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Tune in for Round 13 of the Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup from Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta on Thursday, October 12. Coverage begins at 5:40pm ET.
Tune in for Round 13 of the Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup from Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta on Thursday, October 12. Coverage begins at 5:40pm ET.
The Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich Tires season finale started with a single practice session at Road Atlanta on Wednesday. Robert Noaker (No. 13 Robert Noaker Racing) was quickest, followed closely by season championship contender …
The Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich Tires season finale started with a single practice session at Road Atlanta on Wednesday. Robert Noaker (No. 13 Robert Noaker Racing) was quickest, followed closely by season championship contender Aaron Jeansonne (No. 24 JTR Motorsports Engineering).
Noaker, whose best finish of the year thus far has been third at Road America, isn’t in the championship hunt, so he’s looking for a race win in these final two rounds.
“We started the year pretty rough,” Noaker said. “We didn’t have the car quite where we needed it. We just kept running into bad luck and things out of our control kept happening. The second half of the year is when we got it hooked up. At that point, we were in situations to win, but something would happen. Coming into this weekend it’s all about putting everything out there and remind everyone what we’re capable of. I feel bad for our guys. They work so hard on the car and the results aren’t there to show it.”
Noaker’s best lap was a 1m36.306s. That was just 0.026s ahead of Jeansonne, who is mathematically capable of taking the championship this week, but only if he can overcome a 290-point deficit to his teammate Jared Thomas (No. 96 JTR Performance Engineering).
The first of two Mazda MX-5 Cup races at Road Atlanta takes place Thursday at 5:45pm ET. The second is scheduled for 10:30am ET on Friday. Both races will be streamed live on RACER.com.
The Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich Tires has extended its partnership with IMSA and series operations specialists Andersen Promotions. Both parties have taken the series to new heights of professionalism and popularity. Mazda MX-5 …
The Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich Tires has extended its partnership with IMSA and series operations specialists Andersen Promotions. Both parties have taken the series to new heights of professionalism and popularity.
Mazda MX-5 Cup will continue to operate under the IMSA umbrella in 2024 and beyond. The relationship with IMSA began in 2021 and instantly captured the attention of sports car fans globally. The opportunity to compete at tracks including Daytona International Speedway and Sebring International Raceway, as part of some of North America’s most iconic events, has highlighted how competitive and entertaining the series can be.
“The MX-5 Cup series puts on some of the most entertaining races in all of motorsports,” said IMSA President John Doonan. “Since joining the IMSA family in 2021, the MX-5 Cup series has become quite a popular addition to IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship event weekends, with pulse-pounding action and photo finishes seemingly every time out. We are proud to confirm that the series will continue with IMSA sanctioning for at least the next three years and hopefully well into the future.”
Equally as important, the officiating and administrative services IMSA offers rival any professional racing syndicate and the AMR Safety Team is indispensable.
MX-5 Cup became part of the Andersen Promotions roster in 2016. With decades of operational experience in motorsports, Andersen Promotions brought a wealth of resources and knowledge to the table. Their staffing has brought the series to a higher level of professionalism and efficiency with a high priority placed on customer service for competitors.
“The Mazda MX-5 Cup Championship is not only the best value in motorsports, but it has awesome teams and drivers delivering fantastic racing event after event,” Andersen Promotions Owner & CEO Dan Andersen said. “It’s been a real pleasure for Andersen to be involved in series operations and work alongside the professionals at IMSA to produce something we are especially proud of. The future looks very strong thanks to Mazda.”
The continuity of these relationships ensures that MX-5 Cup is well situated for further growth as a star among spec racing series for years to come.
“IMSA and Andersen have been phenomenal partners,” Mazda Motorsports Senior Manager Jonathan Applegate said. “Andersen Promotions has streamlined the operations of the series and their staff bring a lot of experience. That’s especially helpful since our relationship with IMSA has increased our audience worldwide. I believe our competitors are equally pleased to know these top-tier services will continue.”
The 2023 Mazda MX-5 Cup season comes to a close October 11 – 13 at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. Watch Round 13 on Thursday, October 12 at 5:45pm ET and Round 14, Friday, October 12 at 10:30am ET, both streaming live on RACER.com.
