Round 7 of the GRAND-AM series was held in upstate New York at Watkins Glen International on June 30th, where, in the GX class, the #00 VISIT FLORIDA Mazda6 SKYACTIV-D Racing entry (Joel Miller/Tristan Nunez/Yojiro Terada) took a commanding win. It was the fourth consecutive victory for the Mazda6 since its debut win in May's Road Atlanda round, with the #00 car having notched up a trio of those triumphs. This latest accolade marks significant progress towards this year's championship title aims.

Practice began on Friday, June 28th under wet conditions, though that had given way to sunny skies by the morning of race day, June 30th. Masses of fans from the surrounding cities of Buffalo and Rochester, as well as from New York City, thronged to the circuit to catch the race action and to sunbathe. For the previous three rounds, Mazda6 SKYACTIV-D Racing entries scored successive victories in the class's semi-endurance race format comprised of 2-hour, 45-minute tests. The Watkins Glen round, at six hours, was another challenge altogether. The #70 SpeedSource Mazda6 was running an aggressive setting, whereas the #00 car was set up with a focus on reliability and durability.

The race got underway at 11:00am, with the pole-sitting #70 Mazda6 leading the GX class as it carved its way into a group of more powerful GT cars ahead. Meanwhile, Yojiro Terada took the start in the #00 VISIT FLORIDA Mazda6 entry, employing a prudent strategy of keeping in touch with the bigger cars ahead. In the early laps, Terada-san could be seen circulating with the likes of Ferrari 458 and Porsche 911 GT3 machines. A little later on, on lap 59, the #70 Mazda6 encountered trouble with its drive system and was forced to stop at the side of the track. Driving the car at the time, Tom Long said, “It was completely unexpected. I went to shift up from fifth to sixth when there was a sudden and complete loss of drive. We will investigate the cause before the next race, and any necessary changes will be made.” Terada handed the car over to his fellow drivers Miller and Nunez, both of whom had strong stints on the trio's way to a decisive victory after six hours of hard racing. The #00 Mazda6 never once encountered trouble on its way to the finish line and the car's third class victory of the season.

Terada, who appeared in victory lane alongside the team's two Young Tigers, commented, “The pace was quick right from the start, though I managed not to get separated from the GT or DP (top category) entries. We are relieved to have made it to the flag without any difficulties. At 66 years of age, I'm probably the oldest driver here today (smiles), and it is a great honor to be able to receive a prize such as this.”