The finale for many open-wheel racing series was this past weekend at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, including the Battery Tender Global MX-5 Cup Championship, which saw its fair share of tight racing and drama throughout the event. Multiple drivers were in the fight for the championship coming into the weekend, and after race 1, that battle was even tighter as the points gap shrank further. It meant that the final race would definitely be an intense finish to the season!
2019 Champion Bryan Ortiz. All photos by Al Merion – Ignite Media.
The driver who was second in points heading into the weekend was Selin Rollan. He did everything possible to move up to first, including winning race 2, but Bryan Ortiz was able to finish in the top five in the final race to maintain his championship lead and win the title plus the $200,000 Mazda scholarship to continue his racing exploits next season.
To make the battle for the championship even more interesting, the third-place points runner, Robert Stout, won race 1. For all three of these drivers, the weekend was an incredible example of putting your best effort into the final opportunity to win a championship. They all performed at their best when they needed to.
Mazda hosted a very elegant awards banquet to honor all of the drivers and, of course, the 2019 champion. Another honoree was the 2018 Mazda Shootout winner and 2019 Rookie of the Year, Michael Carter, who walked away with $75,000 to compete in the series again next season.
It should be a very exciting 2020 season: the schedule has been announced, and the races will be hosted at the same venues with continued sanctioning by IndyCar. The Global MX-5 Cup Championship has proven to be a consistent platform for competitors to showcase themselves and win Mazda scholarship money to follow their professional motorsport aspirations.