THE 2013 MAZDA CLUB RACER SHOOTOUT 18 RACERS CHASING A $75,000 PRIZE, THE BIGGEST IN ALL OF CLUB RACING
October 9, 2013 (IRVINE, Calif) 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.
John Doonan, Director of Motorsports, note: “With more club racers than any other car company, we wanted to find a suitable way to bridge the gap from club racing to the professional ranks. Our shootout has become a signature event for Mazda Motorsports. Without exception, every driver who won the shootout proved to be competitive in MX-5 Cup, with several developing solid professional careers.”
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 Nat. 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

Additional information about the Mazda Club Racer shootout and Mazda support can be found at http://www.mazdamotorsports.com
About Mazda, Mazda Motorsports, and MAZDASPEED
Mazda is the number-one brand for road-racers across North America among both club racers and professionals. Thousands of Mazda powered grassroots racers compete in various classes with the SCCA and NASA highlighted by Spec Miata, the world’s largest spec class with over 2,500 cars built. In 2006 Mazda Motorsports established the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development Ladder to assist racers in moving up through the ranks. In 2010 this was expanded to include the Mazda Road to Indy. Key to Mazda’s success is strategic partnerships with the Skip Barber Racing School and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
Mazda Motorsports is managed by Mazda North American Operations (MNAO). MNAO is headquartered in Irvine, Calif., and oversees the sales, marketing, parts and customer service support of Mazda vehicles in the United States and Mexico through nearly 700 dealers. Operations in Mexico are managed by Mazda Motor de Mexico in Mexico City.
Consumer information can be found at http://www.mazdausa.com, with press information at http://www.mazdausamedia.com. Racers and fans can follow the action on facebook (Mazda Motorsports). - See more at: http://www.mazdamotorsports.com/webapp/ ... jG1sG.dpuf

_________________
GT1 - 88 Camaro 1LE/Nissan 200SX
GT2 - 90 CRX/Nissan 200SX
GT3 - 88 CRX/1975 Civic/1997 Acura Integra
GT4 - 93/2000 Mazda Miata
GT5 - 89 Suzuki Swift GTI
GT6 - 86 CRX
ITE - 88 Camaro 1LE
ITA - 89/90 CRX Si
ITB - 85 Civic 1500S/89 Suzuki Swift GTI
ITC - 85/86 Civic
SM - 93/2000 Mazda Miata
Targa NL - 88 CRX Si
Rally Sprint - 95 Del Sol VTEC
Unlimited - All of the above!

Mazda Shootout Finalists Announced
Five Racers Eligible For The Biggest Prize in All of Club Racing

October 23, 2013 (IRVINE, Calif) 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. Eighteen racers were semi-finalists, having met the eligibility criteria for 2013, each having won a recognized championship over a minimum number of competitors. Now, after each made a formal written business proposal, the field has been narrowed to five.

The 2013 Mazda Club Racer shootout finalists are:

Racer Club/Series Hometown/Residence
Joey Bickers NASA Teen Challenge (California) Moorpark, CA
TJ Fischer Worldspeed Formula Car Championship Vacaville, CA
Zachary Munro NASA Teen Challenge (Colorado) Granby, CO
Cal Vandaalen Spec Miata Championship (Canada) Wellington, NS Canada
Michael Whelden Worldspeed Formula Car Championship Sausalito, CA

The written proposals were reviewed by a team of marketing executives from diverse business backgrounds. Scott Shelton, a former shootout winner, who works as an executive at ABC Television summed up the proposals; “In my third year of reviewing proposals, this group was by far the best I have seen. I went back and looked at my own two personal shootout submissions and can’t believe how far the proposal process has come…especially in the social media realm. The depth, quality and professionalism of the decks have skyrocketed!”

John Doonan, Director of Motorsports, Mazda North American Operations noted, “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. 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 a one-day event at Buttonwillow Raceway Park on November 11, 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.

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

About Mazda, Mazda Motorsports, and MAZDASPEED
Mazda is the number-one brand for road-racers across North America among both club racers and professionals. Thousands of Mazda powered grassroots racers compete in various classes with the SCCA and NASA highlighted by Spec Miata, the world’s largest spec class with over 2,500 cars built. In 2006 Mazda Motorsports established the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development Ladder to assist racers in moving up through the ranks. In 2010 this was expanded to include the Mazda Road to Indy. Key to Mazda’s success is strategic partnerships with the Skip Barber Racing School and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

Mazda Motorsports is managed by Mazda North American Operations (MNAO). MNAO is headquartered in Irvine, Calif., and oversees the sales, marketing, parts and customer service support of Mazda vehicles in the United States and Mexico through nearly 700 dealers. Operations in Mexico are managed by Mazda Motor de Mexico in Mexico City.

