Lightning Lap 2016: Copeland Motorsports Mazda MX-5 Miata Cup Car

Lap time: 3:06.4

Turning down a drive in a race car is proof of insanity, so when Mazda kindly offered to persuade Copeland Motorsports to “volunteer” its fully prepped MX-5 Miata Cup car, we pounced. At the time of Lightning Lap, this Miata driven by Dean Copeland was leading the standings at the halfway point in the 12-round Battery Tender Global Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by BFGoodrich. So the pressure to not bend it was heavy.

All Cup cars are built by Long Road Racing and are sold at Mazda parts counters for $53,000 without a seat or driver restraints. The 155-hp engine and six-speed transmission are factory sealed with an aftermarket ECU to expedite spot checks, and the suspension attachment points must be factory. Everyone runs the same BFGoodrich 215/610R-17 g-Force slicks. In this series, driver skill is what matters.

Basically a stock Miata with a roll cage but missing about 80 pounds of fluff (including the top), the Cup car pulled 1.16 g’s in Turn 1, more than the Viper ACR or the Porsche 911 GT3 RS. So, yes, this is a real race car. The controls are delightfully direct, the inputs instantly producing outcomes. If you overcook a corner, the rear breaks gently out. Just relax your right foot a tiny bit to bring it back in line—it’s that easy.

Because the engine doesn’t make much steam—the Cup car hit a peak speed of only 113.8 mph at VIR—maintaining momentum is the game. And because you’re wearing this car like a wet suit, it’s easy to find the courage to brake later and barrel into corners faster. In some of the tighter places, the Miata ran with much quicker cars, including the Ford Mustang Shelby GT350R. If VIR didn’t have two long straights, this Miata would be devouring the weak here.

As with parrots and Dalmatians, a Miata racer wants to hang with others of its own kind. Alone on a track, it’s fun, but it’s only half the experience. To enter the first turn of a race with 40 of them clawing for the same few feet of asphalt is one of life’s great automotive thrills.