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SCC: SpeedSource pleased with new car

SpeedSource Win With Mazda RX-8 Rallies Mazda Engineers and Rotary Fans Sunrise, FL -- SpeedSource Race Engineering scored the first professional win for the Mazda RX-8 anywhere in the world when it won the Phoenix International Raceway round of ...

SpeedSource Win With Mazda RX-8 Rallies Mazda Engineers and Rotary Fans

Sunrise, FL -- SpeedSource Race Engineering scored the first professional win for the Mazda RX-8 anywhere in the world when it won the Phoenix International Raceway round of the Grand Am Cup Sport Touring Series. That victory interjected excitement to Mazda engineers and fans around the world that the new award winning Renesis rotary engine could compete with the toughest any other manufacturer had to offer.

"In addition to giving Mazda its first professional win with the RX-8, Sylvain Tremblay and his fine team at SpeedSource gave all Mazda engineers around the world a great shot of adrenaline and inspiring confidence," commented Kelvin Hiraishi's, Director of R&D Engineering for Mazda North American Operations. "Their performance has tremendous meaning to all of us at Mazda."

The nationally televised victory came at the hands of team owner Sylvain Tremblay and lead engineer David Haskell in the #70 Mazdaspeed Motorsports Mazda RX-8. In a caution free race the #70 Mazda RX-8 took the checkered flag twenty seven seconds ahead of second place in the strong field of Sport Touring vehicles.

"The SpeedSource team has certainly shown that they are a championship caliber team," commented Steve Sanders, Manager of Mazdaspeed Motorsports. "To build not one but four RX-8 racecars in the off-season and have their first win this early in the debut season for the RX-8 is quite an accomplishment. I am very excited to see that SpeedSource brought home the first win for the RX-8 and their success at Phoenix shows the dedication of the SpeedSource crew to this program. The performance of the RX-8 at the Phoenix event is a convincing testament to the RX-8's exceptional chassis and the performance of the Renesis rotary engine."

The Mazda RX-8 comes equipped with the award winning 238 hp Renesis Rotary engine attached to a six speed transmission with Mazda's renown precise shift linkage. With unique freestyle doors and a sporty suspension SpeedSource's job is made much easier due to the strong package produced by Mazda.

"I love the rotary motor," enthused Tremblay. "The car starts its life as a great package. We have used our engineering staff to tune it to Grand Am Cup specs and the car has already proven a winner. As a Mazda fan I am proud that we have already put the car in victory lane. That is a feeling we have heard from many fans emailing us through our website (www.speedsourceinc.com). I am proud to have seen such a strong following for this car and we plan on bringing home many more wins and a title this season."

As the season heads to its fourth race of the season at Mont Tremblant, the SpeedSource effort will expand to a five car Sport Touring effort. SpeedSource will battle for the 2004 Grand Am Cup Sport Touring Manufacturer's Championship against the likes of BMW, Acura, Lexus, and Mini Cooper.

Interested parties can contact Sylvain Tremblay about ready to race RX-8s through the team's website: www.speedsourceinc.com or by calling (954) 578 7071.

In addition to MAZDASPEED Motorsports, the team is also working with Sparco USA, Hawk Brakes, Dynamic Suspension, and Racing Hart Wheels on its 2004 Grand-Am Cup RX-8 program.

-ssre-

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