Consumer information can be found at http://www.mazdausa.com, with press information at http://www.mazdausamedia.com. Racers and fans can follow the action on facebook (Mazda Motorsports).

_________________
GT1 - 88 Camaro 1LE/Nissan 200SX
GT2 - 90 CRX/Nissan 200SX
GT3 - 88 CRX/1975 Civic/1997 Acura Integra
GT4 - 93/2000 Mazda Miata
GT5 - 89 Suzuki Swift GTI
GT6 - 86 CRX
ITE - 88 Camaro 1LE
ITA - 89/90 CRX Si
ITB - 85 Civic 1500S/89 Suzuki Swift GTI
ITC - 85/86 Civic
SM - 93/2000 Mazda Miata
Targa NL - 88 CRX Si
Rally Sprint - 95 Del Sol VTEC
Unlimited - All of the above!

CONGRATULATIONS to Cal for making the short list of 5 (from 18) and making it into the Shootout!

Good Luck, and kick some butt!!!

_________________
GT1 - 88 Camaro 1LE/Nissan 200SX
GT2 - 90 CRX/Nissan 200SX
GT3 - 88 CRX/1975 Civic/1997 Acura Integra
GT4 - 93/2000 Mazda Miata
GT5 - 89 Suzuki Swift GTI
GT6 - 86 CRX
ITE - 88 Camaro 1LE
ITA - 89/90 CRX Si
ITB - 85 Civic 1500S/89 Suzuki Swift GTI
ITC - 85/86 Civic
SM - 93/2000 Mazda Miata
Targa NL - 88 CRX Si
Rally Sprint - 95 Del Sol VTEC
Unlimited - All of the above!

+1

Great accomplishment, best of luck!

_________________
ASCC VP Membership
'01 DHG Mustang Bullitt #16
'22 Golf R

Way to go Cal!

Just remember that last lap/last corner grass mowing thing your father may have taught you, might not be exactly what the judges are looking for

BTW I've got a full motion simulator you can practice on at my house if you can find a Buttonwillow track online, just don't tell Bruce...

Stacy

_________________
The fricton circle for my 911 Porsche resembles more of an oblong... I'm either trailbraking or accelerating while trying to get it to turn!

What a great story. Wishing him nothing but good skill and good luck

And this would not be possible without the effort of the visionaries here in Atlantic Canada who got the AMP circut on board

I would whole heartedly agree with that statement. Go get em Cal and kick some Mazda a*s. I wonder if there will be any video we can see down the road.

_________________
" I was crying so hard, that when I was breaking, tears were streaming down my visor. " Jean Alesi after winning the Canadian GP on Fathers Day, on his birthday, driving a Ferrari with Gilles Villeneuve's # 27 on his car. I was there, my first GP as a marshal, 1995.

Amazing work you guys...all the best.
Is there anything you need help with before you head out ?
...are you allowed to practise on the track before hand ???

They gave me a whopping 15mins of practice in the cup car to;
a) figure out which way the track goes
b) figure out how to drive the cup car
c) figure out how the BFG G-Force tires work

Then they throw you into the fire!

Buttonwillow Race track has several configurations. It can be run counterclockwise or clockwise and can be cut into 2 or 3 tracks depending on what they require. Because of this, all of the corners dont have numbers, just names. So you can jump on youtube and get some in-car video of the general track layout. But you wont know the actual configuration until shootout day.

_________________
GT1 - 88 Camaro 1LE/Nissan 200SX
GT2 - 90 CRX/Nissan 200SX
GT3 - 88 CRX/1975 Civic/1997 Acura Integra
GT4 - 93/2000 Mazda Miata
GT5 - 89 Suzuki Swift GTI
GT6 - 86 CRX
ITE - 88 Camaro 1LE
ITA - 89/90 CRX Si
ITB - 85 Civic 1500S/89 Suzuki Swift GTI
ITC - 85/86 Civic
SM - 93/2000 Mazda Miata
Targa NL - 88 CRX Si
Rally Sprint - 95 Del Sol VTEC
Unlimited - All of the above!

Do any of the 3 California drivers have experience there? I'd be crying foul.

_________________
2005 Forester XT (Daily/B2Tuned), 2000 Subaru Impreza 2.5RS P4WD Class Rally Car, 2006 WRX RallyCross Car (Sponsors: Rally-Tech, Great North Performance, ISI Automotive)
Check out: Rally East, The Ledwidge Lookoff Rally

most likely. Thats what happened to me last year. Last year 1 of the guys had a MX-5 Cup car. 1 guy used the BFG tires. 2 of the guys ran at buttonwillow before. I started out thinking I was the underdog right away.

