After several years the Mazda open-wheel championship replaced its 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 manufactured by the Van Diemen / Elan Motorsports Technologies group. The chassis is a carbon-fiber tub with fiberglass bodywork. The front and rear suspension 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 opening round of the 2006 Pro Formula Mazda Championship was held at Sebring International Raceway and ended in mid-October at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

  • March 17-18 – Sebring International Raceway
  • May 13-14 – Houston
  • May 20-21 - Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course
  • June 3-4 - Milwaukee Mile
  • June 23-25 – Gilles Villeneuve Circuit
  • July 15-16 – Miller Motorsports Park
  • July 22-23 – Portland International Raceway
  • August 5-6 – Trois-Rivieres
  • August 18-20 – Road America
  • September 2-3 - Mosport International Raceway
  • September 29-30 - Road Atlanta
  • October 21-22 – Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca

In addition to the overall title, championships were on the line for:

  • Expert Championship - Drivers aged 30-44
  • Masters Championship - Drivers aged 45 and older
  • Team Championship

Round nine of the 2006 Pro Formula Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear was held at Road America. Drivers would compete in an eighteen-lap contest around the fourteen-turn 4.048-mile road course.

Earlier in the season, Ron White experienced the lowest of lows when he was excluded from round six. Entering the Road America weekend, White joined the Ross Smith Racing team in the No. 69 Maxwell Paper Products Pro Formula Mazda. White qualified third fastest but spun at the beginning of the race. Two caution periods allowed him to catch the leaders and on the final lap, White passed Andrian Carrio for the win.
The championship leader heading into round nine at Road America was Adrian Carrio, with two victories and three pole-position. He grabbed another pole this weekend, driving the No. 14 Rockford Fosgate Pro Formula Mazda. Carrio led from the start of the race and broke the draft. Unfortunately, he was unable to shake Ron White after the second restart. A last-lap pass by White resulted in Carrio finishing second.
At Road America, Pablo Donoso was in the No. 2 Andersen Racing Pro Formula Mazda, usually driven by Brian Thienes. Donoso has been competing in the Silver Crown Championship and Road America was his first series start in 2006. He qualified on the outside of the front row and chased the pole-sitter, Adrian Carrio, early in the contest. Donoso could not hold off a hard-charging Ron White and finished third.
Skip Barber Racing School instructor Geraldo Bonilla drove the No. 9 Andersen Racing Team Pro Formula Mazda. Bonilla competes in the Expert class for drivers aged 30-44 and leads the category after eight rounds. He was gridded in the seventh position for the start of the eighteen-lap contest. A pass on Mark Wilkins and problems for Logan Gomez and Ryan Justice during the race allowed Bonilla to finish fourth overall.
Mark Wilkins drove the No. 3 AIM Autosport prepared Pro Formula Mazda. The Canadian F1600 competitor made his series debut in round eight at the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres. He qualified twelfth but finished ten laps behind the winner in twentieth place. At Road America, Wilkins fared much better. During the qualifying session, he was sixth fastest and took the checkered flag in the fifth position.

FINISHSTARTDRIVERCARLAPSRETIREMENTS
13Ron WhitePro Formula Mazda18-
21Adrian CarrioPro Formula Mazda18-
32Pablo DonosoPro Formula Mazda18-
47Gerardo BonillaPro Formula Mazda18-
56Mark WilkinsPro Formula Mazda18-
612David StoverPro Formula Mazda18-
79Kevin LacroixPro Formula Mazda18-
815Russell WalkerPro Formula Mazda18-
919Niki CoelloPro Formula Mazda18-
1023Doug PetersonPro Formula Mazda18-
1125Brian ThienesPro Formula Mazda18-
124Logan GomezPro Formula Mazda18-
1310Matt VarshaPro Formula Mazda18-
1428Steven Hickham Jr.Pro Formula Mazda18-
155Ryan JusticePro Formula Mazda18-
1629Dan Tomlin IIIPro Formula Mazda18-
1736Jon BrownsonPro Formula Mazda18-
1826Thomas WieringaPro Formula Mazda18-
1927Brian JohnsonPro Formula Mazda18-
2038Phil SavillePro Formula Mazda18-
2137Richard ZoberPro Formula Mazda18-
2233Dan Tomlin Jr.Pro Formula Mazda18-
2335Richard HaskellPro Formula Mazda18-
2431Ken LoschPro Formula Mazda18-
2522Christopher GuerrieriPro Formula Mazda18-
2620Jay PoscentePro Formula Mazda18-
2718Mark PattersonPro Formula Mazda18-
2824Charles AntiPro Formula Mazda17-
2916John FaulknerPro Formula Mazda17-
3030Antonio DownsPro Formula Mazda17-
3134Dan WeylandPro Formula Mazda17-
3232Emmett MurphyPro Formula Mazda15-
3321John PewPro Formula Mazda13-
3414Mickey GilbertPro Formula Mazda11-
3511Ramiro ScuncioPro Formula Mazda11-
368Mike PotekhenPro Formula Mazda11-
3713Rob BunkerPro Formula Mazda11-
3817Peter LudwigPro Formula Mazda6-

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