Trans Am, Mazda Global MX-5 Cup To Feature Modern Competition This Weekend at Brickyard Vintage Racing Invitational
June 12, 2017 | By Paul Kelly, Indianapolis Motor Speedway
All eyes will be focused on more than 500 vintage racing machines during the Brickyard Vintage Racing Invitational on June 16-18, but two series featuring modern race cars also will compete during the popular event weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli and the Battery Tender Global MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich Tires series will conduct regular rounds of their series on the 14-turn, 2.439-mile road course at IMS on Father’s Day weekend. Trans Am features a legacy of top North American road racing for more than 50 years, while the entry-level Global MX-5 Cup is a proving ground for the sports car racing stars of tomorrow.
Two Global MX-5 Cup rounds will take place at IMS, starting at 5:55 p.m. Friday, June 16 and 5:10 p.m. Saturday, June 17. Both rounds are timed, at 45 minutes each.
There will be two Trans Am feature races. The TA, TA3 and TA4 classes will race together in a 42-lap event starting at 3:05 p.m. Saturday. The TA2 class race, also 42 laps, is scheduled to start at 3:10 p.m. Sunday, June 18.
Here’s a look at both series:
Trans Am
The Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli began in 1966 and has featured some of America’s top road racers, such as multi-time champions Peter Gregg, Wally Dallenbach Jr., Tom Kendall and 1972 Indianapolis 500 winner Mark Donohue.
Other Indy 500 veterans who competed regularly in the early days of Trans Am included 1963 Indianapolis 500 winner Parnelli Jones, Peter Revson, George Follmer, Sam Posey, Swede Savage and David Hobbs. Indy veterans Willy T. Ribbs, Scott Pruett and Scott Sharp also found success in later years of Trans Am competition.
Trans Am currently features more than 70 entrants at most events in four classes – TA, TA2, TA3 and TA4.
TA class competitors race in American sports cars such as the Chevrolet Corvette, Cadillac CTS V, Dodge Challenger and Ford Mustang, powered by throaty V8 engines generating 850 horsepower. Cars raced in the other classes including the Chevrolet Camaro, Aston Martin Vantage, Porsche 911, Maserati Gran Tourismo and Dodge Viper.
Amy Ruman, from Stow, Ohio, is the two-time defending champion of the premier TA class. Ruman was the first female driver to win a premier North American road-racing series championship, and she was the first to win multiple and repeat titles. She could become the first female to win a race at IMS in a major series.
One of the most famous names in IMS history – Andretti – also will be represented in the Trans Am lineup this weekend. Adam Andretti, the younger brother of Indy 500 veteran John Andretti, will race in the TA2 class in a Dodge Challenger.
Global MX-5 Cup
The Battery Tender Global MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich Tires is the signature spec series for the Mazda Road to 24 (#MRT24), the sports car counterpart to the Mazda Road to Indy (#MRTI). On both paths, Mazda-powered champions earn a Mazda scholarship to advance their career. The MX-5 Cup champion earns a $200,000 scholarship.
MX-5 Cup race cars start as brand new, complete MX-5 road cars from the Mazda factory in Hiroshima, Japan, before being transported to engineering development partner, Long Road Racing in Statesville, North Carolina where they are transformed into a complete race car.
The process includes disassembly of the production car, followed by welding, paint, as well as a full roll cage and interior, and then assembly of the race car with more than 250 motorsports-specific parts. Other components of the car, including the Mazda SKYACTIV 2.0-liter engine, are sealed to ensure even competition and a cost-effective platform.
Recent series champions Christian Szymczak, Stevan McAleer and Kenton Koch have used the scholarship to advance to higher levels of North American sports car racing, including the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge.
Visit IMS.com to order tickets or learn more about the Brickyard Vintage Racing Invitational. Kids 15 and under are free when accompanied by an adult.