Club Racer Shootout Set

2013 ABOVE: Club Racer Shootout winner Joey Bickers speaks during one of the presentations.

Racers chase richest prize in club racing – a ride in the Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by BFGoodrich Tires.

Mazda has announced the date and some of the finalists for the single largest prize in club racing, the Mazda Club Racer Shootout. Since 2007 Mazda has annually promoted one talented club racer to the professional ranks through a $75,000 prize to fund a drive in the 2015 SCCA Pro Racing Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by BFGoodrich Tires.

The heart and soul of Mazda Motorsports is club racing, and supporting those racers who have invested in racing a Mazda. The criteria for the shootout is to identify the aspiring professional racer who has the best range of skills required to succeed. These skills include speed, consistency, racecraft, technical feedback and off-track business, marketing and PR skills. History has shown that a driver will be limited in success if they are lacking in multiple areas.

“Our shootout has become a signature event for Mazda Motorsports,” says John Doonan, Director of Motorsports. “Without exception, every driver who won the shootout proved to be competitive in MX-5 Cup, with several developing solid professional careers. Each year we tweak the competition. This year marks the inclusion of iRacing simulation racers and a new set of business criteria for the judges.”

In past years, typically a dozen to 18 racers qualified for the first level of the competition. Each has won a recognized championship over a minimum number of competitors. The next step is for the racer to submit a business presentation and video, which will be reviewed and scored by a team of motorsports and marketing professionals. From those proposals, the finalists will be selected and advance to the winner-take-all shootout.

The final shootout will be at Buttonwillow Raceway Park on Dec. 2 where the racers will be tested on the track for their technical skills.

The 15 currently identified semi-finalists for 2014 are as follows:

There are a few remaining slots that will be identified between now and November 9th: