Mazda Teams Up With Velocity for 2012 U.S. TV Broadcasts

IRVINE, Calif., Feb. 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The best race in the world is hearsay unless people see it.  Some of the best racing in the world is not the headline race, but the support races featuring the stars of tomorrow.  Mazda has supported more road racers over the past decade than any other automaker, and for 2012 is stepping up that support to include extended TV coverage on the new Velocity network.

(Photo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120221/LA57495)

"Hardcore fans know that some of the most intense action can be found in the Playboy MX-5 Cup, Star Mazda and Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship.  But if you weren't at the race, you are left to take our word for it.  Now, thanks to a partnership with Velocity, and Carolinas Production Group, fans can enjoy the action on a regular basis from their living room," noted Jim Jordan, Alternative Marketing Manager, Mazda North America.

Rick Benjamin, award-winning motorsports broadcaster, will host "The Mazda Motorsports Hour".  Benjamin's Carolinas Production Group will handle production and distribution of the Hour.   Benjamin said, "It's an honor for our company to be selected once again to produce and place coverage of the Playboy MX-5 Cup, Star Mazda, and USF2000 championships.  Our partnership with Velocity gives us a tremendous platform to showcase the incredible talents of young drivers and veterans alike who are taking full advantage of Mazda's ladder system." 

Joining Rick Benjamin in the booth will be racers Randy Pobst for the MX 5 Cup, and James Hinchcliffe on Star and USF2000.  Todd Lewis will be the pit reporter.

The broadcasts will be a regularly-scheduled hour-long weekend show on Velocity – "The Mazda Motorsports Hour".  24 shows will be broadcast on a tape-delay basis from April through November.  The content will be a variety of Mazda centric series, with an emphasis on the SCCA Pro Racing Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup, the Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear, and the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda.  All three series are a part of the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Ladder, while the Star and USF2000 Championships are also a part of the Mazda Road to Indy.  To find Velocity on your local cable system, go to Velocity.com.

About Mazda & MAZDASPEED:
Mazda is the number-one brand for road-racers across North America.  Thousands of Mazda powered grassroots racers compete in various classes with the SCCA and NASA highlighted by Spec Miata, the world's largest spec class with over 2,500 cars built.  In 2006 Mazda established the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development Ladder to assist racers in moving up through the ranks.  In 2010 this was expanded to include the Mazda Road to Indy.  Key to Mazda's success is strategic partnerships with the Skip Barber Racing School and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.  MAZDASPEED Motorsports is managed by Mazda North American Operations (MNAO).  MNAO is headquartered in Irvine, Calif. and oversees the sales, marketing, parts and customer service support of Mazda vehicles in the United States, Canada and Mexico through nearly 900 dealers.  Operations in Canada are managed by Mazda Canada, Inc., located in Ontario; and in Mexico by Mazda Motor de Mexico in Mexico City.  Consumer information can be found at www.mazdausa.com with press information at www.mazdausamedia.com  Racers and fans can the action on facebook (Mazdaspeed Motorsports).

SOURCE MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development