News

Mazda Motorsport’s Speed Wizard Retires After 30 Years
Malcolm Flynn | May 12, 2012



Allan Horsley, the man behind 30 years of Mazda motorsport success in Australia, has announced his retirement from the company.

In recent years, Horsley has been best known for spearheading Mazda Australia’s tarmac rally successes, but his contribution to the Australian motorsport history books extends far deeper.

Prior to joining Mazda, Horsley managed the now-defunct Oran Park racing circuit between 1965 and 1981.

His tenure constituted the track’s golden era, hosting a wide variety of motorsports, including its inclusion in the Australian Touring Car Championship calendar.

During this time, he signed a young Peter Brock to race exclusively at Oran Park for a period, proudly claiming; "we were the first to ever pay Brock [to race]”.

Horsley’s Mazda days started in 1981, when he was hired ...

Mazda and Laguna Seca extend partnership through 2016
Published on May 11, 2012


LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC - The American Le Mans Series, above, and the Grand-Am Series are racing at Laguna Seca this week.

The marriage between Mazda and Laguna Seca will last at least another five years.
Mazda North American Operations on Thursday announced that it has extended its naming-rights agreement for Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca with the Sports Car Racing Association of the Monterey Peninsula (SCRAMP) for another five years.
The agreement was ratified by the Monterey County Board of Supervisors and extends the two organizations' relationship, which began in 2001, through 2016. The world-famous Monterey, Calif., facility and host of this weekend's Grand-Am Series and American Le Mans Series events has been a mainstay of professional auto and motorcycle racing since 1957.
Mazda's support has helped enable SCRAMP, operators of the raceway, and Monterey ...

Filed under: Motorsports, Convertible, Coupe, Performance, Etc., Videos, Dodge, Mazda, Canada, Racing


The crew at MotoMan has rolled out the second episode of its Targa Newfoundland coverage. This time around, Brandon Fitch and I spend plenty of time talking with the guys about the challenges of Day One, how the Flyin' Miata supercharged NC MX-5 Miata handles some of the more technical stages and joy of hauling ass through a subdivision. Meanwhile, team MotoMan gets a few valuable lessons on competition in targa from veterans of the race like Rob Pacione and learns a little about Newfoundland hospitality at the same time. As the week continues, competitors are forced to overcome a variety of challenges, from an entire engine swap in a Lotus to a water-logged 911.

Part Two gives us all a better idea of what it's like to compete in Grand Touring, where the goal is to hit a specific time and speed, rather than simply beat a time like in Targa class. Both ...

Filed under: Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Mazda, Earnings/Financials


Mazda sales are up 22 percent this year, but the company's American operation is enduring acute pain. It is in the midst of a complete, five-month reorganization while trying to raise funds and shrink its workforce. In March, Mazda announced its intention to offer voluntary buyouts to its U.S. employees, after which it would assess the plan and then lay off other workers if needed. Of the firm's 701 local workers, 107 have accepted the voluntary buyout.

Having seen its North American year-over-year operating loss swell by more than 25 percent to $505 million from $397 million, every aspect of the company has come under review. Mazda has said it doesn't know if involuntary layoffs will be necessary yet, but CEO Takashi Yamanouchi does know this: "It's a must-win situation."Over 100 take buyouts at Mazda USA ahead of layoffs originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 07 May 2012 ...

Top Ten Sales By Marque (Marque - Monthly Sales)

1. Toyota - 16,568
2. Mazda - 7,681
3. Holden - 7,589
4. Hyundai - 7,017
5. Ford - 6,306
6. Nissan - 4,686
7. Volkswagen - 3,798
8. Mitsubishi - 3,748
9. Subaru - 3,003
10. Kia - 2,505

Total Market - 79,097

Top Ten Sales By Marque (Marque - YTD Sales)

1. Toyota - 63,943
2. Holden - 36,534
3. Mazda - 34,194
4. Hyundai - 28,748
5. Ford - 26,552
6. Nissan - 24,583
7. Mitsubishi - 19,487
8. Volkswagen - 15,781
9. Subaru - 13,437
10. Kia - 9,509

Total Market - 339,219

Top Ten Sales by Model (Marque/Model - Monthly Sales)

