107 replies to this topic

[Johnny D]

Meet the Contenders: Michael Carter

  

Eight of the top grassroots competitors will compete November 15 & 16 at NOLA Motorsports Park for the Mazda Road to 24 scholarship valued at $100,000. Today, we feature Michael Carter, a 16 year old Spec Miata competitor.

 

 

Michael Carter is a 16 year old straight-A high school student who has been behind the wheel of a race car for 13 of his 16 years. Michael’s first race car was a Quarter Midget, which he received when he was 3 years old on Christmas Day. Ten days later he turned 4 years old and that year began practicing in his dad’s shop parking lot. “I still remember running around the little track in the parking lot and purposely drifting off of the corners all the way up to the curb because it was so much fun. It’s very hard to believe and kind of funny to look back on it that I was testing the limits of the car at such a young age.”

 

At 5 years old, Carter was eligible to begin racing Quarter Midgets. After 8 years of racing Quarter Midgets and winning numerous races and two championships, Carter had grown too tall for the cars. At 13 years old, he advanced on to the Front Wheel Drive 4 Cylinder class at his local dirt track. In his second season, Carter won 11 races and the Track Championship.

During the 2014 season, he also got his first taste of road racing through ChumpCar. “After comparing my options for the 2015 season and beyond, it was clear that building a Spec Miata was the best choice for my racing career.”

 

In 2015, SCCA granted Carter a full competition license due to his experience. In his fourth start he won his first Spec Miata race at Roebling Road. To close out the 2015 season he finished 3rd in the ARRC at Road Atlanta. To start off 2016, Carter finished in the top 5 in his first SCCA Majors weekend (Homestead-Miami) at the age of 16. He also won all six SARRC regional races that he entered at Roebling Road and Road Atlanta. In June, as preparation for the Runoffs, Carter went to the Mid-Ohio Majors and captured his first podium on the SCCA U.S. Majors Tour.

 

To cap off the 2016 season, Carter finished 2nd at the 2016 SCCA Runoffs at Mid-Ohio in his first appearance. His performance both on- and off-track has earned him a spot as an at-large nominee for the Mazda Road to 24 Shootout.

[Johnny D]

Nola Live Track Cam.

https://nolamotor.com/live-track-cam/

 

It's not working now...but if it were ...here you go.

 

J~

[38bfast]

Crickets

[Ron Alan]

Crickets per Mazda's choice I believe!

[Johnny D]

They said "competitors will compete November 15 & 16" so I assume their not done yet.

 

J~

 

[Ron Alan]

Last year the field was narrowed the first day down to 2 for the final day. Nothing was announced yesterday...what Ralph is referring to...

[Johnny D]

Doesn't look like that's gonna happen.

 

The MRT24 Shootout winner will be announced Friday, November 18 at 9:00 am PT on MazdaMotorsports.com

 

J~

[Richard Astacio]

I spoke to one of the contenders and Mazda does not want them to post anything yet....thats why there is silence. i have been looking on facebook all day lol. 

[Johnny D]

The National Guard needs time to move into place for the protesters.

J~

[Richard Astacio]

The National Guard needs time to move into place for the protesters.

J~

[Bench Racer]

The National Guard needs time to move into place for the protesters.

J~

Millennials 

[Johnny D]

Matt Cresci (AKA topgear3793) Wins 2017 Mazda Road to 24 Shootout

https://mazdamotorsp...gId=-1&button=y

  

- California Racer Scores $100,000 Scholarship for 2017 Battery Tender Mazda MX-5 Cup -

 

 

IRVINE, Calif. (November 18, 2016) – After two days of intense competition at NOLA Motorsports Park in Avondale, Louisiana, Matt Cresci from Los Gatos, California won the 2016 Mazda Road to 24 Shootout. The $100,000 scholarship that came with the victory is the largest prize in grassroots motorsports. Launched in 2006, the Mazda Road to 24 Shootout has promoted ten talented grassroots racers into the professional ranks.

