U.S. Marine Staff Sergeant Liam Dwyer signs up for full season in Freedom Autosport Mazda MX-5 in 2015 Continental Tire SportsCar Championship - Speedway Digest

Mazda recently announced the addition of Liam Dwyer as a full-time racer in the 2015 Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge.

“I am very excited for the 2015 season. I thought things couldn’t get better after last season, but Mazda has once again shown how immensely awesome they are. To be granted a full ride in the Freedom Autosport Mazda MX-5 is the ultimate dream come true. And on top of that, I have one of the fastest MX-5 drivers, Andrew Carbonell, as my co-driver. I can’t thank Derek Whitis, Rhett O’Doski and everyone at Mazda enough for this opportunity,” stated Dwyer.

Dwyer stunned the racing world in 2014 when he teamed up with Tom Long to co-drive their Freedom Autosport Mazda MX-5 to the win in the Lime Rock Park Continental Tire ST race on Memorial Day weekend. The win was a made for Hollywood storyline as Dwyer was competing in only his second professional race, and he was doing it with an artificial leg, having been injured while serving as a U.S. Marine Staff Sergeant in Afghanistan just three years previously.

“When we created Freedom Autosport, it was to honor the men and women serving in the armed forces, especially the U.S. Marines,” added Derek Whitis, Owner, Freedom Autosport. “We are honored to have Liam join the team full-time in 2015. Just as important, we look forward to having additional marines served other key roles on the team.”

For 2015, Dwyer will be paired up with Andrew Carbonell for the entire ten-race season beginning January 23^rd at Daytona International Speedway. Carbonell scored two wins with Freedom Autosport and Mazda in 2014.

“I am excited to be confirmed with Mazda and Freedom Autosport for the 2015 IMSA Continental Tire Challenge season. I am also proud to be co-driving with one of the most incredible racing stories recently; Marine Staff Sergeant Liam Dwyer. I have had the honor of getting to know Liam through the select races he drove with Freedom Autosport in 2014. To watch the inspiration and motivation from Liam from afar makes one understand the sacrifices one makes to follow their dreams whatever the circumstance may be. I look forward to continuing success and adding more victories together for Freedom Autosport and Mazda,” Carbonell added.

The 2015 Continental Tires SportsCar race schedule is as follows:

Jan. 23 – Daytona International Speedway (Florida)

March 20 – Sebring International Raceway (Florida)

May 2 – Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca (Monterey, California)

June 27 – Watkins Glen International (New York)

July 11 – Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (Toronto, Canada)

July 25 – Lime Rock Park (Connecticut)

Aug. 8 – Road America (Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin)

Aug. 22 – Virginia International Raceway

Sept. 18 – Circuit of The Americas (Austin, Texas)

Oct. 2 – Road Atlanta (Georgia)

Mazda is a leading player in all aspects of sports car racing with an emphasis on endurance road racing. Mazda is the number-one brand for road-racers across North America among both club racers and professionals. 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. Via the Mazda Road to Indy and the Mazda SportsCar Racing Academy, Mazda supports racers at all levels of the sport from club racing up to the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship where it races with production SKYACTIV Technology.

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.