[iracing2] Racers At Mazda Club Racer Shootout – Video

The eight candidates, culled from a group of Mazda champions from NASA, SCCA, Skip Barber and – new this year – iRacing, had to contend with tough and ever-changing conditions as rain got heavy and lightened, providing just a touch of relief to California’s drought. Although the sun did peek out a bit late in the day, all sessions were conducted on BFGoodrich rain tires. Driving in the rain was only one of the obstacles Loustaunau had to overcome to take the prize.

“Every year the Mazda Club Racer Shootout just gets better and better,” noted Charles Espenlaub, the head judge and one of the few to have witnessed every shootout. “Having been involved since the beginning, I am continually amazed at the talent level that the Mazda champions bring. As the landscape of racing changes so does the competition on and off the track. This year we had another twist, with heavy rains the conditions were extremely difficult. This added to the challenge and as always made for a difficult decision as to who would win the coveted prize. Everyone did an outstanding job and put in efforts worthy of the champions they are. As in the very competitive Battery Tender Mazda MX-5 Cup the winner can be decided by a few tenths of a second. Kyle Loustaunau was able to top the field by showing well in multiple categories all of which should provide success for his climb up the ladder.”

The prize that Loustaunau claimed will allow him to compete in the 2015 Battery Tender Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by BFGoodrich Tires. Included in that sum is a budget to run his car for the season, a parts support budget, a Mazda driving suit and helmet, professional media training, 12 sets of BFGoodrich tires courtesy of BFGoodrich (one set per race) and 12 entry fee waivers courtesy of SCCA Pro Racing.

“Mazda Motorsports is the leader in grassroots road racing,” said John Doonan, director of Mazda Motorsports. “This leadership has given us opportunities to do things that no one else has done. Our Club Racer Shootout has become a signature event for us and represents an amazing opportunity to help racers move from the club level to the professional ranks with a solid support program around them. We expect Kyle to have a great season in the 2015 Battery Tender MX-5 Cup and hopefully many more years with Mazda.”

Driving ability – both speed and consistency – was only one of the criteria used to judge the six candidates who had won various racing titles in a Mazda and the two who had won a season of iRacing MX-5 Cup and who acquitted themselves admirably on track. The final eight were first selected based on the quality of their business proposals. They then had to present those proposals to the judges the day before the on-track sessions. They also had to demonstrate their understanding of vehicle dynamics and suspension, along with their ability to evaluate and improve the handling of a racecar and their ability to analyze data.

Having come through that and secured the funding for next year, the next step for Loustaunau, from Vacaville, Calif., will be to speak with and test with several MX-5 Cup teams to choose one for 2015. The first race weekend of the 2015 Battery Tender Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by BFGoodrich Tires will be at Sebring International Raceway on March 18-20.

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Around late spring 2014....Mazda Motorsports and iRacing joined together to open a new door into the Mazda SportsCar Racing Academy

Mazda Motorsports teamed up with iRacing to allow online sim racers participating in its MX-5 Cup the chance to compete in the annual Mazda Club Racing Shootout held each fall. The winners earn a Mazda Motorsports scholarship for the following year's Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by BFGoodrich Tires.




John Doonan, Director of Motorsports for Mazda North American Operations also noted:

 Mazda Motorsports has more than 9,000 club racers in the U.S., most of who race MX-5 Miatas. iRacing has more than 50,000 members worldwide, many who have 'virtually raced' a Mazda MX-5 Cup car. This newly formed partnership enables the best iRacing online racers in North America a chance to race an actual Mazda MX-5 Cup car the following year.

iRacing competitors competed in the 2014 iRacing MX-5 Cup season beginning on April 29th and became eligible to compete in the annual Mazda Club Racing Shootout.





This is an ongoing evolution of a program Mazda started in 2007. Orginially known as the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development ladder. In addition to the annual Mazda Club Racer Shootout, the program Mazda SportsCar Racing Academy.

Mazda is the “#1 brand for road-racers across North America among both club racers and professionals, added Doonan. Who went on to state that many of its 9,000 grassroots members compete in various classes with the SCCA and NASA highlighted by Spec Miata, the world's largest spec class with over 2,500 cars built. Key to the company’s success ihas also been “ strategic partnerships with the Skip Barber Racing School and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.”

 iRacing.com was founded in 2004 by Dave Kaemmer and John Henry (principal owner of the Boston Red Sox and Liverpool Football Club, as well as co-owner of NASCAR's Roush Fenway Racing. and subsequently released iRacing.com in August 2008. Kaemmer was co-founder of Papyrus Design Group, developers of award-winning racing simulations including "Grand Prix Legends" and NASCAR 2003." The company also enjoys a number of “formal partnerships in the motorsport industry to help create the most authentic racing simulation in the world including with NASCAR, IndyCar, International Speedway Corporation, Speedway Motorsports, McLaren Electronics, Williams F1, Volkswagen, Ford, the Skip Barber Racing School, GM, and Mazda Motorsports.”

