PAGID Racing and BFGoodrich® Tires Enhance Mazda MX-5 Cup Challenge By $10,000

 

It’s no longer $75,000 to win at the 2017 Mazda MX-5 Cup Challenge.  Racers now have another 10,000 reasons to enter.  MX-5 Cup partners PAGID Racing and BFGoodrich® Tires are each sponsoring $5,000 prizes, so the winner could now pick up a total of $85,000.

Thanks to PAGID, the fastest driver in qualifying will earn the $5,000 PAGID Racing Super Pole Award.  BFGoodrich is offering a $5,000 “Driver Enough” award to the racer completing the most passes between the two races.

Quotes:

David Cook, Business Development Manager, Mazda Motorsports: “This $10,000 increase in prize funding is a great demonstration of the support that our partners provide and the desire they share with us to support our racers. This will only add to the interest in the weekend and of course all the drivers in the field will be fighting hard for these added bonuses.”

Andreas Boehm, Senior Motorsport Manager, PAGID Racing: “We at PAGID Racing are proud to partner with Mazda Motorsports on the MX-5 Cup program. To show our gratitude to the teams and drivers, a $5,000 PAGID Racing Super Pole award is being offered for the MX-5 Cup Challenge which should add extra excitement to the qualifying session.”

Peter Calhoun, Motorsports Marketing Manager, BFGoodrich® Tires: “As longtime partners of Mazda MX-5 Cup, BFGoodrich® Tires is proud to award $5,000 to the driver with the most positions gained in this premier event showcasing both driver skill and the performance of our g-Force tires. This award confirms who was driver enough around the twists and turns of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.”

About the Global Challenge:
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 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 world’s best MX-5 drivers.

Having delivered over 150 Mazda MX-5 Cup cars, there will be ample opportunities for drivers to find or rent a seat to compete for the cash prizes 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
  • PAGID Racing Super Pole Position; $5,000
  • BFGoodrich Pass Award: $5,000

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 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 Idemitsu 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 Idemitsu 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.