HOUSTON, Texas - B-K Motorsports and Mazda North American Operations today announced they will jointly carry the Road & Track magazine logo into American Le Mans Series (ALMS) competition. Headlining the partnership, Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S.' Road & Track will become an associate sponsor on B-K Motorsports' Mazda rotary-engined ALMS P2-class Mazda-Courage entry.
Additionally, the Road &Track logo will appear on the Mazda RX-8's entered by SpeedSource Race Engineering in the Grand American Road Racing Association's (Grand Am) ST and GT classes as well as MAZDA6 sedans campaigned by Tri-Point Motorsports, Protomotive and Tindol Motorsports in the Sports Car Club of America's (SCCA) SPEED World Challenge Touring Car class.
The relationship represents an exciting partnership between Mazda, Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. and the individual teams, and will increase exposure for all parties involved.
"Like many of the fans that attend the ALMS, Grand Am and SCCA Speed World Challenge race weekends in which Mazda participates, I grew up reading Road & Track," said Robert Davis, Mazda's Senior Vice President in charge of Research, Development and Quality, and the man responsible for Mazda's North American motorsports programs. "And with Road & Track's enthusiasm for sports cars and racing - and Mazda's strong leadership role in open- and closed-wheel racing - this was a natural association just waiting to happen.
"When presented with the opportunity to involve Road & Track with the ALMS and other sanctioning bodies, associating with a company like Mazda seemed an obvious choice," added John Driscoll, Vice President and Publisher of Road & Track. "The demographics and philosophies of Road & Track, Mazda and ALMS all attract the knowledgeable enthusiast who chooses originality over mass-production 'sameness'."
On any given weekend, there are more Mazdas on the road-race tracks of America than any other brand of vehicle. Mazda's motorsport involvement even extends to the nation's premier road-racing circuit, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
Headquartered in Irvine, California, Mazda North American Operations oversees the sales, marketing, parts and customer service support of Mazda vehicles in the United States, Canada and Mexico through nearly 900 dealers. Operations in Canada are managed by Mazda Canada, Inc., located in Ontario, Canada, and in Mexico by Mazda Motor de Mexico in Mexico City.
Hachette reaches nearly 50 million readers in the U.S. through its enthusiast brands which include American Photo, Boating, Car and Driver, Cycle World, ELLE, ELLE Decor, Flying, For Me, Home, Metropolitan Home, Popular Photography & Imaging, Premiere, Road & Track, Shock, Sound & Vision, Woman's Day and Woman's Day Special Interest Publications such as, Kitchens & Baths, Home Remodeling & Makeovers, and Budget Decorating Ideas. In addition to the magazines, Hachette has 17 Web sites including ELLEgirl.com, 4 mobile services, 12 digital editions, book and custom publishing, integrated marketing, database and market research, as well as licensing. Currently, a number of Hachette brands have extensions in television, radio and consumer events. Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S., Inc., is the New York-headquartered subsidiary of Hachette Filipacchi Médias S.A., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Lagardère SCA. The Hachette Web site address is www.hfmus.com [4].
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EDITOR'S NOTE: For more information on Mazda products, visit the online Mazda media center at www.mazdausamedia.com [5]. For more information on MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development, visit www.mazdaspeedmotorsports.com [6]. For more information on Road & Track visit www.roadandtrack.com [7].