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Since its launch in 1989, the MX-5 has become a bestseller for Mazda.
Since its launch in 1989, the MX-5 has become a bestseller for Mazda.
In 2006, the company introduced the Mazda MX-5 Cup series.
Now in its tenth season, the MX-5 Cup is popular with competitors and fans.
The series is part of the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development Ladder that promotes champions of the Mazda series to the next level of their career. The motivation for drivers to enter the MX-5 Cup division is an opportunity to earn a factory-supported ride in next year’s SCCA Pro Racing Speed World Challenge Touring Car Championship. All Mazda MX-5 Cup cars receive only minor upgrades. Bolt-on modifications include a new intake manifold and exhaust system, which increases the engine output from 170 to 200-horsepower. All vehicles have a six-speed manual transmission and a limited-slip differential. BF Goodrich tires are mounted on 17X8” wheels. The suspension uses a coil-over kit with double adjustable shock absorbers and roll bars. Brake pads, fluid and lines are upgraded for the demands of racing. The Mazdas are fitted with an eight-point roll-cage welded into the car, racing seatbelts and a fire extinguishing system for safety. In December 2011, it was announced that the series would include a second class. Beginning this year, there is a category for Skip Barber Racing School competitors. The Skip Barber Racing School will provide an arrive-and-drive program in their Mazda MX-5s. The cost includes a test day, tires, fuel, entry fees, in car-video and data feedback, in car radio setup and television exposure. The 2015 season consists of twelve forty-minute timed races spread over six weekends. All weekends host doubleheaders. The first event of the year will be held in March at Sebring International Raceway and the year will end at Road Atlanta in October.
Rounds seven and eight of the 2015 Battery Tender Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich Tires were held at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Drivers would compete on the ten-turn 2.459-mile road course for forty-five minutes.
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Chad McCumbee filled in for Aurora Straus at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, driving the No. 29 ModSpace Mazda MX-5. McCumbee qualified sixth fastest for round seven but inherited a spot on the grid when Dean Copeland stalled. He collected two more positions with the retirements of Patrick Gallagher and John. McCumbee was in the lead when the race ended under yellow. He finished seventh in the finale. |
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Patrick Gallagher entered round seven four points behind the championship leader, John Dean. Gallagher qualified fourth for the weekend's first race driving the No. 44 Howard Concrete Pumping Mazda MX-5. He was in third place when the left front suspension failed and finished twenty-first. In race two, Gallagher redeemed himself. He started second and took the lead and win with two laps remaining. |
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Veteran open-wheel racer Peter Portante drove the No. 24 Intercity Lines Mazda MX-5. Portante qualified eighth fastest for race one at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Still, like the winner, Patrick Gallager, he benefitted from the competition's misfortune to finish in the runner-up position. In the weekend's final contest, Portante started eighth but charged to a third-place finish. |
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Nathanial Sparks earned his first and only podium of the season at Sebring. Sparks was gridded second for round seven and was part of the lead pack during the race. However, he was in fourth place when the final caution flew to end the race. Sparks started the final race in fifth. After a caution period, he began to advance. Contact between Dean Copeland and Peter Portante allowed Sparks to slip past and finish second. |
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This season Drake Kemper was piloting the No. 99 Mazda Motorsports Development Mazda MX-5 and grabbed a victory in race one at Sebring International Raceway. Kemper qualified third for round seven. He hooked up with his Sick Sideways teammates during the race to run in the lead pack. Kemper was in third when the contest ended with a caution. He would finish the weekend with a fourth-place result. |
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Skip Barber MAZDASPEED Pro Challenge competitor Ben Albano had five podium results, of which two were victories. However, a seventh place at Laguna Seca meant he was fifth in the standings. In the weekend's first race, Albano qualified second in class driving the No. 61 Project Yellow Light Mazda MX-5 but moved into the lead early and grabbed the victory. In a repeat performance during the finale, he collected his second win. |
