Updated: May 11, 2020
As with all other racing organizations, Spec MX-5 Challenge, LLC has been busy adjusting the 2020 schedule for the Spec MX-5 Challenge Series to account for the challenges of COVID-19 and related public health orders. As major pro series (e.g. F1, IndyCar, MotoGP, IMSA and SRO) have been getting revised plans in place, the SCCA and NASA calendars are becoming clearer. With this in mind, Spec MX-5 Challenge has announced a proposed revised schedule for 2020.
As originally planned, the Spec MX-5 Challenge Series consists of 4 different competitions: the East Regional Series, the West Regional Series, the National Series, and Invitationals. The competitors in each of these competitions will score points, which they may bring to the Spec MX-5 Challenge Championship. “We think this format of allowing different competitions that suit different driver preferences and budgets to feed into a single championship with significant prizes is an exciting approach,” said Tom Martin, Managing Director of Spec MX-5 Challenge, LLC. “We are pleased that we may be able to retain this format despite the complexities the world is facing right now.”
Each of the competitions (East, West, National and Invitational) will run a shortened season in the proposed plan:
If you have questions about entering one of the individual Invitational events: [email protected]
You can also apply here for full arrive & drive Invitational slots.
“We need to emphasize that this is a preliminary plan,” added Martin. “No one knows at this point how the pandemic will progress, so further adjustments by Spec MX-5 Challenge or by the sanctioning bodies hosting these events may be necessary.”
The revisions keep many of the “bucket list” tracks that were in the original plan on the schedule. “In addition to a great track line-up, the condensed schedule means that we will have a combination of ten or more National and Invitational drivers at many events, making high car counts more likely,” noted Martin. “We also think more Regional drivers and race shops will have had time to complete their builds, further making big fields likely.”
Rules revisions, particularly around the points system, will be needed once the schedule is solidified. If the proposed plan holds, officials stressed that the current approach will be retained in which East, West, National and Invitational drivers can all bring similar carryover points to the Championship.
Updates to the schedule and sporting regulations will be posted on http://www.specmx-5.com as they become available.
Applications for Invitational seats (full arrive & drive) may be made here.