Fellow Racers,

Congratulations on your 2009 season.  If you are reading this, it means you are already a serious professional with a clear goal – to climb the open-wheel ladder into a career as a professional driver.

With a difficult economy and a confusing variety of choices, your decision about where to race in 2010 will be an important one.  With that in mind, we urge you to consider the benefits of competing in the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear.

The Star Mazda Championship is designed to highlight talent rather than big budgets, and to provide more racing-per-dollar than any other open-wheel series.  As a result, we offer performance on par with Formula Atlantic at a budget that offers more racing miles per dollar than Formula BMW.  Star Mazda race cars are high-tech, carbon-fiber race cars – comparable with European F3 or Palmer Audi – with a top speed of 160 mph and 0 to 60 mph acceleration of 2.8 seconds.  All cars were upgraded at the start of the 2009 season with enhanced aerodynamics, suspension and brakes.  The Mazda 'Renesis' rotary engine was revised to produce both increased horsepower and improved durability.

The Star Mazda Championship is a major rung on the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Driver Development Ladder, the only automaker-supported program providing fully-funded rides for champions in various series from karting to the top levels of the sport.  Prizes for the 2010 season are valued at $1.5 million, including a full-season drive for the series champion in the 2011 Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda.

The experience, education and media exposure you will receive as a Star Mazda Championship driver will advance your career up the open-wheel ladder, or provide a gateway into other forms of the sport.  Graduates of the Star Mazda Championship include Scott Speed (F1/NASCAR), Marco Andretti and Graham Rahal (IRL), Michael McDowell (Grand-Am/Champ Car/NASCAR), Colin Braun (ALMS prototypes/NASCAR), and many more. 

2005 Star Mazda Champion Raphael Matos won the Atlantic championship in 2007, the Indy Lights championship in 2008 and graduated to the IRL in 2009.  2007 champion Dane Cameron moved up to the Atlantic Championship in 2008 is now co-driving the Racers Edge RX-8 in the running the 2009 Grand-Am GT series.  John Edwards, the 2008 Star Mazda Champion is battling for the Atlantic championship with funding from the MAZDASPEED Ladder.  And a number of talented drivers who missed winning the championship are also enjoying career success; 2008 Star Mazda driver James Davison won the Mid-Ohio Indy Lights race from the pole and Natacha Gachnang and Tom Gladdis, both Star Mazda graduates, are now competing in the FIA Formula Two series.

The 2009 has proved to be the most competitive season in recent years, with fields of 30+ cars, male and female drivers from ten countries and an exciting mix of road courses, street circuits and ovals to help accelerate a driver's development.  Some events were broadcast live on HDnet television and syndicated to reach more than 55 million potential viewers.  And the 2010 season is shaping up to be even better.

The link at the bottom of this letter leads to a bullet-point overview of the series, with a variety of links to additional information, including the series' marketing kit, team contacts and everything else you need to make an informed decision about your future racing plans.   

Please take time to check out the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear.  If you have any questions, I'm happy to talk to you anytime.

www.starmazda.com/newdriver/series.htm

Speediest Regards,
Gary Rodrigues
Owner / CEO
Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear
(818) 686-3350
Gary@StarMazda.com