Mazda announced the 2018 Battery Tender Global Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich Tires schedule. The schedule features four INDYCAR weekends, including a return to the popular Portland International Raceway, in Portland, Oregon, for the first time since 2008. The championship season will conclude in October at the Monticello Motor Club, just 90 minutes from New York City.
Each of the six weekends features two 45-minute races for a 12-race championship. The MX-5 Cup champion earns a $200,000 Mazda Road to 24 (MRT24) Scholarship. The Rookie-of-the-Year will earn a $75,000 MRT24 scholarship, making this the best value in sports car racing.
- March 23-25 | Circuit of the Americas | Austin, Texas | With Pirelli World Challenge
- April 20-22 | Barber Motorsports Park | Birmingham, Alabama| With Verizon IndyCar
- June 22-24 | Road America | Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin | With Verizon IndyCar
- July 27-29 | Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course | Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin| With Verizon IndyCar
- August 31-Sept. 2 | Portland International Raceway | Portland, Oregon | With Verizon IndyCar
- September 28-29 | Monticello Motor Club | Monticello, New York | Headliner
There will also be a pre-season “Spring Training” in conjunction with the Mazda Road to Indy at Barber Motorsports Park on March 3-4.
David Cook, Business Development Manager, Mazda Motorsports, noted that: “Our racers want bucket-list tracks, relatively short race weekends, and events spread apart by a few weeks since many also have very demanding professional non-motorsports career schedules. The 2018 schedule includes six tracks that meet these criteria. This will be our third season with the Global Mazda MX-5 Cup car and we will continue to add elements to bring more value to the racers, teams, and fans. We are working on details for a master’s class championship to be announced in the weeks ahead.”
About MX-5 Cup:
The MX-5 Cup race cars start as complete MX-5 Miata road cars from the Mazda Hiroshima, Japan, factory before being transported to engineering development partner Long Road Racing in Statesville, North Carolina, where they are converted into a race car. The process includes disassembly of the production car, welding and paint of a full roll cage and interior and assembly of the racecar, adding more than 250 motorsports-specific parts. Other components of the car, including the Mazda SKYACTIV-G 2.0-liter engine are sealed to ensure even competition and a cost-effective platform.
The Battery Tender Global Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich Tires is the signature spec series for the Mazda Road to 24 (#MRT24), the sports car counterpart to the Mazda Road to Indy (#MRTI). On both paths, Mazda-powered champions earn a Mazda scholarship to advance their career. The MX-5 Cup champion earns a $200,000 scholarship.
Information on the car is online at www.mazdamotorsports.com.
About Mazda Motorsports:
Mazda Motorsports boasts the most comprehensive auto racing development ladder system of any auto manufacturer in the world. The Mazda Road to 24 program offers a number of scholarships to advance drivers up the sports car racing ladder, beginning with the Global MX-5 Cup series and culminating with the Mazda Prototype team. The Mazda Road to Indy is a similar program that includes Mazda-powered categories of USF2000, Pro Mazda and Indy Lights. In grassroots road racing, more Mazdas race on any given weekend in North America than any other manufacturer. Mazda is also the title sponsor of the renowned Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California. Follow all of the latest news at MazdaMotorsports.com, @MazdaRacing on Twitter, and MazdaMotorsports on Instagram and Facebook.
Mazda North American Operations is headquartered in Irvine, California, and oversees the sales, marketing, parts and customer service support of Mazda vehicles in the United States and Mexico through nearly 600 dealers. Operations in Mexico are managed by Mazda Motor de Mexico in Mexico City. For more information on Mazda vehicles, including photography and B-roll, please visit the online Mazda media center at InsideMazda.MazdaUSA.com/Newsroom.