Mazdasport Magazine

Mohan Top Mazda - Narrowly misses Formula D tandem win in Atlanta

After finishing fourth in the season-opening Formula Drift presented by Circuit City round on the Streets of Long Beach, Kyle Mohan headed to Road Atlanta with high hopes of continuing his season on the right note.

Mohan and his team suppliers had worked hard to eliminate the transmission problems that had befallen his car during the Final Four competition in Long Beach, and the car was working perfectly during practice and qualifying in Road Atlanta. A solid but conservative first run in qualifying practice appeared to be right on the edge of being good enough to put Mohan into tandem competition for the second straight Formula Drift weekend.

However, on his second run, Mohan dropped two wheels on the exit of the final clipping point – netting him a zero. He would have to rely on his first run to put him on the show, but unfortunately, that run would prove to be one point shy of putting Mohan into the top-16 – in fact, putting him in seventeenth. He did, however, earn the distinction of being the highest finishing Mazda at the Road Atlanta event, now sits twelfth in the Castrol Syntec Power Cup Point standings

Karagiannis Wins in NOPI

Glenwood, MD., May 8, 2008 – Dee Karagiannis and his MAZDASPEED3 took the win this past weekend in the make-up race for Nopi/NHRA Florida final. The rained out NOPI Florida event was originally scheduled for April 6 at Moroso Motorsports Park in West Palm Beach, Fla.

“Englishtown was a great venue to host the rained out Moroso finals and with over 21,000 in attendance the Reactive Racing MAZDASPEED 3 put them on their seats and took the win laying down a impressive 7.39@180mph. “

The team’s next event will be the NOPI Sport Compact Racing Series sanctioned by NHRA on June 21-22 at Bandimere Speedway in Morrison, Colo.

SUV With Soul - Mazda CX-9

Seven-passenger capability has always been the mark of the “big” car. I recently wrote a profile on a gentleman who is restoring a 1946 Packard seven passenger sedan, and asked the opinion of a suburban housewife and SUV fanatic about the seven passenger Land Rover LR3.  Seven passengers seems to be a magic number - maybe because it’s room for one U.S.-standard nuclear family plus one pair of grandparents, or two adults and a basketball team. Who knows?

As a Mazda enthusiast, I was interested to drive the CX-9 for a few days in California’s fabulous central coast region. I’d never driven the CX-9 before, and was curious to see if Mazda’s “Always the soul of a sports car” slogan held true even in the biggest vehicle they offer.

Mazda Unveils 2009 Mazda6

Mazda today revealed the all-new Mazda6 and confirmed that North American sales will start in late summer 2008.

Specifically developed for North America, the all-new Mazda6 inherits and evolves the sporty styling and superb driving performance of the first generation Mazda6. The North American model features a larger body and greater engine displacement to meet the particular demands of the North American market. Handling and comfort were also optimized for North American road conditions.

Karagiannis sets NOPI Record in MAZDASPEED3

The NOPI drag racing series kicked its 2008 season into high gear with a recent national race at Moroso Motorsports Park in West Palm Beach, Florida. Moroso has been long known to host great events for and this weekend was no different. Spectators from all across the country and Canada came out to enjoy the weekend, with well over 16,000 in attendance. This is the second largest crowd Moroso has ever had for an event.

Bomarito Signs for Atlantic Season

Mathiasen Motorsports announced today that they have signed Jonathan Bomarito to drive the #26 Swift for the 2008 Cooper Tires presents the Atlantic Championship powered by Mazda.  This partnership comes on the heels of their impressive performance at the final pre-season testing session at MSR Houston, in which the team ran the fastest lap in three of the four sessions and clocked an overall fast lap over a half second quicker than the next competitor.

“From the moment Jonathan and the team met at MSR Houston throughout the test it was obvious that driver and team had great chemistry. Jonathan was able to provide tremendous feedback on the car, which allowed for positive changes throughout the test session. We feel very fortunate that circumstances fell into place that allowed us the opportunity to bring a very talented driver like Jonathan to our team” said team owners Ray and Leslie Mathiasen.

Eikenberry's Project RX-8 Appears at Hot Import Nights

Eric Eikenberry's Project RX-8 (featured in MazdaSport Issue 15 and upcoming in issue 16) made its first appearance at a major car show over the past weekend. Hot Import Nights held a “Nightshift” event at the Los Angeles Convention Center near downtown which was well-attended by folks seeking a glimpse at the hottest rides in the world.

"I was allowed to enter the show at the last minute by the HIN staff, so a great big thanks to Thanh over there. Faced with the challenge of a missing hood striker at the eleventh hour, Puente Hills Mazda came through with a loaner. Give them a big round of applause," Eikenberry says.

Tri-Point Takes Top 5 At Sebring

The Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring Presented by Fresh From Florida weekend marked the beginning of both the 2008 SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge Touring Car season as well as Tri-Point’s year-long quest to defend their 2007 championship titles.  Charles Espenlaub, piloting the #73 MAZDA6, narrowly missed the podium in 4th place.  Defending champion Jeff Altenburg crossed the line a half-second later to claim the 5th position.  In his Touring Car debut 2007 MX-5 Cup Champion Jason Saini was the third Mazda to take the checkered flag in 9th place. 

Mazda2 Named 2008 World Car of the Year

This would be much bigger news if we could actually buy a Mazda2 here in the States. Oh, well...

The Mazda2 is the 2008 World Car of the Year (WCOTY). From an initial entry list of thirty-nine (39) new vehicles from all over the world, the overall 2008 WCOTY title was announced today (Thursday, March 20, 2008) at the New York International Auto Show. The Mazda2 (known as the Mazda Demio in Japan) edged out the Ford Mondeo and Mercedes-Benz C-Class to take the overall award.

Based on the recommendations of a design panel consisting of four highly respected world design experts, the Mazda2 was also voted by the jurors onto the short-list of top three design finalists, together with the Audi R8 and Volvo C30.

Mazda Announces Portland Race Dates

Attention all Mazdasport and Forever MX-5 readers: mark your calendar now to join us July 26th & 27th in Portland, Oregon.  While you may have heard that the demise of Champ Car meant the traditional Grand Prix of Portland would not happen in 2008, think again.

"The Grand Prix of Portland is important enough that Mazda felt the need to step up and help make the 25th anniversary race happen.  We'll be bringing a Star Mazda doubleheader, a round of the Playboy MX-5 Cup and other races and motorsports activities that the Northwest race fans will enjoy.  We have a lot of work ahead, but the team of Mazda and the Portland International Raceway are committed to making it happen," says Jim Jordan, Marketing Manager, Mazda North American Operations

With the combined efforts of Portland International Raceway, Mazda North American Operations, MazdaSport magazine, and others who will no doubt join us, the race will go on, but with a different flavor.  Think younger and more grassroots, like us!

Among the many activities planned will be special car corrals for Mazda clubs and public street-legal drag racing in the evening. MazdaSport and Forever MX-5 will have a substantial presence at this event.