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| FINISH | START | CLASS | DRIVER | TEAM | LAPS | RETIREMENTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | MX | Chad McCumbee | ModSpace - Mazda MX-5 | 20 | - |
| 2 | 8 | MX | Peter Portante | Intercity Lines - Mazda MX-5 | 20 | - |
| 3 | 3 | MX | Drake Kemper | Royal Rugby - Mazda MX-5 | 20 | - |
| 4 | 2 | MX | Nathanial Sparks | OOTSK Performance - Mazda MX-5 | 20 | - |
| 5 | 10 | MX | Devin Jones | Alara Racing - Mazda MX-5 | 20 | - |
| 6 | 7 | MX | Timothy Paul | Alara Racing - Mazda MX-5 | 20 | - |
| 7 | 11 | MX | Ara Malkhassian | Alara Racing/Alara Garage - Mazda MX-5 | 20 | - |
| 8 | 9 | MX | Kyle Loustaunau | Mazda Motorsports Development - Mazda MX-5 | 20 | - |
| 9 | 13 | MX | Forrest Landy | Atlanta Motorsport Group - Mazda MX-5 | 20 | - |
| 10 | 14 | MX | Sarah Montgomery | Travel Lafayette LA - Mazda MX-5 | 20 | - |
| 11 | 16 | MX | Hernan Palermo | CMS / Brimtek - Mazda MX-5 | 20 | - |
| 12 | 20 | MX | Alex Bachoura | Copeland Motorsports - Mazda MX-5 | 20 | - |
| 13 | 22 | MX | Brent Mosing | Alara Racing - Mazda MX-5 | 20 | - |
| 14 | 17 | MX | Keith Jensen | Alara Racing - Mazda MX-5 | 20 | - |
| 15 | 21 | MX | Tim Probert | Alara Racing - Mazda MX-5 | 20 | - |
| 16 | 19 | MX | Beth Chryst | Chryst Brothers Construction - Mazda MX-5 | 20 | - |
| 17 | 15 | MX | Zach Lee | Alara Racing - Mazda MX-5 | 19 | - |
| 18 | 23 | MX | Marc Boily | ModSpace - Mazda MX-5 | 18 | - |
| 19 | 18 | MX | Charles Paquin | ModSpace - Mazda MX-5 | 17 | - |
| 20 | 1 | MX | John Dean | Sick Sideways/Projections Research - Mazda MX-5 | 13 | Mechanical |
| 21 | 4 | MX | Patrick Gallagher | Howard Concrete Pumping - Mazda MX-5 | 11 | Mechanical |
| 22 | 12 | MX | Matt Koskinen | Alara Racing - Mazda MX-5 | 2 | Accident |
| 23 | 6 | MX | Dean Copeland | Copeland Motorsports - Mazda MX-5 | 0 | Mechanical |
| 1 | 25 | SBMX | Ben Albano | Skip Barber Racing - Mazda MX-5 | 20 | - |
| 2 | 28 | SBMX | Bryan Hixon | Skip Barber Racing - Mazda MX-5 | 20 | - |
| 3 | 27 | SBMX | Robby Foley | Skip Barber Racing - Mazda MX-5 | 20 | - |
| 4 | 24 | SBMX | Sam Adams | Skip Barber Racing - Mazda MX-5 | 20 | - |
| 5 | 26 | SBMX | Nikko Reger | Skip Barber Racing - Mazda MX-5 | 20 | - |
| 6 | 29 | SBMX | Kieron O'Rourke | Skip Barber Racing - Mazda MX-5 | 20 | - |
| 7 | 30 | SBMX | Chris Beaufait | Skip Barber Racing - Mazda MX-5 | 20 | - |
| FINISH | START | CLASS | DRIVER | TEAM | LAPS | RETIREMENTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | MX | Patrick Gallagher | Howard Concrete Pumping - Mazda MX-5 | 25 | - |
| 2 | 5 | MX | Nathanial Sparks | OOTSK Performance - Mazda MX-5 | 25 | - |
| 3 | 8 | MX | Peter Portante | Intercity Lines - Mazda MX-5 | 25 | - |
| 4 | 3 | MX | Drake Kemper | Royal Rugby - Mazda MX-5 | 25 | - |
| 5 | 4 | MX | Dean Copeland | Copeland Motorsport - Mazda MX-5 | 25 | - |
| 6 | 1 | MX | John Dean | Sick Sideways/Projections Research - Mazda MX-5 | 25 | - |
| 7 | 6 | MX | Chad McCumbee | ModSpace - Mazda MX-5 | 25 | - |
| 8 | 10 | MX | Devin Jones | Alara Racing - Mazda MX-5 | 25 | - |
| 9 | 11 | MX | Ara Malkhassian | Alara Racing/Alara Garage - Mazda MX-5 | 25 | - |
| 10 | 12 | MX | Forrest Landy | Atlanta Motorsport Group - Mazda MX-5 | 25 | - |
| 11 | 9 | MX | Timothy Paul | Alara Racing - Mazda MX-5 | 25 | - |
| 12 | 14 | MX | Sarah Montgomery | Travel Lafayette LA - Mazda MX-5 | 25 | - |
| 13 | 13 | MX | Matt Koskinen | Alara Racing - Mazda MX-5 | 25 | - |
| 14 | 16 | MX | Hernan Palermo | CMS / Brimtek - Mazda MX-5 | 25 | - |
| 15 | 15 | MX | Zach Lee | Alara Racing - Mazda MX-5 | 25 | - |
| 16 | 18 | MX | Alex Bachoura | Copeland Motorsports - Mazda MX-5 | 25 | - |
| 17 | 19 | MX | Tim Probert | Alara Racing - Mazda MX-5 | 25 | - |
| 18 | 20 | MX | Charles Paquin | ModSpace - Mazda MX-5 | 25 | - |
| 19 | 21 | MX | Brent Mosing | Alara Racing - Mazda MX-5 | 25 | - |
| 20 | 7 | MX | Kyle Loustaunau | Mazda Motorsports Development - Mazda MX-5 | 25 | - |
| 21 | 17 | MX | Keith Jensen | Alara Racing - Mazda MX-5 | 22 | - |
| 22 | 19 | MX | Beth Chryst | Chryst Brothers Construction - Mazda MX-5 | 14 | Accident |
| 23 | 23 | MX | Marc Boily | ModSpace - Mazda MX-5 | - | Did Not Start |
| 1 | 25 | SBMX | Ben Albano | Skip Barber Racing - Mazda MX-5 | 25 | - |
| 2 | 24 | SBMX | Sam Adams | Skip Barber Racing - Mazda MX-5 | 25 | - |
| 3 | 28 | SBMX | Bryan Hixon | Skip Barber Racing - Mazda MX-5 | 25 | - |
| 4 | 27 | SBMX | Nikko Reger | Skip Barber Racing - Mazda MX-5 | 25 | - |
| 5 | 29 | SBMX | Kieron O'Rourke | Skip Barber Racing - Mazda MX-5 | 24 | - |
| 6 | 30 | SBMX | Chris Beaufait | Skip Barber Racing - Mazda MX-5 | 24 | - |
| 7 | 26 | SBMX | Robby Foley | Skip Barber Racing - Mazda MX-5 | 11 | Mechanical |
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