Spec MX-5 Challenge racers region-wide took to Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta and GingerMan Raceway this past weekend to provide some of the best racing of the season.
Micheline Raceway Road Atlanta
12 SMX racers were on-track at Road Atlanta.
Justin Piscittell was the big winner this weekend taking home first in race-one and second in race two. His healthy Southeast championship lead grew to 771 with Matt Fassnacht 50 points behind.
In addition to Piscitell’s success we watched Charles Mactutus bring home his first win in SMX during race two. His performance was one to watch as he kept Piscitell away just enough to take home the win. It was some brilliant racing.
Mazda Motorsports Coach Tom Long was on the scene at Road Atlanta, sharing his expertise with our series’ racers.
“It was a lot of fun to be at Road Atlanta for this since it was my first Spec MX-5 event in quite a while. There’s such great camaraderie in the series, and we even enjoyed a cookout together on Saturday night. My role for Mazda was to work with series drivers, coaching them and reviewing their data and video to help identify opportunities for them to get quicker and more proficient.”
“I found a lot of these young talents to be fresh out of karting, and the Spec MX-5 series provides a great transition from go-karting into sports cars at a club racing level, with scholarship opportunities to progress into MX-5 Cup. I fully expect to hear these drivers’ names throughout sports car racing as their talent and experience grows!” TomLongRacing.com.
GingerMan Raceway
North Central racer Michael Borden faced adversity this weekend following a rough go at Road America earlier in the season. A series favorite, Borden qualified second of two SMX cars for both race one and two to Alex Bertagnoli. Ultimately, Bertagnoli was name victor of race one.
In race two Borden led, battling both temperature and competitor Bertagnoli creating an exhilarating back and forth chase, but it proved not to be Borden’s day. Borden came in second and in doing so secured his lead in the championship race.
Weekends like this are what makes Spec MX-5 Challenge so unique. The camaraderie both on and off the track is un-rivaled.