Global Mazda MX-5 Cup Car: Driver Safety

Driver safety has been a critical development and production objective for the 2016 Global Mazda MX-5 Cup car.

The racing environment provides unique challenges that require additional safety measures to be taken. To develop the 2016 Global Mazda MX-5 Cup car, we have made additional safety modifications, which include: design and creation of the roll cage; integration of fire suppression system; and enhancements to the driver seating position and restraints.

Mazda Motorsports and development and build partner for the 2016 Global Mazda MX-5 Cup car, Long Road Racing (LRR), utilized kinematics and compliance chassis measurements and factory CAD data to identify key mounting points for the roll cage to enhance both chassis rigidity and structural strength for ultimate driver safety. For the design criteria, stringent FIA, SCCA and NASA roll cage requirements were all met or exceeded during the design phase. Additional criteria included room for a 6'4" driver and symmetry for both left- and right-hand drive cars as a global series requirement. As for the cage material, all bars are laser cut with identification labels etched into each bar, which provides a very strong and consistent end-product for all competitors.