MAZDA Adds James Hinchcliffe to Driver Lineup for the Rolex 24 at Daytona - Speedway Digest

Mazda has added James Hinchcliffe to the SKYACTIV Prototype driver line-up for the 2015 Rolex 24 at Daytona. Hinchcliffe, a three-time IndyCar race winner and native of Oakville, Ontario, Canada, will drive for the Mazda factory team for the fourth consecutive year at the 24-hour race.

“This will be my fourth year in a row with Mazda, so I think that shows how I feel about them and the level of professionalism that they show,” added Hinchcliffe. “It is a privilege and joy to get to drive for them and it’s a partnership I hope we can keep going for many more years.”

Hinchcliffe, also known as the Mayor of Hinchtown, has driven in the Prototype, GT and GX categories at the Rolex 24. On his way to the IndyCar ranks, Hinchliffe competed in the Mazda Road to Indy ladder system that helps young drivers climb to the top level of their sport.

“Coming up through the Mazda Road to Indy, I have had a lot of experience driving different Mazda-powered machines,” the Mayor of Hinchtown continued. “To see what they’ve done with that program and how they support the ladder system, not only in open-wheel racing but sports　car racing and motorsports overall, it’s really really cool to see.”

Mazda has powered 23 class victories at the Rolex 24 at Daytona since 1975, and the 2015 driver lineup for the Mazda SKYACTIV Prototypes will be:

No. 70 car:

Tristan Nunez, Jonathan Bomarito, Sylvain Tremblay and Hinchcliffe

No. 07 car:

Tom Long, Joel Miller, Ben Devlin and Tremblay

Mazda’s SKYACTIV Prototypes compete in the highest category of the TUDOR United SportsCar Series. The Prototype cars can also be seen in high schools across North America as a part of Mazda’s extensive STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) educational program called Racing Accelerates Creative Education (R.A.C.E). The program reached more than 12,000 students in 2014.

On any given weekend, there are more Mazdas on the road-race tracks of America than any other brand of vehicle. At the track, you’ll see MX-5 Miata, RX-8, Mazda2, Mazda3, Mazda6, RX-7 and other vintage Mazda models competing, because every Mazda has the Soul of a Sports Car. In fact, the largest road-racing class in the world is Spec Miata, with more than 2,500 first- and second-generation Miatas tearing up America’s racetracks, making it the most-raced production car in the world.

Racers and fans can follow the action on Facebook (Mazda Motorsports), Twitter (@mazdaracing), Instagram (MazdaMotorsport) and www.mazdamotorsports.com

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Adam Sinclair

NHRA, IHRA, Motocross and other forms of motorsports Staff writer
About Me: Adam has been a race fan since the first time he went through the tunnel under the Daytona International Speedway almost 30 years ago. He has had the privilege of travelling to races all across the state of Florida (as well as one race in Ohio), watching nearly everything with a motor compete for fame and glory, as well as participating in various racing schools to get the feel of what racecar drivers go through every week. Adam has spent the last three years covering motorsports for Examiner.com., where he had the opportunity to see the racing world from behind the scenes as well as the grandstands. He invites everyone to follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus, and looks forward to sharing his enthusiasm for all things racing with the readers of SpeedwayDigest.com.Be sure to tune in for his weekly sports talk program, Thursday Night Thunder, where he discusses the latest in motorsports news with drivers, crew members, and fans. The show takes place every Thursday at 8:00 pm EST on the Speedway Digest Radio Network.