_________________
GT1 - 88 Camaro 1LE/Nissan 200SX
GT2 - 90 CRX/Nissan 200SX
GT3 - 88 CRX/1975 Civic/1997 Acura Integra
GT4 - 93/2000 Mazda Miata
GT5 - 89 Suzuki Swift GTI
GT6 - 86 CRX
ITE - 88 Camaro 1LE
ITA - 89/90 CRX Si
ITB - 85 Civic 1500S/89 Suzuki Swift GTI
ITC - 85/86 Civic
SM - 93/2000 Mazda Miata
Targa NL - 88 CRX Si
Rally Sprint - 95 Del Sol VTEC
Unlimited - All of the above!

Great job! And good luck!

Best of luck!

_________________
"Nos Ludos Intra Vehicula"

"That is on the floor..... in fifth..... 6500????..." -Buffum to Smith (140mph+, Rallye Charlevoix.....)

"A HUNDRED AND EIGHTY FIVE DOLLARS????"

"Great, now we're gonna get frikken' yelled at....."
"Let the record show that the evening degenerated at 2022hrs..... Duly noted..."

Recent video posted about the Miata Shootout, check it out

Too complicated, I would have to hire a stunt double who is very good at speaking and handling the press and....ok...and driving the car!!

Cal looked like he "may" have been having fun...not sure that's what I would call "fun" racing.
Sooo...how does Cal feel about the experience?

I would rather just show up with a bucket full of cash than to have to kiss a bunch of strangers asses for a ride lol. Seen so many young guys trying to make a go of it and secure funding. It really isn't as much about talent as it is about connections for most. Though some guys are just naturally gifted at driving and dealing with people, they make it look easy.

Been there, done that. It was a very intense day for sure. Mazda does get a lot of mileage from this, and it does get some of the winners into the Pro ranks. The kid that won the shootout 2 years ago made $30,000 this year in prize money alone. That paid for almost 50% of his season.

_________________
GT1 - 88 Camaro 1LE/Nissan 200SX
GT2 - 90 CRX/Nissan 200SX
GT3 - 88 CRX/1975 Civic/1997 Acura Integra
GT4 - 93/2000 Mazda Miata
GT5 - 89 Suzuki Swift GTI
GT6 - 86 CRX
ITE - 88 Camaro 1LE
ITA - 89/90 CRX Si
ITB - 85 Civic 1500S/89 Suzuki Swift GTI
ITC - 85/86 Civic
SM - 93/2000 Mazda Miata
Targa NL - 88 CRX Si
Rally Sprint - 95 Del Sol VTEC
Unlimited - All of the above!

Just announced today...

The overall winners from 2014 season 2 (April 29, 2014 – July 21, 2014) and 2014 season 3 (July 29, 2014 – October 20, 2014) in the iRacing Mazda Cup will win an invitation to attend the Mazda Club Racer Shootout in the fall of 2014.

So now there's a new entry point to the Shootout.

http://www.iracing.com/mazda-motorsport ... h-iracing/

_________________

1997 Talon TSi AWD
2008 EVO X MR

Anybody got a link to Bruce's webcam on his computer, so that I can see the expression on his face when he reads this?

Stacy

_________________
The fricton circle for my 911 Porsche resembles more of an oblong... I'm either trailbraking or accelerating while trying to get it to turn!

You are exactly right Stacy. I couldn't believe it. Gaming is NOT real motorsports. I have way more respect for that person dragging that old $200 beater out to a rallyX and placing last, then any person spending thousands of dollars on gaming equipment down in their mother's basement. I can't believe Mazda is doing this....

_________________
GT1 - 88 Camaro 1LE/Nissan 200SX
GT2 - 90 CRX/Nissan 200SX
GT3 - 88 CRX/1975 Civic/1997 Acura Integra
GT4 - 93/2000 Mazda Miata
GT5 - 89 Suzuki Swift GTI
GT6 - 86 CRX
ITE - 88 Camaro 1LE
ITA - 89/90 CRX Si
ITB - 85 Civic 1500S/89 Suzuki Swift GTI
ITC - 85/86 Civic
SM - 93/2000 Mazda Miata
Targa NL - 88 CRX Si
Rally Sprint - 95 Del Sol VTEC
Unlimited - All of the above!

It simply good marketing.
GT Academy has done quite well globally bringing in Gran Turismo folks into real racing, some are now pros driving stuff that none of us will ever drive...

I suspect Iracing wants a part of that marketing opportunity and is paying for it.

Lets make something perfectly clear, the people that are finding success in racing after doing the GT academy, or whoever does this iracing deal, already have some ability, or in some cases a lot, naturally, with nothing to do with sim racing.
Some people are born with an ability to find and feel grip in a race car, just the same as MANY actual racecar drivers absolutely have no idea what this feels like, no matter how many real races they do.