Continuing a nearly two-decade running tradition, Mazda Motorsports will once again stage a MX-5 Cup Shootout to help aspiring racers connect talent with opportunity in 2023. Nominees eligible for the 2023 Mazda MX-5 Cup Shootout have been named and …
Continuing a nearly two-decade running tradition, Mazda Motorsports will once again stage a MX-5 Cup Shootout to help aspiring racers connect talent with opportunity in 2023. Nominees eligible for the 2023 Mazda MX-5 Cup Shootout have been named and are one step closer to a scholarship valued at $110,000.
Building on a selection process that has proven successful through the years, the nominees are a combination of automatic and at-large selections. Automatic selections are those drivers who have won a club racing national championship (NASA, SCCA or Spec MX-5 Challenge) in a Mazda-powered vehicle. At-large nominees are drivers who haven’t won a national championship, but have shown exceptional racing talent, not necessarily in a Mazda-powered car, or even in sports cars.
Success in motorsports requires a driver who delivers both in and out of the cockpit, so Mazda’s selection process focuses on much more than just fast laps. Each nominee is invited to submit a video application to become a finalist. These applications must include each driver’s plan to create a long-lasting racing career, including how they would attract additional funding.
“It’s encouraging to see the pool of talented Mazda racers grow year-after year,” Mazda Motorsports Senior Manager Jonathan Applegate said. “The response to this program continues to be impressive and even though that makes it very difficult to get down to 12 finalists, it is really encouraging to see the level of professionalism and raw talent that are interested in making the most of this opportunity. The MX-5 Cup Shootout has produced some very deserving winners and champions and we anticipate the same thing this year.”
Nominees have a week to submit their applications to Mazda Motorsports.
Drivers selected as finalists will be invited to participate in the MX-5 Cup Shootout. There, Mazda will not only name the winner of a $110,000 scholarship to compete in MX-5 Cup in 2024, but also a $75,000 scholarship for the runner-up and a $75,000 scholarship for the top female driver.
Last year’s Shootout winner, Nate Cicero, is going into the final two races of the season leading the Rookie of the Year standings and is within reach of a top-three finish in the championship.
2023 Mazda MX-5 Cup Shootout Nominees
At-large nominees:
AJ Zarcone – Spec MX-5 / NASA Teen Mazda
Antonio Abrom – Spec Miata
Austin Varco – Spec Miata
Boris Said Jr – Spec Miata
Brennan Stammer – Spec Miata / NASA Teen Mazda
Cam Ebben – Spec Miata / Spec MX-5
Camden Gruber – Spec Miata / Spec MX-5
Chase Jones – Spec MX-5
Chloe Lynch
Christian Braunlich – Touring 4
Don Squirek – Spec MX-5
Emily Atenas
Ethan Barker
Frankie Barroso – Spec Miata
Hannah Greenemeier – F4
Joshua Soto
Julian DaCosta – Spec Miata
Junior Brock – Spec Miata
Laurin Brallier – Spec Miata
Maddie Aust – TC America
Mark Polunin – Spec Miata / NASA Teen Mazda
Morgan Burkhard
Nathan Nicholson – Spec MX-5
Nathan Saxon – Spec MX-5
Nicholas Leone – Spec MX-5
Nico Bratz – Spec MX-5
Noah Harmon – Spec MX-5 / Spec Miata
Reid Sweeney – Spec MX-5
Rowan Gill – Spec MX-5 / Spec Miata
Sally Mott
Taylor Ferns – USAC
Uthman Alaoui – Spec Miata / NASA Teen Mazda
Westin Workman – Spec MX-5
Will Robusto – Spec MX-5
Wyatt Couch – Spec MX-5 / Spec Miata
Automatic Nominees:
Alex Bertagnoli – Spec MX-5 Champion
Aryton Grim- NASA Teen Mazda (Great Lakes)
Cam Ebben – Northern Divisional Champion SCCA first gear
Charles Russell Turner – FE2 SCCA Champion
Christian Sarnecki – Northeast Divisional Champion SCCA first gear
Cooper Hicks – NASA Teen Mazda (CA/Southern)
David Moreno – Great lakes Divisional Champion SCCA first gear
Ethan Lampe- NASA Teen Mazda (CA/Northern)
Hayden Manis – NASA Teen Mazda (Mid Atlantic)
Logan Strech – Southern Divisional Champion SCCA first gear
Michael Carter* – NASA Spec Miata Champion
Nick Bruni* & Preston Pardus* – Spec Miata, SCCA Runoffs
Raiden Nicol – Southeast Divisional Champion SCCA first gear
