Two-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Earl Bamber will be back in a Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup car at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, for the first time since his series debut at Martinsville Speedway back in October.
“I’m really looking forward to getting back into the Mazda field and into the car,” said Bamber. “I had a great time at Martinsville and it’s such a welcoming paddock. I’m looking forward to Saint Pete. It’s a track I’ve never been at, but I’m looking forward to the challenge of street racing one of these machines.”
Bamber will reunite with Hendricks Motorsports, driving the #21 Mazda MX-5 that was piloted by Westin Workman in the season-opening round at Daytona International Speedway.
Last month, Bamber and his Cadillac Whelen (Action Express Racing) teammates finished second in the Rolex 24 At Daytona, and after St. Petersburg, he’ll begin his upcoming season in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA.
His co-driver in the #38 Cadillac V-Series.R, Sébastien Bourdais, will be one of Bamber’s rivals alongside the many young, up-and-coming full-time drivers in MX-5 Cup. Bourdais was announced last week as one of the guest drivers for St. Petersburg, racing for McCumbee McAleer Racing as a fundraiser for the Kart4Kids charity.
The Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin races at St. Petersburg, supporting the opening round of the IndyCar Series, take place on 28 February and 1 March. Both races will be streamed live on the IMSA and RACER YouTube channels.
Feature image © Mazda
