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In 2007, Mazda introduced their company-sponsored ‘motorsports ladder’ that goes from karting to Champ Car.
This year’s Pro Formula Mazda series champion will receive a Mazda-sponsored full-season drive for 2008 in the
next series up the ladder; the Cooper Tires Presents the Champ Car Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda.
And the 2008 winner of the Atlantic Championship gets a $2 million sponsorship to help them move up to Champ Car.
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 2007 Pro Formula Mazda Championship was held at Sebring International Raceway and ended in mid-October at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
In addition to the overall title, championships were on the line for:
Round nine of the 2007 Pro Formula Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear was held at the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres. Drivers would compete on the eleven-turn 1.53-mile temporary street circuit for thirty-nine-laps.
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Twenty-four competitors charge for corner one at Trois-Rivieres for round nine of the 2007 Pro Formula Mazda Championship. The pole-sitter, Alex Ardoin, leads the field in the Oral & Facial Surgery Center / Mundill Racing Pro Formula Mazda. Beside Ardoin is the other front-row starter Canadian Marco DiLeo driving the No. 21 Maxwell Paper Racing-sponsored Pro Formula Mazda. |
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Ron White collected his first victory of 2007 in the previous round at Road America, driving the No. 69 Maxwell Paper Products / Maxwell Racing Pro Formula Mazda. At the street circuit in Trois-Rivieres, he qualified six fastest. But White was prepared for the carnage in corner one at the start of the race and avoided it to move into fifth. White advanced positions after each caution and grabbed the lead and won. |
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The points leader, Dane Cameron, struggled with setting up the No. 19 JDC Motorsports/ Finlay Motorsports during practice. However, when it came time for qualifying Cameron was fourth fastest. He was one of the many competitors involved at the start of the race in the turn-one incident. Cameron’s front wing sustained damage. He was unable to challenge Ron White and finished second. |
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At Road America, Nick Haye claimed his first podium result of 2007 with a third-place finish. At Trois-Rivieres, the points leader’s teammate was gridded in the seventh position for the thirty-nine-lap contest. Haye moved the No. 37 JDC Racing / Quantum Sphere Pro Formula Mazda up the race order. Issues for Alex Ardoin, Marco DiLeo, James Davison and Lorenzo Mandarino allowed him to earn a third-place result. |
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The podium for round eight of the 2007 Pro Formula Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear at the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres. Standing in the center for the second time this year is the winner, Ron White, from Maxwell Racing. Standing on the left is the runner-up and current points leader Dane Cameron. Completing the rostrum is Cameron’s teammate, Nick Haye. |
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| FINISH | START | DRIVER | CAR | LAPS | RETIREMENTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | Ron White | Pro Formula Mazda | 39 | - |
| 2 | 4 | Dane Cameron | Pro Formula Mazda | 39 | - |
| 3 | 7 | Nick Haye | Pro Formula Mazda | 39 | - |
| 4 | 24 | Russell Walker | Pro Formula Mazda | 39 | - |
| 5 | 8 | Yannick Hofman | Pro Formula Mazda | 39 | - |
| 6 | 11 | Jonny Baker | Pro Formula Mazda | 39 | - |
| 7 | 15 | Steve Hickham, Jr | Pro Formula Mazda | 39 | - |
| 8 | 17 | Scott Rettich | Pro Formula Mazda | 39 | - |
| 9 | 19 | Chuck Hulse | Pro Formula Mazda | 39 | - |
| 10 | 20 | Dan Tomlin III | Pro Formula Mazda | 39 | - |
| 11 | 21 | Steve Hickham | Pro Formula Mazda | 39 | - |
| 12 | 18 | Phil Fogg, Jr. | Pro Formula Mazda | 39 | - |
| 13 | 9 | Natacha Gachnang | Pro Formula Mazda | 38 | - |
| 14 | 22 | Browning Williams | Pro Formula Mazda | 37 | - |
| 15 | 23 | Dave Mundy | Pro Formula Mazda | 37 | - |
| 16 | 3 | James Davison | Pro Formula Mazda | 34 | - |
| 17 | 5 | Lorenzo Mandarino | Pro Formula Mazda | 24 | - |
| 18 | 1 | Alex Ardoin | Pro Formula Mazda | 36 | - |
| 19 | 2 | Marco DiLeo | Pro Formula Mazda | 16 | - |
| 20 | 10 | Jonathan Goring | Pro Formula Mazda | 0 | - |
| 21 | 13 | Devon Cunningham | Pro Formula Mazda | 0 | - |
| 22 | 14 | Charles Anti | Pro Formula Mazda | 0 | - |
| 23 | 12 | Phil Saville | Pro Formula Mazda | 0 | - |
| 24 | 16 | Eric Freiberg | Pro Formula Mazda | 0 | - |
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