Irvine, California – Finalists have been announced for the 2015 Mazda Road to 24 Shootout. This is the single-largest prize in grassroots motorsports. 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 Battery Tender Mazda MX-5 Cup. For 2016, this will be in the all-new Global MX-5 Cup car, which went on sale on October 1.

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

John Doonan, director of Mazda Motorsports, noted: “The nine finalists in this shootout are all highly competitive. 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, on 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 www.mazdamotorsports.com Mazda Motorsports will be providing live social updates from the Carolina Motorsports Park event on Twitter at @mazdaracing and with hashtag #MRT24.

Mazda North American Operations 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.