News Releases
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 Battery Tender Global 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 Global Mazda MX-5 Cup races lived up to the early hype with 40 cars delivering exciting racing. Patrick Gallagher and Robby Foley scored the wins, but the action ran deep through the field, with multiple teams and drivers showing the potential to win.
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 | 11:10 am – 11:40 am |
| Practice | 4:30 pm – 5:00 pm | |
| Saturday, May 14 | Qualifying | 11:30 am – Noon |
| Race | 4:35 pm – 5:20 pm | |
| Sunday, May 15 | Race | 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 |
The Battery Tender MX-5 Cup 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.
The 2016 MX-5 Cup season features the all-new fourth generation Mazda MX-5 Miata. For the first time, Mazda has commissioned complete turnkey racecars ensuring all cars are as close to identical as possible, allowing the best drivers rise to the top. More than 60 of the $53,000 race cars have been delivered. Information on the car is online at www.mazdamotorsports.com.
The complete 2016 MX-5 Cup season is as follows:
| Rounds | Date | Venue | Racing with |
| 1-2 | April 28-30 | Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca | IMSA |
| 3-4 | May 13-15 | Watkins Glen International | Trans Am |
| 5-6 | June 17-19 | Road America | SCCA |
| 7-8 | July 8-10 | Canadian Tire Motorsport Park | IMSA |
| 9-10 | August 26-28 | VIRginia International Raceway | IMSA |
| 11-12 | Sept. 28-30 | Road Atlanta | IMSA |
About Mazda Motorsports
Mazda Motorsports boasts the most comprehensive auto racing development ladder system of any auto manufacturer in the world. The Mazda Road to 24 program offers a number of scholarships to advance drivers up the sports car racing ladder, beginning with the Global MX-5 Cup series and culminating with the Mazda Prototype team. The Mazda Road to Indy is a similar program that includes Mazda-powered categories of USF2000, Pro Mazda and Indy Lights. In grassroots road racing, more Mazdas race on any given weekend in North America than any other manufacturer. Mazda is also the title sponsor of the renowned Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, Calif. Follow all of the latest news at MazdaMotorsports.com, @MazdaRacing on Twitter, and MazdaMotorsports on Instagram and Facebook.
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Contact:
Dean Case, Mazda Motorsports (310) 318-4582, mazdaspeed@MazdaUSA.com
Debbie Ebalobo, SCCA Pro Racing (917) 868-6253, MX5CupPR@sccapro.com
