• Loading stock data...
Tuesday, July 1, 2025

Mazda Uses Racing to Better Tell Brand Story

Mazda-Racing-IMSA

For iconic motorsports brands from across the country and around the world, racing isn’t just a way to collect trophies or show superiority when it comes to manufacturing ability. While part of why they do it, racing and the opportunities it presents for brands like Mazda is about being able to fine tune their innovation on the track before rolling it out to the cars that moms, dads, and normal people will drive to and from sports and work.

Domestically, IMSA has been able to provide these manufacturers with the playground and competition to test their latest and greatest technology against some of the world’s leading automakers.

Mazda seems to agree.

For Mazda, IMSA — while the pinnacle of racing for the brand — is a small part of its overall racing program, which traces its roots to a robust grassroots strategy.

“That’s really the foundation of our whole business because we sell competition and stock parts to that community,” said John Doonan, director of motorsports for Mazda North America. “The revenue and profit off of that allows us to then to come to IMSA and compete at the highest levels.”

Recently, manufacturers have been able to benefit even further from participation in IMSA due to the fact that the sports car racing sanctioning body began allowing the Prototype cars that compete in its premier IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship to have a front design profile that looks similar to that of the cars driven on the streets.

[mc4wp_form id=”8260″]

“Thank goodness IMSA gave us the opportunity to bring our designers, the same designers that design road cars, and allow them to design a prototype race car,” mentioned Doonan when talking about the importance of a similar look. “If you pull a Mazda 6 or one of our SUVs right up next to the DPi car, you can see the brand design language in the front of the vehicle.”

Why, in the grand scheme of things, is having a race car that looks like a normal car so important for Doonan and Mazda? It allows for them to have a 360-degree brand integration opportunity while onsite at IMSA races.

“We’ve got all of our product here, we have a ride and drive going on and we have cars on the track that, at least from the front, look like the cars we produce for consumers. The goal is for people to sample our current product and make that connection between being at the race track watching Mazda’s race and wanting to put a Mazda in their driveway.”

If, in fact, those who attend the race end up putting a Mazda in their driveway, chances are that some of the technological innovations from the car on the track end up inside the car they take to the store.

While everything that’s in the Prototype car may not make it into the streetcar, the opportunity for Mazda designers to have what would amount to a real-world testing ground gives the company the chance to try things in a live setting.

“One of the things that they’re doing now is an interior study,” Doonan said. “Our designers see the interior of this car as a potential laboratory for the future in road car interiors and they actually have built a design book that they’re using as a showcase future steering wheel and hand control, and a heads-up display. Things like that that we could certainly test here in a racing environment and then potentially someday be in a road car.”

Their involvement in the series also allows for the brand to further educate their dealer employees on the history of Mazda and why racing is so important to the brand.

A great incentive, Doonan and the team tie the experience back to making sure that everyone from the people at the top to the dealers know how to tell the Mazda story.

“We try to get them out here and have them experience the sights, the sounds, the noise, the smells, and then also have them realize that the story that we’re telling about people having a relationship with their car is at its best here at the racetrack where drivers are strapping in and doing the unthinkable with our race cars.”

[mc4wp_form id=”8260″]

It is this story that is key to not only the success of the brand, but the brand being thought of as a leader in the space — and a car that goes beyond getting drivers from point A to point B. At the end of the day, this is one of the most important aspects to what Doonan and his team do.

“Mazda has positioned (itself) as not an every person’s car. As the brand has evolved, we’ve tried to obviously match what we do at the race track, which allows us to build a brand and position it such that people have Mazda on their shopping list when it comes to several different segments.”

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Jun 10, 2025; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) drops back to pass during minicamp at their South Side facility.
opinion

Steelers Win-Now Mode Is Good News for NFL Media Partners

The conservative “Steeler Way” has finally adapted—and media partners are happy.

The Battle Over Wimbledon’s Ambitious Expansion Plan

A classic NIMBY standoff on one of the most hallowed grounds in sports.
Seattle Rough & Tumble

Women’s Sports Bars Are on the Rise. Survival Isn’t Guaranteed

Some women’s sports bars are cashing in. Others are clawing for funding.

Shitposters Have Taken the Reins of Pro Sports’ Official Voices

Meet the social media pros turning sports teams into internet trolls.

Featured Today

Jun 17, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers center Sam Reinhart (13) hoists the Stanley Cup after winning game six of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers at Amerant Bank Arena

Stanley Cup’s International Summer Tour: Rules, Repairs, and Raucousness

No pro trophy tour compares to the NHL’s three-month global victory lap.
Mar 15, 2025; Fort Worth, TX, USA; UAB Blazers forward Yaxel Lendeborg (3) dribbles the ball upcourt against the North Texas Mean Green during the first half at Dickies Arena
June 22, 2025

NIL Is Shrinking the Pool of NBA Draft Entrants

Agents are now advising many players to stay in school.
Apr 24, 2025; Green Bay, WI, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions defensive end Abdul Carter on the red carpet before the 2025 NFL Draft at Lambeau Field
June 21, 2025

‘More Is More’: The Elite Luxury Jewelers Decking Out Athletes

Meet the elite group of luxury designers crafting the biggest statement pieces.
Dec 5, 2024; Miami, FL, USA; FIFA president Gianni Infantino presents the FIFA Club World Cup trophy during the Club Word Cup draw at Telemundo Studios.
June 15, 2025

Revamped Club World Cup Is FIFA’s Billion-Dollar Gamble

The revamped soccer event debuts amid controversy.

UFC’s Vegas Sphere Fight Should Set Records

The MMA fight has big aspirations and a budget to match.
August 13, 2024

Duael’s One-On-One Racing Brackets Are Yet Another Stab at Saving Track

Duael will debut in March 2025 with the inaugural Duael 100.
September 8, 2024

Guardian Caps Make NFL Debut

Multiple NFL players wore Guardian Caps over their helmets Sunday.
Sponsored

Hottest Matchups Following NFL Schedule Release

The NFL released the 2025 regular-season schedule, and anticipation is already building in the ticket marketplace with four months to go.
August 11, 2024

Guardian Caps Have Arrived in the NFL—Ahead of Schedule

Colts star Jonathan Taylor strapped one on for Sunday’s preseason game.
August 5, 2024

How Omega Timing Determined Noah Lyles Won Olympic Gold

Omega touches every corner of the Olympics.
The Adidas ball has changed over the years.
July 25, 2023

The Most Advanced Tech at the Women’s World Cup Might Surprise You

This year’s OCEAUNZ introduces connected ball technology to the women’s game.
Sponsored

Rewriting the Sports Media Playbook

WSC’s highlight automation improved Clemson’s content strategy and overall growth.