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< Back to News Home 2010 GRAND-AM DAYTONA PACE CARS WILL BE MAZDAS

Posted (02/03/2010) -

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 27, 2010) - As the field approaches the green flag for both the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Cask No. 16 Rolex 24 At Daytona and the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Fresh From Florida 200 at Daytona International Speedway, Mazda is guaranteed to be at the front of the grid.

Officials from GRAND-AM and Mazda North American Operations today announced that the 2010 Mazda RX-8 has been selected as the pace car for the 48th Rolex 24 At Daytona on Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 30-31 and the 2010 MAZDASPEED3 will be used to pace the Fresh From Florida 200 on Friday, Jan. 29.

"Mazda is a tremendous supporter of both the GRAND-AM Rolex Series and the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge, particularly in the number of teams it supports," said Kevin Hindson, GRAND-AM Vice President, Marketing and Communications. "Mazda has built a great reputation on its road racing programs over the past several years, so selecting Mazdas to pace this weekend's races was a natural fit. We're looking forward to using Mazda's 'zoom-zoom' to get both the Rolex 24 and the Fresh From Florida 200 underway."

The 2010 Mazda RX-8 is the quintessential four-door, four-seat sports coupe. The RX-8 offers an aggressive exterior design, excellent performance and handling and a special R3 model - perfect for driving enthusiasts. The 2010 MAZDASPEED3 blends the five-door functionality of the all-new MAZDA3 five-door, with bolder, more aggressive styling and exhilarating performance to meet the needs of driving enthusiasts with active lifestyles. And it is still one of the fastest and quickest front-wheel drive cars in the world.

Mazda also has a proud heritage at the Rolex 24 At Daytona, with 22 class victories in the iconic, twice-around-the-clock event. The manufacturer earned its first Rolex 24 class victory in 1975; when Ray Walle and Tom Reddy combined to take the GTU Touring class win aboard a Mazda RX-3. Mazda's most recent class victory came in 2008, when Sylvain Tremblay, David Haskell, Nick Ham and Raphael Matos co-drove the No. 70 SpeedSource Mazda RX-8 to the win in the GT class.

"We always look forward to racing at Daytona and thoroughly enjoy it whenever a Mazda leads under green-flag conditions," said Mazda North American Operations Alternative Marketing Manager Jim Jordan. "For 2010, we decided it might be fun to lead the pace and caution laps as well. This is a great showcase for both the RX-8 and the MAZDASPEED3 and we can't wait to see them both out there at the front of the field. We hope the field will be also following our race-version RX-8s and MAZDA3s under green in the Rolex 24 and the Fresh From Florida 200."

            The 2010 Rolex Series and the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge both get underway at Daytona International Speedway. The Fresh From Florida 200 for the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge kicks off the weekend's racing activities on Friday, Jan. 29, followed by the 48th Rolex 24 At Daytona on Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 30-31.

            Tickets for the entire weekend at Daytona are now available by visiting RaceTickets.com. SPEED will carry 16 hours of live television coverage of the Rolex 24 beginning at 3 p.m. ET on Saturday and resuming at 7 a.m. ET on Sunday. SPEED will also televise the Fresh From Florida 200 at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, Feb. 13.

 

About GRAND-AM

GRAND-AM Road Racing, which operates and sanctions the Rolex Sports Car Series and the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge, is the foremost sanctioning body of sports car racing in North America. The 12-race Rolex Series 2010 schedule and the 10-race Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge 2010 calendar deliver professional sports car racing to key markets throughout North America in addition to being televised in the U.S. and Canada on SPEED and distributed globally through ESPN International. GRAND-AM Road Racing showcases emerging and legendary drivers from around the globe and thoroughbred racing machines from the industry's leading constructors and the world's top automobile manufacturers. Learn more about GRAND-AM at http://www.grand-am.com/.


About Mazda

            Mazda is the brand of choice for road-racers across North America.  In addition to the top levels of sports car with GRAND-AM and ALMS, 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 a 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 the Atlantic Championship, all with Mazda. No other car company has ever connected the dots this way.

            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.
 

 

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