_________________
Paul

Sort of a neat promo... it'll be interesting to see how Iracer guy measures up against the 'real' racers, when the day comes. My money's on Bruce having the last laugh, but you never know.

I wonder though, would it be feasible to do something like this at AMP? I have no clue how many sim racer types there are out there, but giving one of them an actual test after some sort of on-line contest might get us some cheap PR.

Anything that get's another person in a real race car is a good thing, yes?

Would be funny if it was some huge guy that couldn't fit in the car.

Sounds good. Lets use your car Mitch.

_________________
GT1 - 88 Camaro 1LE/Nissan 200SX
GT2 - 90 CRX/Nissan 200SX
GT3 - 88 CRX/1975 Civic/1997 Acura Integra
GT4 - 93/2000 Mazda Miata
GT5 - 89 Suzuki Swift GTI
GT6 - 86 CRX
ITE - 88 Camaro 1LE
ITA - 89/90 CRX Si
ITB - 85 Civic 1500S/89 Suzuki Swift GTI
ITC - 85/86 Civic
SM - 93/2000 Mazda Miata
Targa NL - 88 CRX Si
Rally Sprint - 95 Del Sol VTEC
Unlimited - All of the above!

Just to add to this… It has been my experience that the really fast & naturally gifted racers in real life are also the fastest (out of the box) in sim racing as well.

For example, guys like Paul Machan & Brian Gay can jump on iRacing with little-to-no practice and run pretty fast laps. These are the same guys that can jump in your car at an autoslalom or track day and beat your times in your own car.

Point being, fast is fast, whether it’s in the sim or in real life. This iRacing/Mazda partnership will just help to discover someone who already has natural ability but may have never had the means or opportunity to race in real life.


There are a fair number of local (NS/NB/PE) iRacers out there, but I doubt you’d get enough participation to attract & flush out local talent. AFRA had offered up a free lapping day (or 1/2 price school) for one of our ARMS iRacing League series and it did not grow league participation nor bring anyone new out to the track.

_________________

1997 Talon TSi AWD
2008 EVO X MR

I brought a friend out to RallyCross who plays tons and tons of racing games who has never driven a real wheel in anger before and he FTDed, he and Cal are in a fairly tight battle for 3rd overall in the entire championship, and who's got vastly more actual track time there? Not saying the Sims made him that way, there's certainly some natural talent involved but I'm sure the Sim racing didn't hurt, either.

Now me, on the other hand, I'm middle of the back in pretty much all forms of real racing and I can't get the feel for sim games to save my life. I tried for a couple of weeks at iRacing and could barely get a single clean lap in on an empty track with a good force feedback wheel.

_________________
2005 Forester XT (Daily/B2Tuned), 2000 Subaru Impreza 2.5RS P4WD Class Rally Car, 2006 WRX RallyCross Car (Sponsors: Rally-Tech, Great North Performance, ISI Automotive)
Check out: Rally East, The Ledwidge Lookoff Rally

The people who can quickly adapt to cars / tracks in sim racing are the same people who can quickly adapt to different cars / track conditions in real life.

I on the other hand need lots and lots of practice (seat time) to be any good in the sim or in real life. And I suck in variable weather conditions.

_________________

1997 Talon TSi AWD
2008 EVO X MR

But was this advertised to anyone outside of this forum? That offer may have only reached a few dozen people. If the offer was broadcast by iracing maybe it would have gotten a better response. Iracing keeps track of drivers by location so they could probably tell you very quickly how many members they have for the area. And they could probably reach out to those drivers with the offer. On the other side a little local PR about the contest might bring new drivers to both Iracing and the track. Not saying it's feasible, but someone could ask iracing for the numbers and if they would even consider such a thing.

Gee, I guess I saw that one coming. Putting someone like that in a real car would be a worry for sure, because the sim racer might not have the same level of respect for life and/or equipment as a real world guy. But if someone cooked up a deal to make it worth my while and I had some confidence in the person involved, I'd at least consider it.

It's not going to happen anyway because of all the licensing/insurance/safety stuff involved, but it's sort of fun to talk about.

But if sh!t happens, all he has to do is hit the reset button.

_________________
GT1 - 88 Camaro 1LE/Nissan 200SX
GT2 - 90 CRX/Nissan 200SX
GT3 - 88 CRX/1975 Civic/1997 Acura Integra
GT4 - 93/2000 Mazda Miata
GT5 - 89 Suzuki Swift GTI
GT6 - 86 CRX
ITE - 88 Camaro 1LE
ITA - 89/90 CRX Si
ITB - 85 Civic 1500S/89 Suzuki Swift GTI
ITC - 85/86 Civic
SM - 93/2000 Mazda Miata
Targa NL - 88 CRX Si
Rally Sprint - 95 Del Sol VTEC
Unlimited - All of the above!