Mazda finalizing 2016 MX-5 Miata Cup Racecar

One of the most popular race series in the world is about to evolve. The 2016 MX-5 Miata racer is being prepared even before the road-car’s launch.

Mazda is not planning to release the 2016 MX-5 Miata for another few months in the U.S. market but is well into the final details of the MX-5 Miata Cup Car racer. In fact, Mazda is already bringing prototype Mazda MX-5 Cup racecars to events in the US. Mazda plans to have developmental cars at each race weekend through the rest of the 2015 season on the first test day.

Mazda has tapped Tom Long, who has won MX-5 Cup races in every prior generation of the Miata racer, to lead the development program. Long is tasked with evaluating seven tire manufacturers for inclusion in the series. We would not have guessed there were seven race car tire manufacturers. Seven suspension kit suppliers and eight brake suppliers are also being considered. Mazda says that there are up to 392 possible combinations to sort through.

Long is ready for the challenge and commented, saying "Testing the new MX-5 racer for the Global MX-5 Cup has been an incredible fit so far. The lightweight nimble chassis design, along with its increased power-to-weight ratio, makes this new platform balanced and a real thrill to drive. Taking the key elements that made the original MX-5 chassis so popular and successful, has come back to its roots in a reborn look."

The ultimate result of the testing is that Mazda will select a combination that is works on the track for both experts and also novices. No small feat. The deadline to lock-in and freeze the specifications for the 2016 season is the end of this summer.