The Mazda MX-5, known in the United States as the Miata, entered the U.S. market in May 1989 as a 1990 model year car. The Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) placed it in Showroom Stock C, and the model was eligible for competition from 1991. As the car's popularity grew, the SCCA created a dedicated class. An exhibition race at Road Atlanta in 1999 preceded the launch of an SCCA regional class in 2000, while Miatas also competed in the SCCA World Challenge without major results at the professional level.
The Mazdaspeed Miata Cup launched in 2003 with separate Pacific and Atlantic championships. The inaugural weekend at BeaveRun Motorsports Complex on May 3–4, 2003 was won by Chip Herr and Niki Coello. Coello went on to claim the Atlantic Tour title, while Bobby Carter took the Pacific Tour championship. Early regulations permitted first- and second-generation MX-5 cars following SCCA, NASA, and Midwestern Council Spec Miata rules, with tyres from Toyo, Kumho, and Hankook all accepted.
The launch of the third-generation Mazda MX-5 coincided with the creation of a unified national professional series in 2006. The inaugural race at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca was won from pole position by Chip Herr. The championship supported major race weekends including the Rolex Sports Car Series, ChampCar, American Le Mans Series, and the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières.
Jim Daniels won the inaugural 2006 title. Jason Saini dominated 2007, winning five of eight races and earning promotion to the SCCA World Challenge. The 2008 season opened with a Mazda Miata shootout between SCCA and NASA champions; Brad Rampelberg won the shoot-out but Eric Foss claimed the championship. Todd Lamb dominated 2009, winning eight of ten consecutive races. Rampelberg returned to win in 2010, the year the series held its first standing start at New Jersey Motorsports Park, having previously used rolling starts exclusively.
Michael Cooper won in 2011, Christian Szymczak in 2013, and Kenton Koch — winner of the 2013 Skip Barber class — took the 2014 overall championship, the first back-to-back win for Alara Racing and team principal Ken Murillo. The third-generation car's final season in 2015 was won by John Dean II by a 13-point margin over Patrick Gallagher.
Cars in this era used a Mazdaspeed-prepared 2.0-litre engine with a modified cold air intake, a stock six-speed manual gearbox from the Sport Package, and Mazdaspeed-supplied suspension. Tyres progressed from Hankook (2006–2007) to Kumho (2008–2009) to BFGoodrich (from 2010).
The fourth-generation Mazda MX-5 arrived with a new series format in 2016. Cars are built at Mazda's Hiroshima factory before conversion for competition. The inaugural champion was Nathanial Sparks, who won a $200,000 scholarship. That year also introduced the MX-5 Cup Global Invitational, a nineteen-driver international shootout won by Sparks over competitors from eight countries.
From 2017, sanctioning passed from SCCA Pro Racing to IndyCar, with Andersen Promotions — who also run the Road to Indy ladder (USF2000, Pro Mazda, Indy Lights) — taking over promotion. The series joined IndyCar events at venues including the Grand Prix of Alabama and the Grand Prix at The Glen.
Beginning in 2021, the series entered a sanctioning partnership with IMSA, racing alongside WeatherTech SportsCar Championship events while retaining a single IndyCar race, the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.
The current ND2 specification features a sealed 2.0-litre Skyactiv-G (PE-VPS) four-cylinder engine producing 181 horsepower with a 7,500 rpm limit managed by a Bosch ECU, paired with a SADEV sequential gearbox. The ND2 class was introduced in 2019 alongside a legacy ND1 category. Since 2019, car construction responsibilities have resided with Flis Performance after Long Road Racing ceased operations.
Notable champions include Chip Herr (2006), Jason Saini (2007), Eric Foss (2008), Todd Lamb (2009), Brad Rampelberg (2010), Michael Cooper (2011), Stevan MacAleer (2012), Christian Szymczak (2013), Kenton Koch (2014), John Dean II (2015), and Nathanial Sparks (2016).
Gallery · 1 related image
