Birmingham, AL, 1/22/2020: Local Birmingham team and driver to join forces for the start of the 2020 Battery Tender® Global Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich Tires®. Andrew Pinkerton and the Possien-Hall Motorsports Development team will enter their number 76 Global MX-5 Cup car for the Spring Training Test and season opening races at Barber Motorsports Park. PHMD, hot off a 9th place finish in last years Championship, looks to roll their momentum into a front-running effort with Pinkerton at the wheel returning to the series for the first time since 2018.
Pinkerton’s professional debut saw him fill in for an injured driver during the 2018 Barber Motorsports Park rounds where he claimed the Battery Tender Hard Charger award in Round 3 of the Championship for passing the most cars. Despite his absence from the series Andrew has not been out of the driver’s seat. During his time away from the series the Alabama native set several fastest race laps and claimed one podium driving a Mazda powered prototype in the World Racing League endurance series. With Pinkerton still sharp from multi-class racing he is ready to focus on testing and go wheel-to-wheel on a level playing field.
“Coming home to a team based in Birmingham feels great. It’s been a while since I’ve had the opportunity to be hands on with a team and work together with the crew; Doc, Brad, and Blake on a regular basis. When the season opener rolls around, we won’t have to get through that awkward communication stage of a team and driver unfamiliar with each other. Based on how we’ve worked together so far I am excited to see where we stack up.” – Andrew Pinkerton
Owner of Possien-Hall Motorsports Development, Lawrence “Doc” Possien, is excited to see what Pinkerton can do behind the wheel of his number 76 Global MX-5 Cup Car.
“We are ecstatic to have Pinky racing with us this year at Possien-Hall Motorsports Development. His determination to race at a professional level is beyond reproach. We have already seen his speed and racing skills in a pre-season test and we are confident that Pinky can compete for the Battery Tender Global Mazda MX-5 Cup Rookie of the Year award as well as the championship.”
About Possien-Hall Motorsports Development:
Possien-Hall Motorsports Development was founded by Lawrence “Doc” Possien and Ryan Hall with the vision to provide the best in performance development for both car and driver. Together with crew chief/ shop manager Brad Little and chief engineer Blake West, PHMD settled in Pelham, Alabama in 2018 to bring the very best in racing developed skills to the area.
PHMD races in the American Endurance Racing series and the World Racing League, as well as at the professional level in The Battery Tender® Global Mazda MX-5 Cup (support series for Indycar). We are Alabama’s first Global MX-5 Cup team. Lessons and experience learned at the best road racing tracks in North America help give PHMD the competitive edge for our customers.
www.racephmd.com
About Andrew Pinkerton:
Andrew Pinkerton is a professional race car driver from Birmingham, Alabama. He has competed in MX-5 Cup, SCCA, NASA, and various endurance racing series around the country. With competition experience in go-karts, formula cars, front wheel drive, and rear wheel drive race cars he has a depth of knowledge to draw upon at the track. Away from competition and track weekends Andrew’s “day jobs” include working with the Porsche Track Experience, Mercedes, and various racing programs.
www.racerpinky.com
About The Battery Tender® Global MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich Tires®:
The Battery Tender Global Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich Tires is the signature spec series for the Mazda Road to 24 (#MRT24), the sports car counterpart to the Mazda Road to Indy (#MRTI). On both paths, Mazda-powered champions earn a Mazda scholarship to advance their career. The MX-5 Cup champion earns a $200,000 scholarship.
The MX-5 Cup race cars start as complete MX-5 road cars from the Mazda Hiroshima, Japan factory before being transported to engineering development partner Long Road Racing in Statesville, North Carolina where they are produced into a race car. The process includes disassembly of the production car, welding and paint of a full roll cage and interior, and assembly of the race car, adding more than 250 motorsports-specific parts. Other components of the car, including the Mazda SKYACTIV 2.0 liter engine are sealed to ensure even competition and a cost-effective platform.
www.mx-5cup.com