Mazda Motorsports has added a new member to the team who will be supporting the company’s entire motorsports program with a focus on grassroots racing. Josh Smith will help build Mazda Motorsports’ competition parts selection, be available to competitors on the phone for parts and technical consultations, and support Mazda racers at many race events, including SCCA Majors and NASA National events.

Smith, formerly of Spec Miata prep shop Panic Motorsports, will be traveling to the SCCA Southeast Majors events, many Hoosier Super Tour events, and others. While the on-hand work will be focused in the Southeast, what is learned will translate to the entire motorsport program.

The announcement is part of a move to establish a support program based in the Southeast, according to Mazda Motorsports Manager of Business Development David Cook, who will be locating to Florida as part of the initiative. Steve Strickland of Mazda Motorsports will be providing parts support.

“No other auto manufacturer is doing this. This effort will help us bolster our parts offerings, enhance our contingency program, and simply provide better overall support to all of our racers and shops,” Cook said.

Smith says he’s looking forward to making the most of this opportunity with Mazda Motorsports and the development of the program. “I’m really excited to be a part of Mazda,” he says. “I race Spec Miata myself, and I own an RX-7. Being able to help people on a broader scale, rather than just someone who walks into the shop, and to have access to the information to help is what I’m looking forward to the most.”