GRAND-AM Road Racing

MAZDASPEED3s Making Debut In 2010 KONI Challenge

Oct. 5, 2009

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Oct. 5, 2009) - After a successful season which included two victories in the Grand-Am KONI Sports Car Challenge Street Tuner (ST) class, Freedom Autosport and Mazda are teaming up to introduce the newest model for the class - the MAZDASPEED3 - which will compete for the first time in 2010.

Following both the Mazda RX-8 - a staple for the last three full seasons in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 and KONI Challenge - as well as the MX-5, Mazda introduces the model, working in partnership with SpeedSource to develop the car with all parts and information shared with all Mazda customers.

The KONI Challenge Spec MAZDASPEED3 will feature a "crate stock engine" with a sealed factory ECU. All SpeedSource developed parts will be sold through MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development. This will ensure the same level of customer support that has made the RX-8 the car of choice in the Grand-Am Rolex Series GT championship. The street going MAZDASPEED3 has a standard 263hp turbocharged Mazda MZR engine and has a base MSRP of $23,945.

"We are focusing our effort to have the 2010 MAZDASPEED3 as one of the most cost effective cars raced in the KONI Championship, not just on the purchase price on a turn-key race car, but on the running costs and the costs of parts to support the program," said Sylvain Tremblay, owner and co-driver with SpeedSource. "With the MAZDASPEED3, Mazda has built the best ‘bang for the buck', hot hatchback on the market. Our job is the do the same for the racing version of the great car."

Freedom Autosport won the 2009 ST finale Sunday at Virginia International Raceway in the four-hour Bosch Engineering Octoberfest, with team principal Tom Long and team co-owner Derek Whitis driving to their first KONI Challenge victory. They drove the No. 145 Mazda/Freedom Autosport Mazda MX-5. In third, driving the team's No. 146 Mazda MX-5, were second generation drivers Andrew Carbonell and Mark Pombo.

"With our success racing the MX-5 Miata, we look forward to applying this knowledge to the new MAZDASPEED3 in 2010," Whitis said. "We will be campaigning a multi-car effort and look forward to more MAZDASPEED victories."

Freedom's dedication to the Mazdas could blossom the second-year KONI Challenge competitor to six cars for next season's endeavors.

"The KONI Challenge has over a dozen makes and models competing for the most diverse grid in racing," said Dave Spitzer, Grand-Am Vice President of Competition. "Mazda has a tremendous road racing heritage and their vision of maximizing excitement and passion with minimum cost is exactly in line with the KONI Challenge goals. We are very happy to welcome the new MAZDASPEED3 to the series for 2010."

Noting the large fields that have been the hallmark of the KONI Challenge, Mazda will continue to pay contingency beyond the normal "top-three" positions, rewarding any Mazda team that can place in the top-six in any KONI Challenge race. Payments will be $4,000 for a win, $2,500 for a second, $1,500 for a third, and $750 for finishes fourth through sixth. An additional $12,000 bonus will be paid if Mazda secures the manufacturers championship.

"The greatest complement we receive is when racers choose to buy our products to race. Our goal is to provide the best possible engineering and parts support, along with a best in class contingency program. SpeedSource has a proven record with Mazda and we know that Sylvain Tremblay and his team will deliver a great product. We are excited about racing the MAZDASPEED3 in 2010 as the car will be going head-to-head with many of the same cars that our customers cross-shop."

Celebrating its 40th Anniversary in the United States in 2010, Mazda North American Operations is headquartered in Irvine, Calif. and 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; and in Mexico by Mazda Motor de Mexico in Mexico City.

The KONI Challenge Street Tuner (ST) class utilizes production based race cars and has a wide variety of vehicles from the U.S., Europe, and Asia. The series uses weight and intake restrictions to maintain a level playing field for all entrants. Over the past two seasons a variety of MX-5s and RX-8s have been raced in the class.