ST. PETERSBURG, Fla \u2014 After a record-breaking grid size to open the season, Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin is headed to the streets of St. Petersburg with 42 cars.<\/p>\n
Two of those Mazda MX-5 Cup machines will be piloted by world-renowned drivers Sebastien Bourdais (No. 38 McCumbee McAleer Racing) and Earl Bamber (No. 21 Hendricks Motorsports), who are making guest appearances in rounds three and four.<\/p>\n
The 1.8-mile temporary street circuit is a favorite for many Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup drivers. Despite being made up of various roads and runways along the Port of St. Petersburg, the track still has a good flow to it, with several decent passing areas. The sun is always shining, and the atmosphere feels like a city festival for the traditional IndyCar season opening weekend.<\/p>\n
Four drivers on the grid know what it feels like to win at St. Pete: Jared Thomas (No. 96 JTR Motorsports Engineering), Gresham Wagner (No. 5 JTR Motorsports Engineering), Tyler Gonzalez (No. 57 BSI Racing) and Bourdais. Of course, Bourdais\u2019 two prior victories came in an IndyCar rather than a Mazda MX-5.<\/p>\n
The Frenchman who has called the Bay area home since 2003 is venturing into MX-5 Cup in the name of charity. To raise money for Karts4Kids, donors can put their name on the car Bourdais is set to race at St. Pete.<\/p>\n
What of the other drivers with St. Pete-winning experience? Well, none of them had a great start to the season at Daytona. In fact, all three had a DNF in one of the two races and Gonzalez was the only one who made a trip to the podium.\u00a0 Now, all three need to bank major points at St. Pete to regain momentum toward the $250,000 prize from Mazda that goes to the season champion.<\/p>\n
Thomas has twice won MX-5 Cup races at St. Pete, the most recent being last year. Winning Race 1 and finishing third in Race 2 propelled him to the point lead leaving Florida. In contrast, Wagner did not compete in last year\u2019s event at St. Pete, but he was part of a classic Mazda MX-5 Cup moment in 2023, when he drag-raced Connor Zilisch out of the final turn and to the line, winning by 0.021-second.<\/p>\n
For Gonzalez, St. Pete had been a cruel track until last year, when he won Race 2. To that point he\u2019d never even been in the top five at the street circuit.<\/p>\n
All three of these drivers have an important thing in common; experience, and it\u2019s going to take experience to navigate the narrow, concrete-lined street circuit.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it takes a good setup and a lot of consistent driving to have a chance to win at St. Pete,\u201d Wagner said. \u201cIn terms of making lap time, the walls aren\u2019t much of a consideration for me, and I\u2019m sure there\u2019s a lot of quick drivers that don\u2019t let it get in the way of their driving.<\/p>\n
\u201cReally, the track becomes tight and punishing when it comes to racing other drivers, both when defending and overtaking. I think that\u2019s what stands out the most \u2014 the wheel-to-wheel racing becomes that much more aggressive, with much less margin for error. You really have to think a lot more about the moves you\u2019re going to make at St. Pete, because in plenty of spots, there aren\u2019t many options besides hitting the wall.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the drivers that come out in front usually have done a great job of managing their aggressiveness, and not getting too caught up in the moment. More than most tracks, you have to give a bit more consideration and margin to every decision you make.\u201d<\/p>\n
The big winner coming into St. Pete is Justin Adakonis (No. 23 McCumbee McAleer Racing). He leads the points after scoring a career-best finish of second in Race 1 and backing it up with a 10th-place finish in Race 2. The sophomore has been on a streak of strong finishes since Virginia International Raceway last August.<\/p>\n
Of the three current MX-5 Cup Shootout Scholarship recipients, Ethan Lampe (No. 31 Advanced Autosports) had the best results at Daytona and arrives in St. Pete 11th in points.<\/p>\n
Then there\u2019s the Kiwi wildcard: Bamber. He\u2019s never raced the St. Pete street course, but he has raced MX-5 Cup before, at Martinsville, an oval. That race was going great until contact took him out in the second half. Can he duplicate his performance this week on a street circuit? More importantly, which of the pros will finish higher: Bamber or Bourdais?<\/p>\n
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