 

By winning the shootout, Cresci has earned the resources to compete in the 2017 Battery Tender Global Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich Tires. The 2017 MX-5 Cup season will begin the weekend of April 20-23 at the Barber Motorsports Park, near Birmingham, Alabama.

 

Cresci earned his way into the shootout by being among the fastest Miata racers in the country, having competed in the Teen Mazda Challenge and NASA Spec Miata.  Cresci is a recent graduate of Santa Clara University with a business degree.

 

The Quotes:

 

 

Matt Cresci (seen above working with Andrew Carbonell, MRT24 judge and factory driver): "It is an indescribable feeling to achieve a goal that I have had for over fifteen years, it really is a dream come true. I look forward to my role as a Mazda Scholarship driver, and can't thank Mazda enough for the opportunity to prove myself among such an outstanding field of competitors. Onwards and upwards!"

 

John Doonan, director of motorsports, Mazda North American Operations: “For our 11th annual shootout, we raised the bar again with an intense competition among eight great racers.  The NOLA facility was perfect for our testing as it made for a level field, since none of the eight had raced there. This has become a signature event for Mazda and demonstrates our long-term commitment to supporting grassroots motorsports.”

 

 

Scott Goodyear, judge (pictured above working with Matt Machiko): "My first time as a judge for the Mazda Road to 24 Shootout was an eye-opening experience.   All eight competitors were very strong and have the raw talent to succeed.  It was a very tough process to select just one, and a thrill to be a part of the next generation of Mazda road-racers.”

 

 

The cars: Long Road Racing, the builders of the Mazda MX-5 Cup race car, prepared four 2016 Mazda Global MX-5 Cup race cars for the finalists to drive.  BFGoodrich Tires provided its g-Force tires for the competition. (Glenn Long, owner of Long Road Racing, pictured above.)

 

The criteria: Given that each of the finalists had proven themselves on the track with race wins and championships, the criteria to move up needed to be more encompassing. To succeed on the professional level requires a balance of both on-track and off-track skills including the following:

 

•    Driving ability – Fast laps/consistent laps

 

•    Technical skills – Understanding of vehicle dynamics and suspension, ability to evaluate vehicle handling, and ability to analyze data

 

•    The business of motorsports – Business proposal and presentation

 

The judges:  The judges brought a wealth of both on-track and off-track expertise. The panel consisted of:

 

 

•    Peter Calhoun (pictured above, right, working with Tyler Kicera) – Motorsport Marketing Manager, BFGoodrich Tires.  Among his duties, Calhoun oversees the longtime Mazda/BFG partnership.

 

•    Andrew Carbonell – One of the leading Mazda racers competing in the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge. Carbonell was also one of the lead test drivers in the development of the new MX-5 Cup race car.

 

•    Robby Foley – A 2015 Mazda Road to 24 Scholarship winner, Foley scored two wins in the 2016 MX-5 Cup season.

 

•    Scott Goodyear – The retired IndyCar race winner and current ESPN/ABC TV IndyCar and Indy 500 on-air analyst also competed as a factory sports car racer for Porsche (Le Mans 24 Hours), Jaguar (Rolex 24 at Daytona) and Audi.

 

•    Spencer Pigot – The 2015 Indy Lights powered by Mazda champion competed in his first Indy 500 in 2016. Spencer has earned multiple Mazda Road to Indy scholarships, and also joins the factory driver line-up in the Mazda Prototype in the long-distance endurance races.

 

•    Marcus Shen – The engineering director for the Mazda factory IMSA Prototype program.  Shen is a Formula SAE alum from the University of Florida.

The Runner-ups for the 2016 Mazda Road to 24 Shootout were a strong group of racers from the SCCA, NASA, and iRacing.

