2016 MX-5 Cup: Primed for Teams and Individuals

Whether you're part of a team, and arrive-and-drive customer or a privateer, the 2016 Battery Tender MX-5 Cup will be primed for all.

The 2016 Battery Tender Mazda MX-5 Cup series will see the all-new 2016 MX-5 Cup race car replace the third generation (NC) MX-5 Cup racecar, providing the opportunity for new racing competitors or teams to enter the series on equal footing. With the production of the all-new 2016 MX-5 Cup cars upon us and the 2016 season on the horizon (the opening round begins April 29 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca to support the IMSA weekend), there is no better time than now to join the Global Mazda MX-5 Cup. For those teams or individual competitors looking to race in one of the most affordable and competitive series in the world, we wanted to shed light and clarity on the opportunities.

Many of the current 2015 MX-5 Cup teams offer a full-service "arrive-and-drive" program to their customers. In this scenario, a competitor has the option to either own his or her own MX-5 Cup car to lend to the team to maintain and manage for the season, or to pay a premium to rent a team-owned car. For the competitor who owns the MX-5 Cup car, competitors find the cost to run the season typically ranges between $75,000 and $100,000, which is paid to the race teams. (The teams often tailor the arrive-and-drive program to fit the customers' needs.)

If the team owns the MX-5 Cup car, the team will pass on the additional cost to the driver. In either case of the arrive-and-drive program, the team often preps the MX-5 Cup car before the venue; transports the MX-5 car to each event; and maintains the MX-5 Cup car during the events (e.g., sets-up the race car; provides and changes the tires and other parts; provides coaching, etc.).