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The Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup, presented by Michelin, is in its twentieth season.
This is a spec series for the Mazda MX-5 model. The cars are fourth-generation Miatas built from 2018 to 2019.
The MX-5 Cup race cars are produced at the Mazda factory in Hiroshima, Japan, and then shipped to Flis Performance in Daytona Beach. Flis Performance adds more than 250 motorsport parts for enhanced performance and safety. The SKYACTIV 2.0-liter engine found in the Mazda MX-5 is sealed to ensure parity and reduced costs. All MX-5 Cup cars are equipped with Michelin Pilot Sport Competition 20/61-17 racing slicks. The 2025 championship consists of fourteen rounds conducted at seven different racing venues.
Mazda Motorsports offers more than $1 million in prize money and scholarships to attract competitors and advance their careers. The winner of each race earns $6,000 while the series champion collects a cheque for $250,000. Rounds nine and ten of the 2025 Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup, presented by Michelin, were held at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park during the Chevrolet Grand Prix weekend. Drivers would compete in two forty-five-minute contests around the ten-turn 2.459-mile road course. Race two on Sunday morning was red-flagged after inclement weather, which included lightning, moved into the area. Although drivers did not complete the full 45-minute allotted time, the checkered flag flew to end the contest.
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The start of Sunday morning’s race, round ten of the 2025 Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup, at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and twenty-four competitors charge through corner one. Moving into first place is the No. 83 McCumbee McAleer Racing Mazda MX-5 of the pole-sitter, Nate Cicero. On the outside of Cicero is series Rookie Helio Meza driving the No. 27 BSI Racing Mazda MX-5. Immediately behind the leaders are Jeremy Flectcher and Nathan Nicholson. |
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You’d never know it by his performance on the weekend, but the reigning series champion, Gresham Wagner, is not attempting to repeat his title. Wagner has missed four races this season and joins RAFA Racing when there is an opportunity. He started Saturday’s contest in seventh driving the No. 81 RAFA Racing Mazda MX-5 and used the restarts to finish third. In the finale, Wagner was gridded fifth and a move at the end of the race gave him the victory. |
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The winner of the weekend’s first race was Tyler Gonzalez. This marked his fifth victory of the season and moved him to third in the points chase. Gonzalez started third in round ten and worked with BSI Racing teammate Helio Meza for the one–two result. The next day, the driver of the No. 57 Mazda MX-5 was gridded in the seventh position. Gonzalez remained in contention and ran as high as second place before finishing sixth. |
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The highest-finishing rookie during the weekend was Helio Meza. Meza pilots the No. 27 Mazda MX-5 prepared by BSI Racing. The young driver was impressive, starting on the front row for rounds nine and ten. In race one, he teamed up with Tyler Gonzalez to collect a runner-up result. This matched his best finish of the season. On Sunday, Meza fell down the order and finished tenth. However, he closed in on the Rookie points leader, Noah Harmon. |
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Jeremy Fletcher drives the No. 22 McCumbee McAleer Racing Mazda MX-5. Fletcher started the weekend’s first race at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in the fifth position. During the race, he worked with his teammate and pole-sitter, Nate Cicero. Unfortunately, a mechanical issue forced him to pit and he finished twenty-second. Sunday provided Fletcher with an opportunity to redeem himself and he did with a runner-up result. |
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Nate Cicero had the good fortune of starting rounds nine and ten at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park on the pole. However, this didn’t translate to a victory. Driving the No. 83 McCumbee McAleer Racing Mazda MX-5, he worked with his teammate Jeremy Fletcher. When Fletcher pitted, Cicero lost his drafting partner and finished in tenth place. He fared much better in the finale. Teaming up with Fletcher, Cicero finished third. |