 

•    Michael Carter, Savannah, Georgia – At-Large Nominee – SCCA Spec Miata

 

•    Julian Garfield, Mount Airy, Maryland – At-Large Nominee – SCCA SOLO

 

•    Justin Hille, Ypsilanti, Michigan – SCCA Runoffs Spec Miata Champion

 

•    Tyler Kicera, Mount Gretna, Pennsylvania – NASA East Spec Miata Champion

 

•    Daniel Langon, Alamo, California – Teen Mazda Challenge Western Region Champion

 

•    Matthew Machiko, Wexford, Pennsylvania – SCCA Runoffs Formula Mazda Champion

 

•    Pablo Lopez Padin, A Coruña, Spain – iRacing Global Mazda MX-5 Combine Cup Champion

 

(Justin Hille, right, pictured with Matt Cresci, center, and Michael Carter, left.)

 

About Mazda Motorsports

 

Mazda Motorsports boasts the most comprehensive auto racing development ladder system of any auto manufacturer in the world. The Mazda Road to 24 program offers a number of scholarships to advance drivers up the sports car racing ladder, beginning with the Global MX-5 Cup series and culminating with the Mazda Prototype team. The Mazda Road to Indy is a similar program that includes Mazda-powered categories of USF2000, Pro Mazda and Indy Lights. In grassroots road racing, more Mazdas race on any given weekend in North America than any other manufacturer. Mazda is also the title sponsor of the renowned Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, Calif. Follow all of the latest news at MazdaMotorsports.com, @MazdaRacing on Twitter, and MazdaMotorsports on Instagram and Facebook.

 

 

(Julian Garifield pictured above.)

[Ron Alan]

Outstanding! Matt was as deserving as any an obviously put his best foot forward this week! Having had the pleasure(at times!...inside joke) of working with Matt, I have watched him grow from driving his car to the track and being in the bottom 5 to finding his way to the front and staying there. Growing not only in his driving abilities but his off track life as well...which for those of us older guys who see Matt on a regular basis have absolutely noticed! 

 

Couldn't be more happy for you Matt! Now let the hard work begin!!

[Johnny D]

Must be something in the water for the San Francisco Region. Kyle, Mark, and now Matt.

Woopsy it's NorCal (All from NASA)

 

Congrats Matt !!

 

J~

[Jamz14]

Congratulations Matt. You deserve this chance.

[Tom Sager]

Congratulations Matt!!!!!!!

 

We look forward to hearing more about the shootout. 

[FTodaro]

Congrats to Matt, and really all those that contended. They are all accomplished.

[MPR22]

Congratulations Matt!! I know most of the guys you were up against and it is possibly the most accomplished group that has ever participated.

[Tyler Kicera]

First off, Congrats to Matt Cresci.  He was the quickest, smoothest, and most consistent at both the end of day 1 and on day 2.  Also congrats to Justin and Julian for putting up a good fight on day 2.  It killed me to watch and not be competing for the win.  

 

My shootout did not go as planned.  At the onset, they tell you it's about consistency, improving your lap times, and your feedback.  If you go four-off, they pull you in for a stop and go which kills your average time.  Over the four sessions, we got the chance to drive each car to ensure no one was at a disadvantage.

 

I approached session-one much more conservatively than normal and my best time was a 2:00.3.  In the second session, I settled in on the out lap and my first hot lap was a 1:59.7.  On lap two, while exiting turn 16 onto the front straight, I had a 1:56.6 on my dash but I had to breathe the throttle at track out.  I was understeering, approaching four wheels on the exit curb.  By the time I came to the line the time crept up to a 1:57.1-ish.  Unfortunately, exiting turn 14 on the third lap I spun.  As I was breathing the throttle to get the car to rotate, I started to slide.  I added wheel and throttle to bring it back, but it rebounded suddenly and hooked.  I went two feet in but the car still stalled.  When I restarted it, the data file got corrupted.  Coincidentally, my video cut out in turn 4 on the second lap so I had no backup proof of the lap times.  

