@wheelsaustralia 93
Suddenly the Cup car’s extra confidence and lateral
purchase evaporate, every corner bringing an unknown
level of grip. Combined with a short wheelbase and
no traction or stability control aids, it soon has me
spinning like a top towards the muddy outfield.
It’s a tame, if embarrassing, spin, but at least
bobbling back to the pits gives me time to reflect on
my first proper taste of the Cup car’s potential. Beyond
the suspension changes, the thing that dominates the
experience is the noise. The rorty soundtrack imparts
a sense of menace and purpose absent in the road car,
and above 4000rpm the freer-flowing exhaust delivers a
step change that homes in on the 6300rpm limiter with
greater ferocity. The driving position is improved too,
thanks to the lower racing bucket, and there’s also less
assistance to the steering, so the detachable tiller feels
meatier and even more responsive.
Mercifully, by late afternoon the sun has appeared
and the track is dry, so I’m let loose for five timed laps
in each car. And it’s here that the Cup car comes into
its own. With the slicks finally able to bite, I begin to
lean hard on the chassis and what I discover is a very
friendly little racing car. The lasting impression isn’t
one of ferocious speed – the lack of engine tweaks
means both MX-5s have similar trap speeds of around
160km/h at the end of Winton’s main straight – but
rather of tenacious lateral grip. The race car encourages
you to turn in harder, to brake later and to carry far
greater mid-corner speed, especially through Winton’s
long left-hand sweeper. Data logging shows the Cup car
is tipping into the sweeper at 140km/h, some 18km/h
faster than the road car. It’s an advantage the Cup
carries through the entire turn.
Better news is the realisation that while the Cup is
noticeably more focused and locked down, the chassis
still has the inherent balance and a hint of bodyroll to
retain the playfulness we love so much in the regular
MX-5. The magic remains.
But is it fast enough? That’s debatable. There’s no
doubt more grunt would dial up the excitement, but the
Cup is still capable of delivering a dopamine hit chiefly
because you always feel like you’re in charge. You
emerge not stinking of sweat and relieved to be alive,
but gurning like an idiot, knowing you’ve wrung every
last drop out of the car, and yourself.
Checking the stopwatch shows the Cup car manages a
best lap of 1:39.72. For context that puts it comfortably
inside the top 10 of Australia’s other one-make
championship, the Toyota 86 Racing Series (see
sidebar p90), which uses cars with significantly more
grunt and hungry professional drivers at the pointy
end. The best the road going MX-5 can manage is
1:46.32, some 6.6sec adrift.
All this means that as the Cup car is loaded onto the
truck to be shipped back to Mazda HQ, I’m itching to
know what it’d be like to race one wheel-to-wheel in
a field of 40-plus cars. The chances of that happening,
though, at least in Australia, are pretty slim. While
Mazda insists it’s evaluating the category, the fact
Toyota already fills the demand for a low-cost one-
make category, and the significant financial investment
required to get a rival series up and running, means
Mazda is unlikely to take the plunge. It’s a shame
because despite my fears to the contrary, the Cup car
still feels like an MX-5. Only sharper. And faster. Praise
doesn’t come much higher than that.MAZDA MX-5 2.0 ROADSTER
Engine 1998cc 4cyl, dohc, 16v
Max power 118kW @ 6000rpm
Max torque 200Nm @ 4600rpm
Transmission 6-speed manual
Kerb weight 1033kg
0-100km/h 7.3sec (claimed)
Price $34,490MAZDA MX-5 CUP
Engine 1998cc 4cyl, dohc, 16v
Max power 118kW @ 6000rpm
Max torque 200Nm @ 4600rpm
Transmission 6-speed manual
Kerb weight 995kg
0-100km/h 7.3sec (estimated)
Price $70,000 (estimated)