Speedsource Racing Mazda6 Team ready for Daytona 24H

CORAL SPRINGS, FLORIDA - Call it ‘Traditions of the past’ and the ‘Promise of the future’ -- a band of young, talented, up-and-coming auto racing stars from Florida with very bright futures leading the way up I-95 to Daytona Beach, Florida to compete at the 51st running of the legendary Rolex 24 At Daytona endurance race this weekend. And they also have an elder statesman of the sport along for the ride.

Florida residents Tristan Nunez (Boca Raton, Florida), Spencer Pigot (Orlando, Florida), and transplanted Frenchman Tristan Vautier (St. Petersburg, Florida) will be joined by legendary Mazda racing driver Yojiro Terada and long-time Mazda racer Joel Miller in the No. 00 VISIT FLORIDA Racing Mazda6 when the demanding 24-hour race kicks off this Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET.

“I will tame these young tigers (Nunez, Pigot, Vautier, and Miller) and teach then on how to tackle the 24 Hours of Daytona here in Florida this week,” said a boisterous Terada, the esteemed veteran with three Rolex 24 At Daytona class wins to his credit.

The brand-new 2014 Mazda6 that will be driven in the race was designed and built at SpeedSource Race Engineering in Coral Springs, Florida. The car features Mazda’s latest, cutting-edge SKYACTIV-D Clean Diesel Race engine, which will make history as the first diesel engine to contest the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway.

“We are proud to represent VISITFLORIDA.com and the great state of Florida,” said SpeedSource President Sylvain Tremblay. “We were blessed with plenty of sunshine during our final test at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Monday and we are very excited to debut the new race car at Daytona this weekend. With SpeedSource’s headquarters being in Coral Springs, we have been in a perfect location to take advantage of some great technological resources in the area as we have developed the new engine and new race car. Now we just need to run the race.”

Drivers Nunez, Pigot, and Vautier will come prepared for the Rolex 24 thanks to their participation in the industry leading Mazda Driver Development Ladder program. This program takes young driving talent from the grassroots level and provides scholarships to the next level of professional sports car or open wheel racing.

“From karting to the Indy 500, and from grassroots sports car racing to the Rolex 24 at Daytona, Mazda has taken the lead in developing young drivers,” continued Tremblay. “And a seasoned winner like Terada-san is a terrific addition to help teach these young drivers as they strive to be the next driving champions.”

“VISIT FLORIDA is thrilled to be kicking off our partnership with SpeedSource here at the fabled Rolex 24 At Daytona,” said Will Seccombe, President and CEO of VISIT FLORIDA. “Sylvain and his Florida-based race team are proud residents and fans of the Sunshine State and will be terrific brand ambassadors for us all season long.”

Mazda