 

I knew after the spin that it would be an uphill battle, if not impossible to win.  I was pretty down on myself for making the mistake but tried to claw back throughout the afternoon.  In session three my best time was a 1:58.7 and in session four my best time was a 1:58.3.  Mentally the spin affected me much more than if were a regular race weekend.  I'm never afraid to dip two wheels or even go four off in search of the limit.  At the end of it all, the best driver over those particular two days won.  He deserves every bit of praise and respect because we were all presented with the same rules, same condition, etc and he kicked our butts.  If we were to do it all over again, would the outcome be different?  I would like to think so, but that's not the point.  

 

You would never have known that $100K was on the line with how well we all got along.  There were tons of smiles, high fives, hand shakes, and bench racing going on throughout the two days and it was a pleasure competing against this group of gentleman.  Glenn Long and his crew did an awesome job preparing the cars and hustling to shift ballast and tires around after each session.  The judges and data coaches were also great to work with throughout the event.  Most importantly, I have to thank Mazda (Kyle Kimball and Jim Bowie) for hosting the shootout and awarding me the opportunity to compete.  I'm obviously disappointed that I did not represent my full potential, but it also adds fuel to the fire for next season.  

[ECOBRAP]

Thank you everyone, I left my full time job in August to focus on my pursuit of a racing career, while I still have the flexibility at this age. That being said, I was pretty gutted when I didn't get the result I was looking for at the NASA Western States Championships that would push me to the shootout. However, three days after the championships, I received the "at large" nomination from Mazda. All I wanted was the opportunity to prove myself, and it is cool to know they were watching!

 

As for the shootout, it was a pretty unreal experience to say the least, and hasn't quite sunk in yet. It was a humbling experience to compete against some of the biggest names in SM and club racing. As Tyler said, the atmosphere was impressively friendly. All competitors were transparent about their times, giving tips, and bouncing ideas off of each other, almost identical to an SM race weekend. Simply a great group of guys, and wish them the best in their future, they all have what it takes to be professional drivers.

 

Here is a brief write-up, feel free to ask any questions that you are curious about

 

Format

 

Monday Night:

 

Marketing and Sponsorship Presentation by Jim Bowie, outlining what to do and what to not do when attempting to attract partners. This was extremely useful, an eye opener and reality check for all of us. The barbecue was good too

 

Tuesday:

 

There were 4 cars prepared by Long Road Racing, all put to an identical setup that would remain untouched both days. The eight competitors were split into four pairs, and each pair would be on track together for four sessions (only 2 cars on track at a time). We drove each car once, and each of us were given a set of sticker tires that followed us from car to car, in an attempt to eliminate as many variables as possible. Each session consisted of an out lap, 4-5 hot laps, and an in lap.

 

Between sessions, we would do a full data analysis debrief with either Andrew Carbonell or Robby Foley. We would also interact with the judges, who were watching from corner stations during each session and could give us their observations and feedback. There were no formal interviews with the drivers.

 

After dinner on Tuesday night, we met one on one with the head honchos, to find out if we would proceed to Day 2. Once we found out, we were told not to discuss with anyone, and just to show up to the track the following morning at 8am.

 

Wednesday:

 

I showed up to the track, still not knowing who or how many I would be competing with. Didn't take long to figure out that they had picked three, Justin, Julian, and myself. At 8:40am, they told us we would be on track at 9:00am for 10 laps, each with another set of sticker tires, and that after it was over, we would do a data debrief, along with a one on one exercise with Mazda's head of engineering for their prototype efforts. It was also stated that after all of these were complete, they would decide if they would have us do more laps, or eliminate someone and have the remaining two do more laps, or if they had a winner after the first session. Sure enough, they came out after an hour or so of deliberation, and granted me the scholarship!

 

We were then told to stay hush until the press release on Friday, which is why there was complete radio silence until today.

 

Thanks again everyone, I will attempt to represent the SM community well! Below is my onboard video of the final lap of the final session on the first day. I will upload my final lap from the second day once I receive the data to overlay on the video!

 

 

Best,

Matt