The North American Motorsports Expo – MSX – was this past weekend in Charlotte, and Mazda had a display there that included the Global MX-5 Cup Car and two iRacing simulators.
On Friday, Liam Dwyer and I gave a presentation on “The Top Ten Must-Dos to Climb the Mazda Racing Ladder.” It was really well received, and afterwards we chatted with a lot of people who had more questions. We met so many new people and got to say hello to a lot of old friends, too.
The support that we received for the seminar was great, and we appreciated all of the enthusiasm from everyone who was there. Liam and I were grateful for the chance to present on Mazda’s behalf.
Saturday was a fun change of pace: we gave coaching advice to attendees on the iRacing simulators. We did a track map analysis with brake references and gearing beforehand, so when the participant got on the simulator, they knew what to focus on. While they were driving, we’d talk them through their first couple of laps and give tips. It turned out to be a successful driving experience for the participants: they all learned a lot and had fun getting to “drive” around the various tracks on the MX-5 Cup schedule.
During the weekend, it was announced that Long Road Racing will be the team supporting Mazda in the development and testing of the new 2016 Global MX-5 Cup car. For me, it’s a huge honor to be an integral part of the car’s development, and I’m extremely excited about taking on this project in conjunction with Long Road Racing.