Racers and fans can follow the action on Facebook (Mazda Motorsport), Twitter (@mazdaracing)

Eight aspiring professional racers were chosen to square off at Buttonwillow Raceway on December 2nd  in California for the final round of the 2014 Mazda Club Racer Shootout. Making things extra interesting, rain was falling in California's Central Valley region that day.


Last year's competition included iRacing champions Evan Maillard and Steven Diem. Maillard of Nesles La Vallée, France and Diem of Honolulu, Hawaii and they were among the 22 drivers who qualified for the Shootout by winning the iRacing Mazda MX-5 Cup online racing series. They were subsequently selected as finalists by a panel of experts who reviewed their business presentation and videos.

Diem and Maillard joined the other finalists in a winner-takes all competition at Buttonwillow Raceway Park on December 2nd where the racers were tested on the track for their technical skills.




In addition to Diem and Maillard, finalist Sam Adams is also a veteran iRacer, with more than 200 wins on the service.


The 2014 Mazda Club Racer shootout finalists were:

Sam Adams Skip Barber Racing School (Summer Series) Hubertus, Wisconsin
Ben Anderson NASA Eastern States Championships (PTE) Minneapolis, Minnesota
Steven Diem iRacing MX-5 Cup (Season 3) Kailua, Hawaii
Joey Jordan NASA Spec Miata Teen Challenge (West) Santa Barbara, California
Kyle Loustaunau NASA Western States Championships (Spec Miata) Vacaville, California
Evan Maillard iRacing MX-5 Cup (Season 2) Nesles La Vallée, France
Zachary Munro NASA Spec Miata Teen Challenge (Rocky Mountain) Granby, Colorado
Eric Powell NASA Western States Championships (PTD) Orlando, Florida

Sim Racing is no substitute for the real car, but it has become clear that the so-called race craft can be trained within the virtual world. Things like track knowledge, racing psychology, traffic behavior and so on, can be beneficial when you want to make it in the real racing world.

The last few years, Sim Racing has proven to be a great too to seek  racing talent. Formats as the famous ” Nissan GT Academy ” to name one, have shown us that a talented Sim Racer might have the correct mindset to become a real world racing driver. Next to the GT Academy winners there are more examples of Sim Racers that have the right stuff to do better than average in the real racing scene.

Back in 2010 Sim Racing  Gregger Huttu surprised Mazda Motorsports when he got behind the wheel of a real car for the first time. Never driven a real racing car, Gregger took place in the cockpit of a real Formula Mazda and regardless of the fact he got sick in the car, he did some very respectable lap times in a very short time span. Another example is the Atze Kerkhof story as well as Jann Mardenborough.

INSPIRING TO SAY THE VERY LEAST...


Buttonwillow Raceway Park
Southern California’s premier race track and testing facility
Buttonwillow Raceway Park is one of the premiere road racing and testing facilities in The United States. The track’s versatility has made it popular among club racers, track day clubs, motorcycle racers, professional race teams, car manufactures, tire companies, publishers and media outlets, commercial production companies, and go karters. The track is located just ½ mile west of Interstate 5 on Lerdo Highway. It’s location, 28 miles northwest of Bakersfield, CA, makes it easily accessible from Los Angeles and the Southern California area, Paso Robles and the Central California Coast and Northern California and the Bay area.

The track itself offers over 40 different configurations and can be run in a clockwise or counterclockwise
direction. The East and West loops can be run simultaneously allowing two separate events to take place at the same time. When the East and West loop are combined, the main track is 3.1 miles in length.

The facilities at Buttonwillow Raceway Park help complete the package and help the track stand out when compared to other road race tracks. A full service Tire Center, Fuel Center with self-service pumps, 2 story race control tower with observation deck, restaurant with available catering, RV hookups, day garages and gift shop help fulfill the needs of all customers utilizing the facility. Feel free to browse the site for more detailed information or please call (661) 764-5333 or email: info@buttonwillowraceway.com with any questions.