Price for the ND-based MX-5 Cup car will be announced on Thursday and eligible purchasers can place their order on that day.

Mazda will announce a special introductory price and begin to take orders of the new 2016 Mazda MX-5 Cup car, left-hand drive, on Thursday, October 1 by 11:00 AM Pacific Standard Time (2:00 PM Eastern Standard Time). Tune into MazdaMotorsports.com and on Mazda Motorsports’ social media outlets: @MazdaRacing (Twitter), @GlobalMX5Cup (Twitter) and MazdaMotorsports on Facebook.

The new Mazda MX-5 Cup car will be offered to customers as a complete, turn-key, homologated race car upon purchase (less the racing seat due to varying customer preference). They will be identically produced, and include sealed engines, differentials, transmissions, and ECUs. Additionally, many parts will contain a unique serial number to ensure the pedigree of each car.  Having a ready-to-race spec MX-5 Cup car removes the effort of engineering and costs of fabrication, enabling the racer to focus on racing.

The 2016 MX-5 Cup car will compete as the sole race car in the 2016 Mazda MX-5 Cup series. It will also be eligible to compete in club racing with the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) and National Auto Sport Association (NASA), as well as many track-day clubs. The 2016 MX-5 Cup car provides a rare opportunity for the top-level amateur racers to own one car to compete in both amateur and pro classes.

John Doonan, Director of Motorsports, Mazda North American Operations:
“From the launch of the 2016 MX-5 road car and MX-5 Cup car, the entire Mazda Motorsports team and our technical partners have been focused on the on- and off-track development process to provide the best value in sports car racing. Like all of Mazda’s grassroots racing programs, the pillar of the program is a fantastic and iconic road car. We believe that great street cars make great race cars. After that, it comes down to the key benefits to the customers: a solid and consistent level of technical support, as well as the best and most comprehensive contingency and scholarship program in the industry.

“Mazda has a great history in motorsports, especially with the MX-5 Miata. During the last seven months, we used the well-known Mazda race team, Long Road Racing, Mazda factory race drivers (Tom Long – the lead test driver – along with Andrew Carbonell and Kenton Koch), and gathered racer feedback to bring the final product to market. Once again, Mazda – a group of passionate racers ourselves – is building cars and support programs for our fellow racers. Now the green flag drops on a new chapter for Mazda Motorsports. We hope that many will come along for the ride.”

Glenn Long, owner and team principal of Long Road Racing, developer and builder of the race cars:
“As the development partner for the Mazda MX-5 Cup car, John Doonan gave us one overarching requirement: Do it right. And by ‘Do it right,’ John meant that the development process must satisfy our standards of excellence in all things we do. John gave us unparalleled access to Mazda’s engineering, design and technical staff. When you hear the core value of ‘One Mazda,’ our goals were truly executed with this approach.

“Working with three pre-production cars and selected industry leading consultants, we collected hundreds of hours of data via CAD, kinematics and compliance testing, plus dynamic shaker rig testing all on the cars. We paired the vast capabilities of computer modeling with thousands of on-track testing miles. We were able to test in the lab many combinations of potential suppliers for tires, shocks, brake pads and wheels. The lab results were validated with on-track testing performed by some of the most accomplished drivers of MX-5s around: Tom Long, Andrew Carbonell and Kenton Koch. This engineering process of modeling plus on-track testing has resulted in identically produced, fully developed and proven next-generation Mazda MX-5 Cup cars.”

Tom Long, No. 07 Mazda SKYACTIV Prototype factory driver and MX-5 Cup car test driver:
“The new Mazda MX-5 is incredibly rewarding to drive with confidence-inspiring handling, free-revving engine, increased torque, and a lighter weight chassis. The MX-5 Cup car enables drivers to build upon their skill sets of perfecting car control, carrying momentum, and crafting his or her drafting, passing and defending techniques. The MX-5 Cup car builds driver abilities unlike any other car or series. If there was any further reason why more Mazdas are road raced on any given weekend, here it is!”

Ordering Dates: The outline below lists the timing and dates with which customers may begin placing orders on MazdaMotorsports.com (the order form will be posted on October 1):

Thursday, October 1: Current Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich® Tires competitors and team owners may begin ordering.

Friday, October 2: Those who have pre-paid the $499 entry fees for the 2016 MX-5 Cup season to the SCCA for a minimum of eight races/four events (i.e. $3,992 for 8 races/4 events, which is the majority of the 2016 season) AND current MX-5 Cup competitors.

Monday, October 5: MAZDASPEED Team Support Members (if you are not a member, but race a Mazda or are building one for sanctioned competition, find the details and sign up for complimentary membership on MazdaMotorsports.com) AND current MX-5 Cup competitors and pre-paid 2016 MX-5 Cup competitors noted above.

Tuesday, October 6: All competitors may place orders, including non-MAZDASPEED members.

Financing: City National Bank is Mazda’s finance partner for 2016 Mazda MX-5 Cup customers. Financing will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Closing typically occurs within 6-9 business days. Contact David Pijot, City National Bank at: david.pijot@cnb.com / T: 386-481-9680 / F: 386-226-1280 / C: 386-547-6753.

Placing Your Order/Deposit: Go to MazdaMotorsports.com; click and fill out the order form called, “Order Your 2016 Mazda MX-5 Cup Car.” Long Road Racing will email you information on the next steps within 24 hours of placing your order, including how and when to send the $10,000 deposit.

To secure the 2016 MX-5 Cup car, you will need to send a $10,000 deposit to our engineering and build partner Long Road Racing upon receiving and executing its purchase agreement. If you have questions, call or email David Cook, Mazda Motorsports Business Development Manager: 949.929.8494 / DCook13@MazdaUSA.com.

Car Deliveries: We will build as many MX-5 Cup cars as we have orders. A company or individual may order as many MX-5 Cup cars as desired. However, deliveries will be prioritized based on the following factors: whether they are current or planned Idemitsu MX-5 Cup participants; whether they are current MAZDASPEED Team Support members; the day we received the order (not time of day). The option for pick-up or delivery is available.