NP Series will run the all-new NP01

Indianapolis, IN —The National Auto Sport Association (NASA) unveiled today during the PRI Show an exciting new prototype series that will be called the NASA Prototype series (NP). The NP series will debut in fall of 2015.  The NP series is a collaborative effort between NASA and Élan Technologies that will feature an all-new affordable prototype racing car called the NP01.  The goal of the NP series is to give rise to the most affordable prototype class ever created.

NASA partnered with Élan Technologies to design and construct the NP01. Élan will build each NP01to order and ship them either as an easily assembled kit or completed vehicle per the customer’s request. The NP01will be unlike anything currently available in motor racing. With an introductory complete kit price of just $59,995, the affordable new prototype will feature a closed cockpit design for increased driver protection. The NP01 weighs just 1550 Lbs. and boasts an estimated top speed of 155mph. The NP01 will be powered by a sealed 185-horsepower, 2-liter Mazda power plant mated to a 6-speed sequential transmission.

 “The NP Series will feature a brand new spec prototype chassis designed specifically around the goals that make NASA competition so attractive to competitors – easy access to local racing with the chance to compete for a season ending class championship,” said Ryan Flaherty, NASA National Chairman. “The NP Series will offer something unique in all of motorsports: the opportunity to race a prototype style vehicle designed from the ground up to be fast, fun, safe, and most importantly affordable. This new series is exclusive to NASA. Drivers will be able to compete at over 150 NASA sanctioned events nationwide. The series will visit many of the country’s greatest racing venues with the opportunity to run for a NASA Championship crown at either Virginia International Raceway or Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. The NP01 will feature an innovative rules package focused on performance, affordability, cost containment, and driving ability.”

“The power-to-weight-ratio will make quick work of any straightaway before approaching the corner where drivers will appreciate the downforce produced by the front splitter, rear diffuser and adjustable rear wing,” said Mark Sanderson of Élan Technologies. The NP01 will run on spec Toyo Proxes RR competition tires to further equal the field and accentuate driver ability as well as help to keep costs in check.”

The NP01 is specifically designed around the idea that it must be fast, safe, reliable and easy to maintain. Élan Technologies utilized a component design approach for the bodywork that consists of fenders, engine cover and front hood sections as individual pieces. If one of the pieces is damaged, for example a small fender, it is easier and more cost effective to replace it than an entire front nose piece. Much of the hardware on the car has been standardized to simplify maintenance as well. This translates into cost savings that all competitors will really appreciate.

 Director of Motorsports, Mazda North American Operations John Doonan weighed in: “NASA has outdone itself again. Through innovation and a clear vision to provide the grassroots community with competitive, safe, and affordable racing, NASA’s Prototype series will be a place for many to test their mettle. We are humbled by and proud of NASA’s decision to power these race cars with Mazda engines as reliability and performance are at the core of our technology.”

“Toyo Tires and NASA have enjoyed a long and successful partnership, and we are excited to work closely with the talented team at Élan Technologies on this new endeavor,” said Marc Sanzenbacher, senior manager, Competition Performance Products Division, Toyo Tire U.S.A. Corp.  “The Toyo Proxes RR has proven to be in a league of its own when it comes to balancing the ultimate in performance with consistent lap times and a long life.  These are all factors that make it the natural choice for affordable road racing such as this new spec series.”

“I’m very excited about this new NP Series” said Jeremy Croiset, NASA Director of Business Development.  “It is truly unique and innovative in the world of motorsports. Most racing drivers only dream of piloting a professionally built prototype and this new series will provide everyone that opportunity at a truly affordable price point. I would even go as far as to say that this vehicle will likely be the cheapest to purchase and operate factory prepared purpose built race car on the planet. I can’t wait to see what the NASA membership thinks of this new offering. Working with Élan Technologies on this project has been a privilege. They have established themselves in the motorsports community as one of the premier chassis manufacturers. The level of professionalism and experience they bring really solidifies this program ensuring competitors will be provided a very high quality race car they can compete in for years to come.”

About Elan

Élan Technologies is a Georgia based technology company providing design, engineering, fabrication, and manufacturing services to the automotive, motorsports, aviation, aerospace and defense industries through its three divisions: Élan Precision Products, Élan Composites, and Élan Power Products. The company is part of a technology group that includes Élan Technologies, DeltaWing Technologies Inc., and Panoz LLC. For more information please visit http://www.elangroup.com/.

Vacaville California Racer Awarded $100,000 Scholarship Package to Compete In the 2015 Battery Tender Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by BFGoodrich Tires

December 4, 2014 (IRVINE, Calif.) This past Tuesday was a wet and wild day at Buttonwillow Raceway Park with eight championship-level club racers chasing a $100,000 scholarship package, the largest prize in all of grassroots motorsports, at the annual Mazda Club Racer Shootout.

