The SpeedSource No. 70 Castrol Syntec Mazda RX-8 GT clinched 3rd place in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series GT driver, team, and manufacturer championships at the season ender 7-hour race at Miller Motorsports Park on September 20. SpeedSource wrapped up the 2008 season with its 8th top-five finish for the year, including 3 wins. With 2 pole awards, and the most number of laps led per driver (236) and per team (500), SpeedSource counts this as a successful season in many ways. Bringing home its own set of achievements, Emil Assentato's No. 69 FXDD Mazda RX-8 GT posted its first pole, first win, 8 top-ten finishes, and a top-ten standing for Assentato in the team championship.

Driven by Mazda'a motorsports motto "the will to never give up," the team dealt with a mixed bag of conditions in 2008 to bring home trophies in the team, driver, and manufacturer championships for Mazda. Owner/driver Sylvain Tremblay commented.

"We are incredibly proud for Mazda. The No. 70 Castrol Syntec Mazda RX-8 GT is watched and supported by rotary fans everywhere, and we are honored to be a part of Mazda's success and racing history. Castrol Syntec has been a huge supporter of our program and we look forward to continuing to represent them in 2009."

Most memorable of the team's achievements this season is the win in the Rolex 24 GT class by drivers Tremblay, Nick Ham, David Haskell, and Raphael Matos. The No. 69 FXDD RX-8 GT finished in 5th spot, with drivers Assentato, Jeff Segal, Nick Longhi, and Lonnie Pechnick behind the wheel. In all, 3 rotary driven RX-8 GT cars finished in the top ten.

"The Rolex 24 win was an incredible victory," said Tremblay. "It is an accomplishment many teams strive for, and to gain a place in the record books of this prestigious race is an achievement for all the people around this team: Castrol Syntec, Mazda, Fresh From Florida, Racing Hart and the rest of our valuable partners - each sponsor is crucial to our effort and a part of our success."

SpeedSource launches it's 2009 season in the coming weeks at the Rolex Daytona 24 hour!!!

2008 Season Highlights:

Miller Motorsportpark



Rolex Awards Banquet





About SpeedSource
SpeedSource Race Engineering's 2008 Mazda RX-8 GT campaign is supported by MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development, Mazda North American Operations, Castrol Syntec, Fresh From Florida, Road & Track, Racing Hart, Sparco, Motec, Hawk Performance Brakes, Dynamic Suspensions, Mothers Wax and Polish, Goodridge, SIRIUS Satellite Radio, Cobra Powersports, and Mechanix Wear.

On any given weekend, there are more Mazdas on the road-race tracks of America than any other brand of vehicle. At the track, you'll see MX-5 Miata, RX-8, MAZDA3, MAZDA6, RX-7 and other vintage Mazda models competing, because every Mazda has the Soul of a Sports Car. In fact, the largest road-racing class in the world is Spec Miata, with more than 1,500 first- and second-generation Miatas tearing up America's racetracks, making it the most-raced production car in the world. Mazda's involvement in motorsports extends to its relationship with Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, one of the world's premier road-racing circuits, and the Skip Barber Schools for driving and racing.

Headquartered in Irvine, Calif., Mazda North American Operations oversees the sales, marketing, parts and customer service support of Mazda vehicles in the United States, Canada and Mexico through nearly 900 dealers. Operations in Canada are managed by Mazda Canada, Inc., located in Ontario, Canada, and in Mexico by Mazda Motor de Mexico in Mexico City.