The team at Mazda Motorsports has been searching for a way to activate and engage top Solo® talent in the same way Mazda helps many Club racers. In 2016, Mazda took a bold step in this direction when they invited SCCA® Solo competitor Julian Garfield to take part in the Mazda Road to 24 shootout.

“He was exceptional; better than we had even hoped as far as performance on and off the track,” said David Cook, Manager of Mazda Motorsports Business Development, in regards to Garfield’s efforts at the Mazda Road to 24 shootout.

Based on his performance, Garfield has been selected for a trial run of the exciting Mazda Solo Advancement Scholarship.  He will receive $20,000 in 2017 for the purpose of Club Racing a Spec Miata.  The plan is for Garfield to run one divisional weekend, three U.S. Majors Tour® events -- including the June Sprints Hoosier Super Tour, and the National Championship Runoffs® at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

“I had no intentions of going Club racing this year, or the foreseeable future actually,” Garfield said in a MazdaMotorsports.com interview. “I would have just stuck with Solo because of the budget. But this scholarship from Mazda is a total game changer for my schedule this year.”

Learn more about Garfield’s achievement and the new Mazda Solo Advancement Scholarship in the article over at MazdaMotorsports.com.

Photo: SCCA Solo competitor Julian Garfield
Credit: Rupert Berrington