 

Despite a year of record drought in California, most of the day was run in pouring rain.  How wet was it?  None of the drivers ever had the chance to lap the course on the BFGoodrich g-Force R1-S slicks.  All sessions were conducted on BFG rain tires.

 

At the end of the day, after the pavement had dried, Kyle Loustaunau, from Vacaville, California was judged to be the best of the best among Mazda-powered club racers in 2014.  Loustaunau had won the 2014 NASA Western States Spec Miata Championship, earning his eligibility for the shootout.  He will now have a scholarship budget to compete in the 2015 Battery Tender Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by BFGoodrich Tires. 

 

Quotes:

 

Kyle Loustaunau – “Over the past three days I've had the most amazing experience of my life. This is both an honor and a privilege to represent Mazda and I can't wait to get started. It has taken help from a lot of amazing people to get here and I can't thank everyone enough.”

 

John Doonan – Director, Mazda Motorsports – “Mazda Motorsports is the leader in grassroots roadracing.  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.”

 

Charles Espenlaub – Head Judge - “Every year the Mazda Club Racer Shootout just gets better and better.  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.” 

 

Peter Calhoun – Motorsports Manger BFGoodrich Tires - "The Mazda MX-5 Cup Shootout annually showcases the brightest talent from the North American club racing championships. Giving each of the drivers the opportunity to win the richest prize in club racing by demonstrating their driving, business, and social engagement skills.  Each year BFGoodrich is honored to participate in the Shootout alongside our friends from Mazda in a show of support for grassroots racing, which is a core ingredient to both our motorsport programs. Congratulations to Kyle Loustaunau on winning this year's Shootout.”

 

 

The eight shootout finalists were:

Sam Adams           Hubertus, Wisconsin            Skip Barber Racing School (Summer Series)

Ben Anderson         Minneapolis, Minnesota       NASA Eastern States Championships (PTE)

Steven Diem          Kailua, Hawaii                      iRacing MX-5 Cup (Season 3)

Joey Jordan           Santa Barbara, California    NASA Spec Miata Teen Challenge (West)

Kyle Loustaunau     Vacaville, California             NASA Western States Championships (Spec Miata)

Evan Maillard         Nesles La Vallée                  iRacing MX-5 Cup (Season 2)

Zachary Munro       Granby, Colorado                NASA Spec Miata Teen Challenge (Rocky Mountain)

Eric Powell             Orlando, Florida                   NASA Western States Championships (PTD)

 

The criteria: Given that each of the finalists had proven themselves on the track by winning a championship, the criteria to move up needed to be more encompassing.   To succeed on the professional level requires a balance of both on-track and off-track skills including the following:

·      Driving ability – Fast laps

·      Driving ability – Consistent laps

·      Technical feedback – Understanding of vehicle dynamics and suspension

·      Technical feedback – Ability to evaluate vehicle handling

·      Technical feedback – Ability to analyze data

·      Technical feedback – Ability to improve vehicle handling

·      The business of motorsports – Business proposal

·      The business of motorsports – Business presentation

·      The business of motorsports – PR skills

 

The driving sessions were conducted at Buttonwillow Raceway Park using a pair of Mazda MX-5 Cup cars prepared by ProParts USA.

 

The judges: Each year Mazda invites a panel of outside judges to make the selection.   The judges brought a wealth of both on-track, and off-track expertise.  More than a dozen professionals were involved in either the preliminary business proposal review, on-track activities, or both.  The panel consisted of:  

·                  Peter Calhoun - BFGoodrich

·                  Charles Espenlaub – Safecraft Racing

·                  Pete Evanow - Cal State Fullerton

·                  John Fabijanic - Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

·                  Tim Frost - Frost Motorsports, LLC

·                  Julie Garner - Project Yellow Light

·                  Kenton Koch – 2014 Mazda MX-5 Cup Champion

·                  Karl Koenigstein - BFGoodrich

·                  Ken Payne – BFGoodrich

·                  Justin Piscitell – Past Shootout Winner

·                  Evin Prelec - Battery Tender

·                  Jeremy Shaw – Team USA Scholarship

·                  Scott Shelton - ABC Television/Past Shootout Winner

·                  Lyn St.  James - Women's Sports Foundation

·                  Barry Toepke - Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca

 

The tally:  After a day-and-a half of both driving, and classroom activities, the judges added the objective and subjective scores -- discussing the merits of each driver.  The judges deliberated carefully before declaring Kyle Loustaunau the champion.

