntington Beach, CA
Rob Huffmaster - SCCA National Runoffs Shelby Township, MI
Andrei Kisel - Sports Car Club of British Columbia North Vancouver, BC, Canada
Jason Kohler - NASA National Championships Waterford, MI
Zachary Munro - NASA Teen Challenge (Colorado) Granby, CO
Adam Poland - NASA Teen Challenge (Texas) Mount Vernon, Texas
Scott Rettich - SCCA National Runoffs Camden, OH
Matt Schultz - NASA National Championships Portland, OR
Cherie Storms - Sports Car Club of British Columbia Langley, BC, Canada
Jon Van Caneghem - NASA National Championships Marina del Rey, CA
Cal Vandaalen - Spec Miata Championship (Canada) Wellington, NS Canada
Rob Warkocki - SCCA National Runoffs Frankfort, IL
Michael Whelden - Worldspeed Formula Car Championship Sausalito, CA
Darryl Wills - SCCA National Runoffs Houston,TX