Southern California Racer Chasing $100,000 Prize

Southern California racer, Joshua Allan, is a finalist in the 2015 Mazda Road to 24 Shootout. This winner-take-all competition is valued at $100,000 to compete in the Battery Tender Mazda MX-5 Cup. The shootout is part of the Mazda Road to 24 motorsports ladder system for aspiring racing drivers who wish to move up the ranks of professional sportscar racing with the ultimate objective of driving in the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona. Among the thousands of club racers across the country, 23 were invited to submit business proposals and post introductory videos on YouTube. From those submissions only nine finalists were selected for the shootout, which demonstrates the high caliber of these racers. For Joshua Allan, this has been a long-time goal.

Joshua is a Mechanical Engineer from UCLA who has worked in the automotive industry for 16 years. Seven of those years were spent in Italy in the Engineering offices of Ferrari’s Formula 1 team and as a Test Driver for Maserati Vehicle Development. During that time he raced in the Italian Formula Ford Championship and was a racing instructor for Italy’s most established racing school. Subsequently he returned to the US to explore the budding electric vehicle industry. He now works as a racing coach and racing instructor for Allen Berg Racing School, Ford Racing School and Simraceway. He also does contract engineering for CXC Simulations, which makes professional grade racing simulators. He maintains a website for racers at www.RacerMentor.com. Joshua demonstrated his Champion status by winning Championships in the National Auto Sport Association Performance Touring class in a highly prepared Mazda MX-5 Miata, supported by Robert Davis Racing and Mothers Polishes Waxes Cleaners.

The shootout takes place form November 8th through the 10th at Carolina Motorsports Park in Kershaw, South Carolina. At the shootout Joshua will be tested on speed, consistency, race craft and technical communication. He must also demonstrate business skills in marketing and public relations.

John Doonan, Director of Mazda Motorsports, noted: “The nine finalists in this shootout are all highly competitive. The fact that the judges identified nine outstanding racers, from the 23 eligible, shows the tremendous depth of talent we are working with today. Mazda is so proud to offer this prize to our grassroots racers and customers; there is simply nothing like it in the world.”

You can find out more about the 2016 MX-5 Cup race car and the Mazda Road to 24 Shootout on the Mazda Motorsports website (www.mazdamotorsports.com). Joshua will be posting his experience on his facebook page, www.facebook.com/quickshoe and Mazda will be posting on Twitter: @mazdaracing with the hashtag #MRT24. Candidate videos can be seen by searching for “2015 Mazda Road to 24” on YouTube.

Adam Sinclair