(Pictured above, 40 Idemitsu MX-5 Cup competitors tackle Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, April 2016)

Mazda MX-5 Cup Heads to The Empire State

– First ever visit to Watkins Glen International for the Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich® Tires – (See the race videos from Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca below.)

IRVINE, Calif. (May 10, 2016) – Over the past decade the Mazda MX-5 Cup has raced at almost every road course of prominence across North America, except one, Watkins Glen International. This will change this weekend as the Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich® Tires comes to the famed Empire State track as a part of the Classic Tube 100 race weekend.

The first Mazda MX-5 Cup races lived up to the early hype with 40 cars delivering exciting racing (see the video highlights for the weekend here). Patrick Gallagher and Robby Foley scored wins, respectfully, but the action ran deep through the field, with multiple teams and drivers showing the potential to win. (Race 1 video; race 2 video).

For Watkins Glen, the entries have increased to 42, nine of which are local racers who live in the vicinity of the track:

# Driver / Residence                                 Team / Sponsor
9 Matt Fassnacht, New York, NY              ALARA Racing  / Monticello Motor Club
17 Aurora Straus, Cold Spring, NY           McCumbee McAleer Racing  / Monticello Motor Club
27 Nick Igdalsky, Long Pond, PA              McCumbee McAleer Racing
29 Justin Raphael, Franklin Lakes, NJ     McCumbee McAleer Racing / Monticello Motor Club
41 Nicholas Evancich, Philadelphia, PA    Sick Sideways Racing
63 Robby Foley, Randolph, NJ                   Atlanta Motorsports Group  / Mazda Road to 24
76 Nick Bruni, New York, NY                      MEATHEAD Racing
82 Max Faulkner, Rumson, NJ                    McCumbee McAleer Racing / Monticello Motor Club
92 Chris Ohmacht, Franklin Lakes, NJ      McCumbee McAleer Racing / Monticello Motor Club

In addition to the locals, Tom Martin III is a recent engineering graduate from Cornell University, which is located close to the Watkins Glen track. Martin’s No. 50 Winding Road Team TFB MX-5 is red and white, the Cornell school colors.

Race Location:    Watkins Glen International
2790 County Route 16
Watkins Glen, NY 14891

Race Schedule:
Friday, May 13: Practice 1: 11:10 am -11:40 am I Practice 2: 4:30pm – 5:00 pm
Saturday, May 14: Qualifying: 11:30 am – Noon I Race 1: 4:35 pm – 5:20 pm
Sunday, May 15: Race 2: 11:00 am – 11:45 am

More details on the Watkins Glen race weekend, including the complete entry list, and daily schedule, can be found at: http://www.mx-5cup.com/. General admission tickets will be sold at the gate.

After the first two races at Mazda Raceway, defending series champion John Dean II leads the MX-5 Cup standings, thanks to a second and third place finish plus bonus points for qualifying.

The top three overall in points are:
1 John Dean II, Sebring, FL                     Sick Sideways Racing                 118
2 Patrick Gallagher, Thornville, OH        Atlanta Motorsports Group        111
3 Dean Copeland, Bowie, MD,                 Copeland Motorsports                103

The top three rookies are:
1 Chris Stone, Salt Lake City, UT            ALARA Racing                              88
2 Marco Gallaher, Santa Rosa, CA          Winding Road Team TFB               64
3 Kenny Murillo, Santa Rosa, CA            ALARA Racing                               60