Known within the Sports Car Club of America as the FM class, Formula Mazda is one of the more affordable open wheel racing classes available today, slotted between Formula F and Formula Continental in terms of both cost and performance. The series originally grew out of a group of chassis built by Hayashi in Japan for the Jim Russell Racing Drivers School, which made their debut at the 1984 Long Beach Grand Prix.
The car features a welded steel tube frame chassis and is powered by a sealed 1.3-liter Mazda rotary engine connected to a Hewland five speed gearbox. All Formula Mazda cars all use the same tires, springs, dampers, and anti-roll bars, though some adjustability is permitted. Much like other spec classes, the relative parity between each car means that driver skill is the key factor in a racer’s success in Formula Mazda. Let’s take a closer look at the particulars of the FM class.
Sanctioning Body
Race Format: Sprint
Typical Race Length: 25-35 minutes, 35-50 miles
Output: 180 horsepower
Weight: 1140 lbs. (dry) / 1350 lbs. (minimum with driver)
Data System: Unrestricted
Chassis Construction: Welded steel tube frame
Suspension Adjustability:
- Ride height is unrestricted within the standard adjustment range.
- Droop limiters are not allowed.
- Anti-roll bar stiffness may be adjusted within the range allowed by sliding clamps on the anti-roll bar or front bars may be drilled for adjustment.
- Anti-roll bars may be disconnected.
- Camber, caster, toe-in/out, bump steer, are unrestricted within the adjustment range provided on the car.
- Manufacturer and construction of spherical bearings and rod ends are unrestricted, but geometry and length cannot be changed.
Tires: Goodyear racing slicks with BBS (8” x 13”) front and (10” x 13”) rear wheels
Aero: Front and rear wings with angle adjustability
Car Cost: $49,500-$52,000 (new, depending on specifications) / $18,000-$22,000 (used)
Typical Car Count Range: 8-12 per race
Run Cost: Approximately $400/hr at race pace
Record Lap Times:
- Barber Motorsports Park: 1:28.900 – Darryl Willis
- Lime Rock Park: 53.034 – Joe Colasacco
- Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca: 1:28.375 – Jim Mali
- Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course: 1:28.342 – Scott Rettich
- Road America: 2:16.509 – Scott Rettich
Shops Providing Support:
Shops Providing Arrive and Drive Rental:
To give you a better idea of what the action is like in Formula Mazda, here’s a clip from an SCCA Majors race at Road Atlanta, replete with flame spitting and dirt throwing intensity: