The SCCA Pro Racing Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup begins its 2013 campaign at Sebring International Raceway this week with a pair of races at the 61st Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida.
Aside from battling for the Playboy MX-5 Cup Championship, each driver is also fighting to earn the MAZDASPEED prize. The prize, which is given to the champion, is a funded ride in the next step up the motorsports ladder for 2014. Last year, Stevan McAleer drove his No. 28 CJ Wilson Children’s Charities/Blue Mercury Capital/RUfocused.com/Sambo Website Design MX-5 to victory. With the funding from MAZDASPEED, McAleer now competes in the 2013 Grand-Am Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge with CJ Wilson racing, winning two weeks ago at Circuit of the Americas.
CJ Wilson Racing will have its hands full attempting to defend the team’s title. However, the team, owned by Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim pitcher CJ Wilson, is set up well for 2013 by re-signing second-year drivers Elliott Skeer (No. 17 MAZDASPEED/Pelican Windows/New Balance/Phiten/ Forza MX-5) and Emilee Tominovich (No. 19 TrueCar/Shepherd Electrical Supply/Chesepeake Electrical Systems/“Accelerate Your Game” MX-5). Both drivers ended up top-10 in points last year. Rookie Patrick Gallagher has a big seat to fill, driving the No. 28 MAZDASPEED/New Balance/Phiten/Forza MX-5 McAleer drove last year. Gallagher may have the resume to fill the gap, winning the SCCA Formula Enterprises National Championship in 2012 and then the Mazda Club Racer Shootout. Ari Strauss will pilot the No. 29 ModSpace MX-5 entry with CJ Wilson Racing.
Based on last year’s results, Sick Sideways Racing could be the team that will make it very tough for CJ Wilson Racing to repeat as champions. John Dean II, a Sebring native, will work the home field advantage in his No. 16 Projections Research/PPG MX-5. Other than having the fans on his side, Dean also notched a victory last year at this track, winning round two of the 2012 season. Dean will team up with second-year driver Nathanial Sparks in the No. 3 OOTSK Performance/Bimmerworld MX-5. Scott Phillips also joins the team, driving the No. 88 Northern Heart & Vascular Institute MX-5.
ALARA Racing, headed by Playboy MX-5 Cup veteran and 2012 championship runner-up Ara Malkhassian (No. 11 ALARA Garage MX-5), has returned for competition with a new face.
Christian Szymczak (No. 34 ALARA Racing MX-5), who finished fourth last year for Sick Sideways, joined the team over the offseason, and quickly found a fit. Szymczak set the best lap over two days of pre-season testing Feb. 12-13 at Sebring. His lap of 2:31.027 (88.169 mph) was faster than any race lap at that track in 2012. Brent Mosing (No. 10 Twisted Trailers MX-5), Tim Probert (No. 26 ALARA Garage), Harrison Williams (No. 00 Raymond James MX-5) and 2012 Skip Barber MAZDASPEED Pro Series Champion Bryan Hixon (No. 12 MAZDASPEED/BFGoodrich MX-5) round out the team.
Returning after dipping its toes into the series at the end of 2012 is Windsor Customs Racing. Two thirds of the team is made up of brothers Forrest (No. 41 Excitations.com MX-5) and Sebastian (No. 49 Excitations.com) Landy. Sebastian scored a pair of fifth-place finishes at Canadian Tires Motorsports Park and Virginia International Raceway. Chris Windsor will pilot the team’s third entry, the No. 38 WindsorCustoms.com/Child Print MX-5.
Two single-car teams will also return to competition in 2013. Dean Copeland (No. 7 SynchSpeed MX-5) looks to build on three podium finishes in 2012, including one win at Road Atlanta. Beth Chryst, driving the No. 2 Chryst Brother Construction/StudioRhoad MX-5, improved behind the wheel in her sophomore season and is looking to make another leap forward in 2013.
The drivers will be challenged by a new qualifying procedure at Sebring. One qualifying session will be held where each driver’s best lap and second-best lap will be used to determine grid positions. The fastest lap set by each driver will determine the grid for race one, while the second-fastest lap for each driver will determine the starting position for race two.
In addition to the 20 cars already scheduled to compete in the Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup, an additional nine cars will participate in the Skip Barber Racing School MAZDASPEED Pro Challenge. The arrive-and-drive program features identical MX-5 machines, with slightly fewer modifications than the Playboy MX-5 Cup class, providing a stepping stone for drivers wishing to enter into the pro ranks and running as a separate class in the race.
This week will include a pair of practice sessions on Wednesday, with qualifying scheduled for Thursday morning. The opening round of the 2013 slate will take the green Thursday at 5:20 p.m. (EDT). The second race will run Friday at 4:30 p.m. (EDT).
Follow the Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup on Twitter @MAZDAMX5Cup.
Event Entry List
#, Driver / Hometown, Sponsors Car
2, Beth Chryst/Herndon, VA, Chryst Brothers Construction/ Studio Rhoad MX-5
7, Dean Copeland/Bowie, MD, Synch Speed MX-5
8, Nathan Sparks/Spanish Fort, AL, OOTSK PERFORMANCE/Bimmerworld MX-5
10, Brent Mosing/Lafayette, LA, Twisted Trailers MX-5
11, Ara Malkhassian/Houston, TX, ALARA Garage MX-5
12, Bryan Hixon/San Antonio,Texas, MAZDASPEED/BFGoodrich MX-5
16, John Dean/Sebring, FL, Projections Research/PPG MX-5
17, Elliot Skeer/Vista, CA, MAZDASPEED/Pelican Windows/New Balance/Phiten/Forza MX-5
19, Emilee Tominovich/Clarksville, MD, TrueCar/Shepherd Electrical Supply/Chesepeake
Electrical Systems/“Accelerate Your Game” MX-5
23, Christian Tetzlaff/Gainesville, GA, Lanier Tech/MAZDASPEED MX-5
26, Tim Probert/Houston, TX, ALARA Garage MX-5
27, Charles Paquin/Ottawa, ON, Construct Corp/Trackpro MX-5
28, Patrick Gallager(R)/Thornville, OH, MAZDASPEED/New Balance/Phiten/Forza MX-5
29, Ari Strauss/Monticello, NY, ModSpace MX-5
34, Christian Szymczak/Palos Verdes, CA, Alara Racing MX-5
38, Chris Windsor/Thurmont, MD, WindsorCustoms.com/Child Print ID MX-5
41, Forest Landy/Great Falls, VA, Excitations.com MX-5
48, Sebastian Landy/Great Falls, VA, Excitations.com MX-5
87, Scott Phillips(R)/Tucson, AZ, Northern Heart and Vascular Institute MX-5
00, Harrison Williams/Houston, TX, Raymond James MX-5
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