Circuit City will renew its Marketing partnership with Protomotive Racing to compete in the 2004 SCCA SPEED World Challenge Touring Car Championship and also the 2004 Formula Drift series. This marks the third year of this relationship.

"We are so excited to continue our partnership with Circuit City," said team Owner Joe Jordan. "They want to reach a young, enthusiastic audience, and I am glad that Circuit City recognizes that Protomotive's Motorsports programs offer a unique and effective way to target this audience."

In addition, Sony will also join the team to promote its Consumer Electronics Brands. This will be the first year that the Sony brand partners with Protomotive. Jordan added, "We are working with two of the best brands in the world with Circuit City and Sony, and we look forward to delivering excellent results both on and off the race track."

The Circuit City/Sony effort will include both a Mazda6 in Speed World Challenge Touring and a Mazdaspeed MX 5 Miata in the exciting new Formula Drift series. These series are both well known and followed closely by the young audience that both companies want to reach. No matter what a young fan's passion, the Circuit City/Sony Mazda's will be there fighting for a win.

Toyo Supports Drift Effort

Toyo Tires has agreed to supply tires for the Circuit City/Sony Mazdaspeed Miata MX 5 Drift team. Toyo, long regarded as a leader in Ultra High Performance tires, will support the team at all Formula D events. In addition, the team will do Drift Demonstration at a wide variety of events including some of the SCCA SPEED World Challenge and American Le Mans Series weekends.

Scott Bradley Will Drive

SCCA SPEED Touring Car veteran Scott Bradley, 27, will join Circuit City/Protomotive team to drive both cars. Bradley is a former Champion of the Star Mazda Pro Series and has done a partial season for two years in SCCA SPEED Touring Car.

"Scott has demonstrated not only speed, but an ability to win both races and Championships," states Jordan. "Bradley is the real deal, and brings the complete package to our program."

This will be the first time that Bradley has a full season program put together at the start of the season. "Scott will have the security of knowing that he is part of the team all year. He can focus his energy on the season as a whole and not just today's race. We think this will help Scott take his place at the front of the field consistently," said Jordan. "Things are really shaping up well, and Scott fits perfectly. We also wanted someone with an extensive Mazda history, and Scott has that too."

Drifting will be a new challenge for Bradley. The top drifters from Japan come from a variety of backgrounds, and Bradley's experience in a wide range of cars should help him make a quick transition. Accurate, dynamic car control is essential in Drifting and these skills have been honed by Bradley in his driving career. From Karts through Formula Mazda to driving an LMP 675 car in the American Le Mans series, Bradley has excelled.

"The Mazdaspeed MX 5 Miata is going to be an interesting challenge," said Bradley. "The car has awesome turbocharged horsepower, and I think we are going to shock some people! I think the Circuit City/Sony car with Toyo's unbelievable Ultra High performance Tires will be fun to watch."

Two Cars Bring Two Challenges

Protomotive faces a big challenge getting new cars built for the 2004 Season. Construction on the Mazdaspeed MX 5 Miata drift car is making good progress. The new Mazda6 Touring Car will be next up on the team's surface plate.

The team will start the season with its trusty Mazda Protégé. "We hope to have the new Mazda6 make its debut in May at Lime Rock," said Jordan. "Until then, the Protégé has demonstrated its competitiveness and it's a sorted package to start the season."