 

The prize package:  The prize package, valued at $100,000, breaks out as follows: 

·                  A budget for the running of his car for the season

·                  A parts support budget

·                  A Mazda Motorsports driving suit and helmet

·                  Professional media training (Courtesy of Mazda)

·                  Twelve sets of BFGoodrich tires, one set per race (Courtesy of  BFGoodrich Tires)

·                  Twelve entry fee waivers (Courtesy of SCCA Pro Racing)

 

About Mazda, Mazda Motorsports, and MAZDASPEED

Mazda is a leading player in all aspects of sports car racing with an emphasis on endurance road racing.  Mazda is the number-one brand for road-racers across North America among both club racers and professionals.  Thousands of Mazda-powered grassroots racers 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.  Via the Mazda SportsCar Racing Academy, Mazda supports racers at all levels of the sport from club racing up to the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship where it races with production SKYACTIV Technology.

 

Mazda remains the only Asian car company to score an overall win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans (1991).  Mazda has had a naming rights agreement at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca since 2000.

 

Mazda Motorsports is managed by Mazda North American Operations (MNAO).  MNAO is headquartered in Irvine, Calif., and oversees the sales, marketing, parts and customer service support of Mazda vehicles in the United States and Mexico through nearly 700 dealers.  Operations in Mexico are managed by Mazda Motor de Mexico in Mexico City.

 

Consumer information can be found at www.mazdausa.com, with press information at www.mazdausamedia.com.  Racers and fans can follow the action on Facebook (Mazda Motorsports), Twitter (@mazdaracing), Instagram (MazdaMotorsport) andwww.mazdamotorsports.com 

Napa Valley, CA - NASA is proud to announce that NASA racers have secured the majority of finalist positions in the 2014 Mazda Club Racer Shootout. Specifically, NASA competitors will be representing 5 of the 6 positions coming from real-life racing, and potentially taking the step up the racing ladder into the professional ranks. 

"NASA has a stellar track record of producing top level racers that have excelled in the professional ranks" said Jeremy Croiset, NASA's Director of Business Development. "Last year's eventual Shootout winner Joey Bickers was a NASA racer and we're very proud to see NASA racers securing a majority of the finalists position in this year's Shootout competition. This goes a long way toward validating the fact that NASA competitors are as serious as they come and that there isn't a better place to try accomplishing one's dream of moving into the world of professional motorsports. We look forward to seeing the outcome at the Shootout and wish all the finalists good luck."

The Mazda Club Racer Shootout is the single largest prize in club racing.  Since 2007 Mazda has annually promoted one talented club racer to the professional ranks.  The $75,000 prize will help fund one driver on his quest to the 2015 Battery Tender Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by BFGoodrich Tires.  A record 22 racers were semi-finalists, having met the eligibility criteria for 2014: each won a recognized championship over a minimum number of competitors.  Now, after each made a formal written business proposal, evaluated and ranked by industry professionals, the field has been narrowed to eight.   

The 2014 Mazda Club Racer shootout finalists are:

John Doonan, Director of Motorsports, Mazda North American Operations noted, “Each year this shootout evolves.  For 2014 we have our first simulator-racing champions, from the iRacing MX-5 Cup, and our first racers from outside of North America.  The criteria for the shootout is to identify the aspiring professional racer who has the best range of skills required to succeed, including speed, consistency, racecraft, technical feedback, and off-track business and PR skills.  History has shown that a driver will be limited in success if they are lacking in any of these areas.  Past shootout winners have performed well both on and off the track, using this prize as a springboard for their career.”

The final shootout will be at California’s Buttonwillow Raceway Park on December 1 and 2. The first day will test the finalists’ communication skills, marketing plans, and other essential attributes and skill sets required to continue to climb the racing ladder. The second day will consist of significant track time, data analysis, and a few surprises to help the judges gage the finalists’ skills behind the wheel. It is a winner-take-all event with only one racer moving up the Mazda ladder in 2015. 

“The diversity of backgrounds and racing experience across the competitors is truly remarkable. The proposals reflect that diversity and highlight how social media and modern technologies are embraced by Mazda Motorsports participants at all ages and around the world. Each year the quality of competition on and off track continues to improve.  The finals at Buttonwillow should be fantastic," stated Peter Calhoun - Motorsports Marketing Manager, BFGoodrich Tires.

Additional information about the Mazda Club Racer shootout and Mazda support can be found at http://www.mazdamotorsports.com

Photos from top-bottom: Ben Anderson, Joey Jordan, Kyle Loustaunau, Zachary Munro, Eric Powell.

Photos 1 & 5, Finishline Productions

Photo 3, Head-On Photos 

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