Joseph Burton-Harris, of Birmingham, Ala., won the Formula Mazda (FM) SCCA National Championship and has been named a finalist in the 2015 Mazda Road To 24 Shootout. Burton-Harris will have to chance to claim a $100,000 scholarship to drive in the 2016 SCCA Pro Racing Battery Tender Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by BFGoodrich Tires.
Burton-Harris led the FM Championship race from flag to flag, allowing him to score his race win in a very decisive manner. Originally from Australia, Burton-Harris came to the United States to pursue a dream of becoming a full-time professional racecar driver.
Launched in 2006 as the Mazda Club Racer shootout, the Mazda Road to 24 Shootout has annually promoted one talented club racer into the professional ranks. The $100,000 scholarship package supports a drive in the 2016 SCCA Pro Racing Battery Tender Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by BFGoodrich Tires.
The finalists for the 2015 Mazda Road to 24 Shootout are:
|
Racer |
Hometown |
Club/Series |
|
Joshua Allan |
La Verne, California |
NASA PTD Western States Champion |
|
Joseph Burton-Harris |
Sydney, Australia |
SCCA Runoffs Formula Mazda Champion |
|
Bruno Carneiro |
Riverton, Utah |
At Large Nominee |
|
Mark Drennan |
San Jose, California |
NASA Spec Miata Champion (East & West) |
|
Richard Eklund |
Germantown, New York |
iRacing Champion |
|
Mason Filippi |
Alamo, California |
West Coast Teen Mazda Challenge Champion |
|
Glenn McGee |
Torrance, California |
iRacing Champion |
|
Eric Powell |
Orlando, Florida |
At Large Nominee |
|
Michai Stephens |
Evanston, Illinois |
At Large Nominee |
“The nine finalists in this shootout are all highly competitive,” John Doonan, director of Mazda Motorsports, said. “The fact that the judges identified nine outstanding racers, from the 23 eligible, shows the tremendous depth of talent we are working with today. Mazda is so proud to offer this prize to our grassroots racers and customers; there is simply nothing like it in the world.”
The shootout will take place at Carolina Motorsports Park in Kershaw, SC, November 8-10. The racers will be tested on the track for their driving skills, and in the garage for their technical understanding of the sport.
The aspiring professional racer who wins the prize will have the best range of skills required to succeed. These skills include speed, consistency, race craft, technical feedback and off-track business, marketing and PR skills.
Additional information about the Mazda Road to 24 shootout, and 2016 MX-5 Cup race car, can be found at http://www.mazdamotorsports.com Mazda Motorsports will be providing live social updates from the Carolina Motorsports Park event on Twitter at @mazdaracing.