The 2024 Mazda MX-5 Cup Shootout: what an event! This year’s shootout was hosted at Homestead-Miami Speedway for the first time in its history. The new venue proved to be a good one, creating close competition and plenty of challenges for the drivers.
Not only was this week the shootout for the Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup series, but it was also the shootout for the Mazda Spec MX-5 series, which is the start for many racers transferring from karts to cars or from Spec Miata to the next-generation MX-5.
I was excited to be returning as an MX-5 Cup judge and coach for Mazda at their annual talent shootout, where they were awarding $350,000 in scholarship money for next season’s MX-5 Cup championship.
Every year, it seems like the competition gets tighter! We were excited to welcome 12 deserving candidates who all came ready to shine and to put their best effort forward, not only on the race track but also off the track in media and interviews. The drivers also got experience with coaching, including data and video review, from the judging panel.
The amount of exposure that the Mazda Shootout continues to produce is impressive, with its livestream on Racer.com and the international flavor it receives, with drivers selected from the U.K. and Mexico as well as the U.S.
When it came time to select our final round of drivers to have one last runoff, making the decision was definitely difficult for us judges. We had such an incredible crop of drivers this year!
With the format for the final competition being a 30-minute runoff on a brand-new set of Michelin tires, the margin of performance was nearly even. That made it even more difficult for a finalist to secure the title of shootout winner and the $150,000 prize.
In the end, Noah Harmon was awarded the top honors, getting a full-season scholarship in next year’s MX-5 Cup championship, with runner-up Helio Meza taking home a $100,000 prize. At just 16 years old, it was incredible to see a driver this young and polished come to the shootout for the first time and take home one of the top prizes. In the Mazda Women’s Initiative Scholarship, Ashlyn Speed came away with the top spot and $100,000 toward her quest in the 2025 MX-5 Cup season.
These drivers don’t have much time to sit back and celebrate, since the season kicks off at Daytona in just eight short weeks!
All the finalists were deserving drivers, and they got to have such an incredible experience driving the MX-5 Cup car as well as receiving valuable input from the judges and partners that were involved in the event. The shootout truly gets bigger and better every year, and I look forward to seeing what all the competitors accomplish in 2025.