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Cosmo Revealed and a Spotlight on Racecar Driver Mia LeRoux
March 2023 Edition: Race Event Recap, Mia LeRoux, 1970 Cosmo Sport and more
Jonathan Killian
March 31, 2023
Greetings Fellow Mazda Fans,
This is Central Florida’s Newsletter for Mazda enthusiasts from your friends at Classic Mazda.
This month is jam-packed:
15th Annual Race Exhibition Recap
Women’s History Month Spotlight: Mia LeRoux
1970 Mazda Cosmo Sport Reveal
2024 Mazda CX-90 Arrives Soon
Burnt to a Crisp, Forged by Fire
Modified Mazda of the Month
The 15th Annual Race Exhibition was YUGE 🏁
In case you’ve been living under a rock, we did a thing:
15th Annual Race Exhibition Highlights
The 15th Annual Race Exhibition was our biggest turnout ever with over 400 of you diehard Mazda fans turning up.
We would like to say a big thank you to some of our special guests: racecar driver Mia LeRoux, the Central Florida Rotaries car club, the Orlando Roadsters car club, UCF Knights racing, and our local SCCA of Central Florida.
We had some great food trucks at the event. Over Rice, Wafu and Burgers & Booch.
Fullsend Sims provided the Racing Simulator. Impress Ink in Apopka printed out commemorative shirts which are oh so soft!
What was your favorite part of the 15th Annual Race Exhibition? |
If there is something you want to see next year reply to this newsletter and let us know. Or leave us a comment on this post.
Women’s History Month Spotlight: Mia LeRoux 🤩
A big thank you and shoutout to Mia LeRoux for coming out and bringing her Mazda Miata Roadster. We also want to shine the spotlight on her and recognize her for Women’s History Month.
Mia is a Semi-Pro racecar driver in the Spec Miata series.
She inherited her love of racing from her father and began racing at the age of 16. Mia was so eager to race that she got her SCCA competition license 4 months before getting her Driver’s license.
The Spec Miata is a class of race cars focused on low-cost, production vehicle competition with minimal modifications. Spec Miata racing, like the series hosted by our SCCA, provides a low barrier to entry and makes racing accessible. SM racing is a common entry point for racers to go pro in the MX-5 Cup, like current pro driver Selin Rollan, a former Classic Mazda employee. Selin began racing in the Spec Miata series at only 15 years old.
There are currently 2 women racing in the 2023 MX-5 Cup series out of 28 total, Hanna Zellers and Heather Hadley. While Hanna has been out most of the season after undergoing surgery, she will make her 2023 series debut in round 5 in Monterey, CA. Heather on the other hand just scored her best race in the series finishing 8th in round 4 of the MX-5 Cup in the streets of St. Petersburg.
In 2024, Mia is slated to join Hanna and Heather in the MX-5 Cup. Follow Mia LeRoux on Instagram to cheer her on!
Women’s Racing Scholarships
In 2011, Mazda partnered with the Women's Sports Foundation and Lyn St. James to support Project Podium. The initiative aimed to provide financial and mentoring support to female racing drivers in the United States, helping them advance their careers in the competitive world of motorsports.
In 2020, Mazda also established Mazsa MX-5 Cup Women’s Initiative Scholarship to support female racers competing in Mazda-powered race cars. The scholarship provides financial support, mentorship, and access to resources that help female drivers succeed in their racing careers. Heather Hadley was the winner of the 2023 Mazda MX-5 Cup Women’s Initiative scholarship receiving $75,000.
The 1970 Cosmo Sport Reveal 🎉
1970 Mazda Cosmo Sport
The wait was finally over and everyone gathered in the showroom during the Race Exhibition, phones drawn, as the 1970 Mazda Cosmo Sport drove onto the showroom floor.
We purchased the Cosmo in a non-running condition and our talented Classic Mazda service technicians got it up and running just in time for its big debut.
The Story of the Mazda Cosmo
The Mazda Cosmo is a classic sports car produced in Japan by Mazda from 1967 to 1972. It featured a distinctive design and the company's first rotary engine. It gained attention for its futuristic appearance, high-revving Wankel rotary engine, and impressive racing debut.
Only 1,176 were made at a pace of about 1 per day, assembled by hand in Japan. The Cosmo is a highly sought-after, rare, collector's item. Its legacy influenced Mazda's commitment to rotary engine technology in later models, like the RX-7 and RX-8, which became iconic sports cars in their own right.
We detailed the Wankel Rotary Engine in our January edition of the newsletter including a video of a pretty cool functional model of the spinning Dorito rotor 🤣 . Go check it out.
Recognizing the People that Make It Happen
Congratulations to Alex Quintela, Michael Shehata, Brandon Kush, Gary Moretti, Jeff Hillyard, Gary Raappana, Angela Miller, Kevin Rodriguez, and Carlos Lugo who were recognized as our 2022 Top Performers🏅. Thank you for delivering a Buy Smart - Be Happy experience for our customers.
The 2024 Mazda CX-90 is In Transit 🚘️
The 2024 Mazda CX-90 will be arriving soon. Reserve yours.
This Unique Miata was Forged by 🔥
Modified Mazda of the Month 🔧
🗞️ More News
📆 Upcoming Events
🔥 Meme Zone
But they sound so gooood, tho 🤣
🙃 Shenanigans For Some Laughs
You did get a manual, right?
— Classic Mazda (@ClassicMazdaOrl)
3:35 AM • Mar 4, 2023
We occasionally hang out in the MazdaUSA Twitter comments to see if the mothership will notice us. If you follow them keep a lookout for yours truly.
@MazdaUSA We will talk to the mothership and see what we can do 🤑
— Classic Mazda (@ClassicMazdaOrl)
3:20 AM • Mar 4, 2023
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That’s a wrap. Be back in your inbox next month.
Did we bring the heat in this edition? |
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