Ma5da MX5 Racing Championship: Is It the World’s Most Successful Circuit Racing Championship?

Ma5da MX5 Championship is a single make circuit racing championship based in the United Kingdom. It started in 2008 with 26 registered drivers, competing in one make, one class head to head circuit racing series. The only cars allowed are the Mazda MX-5 1600cc MK1. The cars are almost stock, except for the mandatory safety upgrades. Mazda MX-5 cars are already very popular in the UK and they are the most sold roadsters in history. After a successful first season, the series has been awarded a championship status by the MSA (Motor Sports Association UK).

The 2009 is where the championship had really progressed. The number of registered drivers had doubled before the season had even started. MotorsTV coverage deal has been secured. 20 races over 9 meetings at different UK national circuits. All of these had really added to the value of the championship. The progress and success of the Ma5da Racing championship kept going through the 2009 season. It was named the fastest growing single make racing championship in the UK during 2009.

It was during the 2009 season when the tough competition started to be visible. In that season many drivers from other leading championships started to convert to Ma5da Racing. Average grids for each race were in the 30’s and 40s. These are large numbers for identical cars racing each others on some tight British circuits. TV coverage was great during the whole season. It consisted of one hour program for each meeting at MotorsTV UK, the leading motorsport TV channel in the UK. Large number of racing fans and Mazda MX-5 enthusiastics began to follow every single race of the Ma5da Racing championship.

After a successful racing season in 2009, the interest in the championship has really exploded. The 2010 season started with over 100 registered drivers. Many circuits have limits on the number of cars in each race, usually in the 30’s for small tracks and 40s for large tracks. This led to the need to separate the grids into groups. Up to three different race groups have been used throughout the 2010 season. Each race was averaging 30 to 40 cars and the maximum grid was 48 cars.

Ma5da MX5 Racing has become the largest single make championship in the UK. The championship started to attract attention as one of the most competitive championship in the UK. The championship has attracted the best drivers in the UK. Some drivers came from Renault Clip Cup, BTCC, Porsche, and other top British championships.

Many drivers post their onboard footage online. The videos are good indicators to the fierce competition and the close racing in the ma5da. Currently YouTube has over 300 videos tagged with MA5DA.

It is usual in close and equal racing to see more incidents and crashes, this is one aspect of Ma5da Racing that gained a bit of notoriety. The championship had its fair amount of race accidents during 2010. But nothing was serious and no one was harmed. Here is another onboard video from a head-on collision, Ma5da MX5 – Croft Crash.

With the addition of the MX5 Cup, based on the newer MK3 Mazda MX-5, Ma5da MX5 Championship is set for even more success in 2011. The championship will kick off in March at Silverstone Circuit.