Mazda Reveals 2016 MX-5 Cup Racer, New Global Racing Series By Bradley Iger November 04, 2014

Today at the SEMA show in Las Vegas, Mazda took the wraps off the all-new fourth generation MX-5 Cup racer, along with a new global racing series that will be held in North America, Europe and Asia, all in identical spec-tuned versions of the new Miata. Mazda also revealed that the winner of the series will be awarded more than just a cash purse for their victory.

The series is set to culminate at the end of the year with a Global Shootout at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca to crown the series champion. That individual will receive, along with the typical race winnings, a one-day test in Mazda’s TUDOR United SportsCar Championship prototype racer, pictured below.

As the most popular production-based race car in use today, the MX-5 enjoys a devout and enthusiastic following both on and off the track, and the idea to bring spec competition to a global arena should ratchet up the excitement substantially. Masahiro Moro, Managing Executive Officer in charge of Marketing for Mazda had this to say about the new series:

“We’re excited to take the elements of success of the existing Mazda MX-5 Cup series, and introduce them to a new global audience. It has long been our goal to see Mazda fans around the world competing in identical MX-5s, and the launch of the 2016 MX-5 Miata is the perfect time to make this goal a reality."