Mazda France have announced that they will enter four Mazda3s (known in Japan as the Mazda Axela) in the 2013-2014 season of the winter ice racing series, the Andros Trophy.

The Andros Trophy, an ice racing series held at ski resorts around France, will this year be held for the 25th time since its establishment in 1990. Its popularity has increased in recent years, due in part to being televised. This year's series is comprised of seven events, from Val Thorens, in the French Alps (Dec. 8th), to Andorra, on the Spanish border (Dec. 14th), Alpe d'Huez, again in the Alps (Dec. 21st), Isola 2000, near the Italian border (Jan. 11th), Saint-Dié-des-Vosges, near Germany (Jan. 18th), Lans en Vercors, in the Southern Alps (Jan. 25th), and the final race at Clermont-Ferrand (Feb 1st).

The ice race specification Mazda3s to be fielded by Team Mazda France will be driven by a mix of well known and gentleman drivers. Christian Beroujon and Philippe Marie have been nominated for the #12 car, Olivier Panis and Bérénice Demoustier for the #3 car, Benjamin Riviere and Laurent Barbieri for the #2 car, and Didier Thoral and Emmanuel Moinel for the #6 car. Riviere and Panis are already popular drivers in this series, having proven themselves by finishing last season in second and third places, respectively. Also, as the sole woman amid the manly stalwarts of Team Mazda France, Demoustier will bear a heavy responsibility. President of Mazda France, Philippe Geffroy, commented, “We at Mazda France are aiming for victory in the Andros Trophy. I think that the drivers on my team will certainly achieve this goal for us. Furthermore, I'm convinced that their participation will raise the profile of our new-model Mazda3.”