Todd Vanacore – P1 SCCA Runoffs national champion
*Due to significant professional experience, Nick Bruni, Preston Pardus and Michael Carter (SCCA & NASA Spec Miata National Champion) are not eligible for the Shootout
A Scottish touring car driver and an American stock car racer walk into a race paddock… No, it’s not the start of a joke, but the true story of how two guys from disparate backgrounds came to form one of the powerhouse teams in the Idemitsu Mazda …
A Scottish touring car driver and an American stock car racer walk into a race paddock…
No, it’s not the start of a joke, but the true story of how two guys from disparate backgrounds came to form one of the powerhouse teams in the Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by BFGoodrich.
Chad McCumbee and Stevan McAleer are the duo behind McCumbee McAleer Racing (MMR), which has been an MX-5 Cup entrant every year since 2014. That makes them among the longest-established teams in the series. The pair (below, McCumbee far left; McAleer center) met by chance in 2012 when their very separate paths led them to the cockpit of a Mazda racecar.
“Our partnership really came from Mazda’s involvement with everything that we were doing,” says McCumbee. “Stevan had just come over here chasing his way up the ladder, and ultimately won the MX-5 Cup championship in 2012. I’d been on a parallel path in the circle track world. It was two totally different areas of the sport.”
When they found themselves at CJ Wilson Motorsport a decade ago, little did they know that what transpired then would lead to where they are today.
“It’s a crazy story,” McAleer recounts. “I wanted to drive in the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC). I won a scholarship; however, the previous winner had so much crash damage that the scholarship lost money.
“A good friend of mine in the UK put me in touch with CJ Wilson, and I drove the 25 hours of Thunder Hill in 2011, where we won our class,” he continues. “I thought Mazda was a great platform for me because knowing the financial problems that 99 percent of racecar drivers have, I was like, ‘Wait a minute, if I can win this championship, I’m going to get a funded seat in the level above?’”
After racing in the same team both as competitors and co-drivers for several seasons, including winning the ST championship together in the previous iteration of the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge, the pair took a chance on starting their own team.
“I would say that Stevan and I both were excited about the opportunity to start our race team,” McCumbee says. “But we both questioned if we were ready for it. We were both still heavily involved in our personal driving, and we still are. At some point we know we’re not going to drive, and motorsports is what we know.”
They’ve certainly put their collective knowledge and skills to good use. McAleer tends to put his focus on driver and sponsor relationships, in addition to coaching, while McCumbee looks after the operational elements. Any major decision is always taken jointly. After nine seasons, MMR has a championship and a bounty of wins to its credit.
One of the elements that sets MMR apart is that racing is its sole focus.
“The only cars in our shop are our racecars,” says McCumbee. “Our drivers’ cars are getting attention from the time they come off the race track (above) to the time they go back on the race track. The quality of teams now in MX-5 Cup is just second to none, so every year we try to continue to be better.”
That’s not the punchline; it’s just the truth.
MMR BY THE NUMBERS
Over almost nine complete seasons of competition, McCumbee McAleer Racing has built a strong record. That’s not easy to do in the hyper-competitive landscape that is the Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by BFGoodrich.
The team already has one driver’s championship to its credit, courtesy of Patrick Gallagher in 2017. In fact, 2017 was MMR’s best season to date, having also secured the Rookie of the Year title with Robert Stout, along with Team of the Year and Mechanic of the Year accolades.
Overall, MMR has scored 17 race wins, earned 16 pole positions, and made 29 podium appearances.
