Is Mazda ready to race the MX-5 locally?
Quick: What’s the most raced brand in America’s grassroots racing scene? If you’re thinking Toyota, Nissan or Subaru, then you’re wrong. It’s Mazda. According to 2015 figures of the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA), Mazda is the preferred brand by grassroots racers a whopping 55 percent of the time (it’s closer to 60 percent now)—and at the cornerstone of all that is the MX-5.
Recognized as the world’s most raced production car, Mazda realized the importance of producing a race-ready MX-5 straight from the factory. Mazda Motorsports, Mazda’s in-house racing division, tapped into the engineering talents in its biggest market, the US, to produce a turnkey racer. Teaming up with Long Road Racing in North Carolina, the result is the MX-5 Global Cup car. Removing the cost of having to engineer and fabricate racing parts, it allows racers to focus on what matters the most: racing.
All MX-5 Global Cup cars are identical. They start as complete MX-5 road cars shipped from Hiroshima, Japan before being transported to Long Road Racing. There, they are transformed into a complete race car. The process includes disassembly of the production car, followed by welding, painting, as well as installation of a full roll cage and racing interior, and then assembly of the race car with more than 250 motorsport-specific parts. Components such as the engine (the 2.0-liter Skyactiv-G), transmission and limited slip differential are sealed to ensure even competition. In fact, homologation is taken seriously in that 200 components are documented, cataloged and photographed to form a “vehicle passport.”
Aside from being provided with ready-to-race MX-5s, Global Cup racers also have the benefit of dedicated on-site team support at every race. This includes technical support and driver coaching as well as parts sales and service along with professional marketing and PR. There is even an option for drivers to rent a drive for a race weekend or a full season with an experienced, professional team at their disposal.
Currently, the MX-5 Global Cup runs in two countries, US and Japan. It follows a 45-minute race format with two races per weekend in the US and one race per weekend in Japan. The winners then get to compete at a global finale at the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California where a total of US $120,000 (roughly P6,000,000) in prize money is at stake. Recognized as an entry-level professional racing series, the global champion also gets US $200,000 (roughly P10,100,000) in racing scholarship and possibly a step into higher levels of motorsports be it open-wheeled or touring cars. For instance, the 2016 global champion got a one-day test in Mazda’s top-level IMSA (International Motor Sports Association) prototype racer.
Reiterating its commitment in developing grassroots racing in the country, the Philippines may become the third country to join the MX-5 Global Cup.
No stranger to the Philippine motorsports scene, Bermaz Auto Philippines, the exclusive distributor of Mazda vehicles and parts in the country, backed up Michele Bumgarner’s Road to Indy quest in 2013. Then, they’ve forged a partnership with Edwin Rodriguez whose Mazda2 Skyactiv won the Philippine Touring Car Championship Division 3 both as a privateer and as a factory-backed driver. Most recently, they’ve cemented a long-term relationship with the Automobile Association of the Philippines’ (AAP) Motor Sports Development Program (MSDP).
Steven Tan, Bermaz Auto Philippines’ president and CEO says the company is currently evaluating the feasibility of bringing the MX-5 Global Cup into the country. Tan believes the MX-5 Global Cup is a cost-effective means to hold a globally recognized professional level motorsports racing series in the country.
“Why fix if it ain’t broke?” he said. “The Mazda MX-5 Global Cup has proven itself to be a great viable racing series in both US and Japan. We already have two great race tracks in the country [Batangas Racing Circuit and the Clark International Speedway], so it’s just making sure that the Global Cup series is viable for us here as well. We have to make sure it’s sustainable not just for Bermaz Auto Philippines, but for the racers as well.”
His statement is echoed by Takahiro Kobayakawa from Mazda’s Brand Strategy Department in charge of Global Sales and Marketing, who flew in to witness the finale of the Miata Cup at the Clark International Speedway.
“The Mazda MX-5 provides great performance at an affordable price. This is backed up by the fact that more than 3,000 MX-5s are currently being used for racing. With the Mazda MX-5 Global Cup, we are making it easier for aspiring professional road racers to get involved. The Philippine setting is no different from US or Japan since there are a lot of talented racing drivers here. All they need is the right platform to get involved. We believe this racing series could suit their needs.”
Currently, the MX-5 Global Cup car costs US $58,900 (roughly P2,993,950) excluding the racing seat and shipping fees.
