| The SpeedSource Race Engineering team had a | | | | place and back on the lead lap. Unfortunately, due |
| long road trip at Lime Rock Park this Memorial | | | | to a gearbox failure, the car was stuck in top |
| Day weekend. | | | | gear. |
| The team faced a test of having only a few | | | | Allen said that the only gear that was available |
| short days to make adjustments to the #69 | | | | was the 6th so they went on to at least finish |
| Mondial Forwarding/Freedom Harley-Davidson | | | | the race and collect some points. He added that |
| sponsored RX-8 that suffered in the closing | | | | their team learned a lot from last weekend's race |
| stages of the Laguna Seca race which took place | | | | and will apply their efforts towards their next |
| the weekend before the Lime Rock event. | | | | upcoming Canadian race. |
| Nonetheless, the #69 did a good job. And that is | | | | In the Drivers Championship points tables for the |
| because of the assistance of the folks at | | | | Koni Challenge Series ST Class, Allen and |
| MazdaSpeed who had all the necessary parts | | | | Armengol remain in the third place. The team |
| flown straight to Connecticut. The SpeedSource | | | | looks every ready again and challenged for |
| crew, who worked tirelessly just to make sure | | | | podiums and wins at the Mosport in Ontario, |
| that the car race ready, was also a big part. | | | | Canada June 15-17, after two difficult races that |
| Drivers Jose Armengol and Dan Allen were both | | | | made the #69 finish lower than the 10th place for |
| new to the scenic yet thrilling 1.53 mile circuit and | | | | the first time this season. |
| both were impressed. | | | | About SpeedSource |
| Armengol said that they have been warned that | | | | The 2007 Mazda RX-8 campaign of SpeedSource |
| the track seems simple, but that it takes lots of | | | | Race Engineering is supported by Mazdaspeed |
| time to learn and he can now attest for that | | | | Motorsports Development, Mazda North American |
| firsthand. He added that there are nuances that | | | | Operations, Road & Track, Racing Hart, Sparco, |
| he only picked up on at the end of his race | | | | Motec, Hawk Performance Brakes, Dynamic |
| weekend, and he was sure that they would still | | | | Suspensions, Mothers Wax and Polish, Goodridge, |
| be learning the track if they spent an entire | | | | SIRIUS Satellite Radio, and Mechanix Wear. |
| month at Lime Rock Park. According to him, in a | | | | More than any other brand of automobiles, Mazda |
| tenth of a second around, this track is really | | | | vehicles have the most numbers on road-race |
| something and making a clean pass in this track is | | | | tracks on any given weekends. It race cars are |
| quite difficult with the field as close as it is. | | | | MX-5 Miata, RX-8, MAZDA3, MAZDA6, RX-7 and |
| Having qualified 18th, the #69 would begin the | | | | other vintage Mazda models with top of the line |
| race from the 9th row. | | | | Mazda mud flap. Every Mazda vehicle has the soul |
| With Armengol in the car, after dropping back to | | | | of a sports car that is why more Mazdas are |
| 22nd early, the #69 reached 14th slot an hour | | | | seen on the track than any other brands. |
| into the 2.5 hour long race. In almost the midway | | | | The fastest growing road-racing class in the U.S. is |
| point of the race, Dan Allen took the controls of | | | | the SCCA's Spec Miata class. It has almost 1,500 |
| the SpeedSource RX-8. Unfortunately, during a pit | | | | first- and second-generation Miatas that tear up |
| stop, the team went a lap down to the leading | | | | America's racetracks. This made the car the |
| racers. The team never gave up despite dropping | | | | most-raced production car in the entire world. |
| all the way back as the 24th and one lap back as | | | | Mazda's link in motorsports is extended with |
| Allen posted lap times as compared to the leaders | | | | Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, which is one of the |
| of the race. In the later part of the game, the | | | | premier road-racing circuits in the world, and the |
| #69 would make it all the way back to run in 11th | | | | Skip Barber Schools for driving and racing. |