Mazda Factory Driver: Andrew Carbonell

As a factory driver for Mazda Motorsports, Andrew Carbonell balances his performance both on- and off-track.

"It was love at first drive," the second-generation racer from Miami says. "It was the way it felt, the first day I drove a Spec Miata. It just made sense. My driving style and Mazda's went hand in hand." A season in what is now known as the Battery Tender MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich Tires followed, and in that same 2007 season, he made his Grand-Am Koni Challenge debut in an RX-8.One weekend while he was free and Freedom Autosport needed a driver, they called. Now he's an anchor of the team and has six wins, including four straight at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, in what is now the IMSA Continental Tires SportsCar Challenge Street Tuner class. This year he has a new teammate in Liam Dwyer, and the pair scored a victory at Mazda Raceway.