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The points leader of the Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup entering the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park event was Nathan Nicholson. Notably, Nicholson sits at the top of the standings without a victory, but has consistently finished in the top five, with second-place finishes at St. Petersburg and the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. This trend continued during the weekend with Nicholson starting and finishing fourth in rounds nine and ten. |
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The podium for round nine of the 2025 Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. In the center is the winner, Tyler Gonzalez. Despite this being his fifth victory of the season, he is third in the points chase. On the left is Gonzalez’s BSI Racing teammate and the runner-up, Helio Meza. The final position on the rostrum is occupied by the third-place finisher, Gresham Wagner. The series defending champion is competing on a limited basis this year. |
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| FINISH | START | DRIVER | CAR | ENTRANT | LAPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Tyler Gonzalez | Mazda MX-5 | BSI Racing | 26 |
| 2 | 2 | Helio Meza (R) | Mazda MX-5 | BSI Racing | 26 |
| 3 | 7 | Gresham Wagner | Mazda MX-5 | RAFA Racing Team by MMR | 26 |
| 4 | 4 | Nathan Nicholson | Mazda MX-5 | Advanced Autosports | 26 |
| 5 | 11 | Westin Workman | Mazda MX-5 | BSI Racing | 26 |
| 6 | 25 | Jared Thomas | Mazda MX-5 | JTR Motorsports Engineering | 26 |
| 7 | 13 | Parker DeLong | Mazda MX-5 | Parker DeLong Racing | 26 |
| 8 | 14 | Bryce Cornet | Mazda MX-5 | Spark Performance | 26 |
| 9 | 19 | Marcello Paniccia (R) | Mazda MX-5 | Saito Motorsports Group | 26 |
| 10 | 1 | Nate Cicero | Mazda MX-5 | McCumbee McAleer Racing | 26 |
| 11 | 15 | Noah Harmon (R) | Mazda MX-5 | BSI Racing | 26 |
| 12 | 18 | Ethan Goulart (R) | Mazda MX-5 | Saito Motorsports | 26 |
| 13 | 8 | Alex Bachoura | Mazda MX-5 | Spark Performance | 26 |
| 14 | 24 | Grant West | Mazda MX-5 | Spark Performance | 26 |
| 15 | 17 | Ashlyn Speed (R) | Mazda MX-5 | Hendricks Motorsports | 26 |
| 16 | 6 | Sally Mott | Mazda MX-5 | JTR Motorsports Engineering | 26 |
| 17 | 10 | Bobby Gossett (R) | Mazda MX-5 | McCumbee McAleer Racing | 26 |
| 18 | 21 | Jem Hepworth | Mazda MX-5 | RAFA Racing Team by MMR | 26 |
| 19 | 20 | Cody Powell | Mazda MX-5 | JTR Motorsports Engineering | 26 |
| 20 | 16 | Christian Hodneland | Mazda MX-5 | BSI Racing | 26 |
| 21 | 22 | Damon Ockey | Mazda MX-5 | BSI Racing | 26 |
| 22 | 5 | Jeremy Fletcher | Mazda MX-5 | McCumbee McAleer Racing | 25 |
| 23 | 9 | Glenn McGee | Mazda MX-5 | JTR Motorsports Engineering | 25 |
| 24 | 23 | Steve Weber (R) | Mazda MX-5 | JTR Motorsports Engineering | 21 |
| 25 | 12 | Justin Adakonis (R) | Mazda MX-5 | McCumbee McAleer Racing | 16 |
| FINISH | START | DRIVER | CAR | ENTRANT | LAPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Gresham Wagner | Mazda MX-5 | RAFA Racing Team by MMR | 23 |
| 2 | 3 | Jeremy Fletcher | Mazda MX-5 | McCumbee McAleer Racing | 23 |
| 3 | 1 | Nate Cicero | Mazda MX-5 | McCumbee McAleer Racing | 23 |
| 4 | 4 | Nathan Nicholson | Mazda MX-5 | Advanced Autosports | 23 |
| 5 | 20 | Marcello Paniccia (R) | Mazda MX-5 | Saito Motorsports Group | 23 |
| 6 | 7 | Tyler Gonzalez | Mazda MX-5 | BSI Racing | 23 |
| 7 | 9 | Parker DeLong | Mazda MX-5 | Parker DeLong Racing | 23 |
| 8 | 14 | Ethan Goulart (R) | Mazda MX-5 | Saito Motorsports | 23 |
| 9 | 11 | Jared Thomas | Mazda MX-5 | JTR Motorsports Engineering | 23 |
| 10 | 2 | Helio Meza (R) | Mazda MX-5 | BSI Racing | 23 |
| 11 | 18 | Grant West | Mazda MX-5 | Spark Performance | 23 |
| 12 | 8 | Sally Mott | Mazda MX-5 | JTR Motorsports Engineering | 23 |
| 13 | 10 | Westin Workman | Mazda MX-5 | BSI Racing | 23 |
| 14 | 25 | Justin Adakonis (R) | Mazda MX-5 | McCumbee McAleer Racing | 23 |
| 15 | 15 | Bobby Gossett (R) | Mazda MX-5 | McCumbee McAleer Racing | 23 |
| 16 | 19 | Alex Bachoura | Mazda MX-5 | Spark Performance | 23 |
| 17 | 20 | Ashlyn Speed (R) | Mazda MX-5 | Hendricks Motorsports | 23 |
| 18 | 21 | Cody Powell | Mazda MX-5 | JTR Motorsports Engineering | 23 |
| 19 | 17 | Christian Hodneland | Mazda MX-5 | BSI Racing | 23 |
| 20 | 23 | Damon Ockey | Mazda MX-5 | BSI Racing | 23 |
| 21 | 16 | Bryce Cornet | Mazda MX-5 | Spark Performance | 23 |
| 22 | 6 | Glenn McGee | Mazda MX-5 | JTR Motorsports Engineering | 23 |
| 23 | 12 | Noah Harmon (R) | Mazda MX-5 | BSI Racing | 23 |
| 24 | 22 | Jem Hepworth | Mazda MX-5 | RAFA Racing Team by MMR | 6 |
| - | 24 | Steve Weber (R) | Mazda MX-5 | JTR Motorsports Engineering | 0 |
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