20 YEARS OF HELPING DRIVERS CLIMB THE LADDER – THE 2010 STAR MAZDA CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY GOODYEAR SCHEDULE FEATURES ROADS, STREETS, LONG AND SHORT

Pacoima, CA (Nov. 23, 2009) – The Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear today takes on a more prominent and influential role in the training and career development of young open-wheel racers with the announcement of a 2010 schedule that includes events on American Le Mans Series and Indy Racing League weekends as well as the high-profile "Night Before the 500."

Series President Gary Rodrigues stated, “As the Star Mazda Championship heads into its 20th season of competition, we remain obsessed with providing our racers with the most useful variety of venues to showcase their talent and advance their careers.”

The 11-weekend, 13-race Star Mazda Championship schedule retains its traditional season-opener at the legendary 12 Hours of Sebring on March 19. On the following weekend, March 26, the Mazda Renesis rotary-powered open-wheelers will join the Indy Racing League for the first time ever on track in the Streets of St. Petersburg.

With the traditional season-ending event for both ALMS and the Star Mazda Championship moving from Fall to Spring in 2010, both series will be in action on May 22 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. From there it’s a sprint halfway across the country to the heartland of open-wheel racing in North America and an appearance on May 29, along with the USAC Midgets and the new U.S. F2000 series, on the oval at O'Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis at the "Night before the 500," the unofficial but popular and prestigious lead-in event to the legendary Indy 500.
One high-profile oval race will follow another on the schedule as the teams and drivers of the Star Mazda Championship head for another appearance at an IRL event, this one on the one-mile oval at Iowa Speedway on June 19. The following weekend, June 26 – 27 marks a return to road racing with a Mazda-sponsored double-header at New Jersey Motorsports Park.

After a break to rest, test and tune, the Star Mazda Championship heads for the second of two Mazda-sponsored, double-header weekends, this one at the Autobahn Country Club in Joliet, Illinois on July 31 – August 1. Two weeks later, on August 15, drivers will test their skills on the famed street circuit of the GP3R in Trois-Rivières, Quebec. Drivers all agree that the atmosphere surrounding Trois- Rivières makes it one of the highlights of the season.

The 2010 Star Mazda Championship then wraps up with ALMS at a trio of races held on some of the most famous natural-terrain road courses in North America; Road America on August 21, Mosport on August 28 and Road Atlanta for the 'Petit Le Mans' on October 1.

“There will be more exciting announcements about the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear at the Performance and Racing Industry show in December,” added Series founder Gary Rodrigues. "2010 will be the twentieth season of the Star Mazda Championship and this schedule, along with the news to come, will signal the beginning of a new era of open-wheel racing in North America. Along with our sponsors, Mazda and Goodyear, Star Mazda has a long history of helping develop the careers of top drivers; with our close and cost-effective competition, high-tech cars and high-profile schedule, 2010 is shaping up to the most exciting and important year in our history."

January 23 – 24
Sebring International Raceway
Sebring, Fla.
Star Mazda pre-season testing with American Le Mans Series

March 19
Sebring International Raceway
Sebring, Fla.
American Le Mans Series

March 26
Streets of St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg, Fla.
Indy Racing League

May 5-6
O'Reilly Raceway Park
Indianapolis, Ind.
Star Mazda series test

May 22
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca
Monterey, Calif.
American Le Mans Series

May 29
O'Reilly Raceway Park
Indianapolis, Ind.
USAC Midgets

June 19
Iowa Speedway
Newton, Iowa
Indy Racing League

June 26
New Jersey Motorsports Park
Millville, N.J
Atlantic Championship

June 27
New Jersey Motorsports Park
Millville, N.J.
Atlantic Championship

July 31
Autobahn Country Club
Joliet, Ill.
Atlantic Championship

August 1
Autobahn Country Club
Joliet, Ill.
Atlantic Championship

August 15
Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres
Trois-Rivières,Quebec,Canada
Atlantic, Grand-Am, CASCAR

August 22
Road America
Elkhart Lake, Wisc.
American Le Mans Series

August 28
Mosport International Raceway
Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada
American Le Mans Series

October 1
Road Atlanta
Braselton, Ga.
American Le Mans Series

About The Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear
For 2010, the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear (www.starmazda.com) will feature an 11-weekend, 13-race schedule, most on major race weekends with American Le Mans and the Indy Racing League. Rising stars from around the world will be watched by more than a million fans as they compete for prizes valued at $1.5 million, including a Mazda-sponsored, full-season drive in the 2011 Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda courtesy of the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Driver Development Ladder.

Drivers 16 and older are welcome to compete and the Star Mazda Championship also features Expert (30 to 44) and Master (45 and older) classes for more mature racers. The Star Mazda Championship features standing starts, wheel-to-wheel racing at 150 mph and budgets a fraction of other top open-wheel ladder series. For drivers interested in competing in the series, detailed information is available at www.starmazda.com/newdriver.
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For more information on the Star Mazda Championship and its drivers, as well as the Mazda Motorsports ladder system, please visit www.starmazda.com and www.mazdausa.com. For information, interviews and photos, contact Star Mazda Communications Director Peter Frey at (818) 398-5733 or StarMazdaPR@aol.com.
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On any given weekend, there are more Mazdas on the road-race tracks of America than any other brand of vehicle. At the track, you’ll see MX-5 Miata, RX-8, MAZDA3, MAZDA6, RX-7 and other vintage Mazda models competing, because every Mazda has the Soul of a Sports Car.
For more information on the various Mazda spec series, visit:
www.atlantic-championship.com www.starmazda.com
www.skipbarber.com www.mx-5cup.com