FUTURE GOALS & OPPORTUNITIES

The future goal and direction of the Priority Partners Racing Team is to build a strong team, crew and sponsorship support for entry into the professional Pro-Mazda series. The Pro-Mazda series has great coverage during the season, with each of the season’s races broadcast on national television.

Formula Mazda Racing, featuring open wheel racecars adaptable to both oval tracks and road courses, is conducted on several levels of competition. Since 1991, the professionally organized Star Mazda Series has provided the most popular format for sponsors, spectators, and upward bound drivers.

Administrative responsibility for the series is held by Valley Motor Center, Inc. which also constructs the Star Formula Mazda racecar and oversees a comprehensive track-side support organization for competing teams and drivers.

The Star Mazda Series is extremely successful as evidenced by the fact that fields of 30 to 40 cars are commonplace at many races.

Drivers in the series may also pursue any one of six divisional championships based on geographically determined schedules (east, west, central, southwest, southeast and northwest) in addition to the North American Championship. Prizes and awards valued over $500,000 are distributed annually to top series’ performers.

Past schedules for the Star Mazda Series have included high profile events featuring Formula Mazda as the “opening act” to some of America’s top drawing racing series. In its supporting role, the Star Mazda Series has been paired with a variety of major types of racing, including such headliners as the American LeMans Series, IndyCar, ChampCar, race trucks and NASCAR stock cars.

For the North American Championship, the Star Mazda Series is sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association and currently appears with the prestigious American LeMans Series at eight road course venues coast-to-coast. Joint appearances with popular racing programs, in addition to the related television coverage since 1996, have greatly increased Star Mazda Series exposure to the advantage of both current and prospective sponsors.

Exposure is important to drivers as well sponsors, since many drivers hope that Formula Mazda racing will advance their own driving careers. This is an objective shared by the Star Mazda Series administrators who have designed both the cars and the series to maximize driver development opportunities.

In addition to the Star Mazda Series, the Formula Mazda racecar may be seen at other types of racing events. At the amateur or club racing level, it is eligible for regional and national championship competition in the Sports Car Club of America’s Formula Mazda Class. In national competition, drivers can ultimately qualify to race for a national championship at year’s end.

In a typical season, Formula Mazdas will appear in over 150 pro or amateur sanctioned races in North America.

The success of the concept can be first measured by the growth of the Star Mazda Series across the country. There are now eight series with over 250 cars in competition, and more competitor’s arrive annually. In the future, the success of the Star Mazda series concept will be apparent, as many world class drivers are sure to note that their careers began in Formula Mazdas.