Coming soon: Global Mazda MX-5 Cup cars

Production starts soon:

http://mazdamotorsports.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/DisplayRacerStoryView?source=STORY&uniqueId=6330&storeId=10001&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&button=y

It'll be interesting to see how they price it. Didn't someone suggest it was going to be one of the cheapest turn-key race cars available right now?

In reply to BoxheadTim: So is that like $40k?

No idea, the Facebook post by Mazda Motorsports earlier today suggested that they'll announce the price really soon now.

Yeah, we'll know the price later this week.

Unlike the past MX-5 Cup cars, these come totally turnkey from Long Road Racing.

There are probably more people on this board waiting to see the pricing of the old cars when they come up for sale here shortly. Now that could be a pretty nice, inexpensive to operate track car with lots of upgrade potential.

If someone wants to buy an old MX-5 Cup car, I'd contact the various shops that maintain them. I bet there's interest in passing them along. Yes, could make a great track car.

Are these really full road cars with full interiors and what not? If they're race cars why can't the factory just put together non-VIN cars without the unnecessary parts? It seems like it would save everyone to involved time and $$$.

mazdeuce wrote: Are these really full road cars with full interiors and what not? If they're race cars why can't the factory just put together non-VIN cars without the unnecessary parts? It seems like it would save everyone to involved time and $$$.

Long story short, we're told that in the end it was less expensive to start with fully equipped, road-going cars.

I'm sure someone ran the numbers, and it's true, it just seems odd that paying one group of people to put parts on and another to take them back off again is the best way.
Whatever, I'm still excited to see these cars run and I hope they have a greater reach to 'normal' people than the NC's did.

trigun7469 wrote: In reply to BoxheadTim: So is that like $40k?

A $30k car only costing $10k to be REAL race prepped? Lol.

I bet these will be more like $60-70k with cage, seat, data aquisition, etc

mazdeuce wrote: I'm sure someone ran the numbers, and it's true, it just seems odd that paying one group of people to put parts on and another to take them back off again is the best way. Whatever, I'm still excited to see these cars run and I hope they have a greater reach to 'normal' people than the NC's did.

Mass production is a whole lot less expensive than hand-built, so it's not surprising it's easiest to start with a complete car. Even just the logistics of delivery from Japan are a whole lot easier when you can drive the car on the docks.

It's not going to be a $40k car, even starting from the $25k base. Anyone who's actually built a race car will understand that. The exhaust system alone is a couple of grand, never mind the labor to cage it. They're also using really nice shocks, not the cheap and nasty Spec Miata type of setup. There's been a lot more work put into this car than the NC or NA/NB versions.

Mazda is going to announce the price at 12:30 today.

We already know the magic number. Upon hearing it, JG's eyes bugged out of his head. (I have probably already said too much; if you never hear from me again, well, you know where to point the investigators.)

"Pricing has been announced for the Global MX-5 Cup car. Turn-key cars are $53,000 - the best value in sports car racing!" -- https://twitter.com/mazdaracing

Lots more info, including operating cost estimates, found at mazdamotorsports.com

Yeah, we figured they would go for more.

Mazda Announces Global MX-5 Cup Race Car Pricing - Initial Orders Being Accepted for the $53,000 Ready-to-Race 2016 MX-5 Miata -

Now if they can keep them from

So I was thinking about this. I have a couple of friends that race B-Spec cars with the Grand Am series because that's the cheapest amd easiest way to properly "professionally" race. The next step up is something like the 911 support series. That's a significant jump. Spec Miata is awesome, but it's really a club series in the US.
I can see this being a place for people who want to play race car driver but can't spend 911 money and don't want to stoop so low as to race something like a Fit.
What series are these cars going to be attached to?

They have their own series Mazduece the MX-5 Cup, previously it was the playboy cup I think?

http://www.mx-5cup.com/

The MX-5 Cup is a stand alone, one make series.

Grand-Am has not run B-Spec for a few years now. Pirelli World Challenge is the only place to race your B-spec on the professional level.

The next step from B-spec would be the PWC TC-A cars, then PWC TC/Continental Challenge ST.

An MX-5 Cup championship can also lead to bigger and better. This is from their site:

The MX-5 Cup series champion earns a $200,000 scholarship to move to a higher level series with Mazda the following year. Additionally, the 2016 Global MX-5 Cup series will culminate with a global finale at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, Calif., with entrants from around the world to crown a global champion. A one-day test in Mazda’s top-level IMSA Weathertech SportsCar Championship SKYACTIV prototype race car will top the list of prizes bestowed on the global champion.

I wonder what the prep shop is doing with the interiors. How are the factory seats in the ND for those who've sat in them?

The stock seats were totally comfortable for our Indiana-to-Florida run.

racerfink wrote: The MX-5 Cup is a stand alone, one make series. Grand-Am has not run B-Spec for a few years now. Pirelli World Challenge is the only place to race your B-spec on the professional level. The next step from B-spec would be the PWC TC-A cars, then PWC TC/Continental Challenge ST.

PWC, sorry, I shouldn't get my series messed up, but I do.

The Global Cup cars have FIA spec cages and very stock drivetrains. They'll be legal in a lot of series. Seats are different, the dash remains.

Killer deal.

Also, Long Road Racing is building all of the MX-5 Cup cars, even those headed overseas. That means that the cages work for both RHD and LHD. You'd have to swap the dash but not the cage.