This season, it has four drivers in the top 20 in points, with Nate Cicero in sixth place and leading the Rookie of the Year fight, while John Jodoin lies in eighth place overall as the 2023 MX-5 Cup season heads into its final weekend at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.
• All Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by BFGoodrich races are streamed live on RACER.com and archived at The RACER Channel on YouTube. Don’t miss the season finale, rounds 13 & 14 at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta on Oct. 12-13. And to view the full season schedule and learn more about the series, visit mx-5cup.com.
RACER.com has teamed up with the Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup series to offer livestream coverage of each 2023 race. In case you missed the live action of Rounds 11 and 12 at VIRginia International Raceway watch highlights of them below: Round 11: Round …
RACER.com has teamed up with the Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup series to offer livestream coverage of each 2023 race. In case you missed the live action of Rounds 11 and 12 at VIRginia International Raceway watch highlights of them below:
Round 11:
Round 12:
Tune in Thursday, October 12 from 5:45PM – 6:30PM ET for Round 13 and Friday, October 13 from 10:30AM – 11:15AM ET for Round 14 season finale at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta on RACER.com or RACER.tv.
For more information on Mazda MX-5 Cup visit: mx-5cup.com
Reigning Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich Tires Champion Jared Thomas (No. 96 JTR Motorsports Engineering) was declared the round 12 race winner after an incident on the final lap led to a post-race penalty. He extended his points …
Reigning Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich Tires Champion Jared Thomas (No. 96 JTR Motorsports Engineering) was declared the round 12 race winner after an incident on the final lap led to a post-race penalty. He extended his points lead over teammate Aaron Jeansonne (No. 24 JTR Motorsports Engineering) who finished second.
It was difficult to keep up with the number of lead changes during the 45-minute race. There was never a clear leader — instead, a pack of 11 cars broke away from the field, running nose-to-tail.
At the front of the train, Gresham Wagner (No. 5 Spark Performance) and Connor Zilisch (No. 72 Hixon Motor Sports) traded the lead several times, with Max Opalski (No. 2 Copeland Motorsports), Nate Cicero (No. 83 McCumbee McAleer Racing) and Jeansonne taking their turns at the front as well.
With 10 minutes to go, the pack of 11 dwindled to a pack of seven. Michael Carter (No. 19 Saito Motorsports) and Thomas were waiting in the wings for anyone to make a wrong move.
Based on Saturday’s finish, most expected the move for the win to happen in the final turn, but this time it happened several turns before. Carter, who was in fifth, bumped into the back of Jeansonne in the Rollercoaster and caused a chain reaction of hits up to the leader. This knocked Wagner, Zilisch and Opalski into the grass.
As Jeansonne scrambled to stay on track, Carter and Thomas sailed past. Jeansonne pulled it together just in time to hold off Cicero and crossed the line in third.
Race officials deemed Carter to be the instigator of the madness and handed him a drive-through penalty post-race, which effectively removed him from the podium and gave the win to Thomas.
“It was a hard-fought battle at the front,” Thomas said. “The leaders were getting pretty dicey and I was hanging out, saving tires and waiting for the end. I ended up being in the right place at the right time. There was some contact at the end and I came across the line in second.”
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The win extends Thomas’ lead in the MX-5 Cup point standings with only two more rounds to go. His nearest rival for the 2023 title and the $250,000 prize that comes with it, is teammate Jeansonne, who finished second.
“That was an interesting race,” Jeansonne said. “Both of these races have been the hottest of the year. We had a strong backup car that we were able to put on pole yesterday. I ran toward the front all day and I tried to be smart and pick my spots and think about what I wanted to do for the last couple of laps. When I was told we were coming to the white flag, I knew I had to go for it. I got a push from behind going into Rollercoaster on the last lap. It moved a lot of people out of the way and shuffled things up. It was an interesting finish, but I’m really proud of the team and all the hard work they put in this weekend, so coming away with a good finish is awesome.”
The podium was a relief for Jeansonne who had mechanical issues that ended his race early on Saturday.
