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[Johnny D]

 

Mazda Supports Runoffs Competitors

 

Contingencies, paddock space and the annual banquet are some of the benefits Mazda racers at the SCCA National Championship Runoffs can expect

 

The 2017 SCCA National Championship Runoffs at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is on track to be the biggest yet, with the entry list hitting the 1,000 mark more than a month and a half before the event’s start on Monday, Sept. 25. Three days of races in 28 classes will take place the weekend of Sept. 29-Oct. 1. Mazda will be represented in 17 of those classes, and Spec Miata currently ranks second in the number of entries.

 

Mazda Motorsports will support its racers in a variety of ways, from paid paddock space to on-site support to professional coaching, parts support, a banquet and, of course, contingency and tow money.

 

Mazda Motorsports Business Development Manager David Cook says that Mazda Motorsports will be providing a 250×40-foot tent with a generator for competitors, and will have space adjacent to that tent for Mazda competitors and prep shops. The Mazda parts truck will be parked adjacent to the tent, and Mazda Motorsports staff Scott Kaluza, James Painter, Daniel Sumner, and David Cook will be on hand for all or part of the event.

 

“We’ll have additional space for our customers in the area,” Cook explains. “The tent will be on asphalt, and we’ll have other asphalt and grass paddock space. Tow rigs will be parked in a designated area within a few hundred feet of the tent. Everybody that has requested parking in the Mazda area, paid for by Mazda, will be able to park with us as long as they meet the requirements of SCCA.”

 

“We are excited to have Mazda Motorsports’ factory drivers Tom Long, Jonathan Bomarito, and Joel Miller join us Monday through Wednesday,” says Cook. “They will be conducting a track walk presentation Monday from 9-10 am and again from 3-4 pm, with Q&A. And they will be providing 1:1 data and video analyses coaching each of those days, five hours per day, in 30-minute increments.”

 

The coaching is complimentary. James Painter will be on hand starting at the beginning of the Runoffs event and will take sign-ups, as well as hand out shirts, and banquet tickets.

 

Mazda Motorsports traditionally holds a banquet for its competitors in the middle of the week with door prizes and special guest speakers. This year’s will be Wednesday night, September 27. Details are being finalized for what is expected to be the largest turnout for a Mazda dinner banquet.

 

Of course, it takes money to enter and get to the Runoffs, and Mazda Motorsports is offering contingency and tow money to ease the burden for successful racers. Mazda has upped its game here, paying an additional spot down to fourth place. If a Mazda driver wins, they’ll earn $5,000. Second gets $3,000, third receives $1,500 and fourth will take home $1,000. There is a $2,000 bonus for winning the Super Sweep as well – that’s winning a Conference championship, the Super Tour championship and the Runoffs.

 

In addition, those who finish in the top three in their Divisional points championship, U.S. Majors Tour Conference or Super Tour points are eligible for tow fund money. Depending on the distance from Indianapolis, that amount ranges from $100 up to $800.

 

These are just a few of the benefits to Mazda competitors at the SCCA National Championship Runoffs. More information will be coming as the biggest Runoffs in history gets closer.