Mazdaspeed prezinta Grand-Am GT RX-8 Racing Car

Mazdaspeed Motorsports Development and Florida-based SpeedSource will produce a Grand American Road Racing Association Rolex Series GT-class Mazda RX-8 that will make its competition debut during the 2006 Grand Am season.

"Developing a Grand AM GT-legal car is the next step in expanding our already successful Grand Am program," said Steve Sanders, manager of Mazdaspeed Motorsports Development, in a statement.

The Grand Am GT RX-8 is based on a tube-frame chassis jointly developed by SpeedSource and Riley Technologies and powered by Mazda's three-rotor 20B rotary engine. A turnkey GT racer from SpeedSource will start at $280,000 and include chassis, full drivetrain and engine management system, suspension, wheels, tires, and bodywork.

Mazdaspeed will also carry the Downing/Atlanta carbon-fiber body panels and the 20B racing engine on a made-to-order basis. It says it will "offer a lucrative contingency awards program for the RX-8 in Grand-Am GT for the 2006 season."

What this means to you: This is a logical extension of the Mazdaspeed motorsports program and a little something for racing fans to look forward to.