June 29, 2020 – The Battery Tender® Global Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich Tires® is returning to the race track for a one-day test at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on July 1. The championship was originally slated to launch at Barber Motorsports Park in April, but went on hiatus to prepare for a safe return to race action.
Eighteen cars are entered in the test at the 2.258-mile road course in central Ohio. It’s the ideal location for a pre-season test, as the revised 2020 Global Mazda MX-5 Cup season will visit the track twice; once in August and again in September.
It is the first series-sanctioned test with the new SADEV sequential gearbox, now required in all Global Mazda MX-5 race cars. The gearbox has been integrated into the platform to help extend the racing life of the Global MX-5 Cup machines after feedback from the paddock pushed the initiative ahead of the 2020 season.
Three Mazda Road to 24 Scholarship Winners are entered in the test, including the most recent addition to the roster, Jared Thomas of North Vernon, Indiana.
"I'm super eager to get back to the track and ready to get back into the swing of things,” Thomas said. “I will be interested to see how we stack up against the series veterans, hopefully we turn some heads with our performance. I'm really looking to get used to the new SADEV gearbox and get a feel for the draft of the Global Mazda MX-5 Cup car."
In addition to the preparations that teams and drivers have been making to be ready for the launch of the real life season, the pause in real life race action was utilized by a large number of Global Mazda MX-5 Cup drivers to keep sharp with a 6-race championship staged on iRacing. Mazda has a long connection to the platform, and with close finishes and battles all the way through the field, the championship delivered the same kind of on-track action that the real life Global Mazda MX-5 Cup has become known for.
Ahead of the Mid-Ohio test event, Andersen Promotions and the Global Mazda MX-5 Cup series have developed and implemented numerous COVID-19 protocols in place for the safety of its participants and staff. This includes, but is not limited to, a roster system limiting teams to 10 personnel per entered car, access to the series transporter by appointment only and mask requirements.
The opening two rounds of the Battery Tender® Global Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich Tires® will take place July 23 – 24 at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.