1. Toyota Hilux - 3,565
2. Mazda Mazda3 - 3,005
3. Toyota Corolla - 2,573
4. Holden Cruze - 2,315
5. Holden Commodore - 2,248
6. Hyundai i30 - 2,147
7. Toyota Prado - 1,725
8. Toyota Camry - 1,602
9. Nissan Navara - 1,590
10. Mitsubishi Triton - 1,482

Top Ten Sales by Model (Marque/Model - YTD Sales)

1. Mazda Mazda3 - 14,601
2. Toyota Corolla - 12,067
3. Holden Commodore - 10,596
4. Holden Cruze - 10,520
5. Toyota

...

Car sales April 2012: Mazda shocks Holden
By Jez Spinks | May 01st, 2012



Mazda has outsold Holden for what is believed to be the first time in recorded sales history, according to preliminary data obtained by CarAdvice.

The official industry sales figures for April aren’t released until later this week, but provisional information reveals the Japanese brand registered just under 100 more vehicle sales than the local car maker.

Mazda sold approximately 7680 vehicles in April 2012 compared with about 7590 for Holden.

It’s another sales milestone for Mazda, which has already previously claimed the scalp of another local car maker, Ford.



Mazda is typically the third best-selling car maker in Australia, but Holden’s April figures have been adversely affected by a dearth of Colorado ute stock. Supply has virtually run out as the company awaits an all-new Holden Colorado (above) that ...

Filed under: Convertible, Coupe, Japan, Videos, Mazda, Scion, Toyota


A Japanese motoring show, complete with titles in comic fonts, put three racing pilots behind the wheels of the Mazda MX-5 Miata, Subaru BRZ and Scion FR-S (Toyota 86, in this case) for three laps of the 2.1-mile East Road Course at Twin Ring Motegi. Of course the segment producers know that putting the 167-horsepower roadster against the 200-hp coupes isn't exactly fair, so they gave the Mazda a small head start of about three grid positions.

Ex-sports car racer Takayuki Kinoshita handles the Mazda, former open-wheel pilot Naoki Hattori drives the BRZ, and former Le Mans-class winner Keiichi Tsuchiya gets fast and loose in the FR-S. The drivers offer copious on-track commentary, but it's in Japanese. That said, watching the MX-5 try to stay in front and watching Tsuchiya start drifting are universal gearhead languages. You'll find the action after the jump.


...

Filed under: Convertible, Coupe, Japan, Videos, Mazda, Scion, Toyota


A Japanese motoring show, complete with titles in comic fonts, put three racing pilots behind the wheels of the Mazda MX-5 Miata, Subaru BRZ and Scion FR-S (Toyota 86, in this case) for three laps of the 2.1-mile East Road Course at Twin Ring Motegi. Of course the segment producers know that putting the 167-horsepower roadster against the 200-hp coupes isn't exactly fair, so they gave the Mazda a small head start of about three grid positions.

Ex-sports car racer Takayuki Kinoshita handles the Mazda, former open-wheel pilot Naoki Hattori drives the BRZ, and former Le Mans-class winner Keiichi Tsuchiya gets fast and loose in the FR-S. The drivers offer copious on-track commentary, but it's in Japanese. That said, watching the MX-5 try to stay in front and watching Tsuchiya start drifting are universal gearhead languages. You'll find the action after the jump.


...

Filed under: Performance, Japan, Hatchback, Mazda, Specialty


And now for some good news from Mazda: it is doubling the run of its limited edition RX-8 Spirit R, adding 1,000 more units to production due to demand. Announced late last year, this Japan-only model celebrates the end of the RX-8's nine-year existence. The final Wankel-engined four-door is scheduled to roll off the line in June.

The Spirit R doesn't skimp on the extra trim bits inside and out, with larger brakes clamped by red calipers, piano-black transmission tunnel trim, Recaro Sprint R bucket seats, leather-wrapped steering wheel and an enhanced traction control system among the bonus features.

Both automatic and manual transmissions are offered, but takers have gone decisively for the row-your-own cogswapper, making up 66 percent of orders. Compared to the automatic, they receive larger 19-inch wheels on lower profile tires, a "hard suspension," alloy pedals ...