It’s not just the 2024 Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin Champion who will be crowned at the season finale, this year’s Rookie of the Year will be determined as well. The Rookie of the Year takes home an $80,000 check from Mazda, and maybe equally as important is the knowledge that many MX-5 Cup Rookie of the Year winners go on to become series champion.
With just one race weekend and two races to go, the points are very tight. Three freshman drivers are looking to make the most of the season finale at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta to claim the rookie title.
Three drivers have swapped spots in the point standings, vying for Rookie of the Year honors: Westin Workman (No. 13 BSI Racing), Nathan Nicholson (No. 56 MBM Racing) and Julian DaCosta (No. 78 JTR Motorsports Engineering).
Both Workman and Nicholson were recipients of Mazda MX-5 Cup Shootout scholarships. Workman took home the big prize of $110,000, while Nicholson came in second, scoring $75,000.
Workman came out of the gate swinging, leading laps in his very first race at Daytona International Speedway. He wasn’t able to convert his pace into podiums, but by Round Four at Sebring International Raceway, he could call himself a MX-5 Cup race winner.
“The hardest part has been staying consistent,” Workman said of his debut season. “I think I've proven to be capable of winning races and be a championship contender, but we just had a pretty bad middle season with our finishes at Laguna, and then we had an okay weekend in Mid-Ohio. I’ve had some good finishes here and there, but I've also had some really bad finishes, so just trying to be at least top five, every single race would have been very important for me to be more of a championship contender, outside of the rookie championship.”
Nicholson echoed Workman’s comments about consistency in his rookie season.
“Jumping up to this level of professional racing, it's so close, especially with how equal the cars are,” Nicholson said. “You know, there's eight people every race that can win, so just being mistake free and putting yourself in the right position to get a good result is super tough.”
In MX-5 Cup, new drivers learn very quickly that they need to work together to be successful, and not just with their teammates.
“It’s the most competitive series that you'll find,” DaCosta said. “I would say that's the hardest part is getting respect from everybody else. And truth is, to be fast in these cars is difficult. It's not easy to just jump in and be super-fast.”
DaCosta had a slow start to his rookie campaign, but after a mid-season team switch, he’s been on an upward trajectory that includes a podium finish at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.
The importance of the draft was a big learning curve for the rookies. They’ve learned that patience and respect are crucial.
“This series relies on drafting, and if you don't have the respect from the other drivers, nobody's going to want to work with you,” Workman explained. “Respect is a big thing in this series because your teammates won't always be around. You want to have people who respect you on the track and off the track, that are still willing to work with you during a race even if they aren't on your team.”
“Positioning and patience with the draft and how these cars race is kind of unlike anything I've done before,” reflected Nicholson. “Even though I've done a lot of Miata racing, I think that part of it, the patience and awareness of where you are in the race and when you need to be aggressive and when you don't need to be, is one of the biggest things I've learned this year.”
Naturally, the race craft needed to run up front is something MX-5 Cup teaches drivers better than any other series. It is a skill that will carry them far in their careers. The parity of the cars puts the emphasis on driver talent.
“It definitely teaches me race craft,” DaCosta said. “No doubt, every time I'm on track, it teaches me how to become a better racer.”
Coming into the final event at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, Workman leads DaCosta by 690 points. Nicholson is third of the rookies, a further 60 points back.
“Winning it would mean a lot,” Workman smiled. “It would prove that among the rookies, I was the most consistent throughout the year and put up good finishes. Also, the prize money is big. The $80,000 would make us feel a lot better after the season as well. It would make our efforts worth it to win the Rookie of the Year championship.”
Should he win the MX-5 Cup Rookie of the Year title, Workman would follow in many other scholarship winners’ shoes, including Nate Cicero and Connor Zilisch.
DaCosta did not win a MX-5 Cup Shootout scholarship, but that would make winning Rookie of the Year mean that much more.
“Considering we were very far back after Sebring, it would mean a lot,” DaCosta said. “I think it would mean a lot to everybody, not just myself. We've worked extremely hard just to get back up to where we are now, so I think if we were able to do that, it would be a really big game changer for all of us.”
The quest of the 2024 Mazda MX-5 Cup Rookie of the Year crown comes down to the final two races of the year at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, October 9 – 11. Both races will be streamed live on the RACER and IMSA YouTube channels.