Mazda Cup is fun to watch. I've seen Leguna Seca and 1/2 of Lime Rock.
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Mazda Cup is fun to watch. I've seen Leguna Seca and 1/2 of Lime Rock.
Good, close racing with lots of lead changes.
They hyped it by saying, "You can buy and race one of these cars for $40,000." I'm guessing that Chip Herr's car, plus time invested setting it up is probably 5X that number.
They hyped it by saying, "You can buy and race one of these cars for $40,000." I'm guessing that Chip Herr's car, plus time invested setting it up is probably 5X that number.
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The MX-5 guys sure lived up to the spec-miata reputation of being paint-swapping crashers
Those were pretty rough races, and incredibly fun to watch. Why wait and set up a pass when you can just go for it instead?
It's a sealed engine series with spec'd data acquisition, cage, suspension (based on the Lime Rock race, they clearly under-damped the car), etc., so I don't think you could spend all that much on it. Testing costs are something else entirely, though.
It's a sealed engine series with spec'd data acquisition, cage, suspension (based on the Lime Rock race, they clearly under-damped the car), etc., so I don't think you could spend all that much on it. Testing costs are something else entirely, though.
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They were bouncing like superballs at Lime Rock. I wonder about...
... the economics of this series.
They have a couple of hot-foot drivers, and I have to assume that THEY are paid. I would have to guess that Mazda is paying drivers since the car owners and car sponsors cannot be getting much payback.
They have a couple of hot-foot drivers, and I have to assume that THEY are paid. I would have to guess that Mazda is paying drivers since the car owners and car sponsors cannot be getting much payback.
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Those are not paid drivers
Daniels, Saini, Malkassen (sp?), Buras, Hohn, none of those guys are paid. Daniels does run his own race shop, which I suppose makes him a pro. Chip maybe driving for free? Remember he was a spec miata hotshoe before anyone ever paid him to drive anything. I've been in races with him in SCCA regionals at Pocono.
It's a "pro" series but really this is glorified amateur racing. And it looked it, which is part of why it was so much fun to watch.
It's a "pro" series but really this is glorified amateur racing. And it looked it, which is part of why it was so much fun to watch.
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Mazda may have asked him to. Or maybe he just wanted to for old times sake and seat time/exposure.
If I recall correctly, he used to kick butt in SCCA spec miata, and won the Atlantic pro spec miata tour in 2003. That was also a "pro" sanctioned event that was essentially all amateur drivers. Based on his 2003 miata success, Mazda gave him some seat time in World Challenge Protoge car in '04.
The MX-5 cup is the successor series to pro spec miata.
Here in the east coast SM community, Chip is viewed as "one of our own" who's going on to great things, and we were pretty psyched to see him in a miata (uh, I mean MX-5) again.
Now we're rooting for Andrew Caddell to go pro and make it big (even though he's a west-coaster).
The MX-5 cup is the successor series to pro spec miata.
Here in the east coast SM community, Chip is viewed as "one of our own" who's going on to great things, and we were pretty psyched to see him in a miata (uh, I mean MX-5) again.
Now we're rooting for Andrew Caddell to go pro and make it big (even though he's a west-coaster).