Ma5da MX5 Championship is a single make circuit racing championship based in the UK. It began in 2008 with 26 registered drivers, competing in one make, one class road racing series. The only cars allowed are the Mazda MX-5 1600cc MK1. The cars are almost stock, except for the mandatory security updates. Mazda MX-5 cars are already hugely popular in the UK and are the best-selling roadsters ever. After a successful first season, the MSA (Motor Sports Association UK) awarded the series championship status.
2009 is where the championship had really progressed. The number of registered drivers had doubled before the season even started. The MotorsTV coverage agreement has been secured. 20 races in 9 meetings at different UK national circuits. All of this had really added to the value of the championship. The progress and success of the Ma5da Racing championship continued through the 2009 season. It was named the UK’s fastest growing one-make racing championship for 2009.
It was during the 2009 season when the tough competition began to become visible. In that season, many drivers from other leading championships began to convert to Ma5da Racing. The average grids for each race were in the 1930s and 1940s. These are large numbers for identical cars racing each other on some tight British circuits. Television coverage was excellent throughout the season. It consisted of a one-hour program for each meeting on MotorsTV UK, the UK’s leading motorsports television channel. A large number of racing fans and Mazda MX-5 enthusiasts began to follow each race of the Ma5da Racing championship.
After a successful racing season in 2009, interest in the championship really skyrocketed. The 2010 season began with over 100 registered drivers. Many circuits have limits on the number of cars in each race, usually 30 for small tracks and 40 for large tracks. This led to the need to separate the grids into groups. Throughout the 2010 season up to three different race groups have been used. Each race had an average of 30 to 40 cars and the maximum field was 48 cars.
Ma5da MX5 Racing has become the UK’s largest single make championship. The championship began to gain attention as one of the most competitive championships in the UK. The championship has attracted the best drivers from the UK. Some drivers came from the Renault Clip Cup, BTCC, Porsche and other major British championships.
Many drivers post their on-board pictures online. The videos are good indicators of the fierce competition and close race in the ma5da. Currently, YouTube has over 300 videos tagged with MA5DA.
It is common in close and close races to see more incidents and crashes, this is one aspect of Ma5da Racing that gained a bit of notoriety. The championship had its fair share of racing accidents during 2010. But nothing was serious and no one was injured. Here is another onboard video of a head-on collision, Ma5da MX5 – Croft Crash.
With the addition of the MX5 Cup, based on the new MK3 Mazda MX-5, the Ma5da MX5 Championship is poised for even greater success in 2011. The championship will kick off in March at the Silverstone Circuit.