Elkhart Lake, Wisc. (14 June 2018) – With over 830 on-track passes completed in the opening four races of the year, there’s no denying that the competition within the Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich® Tires has reached new levels.
The racing at last year’s event at Road America delivered an incredible case study of Mazda MX-5 Cup parity, marking the closest margin of victory to date – 0.0263-seconds – as 2017 championship winner, Patrick Gallagher made a last minute move along the uphill front stretch to score his fourth win of the season.
With that type of close competition expected for the season to come, fans will be able to catch all the Mazda MX-5 Cup action. Extending a program that saw great engagement during the Circuit of the Americas and Barber Motorsports Park rounds, Mazda has confirmed that the upcoming Mazda MX-5 Cup races at Road America (June 22-23) and Mid-Ohio (July 27-29) will be livestreamed via its YouTube and Facebook pages.
The series which will run in conjunction with the Verizon IndyCar series events at both venues has grown its exposure with the series’ $200,000 scholarship on the line for the 2018 champion along with another $75,000 awarded to the Rookie of the Year.
In addition, the Mazda-owned series will livestream both the Road America and Mid-Ohio races weekends in its 46 Retail Evolution Mazda dealerships around the country. During each race weekend, Mazda fans and guests of the dealerships will get an inside look into the close racing that the Mazda MX-5 Cup fosters.
“Every Mazda MX-5 Cup race car came from a Mazda showroom, and we appreciate the opportunity to bring all the racing action right back to the showroom floor,” said John Doonan. “The drivers of the MX-5 Cup never fail to put on a good show, evidence by the over 800 on-track passes that have happened in the first four races of the year. This is not only a great testament to the performance and handling of the Mazda MX-5, but is the best demonstration of Mazda’s challenger spirit. We hope our dealers, customers and potential customers are as excited about getting behind the wheel of a Mazda as the drivers in the MX-5 Cup are.”
The Mazda MX-5 Cup Road America kicks off on Thursday June, 21st followed by double header races on Friday, June 22nd at 1:25 p.m. CT and on Saturday, June 23rd at 10:05 a.m. CT. Both races can be viewed on Mazda’s YouTube channel.