Bamber returning to Mazda MX-5 Cup for St. Petersburg

After making his Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin debut at Martinsville Speedway last October, Earl Bamber is returning for another crack at the series. The two-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner will rejoin Hendricks Motorsports for Rounds 3 and 4 at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg street course.

“I’m really looking forward to getting back into the Mazda field and into the car,” Bamber said. “I had a great time at Martinsville and it’s such a welcoming paddock. I’m looking forward to Saint Pete. It’s a track I’ve never been at, but I'm looking forward to the challenge of street racing one of these machines.”

A decorated sports car veteran, Bamber has won an FIA World Endurance Championship and an IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. He won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in his first try, in 2015, and backed it up with another win in 2017. He won the 24 Hours of the Nurburgring in 2023 and the 12 Hours of Sebring in 2022. Most recently he finished runner-up in the Rolex 24 at Daytona with the No. 31 Whelen Action Express Cadillac team.

Bamber is no stranger to street courses, having won the IMSA GTLM class at Long Beach in 2019. In 2022, he finished on the DPi podium at both Long Beach and Detroit.

One of his rivals in the St. Petersburg race will be his WEC teammate, Sebastien Bourdais (No. 38 McCumbee McAleer Racing), who is making his MX-5 Cup debut as a fundraiser for the Karts4Kids charity.

Bamber and Bourdais will only have one practice session before qualifying on Friday, Feb. 27. Race 1 is scheduled for 7:30am ET on Saturday, Feb. 28. Race 2 goes green at 4:00pm ET on Sunday, March 1. Both races will be live streamed on the RACER YouTube channel.