“We’ve had a few bad-luck races, so it felt really good to stand on the podium again. It gives us a fighting chance going into the finale at Road Atlanta for the $250,000 prize.”
MX-5 Cup rookies have their eyes on an $80,000 prize for Rookie of the Year. With a win on Saturday and a third-place finish on Sunday, Cicero strengthens his lead in the rookie points.
“We led a couple of laps, which is great,” Cicero said. “I was having quite a bit of fun. It was really tricky with the car overheating as soon as you tried to push anyone. The weekend was a nine out of ten; a great weekend. I love this place and to get these solid results, I’ll take that, but there’s always more to learn.”
Just like Saturday, Opalski barely missed the podium on Sunday, finishing fourth.
Rookie Thomas Annunziata (No. 10 Hixon Motor Sports) completed the top five and stays within striking distance of Cicero for the Rookie of the Year title.
Both races are available to view on the RACER YouTube page.
As expected, the 2023 MX-5 Cup Championship will come down to the final two races at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, October 11-13. Both races will be streamed live on RACER.com.
The latest Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich Shootout winner, Nate Cicero (No. 83 McCumbee McAleer Racing), proved the judges made the right choice by earning his debut win at VIRginia International Raceway on Saturday. The rookie beat …
The latest Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich Shootout winner, Nate Cicero (No. 83 McCumbee McAleer Racing), proved the judges made the right choice by earning his debut win at VIRginia International Raceway on Saturday. The rookie beat reigning series champion Jared Thomas (No. 96 JTR Motorsports Engineering) to the line in a photo finish of 0.057s.
Connor Zilisch (No. 72 Hixon Motor Sports), who is Cicero’s predecessor when it comes to winning the MX-5 Cup Shootout, controlled most of the 45-minute race. Starting from outside the front row, Zilisch took the lead almost immediately and headed a 10-car train for the first third of the race. He traded the top spot with Max Opalski (No. 3 Copeland Motorsports) and Gresham Wagner (No. 5 Spark Performance) briefly, but always took the lead back.
The first and only full-course caution of the race came out near the 15-minute mark when Selin Rollan (No. 87 Hixon Motor Sports) needed assistance removing himself from the Turn 17 tires. He was able to continue once pulled free but came to a stop and retired shortly thereafter.
The DNF is a blow to Rollan’s championship hopes and he wasn’t the only title contender to suffer on Saturday. Shortly before the yellow, Aaron Jeansonne (No. 24 Spark Performance) begin to fall down the order with mechanical issues, eventually falling to 23rd by the end of the race. And during the yellow, Wagner came onto pitlane with a car issue that the team tried to fix on pit lane but had to send him back out before he went a lap down. He would eventually finish 17th.
This left Thomas, the 2022 series champion and current point leader, as the sole championship contender still in contention for a podium.
As time ran out, the lead pack of five became a pack of four, when Robert Noaker (No. 13 Robert Noaker Racing) got crossed up in the famous Oak Tree turn.
When the white flag came out, Opalski made his move for the lead on the back straight and brought Thomas and Cicero with him. The quartet fanned out exiting the final turn and drag raced each other to the line. Zilisch ran out of room and chose to bump Cicero, which just may have been the boost the rookie needed to take the win by 0.057s over Thomas.
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“I got my first podium here last year, in Spec MX-5,” Cicero said. “This place has a good flow; I love this place. I managed to stay with the group and get it at the end. I saw Max [Opalski] had a bad exit out of the last corner after we got Connor [Zilisch] on the back straight away and I thought we could actually win this. I got down to the inside and we went three-wide. Connor actually gave me a nice push.”
After a tough race weekend at VIR last year, Thomas more than made up for it by going from sixth on the grid to second at the finish.
“It was definitely not the start of the race that I wanted, but I kind of just settled in,” Thomas said. “My spotters and crew chief were keeping me updated on what people were doing. I stayed patient and got the car in a good position at the end and it was a drag race to the finish line. I think Opalsky kind of set Zilisch up in Oak Tree and then the drafts on the straights here are so big, so we went by him. I didn’t expect to get a run to go three-wide, but I did, and it paid off.”
