And something is rotten, it appears, in Topeka.

Here are some relevant quotes:

Dear MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development Team Member,

Now that the 2007 racing season has concluded, I want to thank each of you for your efforts this year. The results speak for themselves:

* Five SCCA Runoffs Championships
* Four NASA National Championships
* 14 SCCA Solo Championships
* Two NASA Time Trial Championships
* SCCA SPEED World Challenge Touring Car - Manufacturers Championship
* SCCA SPEED World Challenge Touring Car - Drivers Championship
* SCCA SPEED World Challenge Touring Car - Crew of the Year
* Additional race wins in GrandAm GT & NHRA Sport Compact Drags
* Strong support of our ladder program in karting, Skip Barber, Star Mazda, and Atlantic, plus our MX-5 Cup series.

As you know, more people road-race Mazdas than any other brand. Grassroots motorsports is the foundation of the Mazda motorsports business, and we have thousands of customers like you to thank.

As we prepare our 2008 plans, I feel it important to solicit feedback from our most important partners - you. To achieve this, we have created a survey that asks you where you race, with which sanctioning body, how often and where you think our focus for the future should be. The survey can be accessed from a link at the bottom of this e-mail. Please take the time to consider your needs, as it will greatly influence where we place our collective efforts in 2008 and beyond.

Without rehashing old news, many of you know that MAZDASPEED and the leadership/management of the Sports Car Club of America have had some difficult situations recently, including some unfortunate comments being made to members of my staff. These difficulties have affected many of our team members, and we have been working through them with your best interest as our #1 priority. We hope to work towards commons goals and will be meeting with the SCCA leadership in early December. While I cannot speak as to the SCCA goals, the Mazda goal is simple - satisfying our customers.

Again, thank you for your support in making MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development a great success and Mazda a success in the market place. We value your business and loyalty.

Robert T. Davis
Senior Vice President
Product Development & Quality

and the pertinent survey quotes:

As some of you may know, MAZDASPEED Motorsports and the leadership/management of the Sports Car Club of America (the Club) have had some difficult situations recently. Earlier this year, SCCA approved a suspension option package (MS-R) for the Mazda MX-5 for SSB class competition in 2007. Within two months, after some of our Mazda racers had purchased a 2007 MX-5, the option package, and raced with the option package, SCCA wrongly decided the package would not be legal for competition in 2007.
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In October of this year at the SCCA Runoffs, one of our MAZDASPEED staff, there to support the Mazda competitiors at the event, was told by a prominent member of SCCA’s Board of Directors that “SCCA doesn’t need Mazda and Mazda doesn’t need SCCA". As you can imagine we were shocked that the club leadership felt this way about MAZDASPEED involvement.
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Normally in the course of business relationships, when someone discounts your contribution to the point of saying we don’t need you, you take your business elsewhere. While that was our first reaction, it doesn’t take into consideration you, our customers and team members. These difficulties have affected many of our Mazda Team Support members and we have been working through them with your best interest as our #1 priority.
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The long term commitment MAZDASPEED has made to our members and the results of these support programs has benefited Mazda as well. Mazda’s market share for street vehicles among club members is 3 times our industry average. Mazda is the most raced brand within the club, in fact over 50% based on the latest results. We benefit greatly by having team members as advocates for our vehicles as family and friends ask you what car to purchase. For all this support, we thank you.
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Please read the following five (5) statements carefully and decide which one fits your feelings the best, then respond by clicking the box next to that statement. Please respond to only one link and respond only once. We would also appreciate any comments and suggestions you have on the matter and have provided a comment section for you to give any feedback. If you would like to copy any leadership of the club on your response, please feel free to do so. We suggest that your forward your comments to the National office as well as your local SCCA Region Executive.
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While these choices don’t go into specific detail, they will give us an indication of the direction you (our customer) would like us to take and where we should apply our support. Please understand any support not given to SCCA in the future will still be invested into amateur (grass roots) racing. Our vision is to expand our position in this area, not pull back.
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Again, thank you for your support in making MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development a great success and Mazda a success in the market place. We value your business and loyalty.

and from an article in Autoweek...

"Even so, 2007 was better than 2006, says Jim Julow, former Dodge executive and now SCCA president and CEO. "I think we learned a ton last year. Probably the most obvious is in the track changes this year. Lap times are down, speeds are up, the fun factor is higher."

Manufacturer participation seemed reasonably healthy. Mazda, Honda, General Motors, Toyota and Goodyear had a full public-relations presence, but even some of those manufacturers thought the SCCA had issues to address. Robert Davis, Mazda senior vice president and head of the company's racing program, said his company is "trying to spread our support more evenly among the SCCA and [the National Auto Sport Association]. SCCA is better known, but I would say right now NASA is better run."

NASA is the SCCA's biggest competitor and seems to appeal to a younger demographic. Julow admits that there's room for improvement. "We're still struggling to get membership where we want it, and we're still struggling to get participation in club racing. Our rally program is up, solo is up, but club racing this year was off a few percentage points, and that's not good, and we're down here at the Runoffs about the same number, 5 or 6 percent."


So, what the hell is going on here???????

I know that the club has extended dubious allowances to the Solstaces, and that the Mazda package was allowed, then disallowed, which on the suface, seems unfair. Be that as it may, (thats a whole discussion/ issue itself,) what the hell is a BoD member doing telling Mazda they aren't needed!?!

Jeeez...the ONLY public exposere SCCA gets on TV is the Speedworld challenge and the Runoffs. Mazda puts big money into the Touring Car class in the Speed series, and pays major bucks to run tons of advertising on the programs. Without thier financlail backing, SCCA would be in a much different place, as Speed will NOT air those races without the needed income from advertisers. And if that goes away, so does SCCA's exposure in one quick snip....and that's certainly not what the club needs....less exposure!

Now, I don't want to be unreasonable, and make uninformed decisions, so.....Who said it, and in what context???