To help build the anticipation and excitement of the IMSA race at Sebring, a very traditional kickoff has always been the Classic Mazda race team event in Orlando.
In the past, the Boy Scouts have come out to participate in a pinewood derby race, but my championship-winning pinewood derby car stayed at home because this year was a little different: it was Classic Mazda’s grand opening of their brand new dealership. It’s not even a week old! They put on an extravagant event for their customers, race fans and Mazda executives.
The attendees included Mazda race team members and several key Mazda executives who came especially for the event, including Moro-san, who is the North American President of Mazda. It was a special evening filled with all kinds of festivities. We had a full-on sushi bar, Japanese drummers, and an open house with the entire dealership accessible to see—it was absolutely stunning.
Customers and guests could interact with the racing drivers, see the race cars that were on display, jump in the photo booth with a fun Classic Mazda backdrop, and watch a presentation where the dealer owners and Mazda executives spoke prior to the official ribbon-cutting ceremony.
With all of the hype for the Classic Mazda event, we’re kicking off a really exciting Sebring race week! Keep up on Facebook and Twitter as Britt Casey, Jr. and I go for another win in the TCR class of the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge race on Friday. You can watch it live at IMSA.com and on the IMSA app—things get started at 2:45 p.m. ET on Friday, March 16!