December 13, 2002

To All Star Formula Mazda Racers:

The following is an overview of the rules for the 2003 Star Mazda Series. Since there are now several Star Mazda Series running throughout North America, and there may be local variations, we suggest you clear up any questions you may have with Series officials for the specific series you run. These provisions apply to the North American Championship and the Star Mazda Series – West, as indicated.

For 2003, the Star Mazda Series North American Championship consists of nine races, all of which will be broadcast on Speed Channel. Eight of the races are scheduled with the American Le Mans Series, one is with CART. All are sanctioned by IMSA. North American Championship races require IMSA licenses for drivers and crews.

The Star Mazda Series – West, for 2003, is made up of eleven races, scheduled on eight weekends, three of which coincide with the Speed Channel broadcast, North American Championship. Those three races will be IMSA-sanctioned and require IMSA credentials. The other five weekends of racing are SCCA Nationals and will require the usual SCCA driver and crew licenses. Only the best nine results for each West Series driver will be counted for championship points.

Except for IMSA-sanctioned events, the Series will be governed by SCCA General Competition Rules and Formula Car specifications for Formula Mazda, which may be periodically amended in “Fastrack,” plus Series and event Supplemental Regulations. The Star Mazda Series may add, clarify, or change the rules as needed at any time, through the Series Supplemental Regulations, bulletins, or general announcements at the events. At IMSA-sanctioned events, IMSA rules will prevail in the event of rules conflict, except as amended by specific Series Supplemental Regulations, bulletins, or announcements. Each competitor is responsible for having a current set of rules and to be familiar with those rules.

To qualify for championship points and year-end prizes, drivers must register with each Star Mazda Series they wish to enter and have paid up accounts with Star Race cars. Points will be awarded for each Series based on the finishing order in each Series race, counting only that Series’ drivers starting the race. The top 35 drivers shall be credited Series points in order as follows:  1^st – 44, 2^nd – 40, 3^rd – 37, 4^th – 34, 5^th – 32, 6^th – 30, 7^th – 29, 8^th – 28, 9^th – 27, 10^th – 26, 11^th – 25, 12^th – 24, 13^th – 23, 14^th – 22, 15^th – 21, 16^th – 20, 17^th – 19, 18^th – 18, 19^th – 17, 20^th – 16, 21^st – 15, 22^nd – 14, 23^rd – 13, 24^th – 12, 25^th – 11, 26^th – 10, 27^th – 9, 28^th – 8, 29^th – 7, 30^th – 6, 31^st – 5, 32^nd – 4, 33^rd – 3, 34^th – 2, 35^th – 1. A bonus point will be awarded for the fastest qualifying driver at each Series race.

Drivers may register with each Series using the forms attached. A fee of $750 is due for each North American Championship or West Series driver entry. There is no additional charge for a qualified Series-entered driver to also enter the Masters or Experts class. Fees are paid once each year and must be on hand with the Series Registrar before qualifying starts for a Series race to be counted.

Drivers who have had their 45^th birthday before March 1, 2003, may enter the Masters Class. Drivers in the North American Championship who have had their 30^th birthday, but have not yet had their 45^th, by March 1, 2003, may enter the Expert Class. Masters or Expert drivers in each Series will be scored separately in addition to the normal Series scoring. Standings will be published from race to race and year-end awards will go to the top five drivers in each championship. Points in the Master’s and Expert’s categories are awarded:  1^st – 20, 2^nd – 16, 3^rd – 14, 4^th – 12, 5^th – 11, 6^th – 10, 7^th – 9, 8^th – 8, 9^th – 7, 10^th – 6, 11^th – 5, 12^th – 4, 13^th  – 3, 14^th – 2, 15^th – 1.

The points payout for the 2003 Star Mazda Series North American Championship is listed below. The 2003 Star Mazda Series – West pays the top 15 drivers by dividing the year-end points fund based on the total points scored by those drivers and calculating the dollars per point. The greater the participation, the bigger the fund. In 2002, the points fund totaled $42,000.

2003 North American Championship:  1^st – New Star Formula Mazda Pro Car; 2^nd $25,000, 3^rd - $15,000, 4^th - $12,000, 5^th - $11,000, 6^th $10,000, 7^th - $9,000, 8^th - $8,000, 9^th - $7,000, 10^th - $6,000, 11^th - $5,000, 12^th - $4,000, 13^th - $3,000, 14^th - $2,000, 14^th - $1,000, plus Rookie of the Year - $5,000 bonus.

As in the past, Series races are open to any driver with the appropriate competition license for the event, driving a Star Race Cars Formula Mazda that is in compliance with Series Rules. Star Race Cars will attend and support customers at each of the North American Championship and West Series Races scheduled.  NOTE:  Open testing is usually available the day before all Series races, through the track or race promoter. Private testing is prohibited at Series tracks, one week before each race.

The North American Championship Awards permanent car numbers based on previous participation. Contact Tony Rodrigues if you wish to confirm your numbers for any event. Tony is in charge of timing and scoring and also feeds information to the press, announcer, and scoreboard. Make sure he has approved your transponder, car number, and other scoring info. His contact information is listed on the officials list.

If you have questions about the Series, entries, licenses, or any forms, feel free to contact our office – 818-686-3350. Much of what you need can be downloaded from IMSA, SCCA, and Star Mazda’s web sites.

The Series will award Goodyear tires, free of charge, to a driver or drivers determined by random drawing at each race. To be eligible to win the tires, the driver must be properly registered in the Series, entered in the Series race, and not have previously won free tires in this year’s program. Tires are usually drawn for at a drivers’ meeting and the driver must be present at the time of the drawing to win.

Technical questions are usually best directed to Todd Cook, either by phone or in person at the track. Please raise any issues you may have in mind as far in advance as possible. The Series takes a dim view toward attempts to “trap” someone at the last instant with something that could have been easily resolved, with reasonable notice.

We would like to acknowledge and thank the sponsors whose steadfast support has been so essential to our continued growth, especially Mazda North American Operations and Goodyear. Things continue to get bigger and better every year within the Star Mazda Series format. Your input through survey responses and in person has been very helpful. Please let us know whenever you have a suggestion.

See you at the races!

Sincerely,

Gary E. Rodrigues