New Zealand Production Series
Production Racing Zoom-Zoom Style
Mazda New Zealand’s return to motor racing couldn’t have gone any better, with its factory-backed Mazda3 MPS taking out the 2007-2008 NZ Production Racing Series Championship (Class B) and continuing this form through the 2008-2009 season at the hands of driver Gene Rollinson.
The 2007-2008 result and performance to date in the 2008-2009 mark a successful return to
racing for Mazda New Zealand, with the Mazda3 MPS the company’s first factory
entry into motor racing since the early 90s.
Powered by a direct injected engine, the 2.3-litre DISI turbocharged Mazda3 MPS (MPS standing for Mazda Performance Series) has been referred to as a pocket rocket, and was the obvious vehicle for Mazda to enter into the championship.
“Although Mazda vehicles such as the RX-7 and RX-8 feature prominently on race tracks around the country, the 2007-2008 season was the debut performance by a Mazda3 MPS. And we are delighted to see that it has been joined by additional Mazda3 MPS entries for the 2008-2009 season, providing great testimony that this car is ideally suited to the Production Racing environment. The bright blue vehicle emblazoned with Zoom-Zoom has certainly been visible, and thanks to Gene’s awesome performance most of the time it was tearing around the track with other vehicles trailing behind,” says Andrew Clearwater, managing director at Mazda New Zealand.
The Production Racing Series Championship provides a format for competition between virtually road standard cars, the sort of cars available on any dealer's forecourt throughout New Zealand.
There are three classes to ensure a wide spectrum and variety of cars and manufacturers. Class A is for 0-1600 cc normally aspirated vehicles or two wheel drive configuration. Class B (the class Mazda contested) contains two wheel drive cars from 1601cc – 3500cc that are naturally aspirated as well as two wheel drive turbo cars up to 2300cc. Class C hosts the four wheel drive fire breathing turbo cars up to 2000 cc plus the naturally aspirated four wheel cars up to 3500cc.
Young Auckland driver Gene Rollinson was born to race. With the enthusiastic support of his parents, Gene had his first taste of motorised power before he was five, and was racing a kart by the time he was seven. In his more than twelve years of racing karts, he claimed five New Zealand Championship titles among other class wins.
This experience in karting set him up for successful tours in the open-wheel Formula Challenge Series in 2003 and in 2005 he landed a drive in the Petronas Formula Malaysia Grand Prix where he returned a very credible performance on the challenging 5.5km Sepang Circuit.
Prior to stepping into the Mazda3 MPS in the 2008-2009 Production Racing Series, Gene was invited to drive an Australian V8 Supercar in the Fujitsu Series at Winton Raceway in Australia for the Prodigy Motorsport team. Despite not having ever competed on this track before or behind the wheel of a V8 supercar, Gene was the talk of the town finishing 9th-place overall for the round.
A week after his V8 debut in Australia, Gene left for Germany to drive with the class-winning Kiwi Team Nurburgring at the 2007 Nurburgring 24-Hour Race. Of his four co-drivers competing in a FWD Type-R Honda Civic prepared to Group N specifications, Gene was quickest around the 27km track and qualified the car and crossed the finish line 24-hours later placed 60th from the 230 entries, including outright Class N honours.
With this legacy of achievement preceding him, Mazda New Zealand is absolutely delighted to have Gene behind the wheel of the factory Mazda3 MPS and look forward to many more successes against the ledger of this very talented driver.
