FAST ROAD; MAZDA OFFERS AMATEUR RACERS A STEP-BY-STEP PATH TO SUCCESS.(NEWS)

Byline: STEVEN COLE SMITH

There is no arguing that 2008 has been a tough year for amateur racing, as spiking gasoline prices and a sagging economy kept a lot of racers home. But there's a bright spot: Mazda claims that more than 9,000 amateur racers still compete in its cars in NASA, SCCA and other series.

No manufacturer courts amateur racers as aggressively as Mazda does, and according to Robert Davis, senior vice president of Mazda North America and head of the racing program, that translates to sales of both cars and performance parts.

"This program is at the heart of what we strive for, making motorsports accessible to as many people as possible, says Davis, who drives an RX-8 in NASA and SCCA competition.

Mazda's promote-from-within support system has always been there, says Jim Downing, a pioneer in Mazda racing and a five-time IMSA champion, "but they've just made it more structured, more formal. Downing, who began racing the Mazda rotary engine in 1974 in an RX-2, built Mazda-powered cars under his Kudzu banner. "The company has always rewarded its teams and drivers with help, he says.

The ladder system, created in 2006, has two paths: one for open-wheel racers and one for sports-car competitors.

On the open-wheel side, there are three scholarships. One kart racer gets a full season in the Skip Barber National Series Presented by Mazda. The Barber National champion moves up to the Star Mazda series, and the Star Mazda champ gets a season in the Atlantic series.