Mazda MX-5 still a force to be reckoned with following 4-hour endurance race win

Mazda Philippines has once again proven the Mazda MX-5 is still a formidable racing platform by taking the 2023 Petron 4-Hour Kagitingan Cup win on April 16, 2023. 

The race is the first of three grueling endurance races in this season's Petron Makabayan Cup Endurance Race Challenge Series.

The Team MSCC Mazda MX-5 completed 89 laps with a best time of 1:56:054, bagging them the Class 1 and Open A categories for the four-hour race. They also were able to finish in 2nd place for the two-hour race.

The wet and wild conditions during the race were challenging for all 24 teams as they had to find the fine line between speed and grip.

Despite the tricky track conditions, teams like Team Mv were able to maximize the MX-5's abilities, especially with racing veterans Angie King, Tyson Sy and Windy Imperial behind the wheel.

"I'm fatigued from doing all the racing at the Batangas Racing Circuit, but I'm thankful for the performance of the MX-5," said King.

"It was not a clean sweep this time, but we are happy to take the 4-hour win," she added. "As I always tell people, Miata is always the answer." 

Nearly stock

For those who don’t know, the Team MSCC Mazda Miata is backed by Mazda Philippines and led by legendary racer and race engineer Edgen Dy-Liacco.

The MX-5 is nearly identical in specifications to the one-make MSCC Miata Spec Series race car, with only minor changes done to the suspension and chassis for the endurance race.

However, the 2.0-liter Skyactiv-G inline-4 found in the sports car remains stock as it still produces 184 PS and 205 Nm of torque. Like its unmodified counterpart, the racing MX-5 has a 6-speed manual transmission.

To set itself apart from the rest of the teams, the MSCC Mazda Miata continued to race with its eye-catching "Imagine" livery for the race, with its 55 race number.

This is a tribute to the rotary-powered Mazda 787B, which won the 1991 24 Hours of Le Mans, which is considered the most grueling endurance race in the world.

Do you also think that "Miata is always the answer (M.I.A.T.A.)"?

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