After several years the Mazda open-wheel championship replaced their race-proven and reliable Star Mazda with a new model. Beginning in 2004, competitors would be racing a Pro Formula Mazda.

The Pro Formula Mazda is being manufactured by the Van Diemen / Elan Motorsports Technologies group. The chassis is a carbon-fiber tub with fiberglass bodywork. The suspension, both front and rear, is a pushrod setup with two-way adjustable shock absorbers. Stopping the Pro Formula Mazda are four-piston calipers with vented rotors. It is powered by a 240-horsepower Renesis Mazda engine, also used in the road-going version of the Mazda RX-8. Bolted to the motor is a six-speed sequential transmission with a no-lift shift. The car's first outing at Sebring International Raceway proved to be eight seconds a lap quicker than last year's Star Mazda.

The opening round of the 2005 Pro Formula Mazda Championship was held at Sebring International Raceway and ended in mid-October at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

  • March 18 – Sebring International Raceway
  • April 17 – Road Atlanta
  • May 21 - Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course
  • June 11 – Gilles Villeneuve Circuit
  • July 3 – Pikes Peak
  • July 16-17 – Infineon Raceway
  • July 30 – Portland International Raceway
  • August 7 – Trois-Rivieres
  • August 30 – Road America
  • September 3 - Mosport International Raceway
  • September 30 - Road Atlanta
  • October 15 – Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca

In addition to the National Championship, titles were to be won in several geographic divisions (West Coast (Star Mazda and Pro Formula Mazda), Southwestern (Star Mazda and Pro Formula Mazda) and Star Mazda East).

Round one of the 2005 Pro Formula Mazda Championship was held at Sebring International Raceway during the 53rd running of the 12-Hours of Sebring weekend. Drivers would compete for twenty-laps around the seventeen-turn 3.7-mile road course.

The qualifying session for the opening round of the Pro Formula Mazda Championship was washed out due to Thursday's heavy storms. The grid was set by practice times which gave the pole position to Raphael Matos. Matos racing the No. 7 Ocean Tomo sponsored Pro Formula Mazda, pulled away from the field at the start. He maintained first place and went flag-to-flag for the victory.
His best practice time placed Mat Jaskol third on the start grid. The newcomer was driving the No. 70 Hearn Motorsports Pro Formula Mazda, which was raced by Raphael Matos last season. Jaskol used the opening round to showcase his talent and hopefully attract a sponsor for the entire season. With Pablo Donoso falling out of contention on lap-8 of the race, Jaskol moved into second place but could not catch Matos.
Rookie Graham Rahal made his first Pro Formula Mazda Championship start at Sebring International Raceway. Rahal is the son of 1986, 1987 and 1992 PPG Indy Car World Series champion, Bobby Rahal. He was gridded sixth, driving the No. 12 Bobby Rahal Automotive Group sponsored Mazda. A pass on James Hinchcliffe and issues for two other competitors gave Rahal the final position on the podium.
Finishing in the fifth position was one of many rookies in the field, James Hinchcliffe. The Canadian drove the No. 98 NOCO / Mobil1 sponsored Pro Formula Mazda prepared by new series entrant AIM Autosport. With the qualifying session washed out, Hinchcliffe was gridded in the fifth position for the twenty-lap contest. The running order changed around him, but he crossed the finish line in fifth place.
Another interesting entry with an Indy Car connection was Marco Andretti. Andretti is the son of the 1991 CART IndyCar World Series Champion, Michael Andretti and the grandson of Mario Andretti, whose resume includes the 1978 Formula One World Championship and 1969 Indianapolis 500 victory. He started fourteenth in the No. 11 Vonage sponsored Pro Formula Mazda and finished nineteenth.

FINISHSTARTDRIVERCARLAPSRETIREMENTS
11Raphael MatosStar Pro20-
23Matt JaskolStar Pro20-
36Graham RahalStar Pro20-
411Luis SchiavoStar Pro20-
55James HinchcliffeStar Pro20-
68Robbie PecorariStar Pro20-
79Mark WilkinsStar Pro20-
810Scott JenkinsStar Pro20-
912Jonathan KleinStar Pro20-
1017Ross SmithStar Pro20-
114C. R. CrewsStar Pro20-
1213Micky GilbertStar Pro20-
1323Brian ThienesStar Pro20-
1420Adrian CarrioStar Pro20-
1530John PewStar Pro20-
1619Mike AndersonStar Pro20-
1727Mark PattersonStar Pro20-
1828John FaulknerStar Pro20-
1914Marco AndrettiStar Pro20-
2034John LloydStar Pro20-
2129William DanielStar Pro20-
2226Phil SavilleStar Pro20-
2315Andrι DesMaraisStar Pro20-
2425Steve HickhamStar Pro19-
2537Mike KaeskeStar Pro19-
2631Jon BrownsonStar Pro19-
2741Dan WeylandStar Pro19-
2836Wade CarterStar Pro19-
2938Dan Tomlin, Jr.Star Pro19-
3040Richard HaskellStar Pro19-
3122Robbie MontinolaStar Pro19-
3235Anthony DownsStar Pro19-
3342Dan Tomlin IIIStar Pro18-
3421Jon BranamStar Pro18-
3518Sean GuthrieStar Pro16Did Not Finish
3632Steve CookStar Pro15Did Not Finish
377Ryan JusticeStar Pro10Did Not Finish
3833Bob KaminskyStar Pro9Did Not Finish
392Pablo DonosoStar Pro8Did Not Finish
4024Doug PetersonStar Pro7Did Not Finish
4116Bryan SellersStar Pro6Did Not Finish
4239Jim MalackowskiStar Pro3Did Not Finish

Copyright Notice:
All content (photographs and text) appearing on this website are the exclusive property of © www.zoompics.com and are protected under International copyright laws. The subject matter on this website may not be reproduced, copied, stored or manipulated.

© Copyright 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019

Return to home page.