PEAK Pole Award for Star Mazda
PEAK Performance Products, an IZOD IndyCar Series partner, is also the presenter of the PEAK Performance Awards in the USF2000 National Championship powered by Mazda, which consist of year-end cash prizes to the two drivers who accumulate the most 'fast race laps' in both the Championship and National Classes.
"We're delighted to welcome powerhouse brand like PEAK Performance Products as a partner of the Star Mazda Championship and the Mazda Road to Indy," says series founder and President Gary Rodrigues. "We view this partnership as a significant development both because it creates added income, exposure and opportunity for our top-performing drivers and because it's another indicator of a clearly-visible trend that was part of the original planning for the Mazda Road to Indy – the migration of not just drivers, but also teams and commercial partners, to all areas of the program. We have drivers moving up to Indy Lights and IndyCar, IndyCar teams running programs in our series and USF2000, Star Mazda teams expanding in to USF2000 and Indy Lights; and now we have IndyCar partners recognizing the marketing value of the Mazda Road to Indy. Open-wheel racing is definitely on the right track… and accelerating."
Known for its trademarked "When you PEAK, you Win" slogan, the PEAK Performance family of products has been involved in motorsports for over 30 years. Products include PEAK® Antifreeze, PEAK® Motor Oil, PEAK® Electronics, PEAK® Wiper Blades, HERCULINER Truck Bed Liners, and BlueDEF™ Diesel Exhaust Fluid. BlueDEF™ is the fastest growing eco-friendly functional fluid in the North American heavy duty marketplace and is expected to reach more than one billion gallons of yearly consumer demand over the next decade. PEAK products are marketed in 30 countries around the world.
"We recognized years ago the value in partnering with the IndyCar Series to promote our line of high quality PEAK automotive products, and this new announcement with the Star Mazda Championship will build on that longstanding partnership," said Jerry Riccioni, Senior Vice President of Retail Sales for Old World Industries, maker of PEAK products. "The IndyCar Series, and now the Mazda Road to Indy, has never been better positioned for growth, and we're excited to be a part of that. PEAK has an industry-leading line of premium quality automotive products to offer to consumers, and we look forward to getting those products in front of a growing open-wheel racing fan base."
In addition to new the PEAK Performance Pole Award, the Star Mazda Championship's other corporate partners also present awards with a total value of $1.2 million to the drivers and teams, both at the races and the year-end banquet. The series champion receives $100,000 in cash and scholarship funding from the Mazda Road to Indy valued in excess of $600,000 to move up and compete in the Indy Lights series. Drivers finishing 2nd through 15th divide approximately $500,000 in prize money. Rookie of the year gets $10,000, the top-3 teams in the championship divide $30,000 and the top-3 finishers in the Expert Series Championship split a $30,000 pot.
Goodyear provides two sets of new Goodyear Eagle radial racing tires to be given away at each race to a pair of drivers selected at random during the first driver's meeting of the weekend. And Performance Friction Products provides a set of brake pads at each race, also given to a randomly-selected driver.
Prizes awarded at the year-end banquet include the Quartermaster "Clutch Performer Award" ($,5000) to the driver scoring the most points n the final six races of the season; The BBS 'Hard Charger Award" (merchandise valued at $5,000) to the driver who gains the most places in total from the beginning to end of the races; The VP Fuel "Most Improved Driver Award" ($5,000) to the competitor who has shown the most growth and improvement as a driver; the Performance Friction Company "Crew Member of the Year Award" ($1,500) to the team member who has done a consistently outstanding job throughout the season; and the President's Cup, also known as the "Spirit of the Star Mazda Championship Award" ($2,500) to the person who most typifies the qualities and character that the Star Mazda Championship values and promotes.