Zilisch beat Opalski for the final podium spot by 0.033-second.
“At first, I was kind of waiting for them to get impatient with the temperatures, especially with how hot it was,” Zilisch said of his time at the front. “I feel like as I race in this series more and more, I have gained experience in how to control the race and make it really hard for them to get by me. I wanted to stay out front and control the race and that’s what I did. I made one mistake on the last lap and that’s all it took. I had a really fast car; it was just driver error that cost myself the race.
“We have a few things that we can work on to make things a little easier on me. I didn’t block Opalsky along the back straightaway like I needed to and he was able to get by me, which made it easy on him. Tomorrow I will know what to do differently.”
Opalski had the lead exiting the final corner but was fourth by the time he got to the finish line. Noaker completed the top five.
Sunday’s round 12 race will begin at 10:25 a.m. ET and be streamed live on RACER.com. Zilisch is provisionally slated to start from pole.
Unhappy with his car’s performance in Friday’s practice sessions, Aaron Jeansonne (No. 24 JTR Motorsports Engineering) switched to a backup car Saturday morning for Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich qualifying. It paid dividends on his …
Unhappy with his car’s performance in Friday’s practice sessions, Aaron Jeansonne (No. 24 JTR Motorsports Engineering) switched to a backup car Saturday morning for Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich qualifying. It paid dividends on his final flying lap around Virginia International Raceway when he jumped to pole position.
Even though he hadn’t turned a lap in the backup car prior to qualifying, Jeansonne was confident that his team had given him a machine worthy of the top spot.
“We had some issues in practice and had to go to a backup car,” Jeansonne said. “Fortunately, JTR Motorsports Engineering is the best team on the grid. They always have plenty of cars that are prepared to go out and run P1. We showed up this morning, ran a different car and it was as fast as any car in the fleet and we got pole.”
Jeansonne reset the Mazda MX-5 Cup qualifying lap record with a pole time of 2m06.544s. It was only 0.076s faster than the driver who had been at the top of the times most of the session, Connor Zilisch (No. 72 Hixon Motor Sports).
“It was an accident really,” Jeansonne said. “I just wanted to get a solid qualifying run and be in a good position on the track. Jared [Thomas] and I got split up. It was a really crazy qualifying session with everyone trying to get in the spot they wanted to be in. I got lucky and got the right gap to a group of cars on the last lap. I was in the right place at the right time.”
Jeansonne will lead the MX-5 Cup field to the green flag for Round 11 at VIR, Saturday at 1:30pm ET. The 45-minute race will be streamed live on RACER.com.
The quickest driver in Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich Tires practice at Virginia International Raceway was Virginia-native Gresham Wagner (No. 5 Spark Performance). Wagner’s best lap in the first session could not be bested in the …
The quickest driver in Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich Tires practice at Virginia International Raceway was Virginia-native Gresham Wagner (No. 5 Spark Performance). Wagner’s best lap in the first session could not be bested in the afternoon session.
The 2021 MX-5 Cup champion was the only driver to break the 2m07s threshold with a lap of 2m06.795s around the 3.27-mile, 17-turn road course.
In the afternoon session, Connor Zilisch (No. 72 Hixon Motor Sports) topped the time sheets but could not beat Wagner’s lap from the morning.
“I think this track is really draft dependent,” Wagner said. “The car feels good. It could be better. It’ll come down to getting with the people you should be around, because I expect qualifying to be a bit messy. I’m sure once we get to the race it’ll be what we’ve come to expect. The hierarchy will form. Once that gets sorted out, I think we’ll have some good, clean racing, like I’ve come to expect from this place. It’s a great track and these cars are a lot of fun around it. It’s narrow in some spots, but luckily our cars are nimble enough we can race side-by-side just about anywhere. I’m expecting hard, clean racing this weekend and I’m really looking forward to it.”
Qualifying for Rounds 11 and 12 of the Mazda MX-5 Cup will take place Saturday at 8:50am ET. Race 1 is slated for 1:30pm ET the same day and Race 2 will get started Sunday at 10:25am ET. Both races will be streamed live on RACER.com.
