IRVINE, Calif. (December 20, 2017) – Winning a Mazda Road to 24 (MRT24) Scholarship is a big deal. Some racers have compared it to winning the lottery or Christmas as a kid. Unlike lottery luck, and being nice to impress Santa, a MRT24 Scholarship is earned by racers with on track performance. Patrick Gallagher earned his by winning the 2017 Battery Tender Global Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich Tires.
Mazda confirmed that Patrick Gallagher will be racing a full season in the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge GS class. He will be racing in a Ford Mustang GT4 prepared by long-time Mazda technical partner Multimatic in conjunction with ModSpace. Gallagher will be co-driving with Chad McCumbee, who is the co-owner of Gallagher’s MX-5 Cup championship winning team this past season and a 2015 Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge champion in his own right, so he’ll have a trusted co-driver who knows him well.
This is Gallagher’s second Mazda Scholarship. He previously won the Mazda Road to 24 Shootout in 2012. Gallagher had a busy 2017, as in addition to his MX-5 Cup championship, he graduated from Ohio State University with an engineering degree, and won the post-season Global MX-5 Cup Challenge, earning him another $75,000.
The Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge season opener will be on Friday, January 26, 2018, at the Daytona International Speedway. The season will include a stop at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca on September 8, 2018.
QUOTES:
Patrick Gallagher: “I am really excited for the opportunity to drive the GT4 Ford Mustang for Multimatic Motorsports in 2018. I think having Chad as my teammate will help my learning curve tremendously. I cannot express how thankful to everyone at Mazda who puts these ladder prizes together. I think this shows that the Battery Tender Global Mazda MX-5 Cup is the place to be for young drivers looking for a break and move up the ladder. I am so happy to keep ModSpace on board this year they have been huge supporters of my championship this year and I hope Chad and I can make them proud.”
John M. Doonan, Director, Mazda Motorsports: “From the outset, our mission with the Mazda Road to 24 has been to provide a clear path for drivers to grow their careers, starting from our industry leading grassroots programs, through the Global MX-5 Cup, all the way to top level sports car racing – and ultimately historic events like the ROLEX 24 at Daytona. Thanks to our trusted and ongoing relationship with Multimatic, Patrick is able to take the next step up the Mazda Road to 24 in the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge GS category. We are also grateful for the support that long-time partner Modspace has made to this effort to help it all come together. To have Patrick and Chad McCumbee co-drive…and Stevan McAleer (also running in GS in 2018) all making the jump to the GS class makes us proud. They have won Mazda Championships as drivers and team owners together…now they will look to add more trophies to their collection. We wish them all the best.”
William Mann, Vice President Business Development, ModSpace: “The 2018 season will be a exciting one with these two fine drivers behind the wheel. We are very proud to have Both Chad and Patrick representing ModSpace in the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge GS Class. Our Mazda relationship is built on a foundation of integrity and performance and we are proud to continue this with these two talented drivers.”
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