Formula Mazda

Formula Mazda is a class of relatively affordable open-wheel car formula racing.^[1]

The original tube-frame Formula Mazda car had its own class in

Champ Car and NASCAR (winning the 2021 Daytona 500). 2006 Star Mazda race winner Scott Speed later raced in Formula One and NASCAR

.

Original car – Formula Mazda

The series originally grew out of five chassis built by Hayashi in Japan for the Jim Russell Racing Drivers School in California, USA. Twenty-five cars were built by Marc Bahner, Bahner Engineering, Calif., for the 1984 Long Beach Grand Prix, where the cars made their US debut. The majority of these cars were purchased by owner/operators. The original five chassis remained with the Russell School. The cars have a basic welded steel tube frame chassis, with in-board front shocks operated by upper rocker arms. A 180 hp

anti-roll bars

.

In September 2009, Moses Smith Racing, LLC. (MSR), headquartered at the time in Tempe, AZ, took over all support and manufacturing rights for the approximately 300 Formula Mazda rotary-powered race cars currently in use across North America, as well as the MSR sports racer, a full-bodied version of the FM. MSR has since moved to a new location at MotorSport Ranch (a country club style race track facility) in Cresson, TX. Moses Smith also owns and operates Texas Autosports, a full service Formula Mazda Racecar prep shop located at Motorsport Ranch in Cresson, TX. It is essentially the one-stop shop for Formula Mazda Racing. Moses Smith Racing, the manufacturer of the Formula Mazda, as well as Texas Autosports, both owned by Moses Smith are operating out of an 8000+ square foot facility at what is affectionately dubbed 'The Ranch'.

New car – Pro Formula Mazda

In 2004, a completely new car was introduced for the Pro series. It features a

carbon fiber chassis, 6 speed sequential gearbox, and a sealed 250 hp fuel-injected Renesis engine very similar to the one in the Mazda RX-8. The MoTeC ECU uses input from the gearshift to enable upshifting while the driver holds the throttle wide open. The ECU also provides traction control which the driver can turn off from inside the car. The rules allow a choice among five different spring rates at each corner, and the new Öhlins

dampers offer separate bump and rebound adjustments. The driver can adjust the front anti-roll bar from the cockpit.

The new car is substantially faster than the older car, usually lapping about 2-3 seconds faster per mile of track. The Pro Mazda remains legal for SCCA club racing in the Formula Atlantic class.

End as a separate class

For 2020, Formula Mazda class was eliminated by the SCCA and replaced by Formula X, which is not a spec class and allows other cars of similar speed including

SCCA Runoffs

, 11 of the 12 Formula X entries were Formula Mazda cars.

Formula Mazda at the SCCA National Championship Runoffs

Year	Track	Winner
1998	Mid-Ohio	Tony Buffomante
1999	Mid-Ohio	Keith Roberts
2000	Mid-Ohio	Matthew Beardsley
2001	Mid-Ohio	Keith Roberts
2002	Mid-Ohio	Jamie Bach
2003	Mid-Ohio	Chris Schanzle
2004	Mid-Ohio	Douglas Peterson
2005	Mid-Ohio	Chris Schanzle
2006	Heartland Park	James Goughary, Jr.
2007	Heartland Park	James Goughary, Jr.
2008	Heartland Park	Franklin Futrelle
2009	Road America	Juan Marchand
2010	Road America	Darryl Wills
2011	Road America	Darryl Wills
2012	Road America	Alan McCallum
2013	Road America	Darryl Wills
2014	Laguna Seca	Mike Anderson
2015	Daytona	Joseph Burton-Harris
2016	Mid-Ohio	Matthew Machiko
2017	Indianapolis	Melvin Kemper, Jr.
2018	Sonoma	Bryce Cornet
2019	VIR	Anthony Seaber
2021	Indianapolis	Sterling Hamilton

References

^ "About Formula Mazda". Home. Retrieved 6 April 2024.

External links

[1] "About Formula Mazda". Home. Retrieved 6 April 2024.

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