Mazda announces unique new 2016 Miata race series –photos

The Mazda MX-5 Miata is one of the most popular cars for club racing and track days in the world. All three generations have spawned a wide variety of race-prepped Miatas enjoyed affordably by enthusiasts and professionals of all skill levels. Mazda announced this week that the new, fourth generation, 2016 Miata will be featured in a new global racing series.

Miata Global Race Series
Mazda said in a press conference at the SEMA show in Las Vegas that the series will be global, and races will take place in North America, Asia, and Europe. The series details have not yet been worked out, but we do know that the finale of the season will be a Shootout at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, Calif.

Masahiro Moro, Managing Executive Officer in charge of Global Sales, Marketing and Customer Service for Mazda Motor Corporation was quoted as saying “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.”

Miata Racers Get Bigger Engine
The great news is that the weaker, 1.5 liter engine Mazda plans to market to Asian and European customers, and possibly as a base engine in the US, is not going to be the race engine. Instead, the race series will use the larger, and more powerful 2.0-liter SkyActiv engine that will be available in North America. Interestingly, the Mazda Miata racecars will be sold “ready to race” from one single supplier. The obvious benefit of this is that the depth of drivers’ skill will determine the outcome of the races rather than the depth of their pocketbooks.

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