STAR MAZDA -- Pre-Event Release for Grand Prix of Texas
STAR MAZDA RACE: Sunday, March 4, 11:15 a.m.
Season Kicks Off With Spotlight On Texas Drivers
TUESDAY, FEB. 27, 2001-The Star Mazda Series North American Championship opens its 2001 pro racing season this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway as a support race for the American LeMans Series and the Grand Prix of Texas. To date, the entry list of 35 drivers includes six Texans, led by the father/son team of Al and Quad Boenker, of Fort Worth. Other local drivers set to compete include R. David Jones and Emmett Murphy, both from Fort Worth; Dan Tomlin III, of Dallas; and Darryl Wills, of Dearpark.
This is the first of nine races for the Star Mazda Series North American Championship. The driver with the most points after the finale at Lowe's Motor Speedway in October will receive--in addition to cash prizes--a 2002 Mazda Miata. In this year's points chase, drivers to watch include Scott Bradley, of Redwood City, Calif., who finished fourth in last year's championship and ran fifth at TMS last September. Also returning is David Sterenberg, of Phoenix, Ariz., whose first-ever Star Mazda victory came in the last race of 2000 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Others who will be in contention include Chad Block, of York, Pa.; Chris McMurry, of Phoenix, Ariz.; and 2000 Master's champion Doug Peterson, of Lake Orion, Mich.
In less than 10 years, the Star Mazda race car has risen from its obscure roots as a driving school trainer to become one of the most prolific and successful entry-level, open-wheel formula car spec chassis in North America. Some familiar names, especially in professional road racing circles, have already cut their motorsports teeth with stints in either the current Star Mazda series or predecessor championships. Drivers like 1997 Trans-Am champion Tommy Kendall, Atlantic stand-outs Chuck West and Mike Conte, and former Indy car drivers like Mike Groff, Jon Beekhuis and Johnny O'Connell were all hotshoes in the predecessor to these current Mazda-powered formula cars. The primary selling points for the Formula Mazda are admittedly attractive, especially for a sport that can easily deplete even the most robust bank account. A ready-to-race Formula Mazda costs $39,900.
In addition to the relatively low entry cost for a high-powered, open-wheel race car, drivers like its low operating costs and reliability, along with the stable design and competition rules. Case in point: the engine. Since the debut of the Formula Mazda car in 1991, after a complete re-development of the Hayashi-designed Jim Russell Racing school car on which it's based, the chassis still utilizes the 170hp Mazda 13B powerplant that many claim can competitively run three to four years between rebuilds.
Buying a Formula Mazda opens endless opportunities to go racing because of the multitude of venues. On average, Formula Mazda events boast starting fields numbering more than 35 entrants per race. With close to 70 SCCA national-level amateur races across the country, countless SCCA regional-level races, a completely separate slate of geographically attractive Star Mazda series events and a new professional championship to choose from, the Formula Mazda owner might never face a raceless weekend.
Speedvision coverage of the nine-race Star Mazda Series North American Championship adds yet another incentive for drivers to get their Formula Mazdas out on the track.
For more informaiton about the Star Mazda Series,
log-on to www.starmazda.com or stop
by the Star Mazda compound in the support series paddock.
Web site: www.starmazda.com/Media
info: Jane Anderson, redrock@compuserve.com
or (702) 399-3031