This is an exciting and busy week full of Mazda events. Despite the cold front that has rolled across the East Coast, it hasn’t slowed down the on-track activity on the calendar.
Early this week, I was helping new drivers get prepared for the upcoming Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup season, which starts in just over a month’s time at Daytona, during the storied Rolex 24 weekend.
We had a very productive two days of testing at Roebling Road Raceway just outside of Savannah, Georgia. The track is a fantastic test track for learning a car, but it’s also a great place to put a car through its paces and make setup changes as you learn more about the nuances of the platform.
The track is unique in that it has very long-radius corners, which allow a driver to really feel the handling dynamics for an extended period of time. This can be a lot more informative than short, tight corners, which can sometimes create more variables because of the braking and other timing components involved.
I’m very excited that there are many new drivers coming into the MX-5 Cup series for the 2025 season, including the three new Mazda Shootout winners who were selected at Homestead last month.
It’s a quick turnaround for me, going from one event to another. I’m heading to Sebring, Florida (where it will hopefully be warmer) to join Mazda Motorsports and Flis Performance for the Classic 12 hours of Sebring HSR event. The team will have three iconic cars from the Mazda Heritage Collection, and the rotary-powered race cars will be in action beginning Thursday and going through the weekend.
I’m thrilled to be back in the 792 Prototype: I last drove this incredible machine at the Monterey Reunion during the summer. This car was campaigned in the 1990s IMSA GTP era, when high-power, high-downforce cars were the name of the game. With over 700HP, the four-rotor, fire-breathing monster is a fan favorite and a ton of fun to drive. You can follow along on Mazda Motorsports and Flis Performance social media throughout the week!