Tag Archives: MX-5

Rollan hangs on for Battery Tender Global Mazda MX-5 Cup win in Portland

Courtesy of Sports Car Illustrated: Rollan’s path to victory began with an incredible start that saw his No.87 Sick Sideways Mazda go from seventh to second on the first lap. He settled in behind teammate Sparks (No.8 Sick Sideways) and the pair tried their best to pull away from the field, but Saturday’s race winner Luke Oxner (No.77 White Racing) and Reger (No.01 Slipstream Performance) were on the attack.

Also making big moves forward was Ortiz (No.4 Copeland Motorsports) after starting from 22nd on the grid. Within 10 minutes of the green flag, he’d broken into the top 10 and then methodically clawed his way to fourth with 15 minutes to go. Ahead of him, Rollan and Sparks were trading the lead while also holding off moves from Oxner. Watching this battle ahead, Ortiz saw an opportunity and took it, passing Oxner in Turn One.

On the white flag lap, Rollan and Sparks made contact in the final turn, with both drivers demonstrating excellent car control to stay on track and out in front. The close-quarters action nearly enabled Ortiz to pick up another spot, but at the finish line it was Rollan with the win followed by Sparks and Ortiz.

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Rollan wins Global MX-5 Cup Race 2 at PIR

Courtesy of Racer: Mazda Road to 24 Scholarship winner Selin Rollan earned his second Battery Tender Global Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich victory at Portland International Raceway on Sunday. It was a hard-fought win over his Sick Sideways teammate Nathanial Sparks, with Bryan Ortiz rounding out the podium. Championship point leader Nikko Reger finished fourth, less than one second behind the winner following 45 minutes of all-green flag racing.

Rollan’s path to victory began with an incredible start that saw his No. 87 Sick Sideways Mazda go from seventh to second on the first lap. He settled in behind teammate Sparks (No. 8 Sick Sideways) and the pair tried their best to pull away from the field, but Saturday’s race winner Luke Oxner (No. 77 White Racing) and Reger (No. 01 Slipstream Performance) were on the attack.

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Portland debut for Mazda MX-5 Cup

Courtesy of Sports Car Illustrated: There are four races left in the 2018 Global Mazda MX-5 Cup season, which will see the drivers in the ultra-competitive field doing battle for a total of $290,000 in support from Mazda. The overall champion will receive a hefty $200,000 prize from Mazda to put towards the next level of their Mazda Road to 24 career, while the top Rookie will earn themselves a $75,000 check. A third category to watch for in 2018 is the Challenger Class presented by Monticello Motor Club, which will award the winner with a Mazda Experience worth $15,000.

Currently topping the leaderboard with 157 points is Nikko Reger (No.01 Slipstream Performance), who stormed to the top of the charts with a strong start to the season after sweeping the Barber race weekend. But after a disappointing Mid-Ohio outing that saw his points advantage trimmed, he’s hoping to rebound at Portland.

“Mid-Ohio was a rough weekend, but we are focusing on what went right,” said Reger. “A lot has gone into Slipstream Performance in getting this far in the championship, and I am grateful to run for as long as we have and to have done so well. Mid-Ohio was a hiccup in our successes, but we will continue to work on the car and myself to keep our momentum going.”

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Oxner wins Global Mazda MX-5 Cup Race 1 in Portland

Courtesy of Mazda Motorsports: Survival was the name of the game for Round Nine of the Battery Tender Global Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich at Portland International Raceway on Saturday. Luke Oxner (No. 77 White Racing), driving for the two-car White Racing team, wisely navigated through two incidents in Turn One to take his first Mazda MX-5 Cup win ahead of leading rookie racer Selin Rollan, who finished second as Robert Stout crossed the finish line in third.

Starting from second, Oxner was initially concerned that he had a poor start that would rob him of his shot at a podium finish. As it turns out, it may have put him in exactly the right spot to avoid a multi-car collision in Turn One.

