Courtesy INDYCAR.com

The Mazda Road to Indy will be featured as part of the “Mazda Motorsports Hour” which will debut in April on Discovery’s Velocity network.

The 2012 Star Mazda Championship presented by Mazda and the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship powered by Mazda schedules will be televised on a taped-delayed basis by the network, which will air 24 episodes through November.

“Hardcore fans know that some of the most intense action can be found in the Playboy MX-5 Cup, Star Mazda and Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship, but if you weren’t at the race, you are left to take our word for it,” said Jim Jordan, Alternative Marketing Manager, Mazda North America. “Now thanks to a partnership with Velocity, fans can enjoy the action on a regular basis from their living room.”

Content of the show will be a variety of Mazda-centric series, with an emphasis on either Star Mazda, USF2000 or the Playboy MX-5 Cup.

Award-winning broadcaster Rick Benjamin will host the “Mazda Motorsports Hour,” joined by 2011 IZOD IndyCar Series Rookie of the Year James Hinchcliffe as analyst for the Star Mazda and USF2000 race events. Benjamin’s Carolina Production Group will produce and distribute the “Mazda Motorsports Hour.”

“It’s an honor for our company to be selected once again to produce and place coverage of the Playboy MX-5 Cup, Star Mazda and USF2000 championships,” Benjamin said. “Our partnership with Velocity gives us a tremendous platform to showcase the incredible talents of young drivers and veterans alike who are taking full advantage of Mazda’s ladder system.”