– Second Annual Global Mazda MX-5 Cup Post-Season Event Offers $75,000 to Win, $110,000 Total Prize Pool –

IRVINE, Calif. (August 9, 2017) – Mazda Motorsports today announced open registration for the 2017 Global Mazda MX-5 Cup Challenge featuring a $110,000 prize pool, with $75,000 going to the overall winner. The two-race, total points event will be hosted at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca on October 12-15. Registration is now open at MazdaMotorsports.com to all racecar drivers around the world, excluding Mazda Motorsports’ factory drivers.

Previously known as the Global Mazda MX-5 Cup Invitational, this high-stakes challenge met success in its inaugural race last year, with 19 racers from the U.S., Japan, Australia, the U.K., Sweden, Poland, Germany and Switzerland competing. It was the first time in the history of professional MX-5 racing that Mazda Motorsports had organized a truly international race for some of sport’s best up-and-coming drivers.

“Mazda MX-5 racing is known to be intense, from grassroots to professional levels,” said David Cook, business development manager, Mazda Motorsports. “The Battery Tender Global Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich Tires is our signature spec sports car series within the U.S. It is our intention to make the Global MX-5 Cup Challenge the pinnacle of spec sports car racing in the world. Last year, our focus was to get this event off the ground and to showcase our brand-new car to racers and media beyond the U.S. Now, it’s about showing everyone what the top racers in the world can do in our Global MX-5 Cup car.”

Having delivered almost 150 Global Mazda MX-5 Cup cars, there will be ample opportunities for drivers to find or rent a seat to compete for the $75,000 first prize and get a head start on their 2018 season. Racers will need to have an INDYCAR license to compete, as it is the sanctioning body of MX-5 Cup.

Prizes:

·       First: $75,000

·       Second: $25,000

·       Third: $10,000

Format:

·       Two 45-minute races with points awarded.

·       Races will be run to the same sporting and technical regulations as regular season MX-5 Cup races.

Eligibility requirements: 

·       Interested racers must apply for, and receive approval for, an INDYCAR-issued MX-5 Cup license to compete. All Mazda teams are eligible to enter.

·       Complete details are posted at www.MazdaMotorsports.com

About the 2016 Global Mazda MX-5 Cup Invitational:

Nathanial “Sparky” Sparks added the title of Global Invitational Champion to his racing resume after having just been crowned the 2016 Battery Tender Global Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich Tires champion.

About MX-5 Cup:

The MX-5 Cup racecars 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.