Road safety is part of Mazda’s top priority list. Since the chances of meeting an accident on the road are pretty high compared to having one on air or at sea, it’s only right for them to devote their time in developing reliable safety features for their cars. And through its ASV Project, Mazda is hoping to be able to accomplish that.

Starting March 11, 2008, Mazda will begin conducting road trials using its Mazda ASV-4. These road trials will be done in conjunction with the MLIT’s (Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transportation) Advanced Safety Vehicle (ASV) Promotion Plan. The project aims to lessen road accidents through the use of ASV technologies. As of this date, Mazda has undergone three test phases, with the fourth phase being the most recent. From the first three phases, Mazda was able to develop the rear vehicle monitoring system that helps alert drivers of approaching vehicles from the rear. It also enabled them to come up with their own Precrash Safety System that allows the vehicle to detect oncoming roadblocks, alert the driver and stop the vehicle if necessary. For the forth phase of the testing, Mazda will work on establishing a “safe driving support system” that will allow vehicles to communicate with one another. Through this, Mazda is hoping to be able to alert drivers of approaching vehicles at intersections or roads with limited visibility thus preventing collisions and other type of accidents.

Ever since it was established by the MLIT in 1991, the ASV Project has continuously worked on creating safety systems for vehicles to ensure the protection of motorists. It’s nice to know that a big car company like Mazda is involved in this type of project. It just shows that they have their client’s interest and welfare in mind.

Sources: Mazda

For seasoned British racer Jonny Baker, winning is not everything as the experience also contributes much for a race to be remembered as something great. This is what he believed in after going home with trophies but instead took home valuable memories in Goodyear’s 2008 Star Mazda Championship held in Florida this last week.

At a young age of 23, Buckinghamshire-native Baker has always been on top of the league back in his country. In the UK Formula Ford Championship, he successfully pocketed an overall ninth and fifth spots in 2006 and 2005, respectively. In another event dubbed as the British Racing Drivers’ Club Single-Seater Championship, Baker bagged the silver for the Class B in 2004.

 Things had a different turn, however, in the Star Mazda. Baker suddenly became a new face in the crowd – in the Andersen Racing F2000 Team. Moreover, the young lad had to face far different tracks that trailed from the United States to the borders of neighboring Canada. At the end of it all, Baker came home empty-handed as he did not win in any races but despite of that, he still considered this Andersen Racing Team as one of the best he had in years.

“I learned an awful lot about myself this year, living in another country away from family and friends, but everybody at Andersen Racing made sure that I had the best year of my life,” said Baker. “Dan Andersen runs a very professional team that has a family-like core to it. If I were just here on my own it would have been a long year, but it wasn’t anything like that; the time just flew. The whole team is made up of an amazing bunch of people!”

Going beyond just driving the car was also one of the pointers Baker got through this experience. He learned a lot about Mazda Parts as he had to work closely with his engineers all the time.

For now, Baker is back in his homeland and continues to harness his skills on and off the racing track.

Details from Auto Racing Daily.