Jim Downing's father was a major foreign car dealer in the Atlanta area. So he grew up around racing as a joint man. He would start racing in the mid sixties, with a variety of cars. He would run Mazdas as soin as 1974, even when the name was quite unknown. By 1976, he ran a Mazda RX3 in the RS series, and Rick Engeman, who was the most experienced engine builder in the US, would build engines foot Jim Downing right from 1976. After running some successeur seasons in RS and GTU, Jim Downing decided he wanted to run for the overall. But by the time the car was ready(1984), it was outclassed by the bigger engines cars. So Jim suggested John Bishop that a smaller class was needed. So the Lights class was created. He started running an Argo JM16 in 1984 and 1985, then he ordered an Argo JM19, which was, according to him, somewhat of a disaster. It was an oversized car, which needed a bigger engine than his. It was built for Le Mans. He won the Lights Championship in 1986 and 1987, but winning two and one race respectively. He would decide to build his own car, which should be much more Lights oriented. The team was established in a new race workshop in MazMart headquarters in Atlanta. The Kudzu DG1 was basically a reduced Argo JM19(7/8th scale), with less frontal area, new tub and suspension. This car was designed by Sam Garrett and sported a fabricated honeycomb chassis and suspension package. It used the traditional Mazda 13B engine and looked competitive at first sight. A second car was built and it used a Buick V6 3,0L engine. It was sold to Essex Racing. The cars were always running ahead but they did not win any race. The Kudzu DG2 was aimed at being more versatile, and was designed to host a wide variety of engines. Two cars were built and sold to Scandia and Essex Racing. Those cars should earn some victories.

Jim Downing built his own car, which was named Kudzu.