Tag: Mazda Motorsports

Mazda’s trio of scholarship winners have their eyes on bigger prizes

Westin Workman, Sally Mott and Nathan Nicholson have already won significant support from Mazda Motorsports’ MX-5 Cup Scholarship program. Now, as RACER’s Marshall Pruett discovers, their eyes are focused firmly on the bigger prizes that lie ahead …

Westin Workman, Sally Mott and Nathan Nicholson have already won significant support from Mazda Motorsports’ MX-5 Cup Scholarship program. Now, as RACER’s Marshall Pruett discovers, their eyes are focused firmly on the bigger prizes that lie ahead within Mazda’s own programs and beyond.

Presented by
RACER’s Trackside Report at the 2024 Twelve Hours of Sebring is sponsored by Mazda Motorsports. Mazda supports racing and racers at every level from regional track days all the way to the IMSA WeatherTech Championship. At Mazda, racing isn’t just what they do; it’s who they are. click to learn more about Mazda Motorsports and the Mazda MX-5 Cup.

Mazda Heritage cars put on a show at Sebring

The Mazda Heritage Collection made its second appearance with Historic SportsCar Racing last weekend at Sebring International Raceway. The 1989 Mazda 767B (above) and 1991 Mazda RX-7 GTO (below) were a hit on and off the racetrack, even adding to …

The Mazda Heritage Collection made its second appearance with Historic SportsCar Racing last weekend at Sebring International Raceway. The 1989 Mazda 767B (above) and 1991 Mazda RX-7 GTO (below) were a hit on and off the racetrack, even adding to their racing records by taking a few race wins.

The 767B and the RX-7 GTO were each entered in three sprint races over the December 1-3 event, giving fans plenty of opportunities to hear the scream of a rotary engine around the 3.741-mile Florida circuit.

“The minute one of our cars started up in the paddock, all the cameras came out,” Mazda Motorsports Senior Manager Jonathan Applegate said. “Three decades later, and these machines still evoke the same reaction as modern race cars. It shows you how timeless racing really is.”

In between races, fans could get up close and personal with the cars, talk with drivers Tom Long and Andrew Carbonell, and pick up some autographed posters. Long drove the 767B in the GTP category while Carbonell drove the RX-7 GTO.

Though the purpose of the Mazda Heritage Collection is to celebrate the racing history of the brand, Carbonell did sweep the GTO category at Sebring, earning the Mazda Heritage Collection its first three HSR victories.

“We want to bring them back to their glory, so part of that is driving hard to see what the car needs,” Carbonell said. “We drive with caution and take good care of them, but the cars have to be driven with some kind of anger to truly replicate what they were in their prime.

“Thanks to Mazda and Flis Performance for trusting me with such a cool, historic machine,” said the longtime Mazda racer. “To check that box and drive a four-rotor and feel and hear that scream, was just incredible. So was seeing the reaction on people’s faces on pit lane when they’re all covering their ears. It’s a really fun experience and I can’t thank everyone enough.”

Plans for the Mazda Heritage Collection’s 2024 plans will be announced shortly.