Mazda Uses Racing To Fuel Dreams Of Future Engineers - Speedway Digest

Buoyed by the success of its STEM program in 2014, Mazda will expand its “Racing Accelerates Creative Education (R.A.C.E.) program in 2015.

For the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona, Mazda drivers and engineers will visit two high schools in the Daytona Beach area with STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) programs. Due to the high demand, there will be two programs at each location to reach the greatest number of students.

Mazda will visit Mainland High School in Daytona Beach – within walking distance of the Speedway – on Tuesday and will then return to DeLand High School on Wednesday, the site of the first STEM program in 2014.

“I love doing this, and I’m looking forward to doing this before each race this season,” said Mazda driver Joel Miller, who received his engineering degree from the University of California, Riverside. “I specifically talk on the technology and engineering part, on how it references our Mazda Prototype race car. It’s a great way to give back something to the community.”

Launched last January, the R.A.C.E. outreach program has already positively impacted more than 12,000 middle and high school students. Last year, there were interactive presentations at 12 schools local to the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship events.

“This STEM program has been one of the most rewarding things we’ve done at Mazda Motorsports,” enthused John Doonan, Director, Mazda Motorsports and driving force behind Mazda’s R.A.C.E. STEM initiative. “We’re happy to report that our future is in good hands as the students that we’ve been fortunate enough to interact with are demonstrating the drive, initiative and curiosity that it takes to convert STEM education into global innovation.”

The Mazda SKYACTIV-D Diesel Prototype show car will be on hand both demonstrations, similar to the Mazda/Castrol Edge/ModSpace Prototype that Miller will co-drive in Saturday’s Rolex 24. Both of the SpeedSource team cars will carry decals for each of the two high schools on the rear wing, a practice the team will continue throughout the season.

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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.