“Well right off the green flag, it was just so frustrating because I lost four spots right at the start,” Oxner said. “Then there was just some kind of chaos going on, people getting antsy and I managed to dodge them all.”

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Portland debut for Mazda MX-5 Cup

Courtesy of Sports Car Illustrated: The Battery Tender Global Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich championship will make its first-ever appearance at Portland International Raceway this weekend as part of the Verizon IndyCar Series event weekend.

There are four races left in the 2018 Global Mazda MX-5 Cup season, which will see the drivers in the ultra-competitive field doing battle for a total of $290,000 in support from Mazda. The overall champion will receive a hefty $200,000 prize from Mazda to put towards the next level of their Mazda Road to 24 career, while the top Rookie will earn themselves a $75,000 check. A third category to watch for in 2018 is the Challenger Class presented by Monticello Motor Club, which will award the winner with a Mazda Experience worth $15,000.

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Championship battle rages as MX-5 Cup heads to Mid-Ohio

Courtesy of Racer: With three race weekends down and three to go, it’s getting down to the wire as the Battery Tender Global Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich Tires championship battles heat up all across the field.

With three different titles on the line and a grand total of $290,000 in support up for grabs, the Global Mazda MX-5 Cup has plenty of racing left before the champions emerge at the end of the season. The overall champion will receive a hefty $200,000 prize from Mazda to put towards the next level of their Mazda Road to 24 career, while the top placing Rookie will earn themselves a $75,000 check, up from last year’s $50,000 earning. Finally, the new-to-2018 Challenger Class presented by Monticello Motor Club will also award the winner with a Mazda Experience worth $15,000.

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MX-5 Cup: Why Racing on a Budget Matters

Courtesy of The Drive: The world is full of frustrated racers, myself included. Racing is an expensive sport, and until tires, fuel, and handmade chassis cost as much as a basketball or a golf club, motorsports will be for the wealthy and a lucky few.

The barriers to getting into racing are significant as most aspiring racing drivers have to self-fund their careers with the hopes of making it big someday. Unfortunately for most, that day never comes, which means that lots of folks are left with empty pockets, empty promises, and broken dreams. However, some less than talented drivers with bags full of cash are often given opportunities that many talented but under-funded drivers never get because, at the end of the day, engineers, mechanics, and other personnel cost money—which means that teams have to come up with cash one way or another.

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Supporting the 2018 Spec MX-5 Challenge

Courtesy of Turnology: Yokohama is proud to announce its affiliation with Spec MX-5 Challenge, a new category which spans the bridge between club Spec Miata and professional series like the Battery Tender MX-5 Cup. These sorts of series help make the world of professional motorsport slightly more egalitarian, and in these days of extremely high barriers to entry, they’re a breath of fresh air.

It’s a new rung on a ladder helping young talent make their mark on the world of professional motorsport. Set firmly between Spec Miata and Global MX-5 Cup, this affordable series offers the series champion with $100,000 to further their career. This new category tries to both provide an affordable racing experience while supplying the winner with an encouraging, door-opening quantity of money to help put their name in lights.

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MMC member and PWC TCA champ puts fun first

Courtesy of Racer: Matt Fassnacht made a decision.

In 2016, Fassnacht was splitting his time between Battery Tender Mazda Global MX-5 Cup and Pirelli World Challenge Touring Car A, racing two generations of Mazda MX-5 – the ex-MX-5 Cup third-generation car in PWC and the current car in MX-5 Cup. As the season went on, he discovered the intensity of spec racing wasn’t quite his cup of tea, so he decided to concentrate on World Challenge. He was rewarded with Rookie of the Year in 2016.

In 2017, Fassnacht was faced with another decision. PWC approved the fourth-generation Mazda Global MX-5 Cup car for TCA. He showed up for the first weekend with both cars in the S.A.C. Racing hauler, but after testing decided the newer car was the one to have. He won both races at VIRginia International Raceway in April, and even though that’s where his win streak stopped, he was never challenged in the championship after that – beating teammate and defending champion Elivan Goulart to claim the TCA title.

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