Toronto, Ont. (10 July 2017) - While the cars are as similar as possible, the tracks on the 2017 Battery Tender Global MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich Tires schedule are very different. For the first time in series history, the Global MX-5 Cup championship will take to the streets of Toronto as part of the huge Verizon IndyCar Series race event this weekend.
After opening the season at Barber Motorsports Park, a custom-built natural terrain road circuit in Alabama, the series moved to the most famous circuit in the world the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. From there, it was up to Wisconsin to race at one of the highest speed natural terrain tracks in the country at Road America.
Global MX-5 Cup will add yet another new challenge this weekend as the series makes a debut appearance on the streets of Toronto.
Racing with cars that start on showroom floors, it is the driver that makes the difference thanks to the incredible parity in Global MX-5 Cup. That close competition is underscored by the race-winning margins so far this season, with the largest margin of victory 2.0-seconds, and the smallest being just .0263-seconds. Through six rounds of racing, the average margin of victory is .4132-seconds.
While most of the racers in the Global MX-5 field had the advantage of previous experience at Barber and Road America, the visit to Toronto is the first for many.
“I’ve never been to Toronto – not even as a spectator,” said points leader Patrick Gallagher. “That one is going to be fun. The Toronto event is one that I’m probably looking forward to the most out of all of our races this year. I love street circuits. You have a short amount of practice time and it’s all about consequence and reward.”
While Gallagher enjoys a points advantage in the championship, he is chased by a hungry field of racers, including the 2016 Global MX-5 Champion Nathanial “Sparky” Sparks, who has shown remarkable upward mobility during the races.
“It was great to get the Battery Tender award, and of course I was happy to win the $1,000 for me, and $1,000 for my crew chief that goes along with it,” said Sparks after taking the Battery Tender Hard Charger Award at Road America. “But hopefully I can have a better qualifying in Toronto and start closer to the front. Pat (Gallagher) has a big lead in the points, but I’ve got to just keep being consistent and hopefully that will get me another championship.”
With the Toronto circuit being a new addition to the schedule as part of the Andersen Promotions and INDYCAR partnership, the race marks another opportunity to entertain a large crowd of enthusiastic fans.
“It’ll be interesting to see who gets on top of the track first,” said Gallagher. “It’s about pushing it to the limit, getting within inches of the walls. Guys that get on top of the track fast – hopefully I can do that. I’ve done St. Pete, Baltimore, and Houston. Toronto is one of the street courses I haven’t done yet, so I’m looking forward to it. It’s cool to be a part of the same events where IndyCar is racing. They’re doing a great job with the series. We are getting more exposure, and it’s been a lot of fun so far.”
While the field of Global MX-5 Cup machines might not bring the same sound and speed that the fans will expect from the Verizon IndyCar Series racers, one thing that the passionate Canadian fans can certainly count on is some highly competitive racing from the full field of Battery Tender Global MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich Tires machines.
Follow along at http://www.mx-5cup.com as well as https://twitter.com/globalmx5cup.
Battery Tender Global MX-5 Cup Presented by BFGoodrich Tires News and Notes:
Race 1: Saturday, July 15 11:00 AM-11:45 AM
Race 2: Sunday, July 16 10:35 AM-11:15 AM
2017 MX-5 Cup Season to date race wraps:
Round 1 (Barber Motorsports Park) Patrick Gallagher wins after last lap restart, Patrick Wilmot wins Battery Tender Hard Charger
Round 2 (Barber Motorsports Park) Patrick Gallagher wins after last-lap pass, Glenn McGee wins Battery Tender Hard Charger
Round 3 (Indianapolis Motor Speedway) Robert Stout wins by just 0.0632-seconds over Gallagher, Nathanial “Sparky” Sparks Battery Tender Hard Charger
Round 4 (Indianapolis Motor Speedway) Patrick Gallagher wins over Stout, Ara Malkhassian (No. 11 ALARA Racing) earned the Battery Tender Hard Charger
Round 5 (Road America) Gallagher wins on last lap by by .0263-seconds, Dean Copeland wins Battery Tender Hard Charger
Round 6 (Road America) Sparky wins on last lap by victory by 0.0468-seconds Top 7 finishers all within 2 seconds of the winner, Brian Henderson Battery Tender Hard Charger Award
—Youth, and experience: while there is a healthy roster of rookies, there is also a lot of experience in the field. Two former series champions: Nathanial Sparks (2016), and Todd Lamb (2009) have returned for full-season campaigns. The driver with the most series experience is Ara Malkhassian, who has only missed two races from over 100 Global MX-5 races run since 2006.
— Key marketing and commercial partners for the series include Mazda, Battery Tender, BFGoodrichTires, Pagid Racing, and VP Racing Fuels.
— The Global MX-5 Cup car had its first season of competition in 2016, with the field of drivers completing 38,386.2 kilometers of competition. The circumference of the earth is 40,074.3 kilometers.
— Battery Tender Global MX-5 Cup Autograph session: 2:00-2:30 PM Friday in the ECC presentation room.
— MX-5 Cup is the first professional race series on the Mazda Road to 24 ladder, providing the series champion with a $200,000 USD scholarship and the rookie-of the-year winner with a $50,000 USD scholarship.
—MX-5 Cup is the first professional race series on the Mazda Road to 24 ladder, providing the series champion with a $200,000 scholarship and rookie-of the-year winner with a $50,000 scholarship. At Mazda, driving matters, and in the Global MX5 Cup that belief is absolutely true. Racing with cars that start on showroom floors with incredible parity, it is the driver that makes the difference. The cars all use the exact same SKYACTIV 2.0 liter engine as the MX-5 that you can buy at a Mazda dealer.
— 2017 is the 12th season for the Global MX-5 Cup series and the second for the Long Road Racing-built Global MX-5 Cup machine. The cars are race-prepared with the addition of safety equipment like a roll cage and over 200 motorsports-specific parts at Long Road Racing in Statesville, North Carolina.
—About the car: The cars are race-prepared with the addition of safety equipment like a roll cage and over 200 motorsports-specific parts at Long Road Racing in Statesville, North Carolina. 2017 is the 12th season for the Global MX-5 Cup series and the second for the Long Road Racing-built Global MX-5 Cup machine. The cars all use the exact same SKYACTIV 2.0 liter engine as the MX-5 that you can buy at a Mazda dealer.
Most of the variables, and as much of the costs as possible, have been eliminated for the Global MX-5 Cup drivers and teams as everyone competes with the exact same Mazda MX-5 Cup machine. In fact, every MX-5 Cup, which costs just $58,900 USD from Mazda Motorsports, comes from the same builder, further ensuring parity across the field.
—The Global MX-5 Cup is the North American edition of the all MX-5 championship.
2017 Battery Tender Global MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich Tires schedule:
Rounds 1& 2 Barber Motorsports Park April 21-23
Rounds 3 & 4 Indianapolis Motor Speedway June 16-18
Rounds 5 & 6 Road America June 23-25
Rounds 7 & 8 Streets of Toronto July 14-16
Rounds 9 & 10 Watkins Glen International September 1-3
Rounds 11 & 12 Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca September 22-4
Global Invitational Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca October 13-15