MAZDASPEED has announced that Team Sahlen will be campaigning two Mazda RX-8s in the 2010 ROLEX Grand American Sports Car Series. Team Sahlen will be a fielding a full contingent of drivers who have contributed to Mazda Championships through the years. For the No. 43 RX-8, the father and son duo of Joe and Wayne Nonnamaker will co-driver together. Joe Sahlen and Will Nonnamaker will be partnered in the No. 42 RX-8.
The number one goal for Team Sahlen in 2010 is to be a contributing factor in assisting Mazda win the ROLEX GT Manufacturer's Crown.
"Having first raced Mazdas in 1993, it brings a fondness to me to come full circle and be partnered with MAZDASPEED again," said team patriarch Joe Nonnamaker. "Mazda had a close bond with their teams then and that relationship is very much in evidence today. In fact, my working relationship was with Steve Sanders during the 1990's, and to this day Steve is still a significant part of MAZDASPEED. To be partnered with SpeedSource is fantastic. We have long term relationship with Sylvain that has always proven to be a beneficial, both on and off the track."
Added teammate Joe Sahlen, "I am very excited about the transition of our team to being fully integrated into the MAZDASPEED family. In 2007, we aligned our KONI ST program with Mazda by converting our campaign to be a SpeedSource RX-8. I have thoroughly enjoyed driving the Mazda in the KONI series. And now I am looking forward to the same level of zoom, zoom driving experience with the GT class RX-8."
In addition to campaigning in the ROLEX series with MAZDASPEED, Team Sahlen will continue to race their SpeedSource Mazda RX-8s in the KONI Challenge Series during 2010. Both the GT and ST class Mazdas will be identically painted in the Team Sahlen red, black and yellow branding that fans have become so familiar with over the years.