Motorsport seems to be on the rise lately in our country, something motorsport enthusiasts are very excited about. There’s the Toyota Vios One-Make Racing Series, the Formula V1 Racing Series, the upcoming Radical Sportscars Racing Series, the privately initiated Miata Cup from the Miata Club of the Philippines and for people who think it’s more fun in the dirt, there’s the thriving rally-cross series.
Smaller grassroots events like auto-cross and drag racing of course never really left the scene, too. All these, indeed, are positive signs of a truly strong, resilient and burgeoning automotive industry. Despite high fuel prices, we can proudly add one more racing series to this list, and only the second manufacturer-initiated motorsports series: the Miata Spec Series.
The Manila Sports Car Club will run the series together with Mazda, where a grid of 20 identically race-prepared Mazda MX-5 ND-series sporting the same 2.0 liter internally untouched SkyActiv G inline-four gasoline engines and 6-speed manual transmissions will see action. Cusco, a known tuning and motorsports company based out of Japan will supply chassis bracing / stiffeners as well as the roll-cage for safety while Sparco, another hallowed name in motorsports and tuning will provide the seats, the FIA-regulation bucket seat, racing harness, steering wheel and safety net. Shell Philippines will provide their V-Power fuels and lubricants for all the spec series cars, and rolling stock will consist of ROTA alloy wheels shod with GT Radial’s SX2 performance tires. Drift Exhaust, a local exhaust fabrication shop will supply more Filipino ingenuity via a custom race exhaust for all Mazda Miata spec series race cars.
The racing schedule will be spread out initially over four race weekends, and will be exclusively held at Clark International Speedway. The older Miata Cup Series which runs mostly older NA generation Miatas (not to be confused with the new one) will also run on the same weekend to bring more excitement and entice more people to participate. Of note, the Miata Cup is the oldest existing sports car racing series in the country, which just goes to show how much love and passion the Filipino motoring public has with the cute little roadster from Hiroshima. The planned race weekends for the inaugural year fall on June 11, Aug. 27, Oct. 22 and Nov. 26, 2022.
“We are delighted to finally see the much-awaited Miata Spec Series take to the track as the Manila Sports Car Club’s official racing event,” shared Steven Tan, President and CEO of Mazda Philippines. “The one-make format of the Miata Spec Series provides a unique opportunity for MSCC members to hone their skills and to enjoy the pure essence of driving. Mazda’s motorsports DNA and its participation in grassroots racing events around the world has made it simpler for us to institute this partnership with the MSCC and the series’ new sponsors.”
Windy Imperial, MSCC member and chair of the 2022 MSCC Miata Spec Series, is enthused by the club’s new racing program. “The MSCC has always considered the Mazda MX-5 Miata as a true sports car,” said Imperial. “The club chose to run the Miata Spec Series because of its proven reliability and performance on the track. Mazda Philippines’ partnership with the MSCC has given our members the opportunity to once again pursue our passion for sports car racing. And racing in an event that is both sustainable and fun will surely rekindle our love and appreciation for sports cars.”
The future of local motorsports is bright indeed! Spoilt with choice, there is just so many motoring activities to choose from, pursue or simply watch and follow. A sign which once again points to a strong and resilient local motoring industry filled with both passionate and talented individuals.
