2014 marks the 25th birthday of the Mazda MX-5, and the automaker is celebrating by sending the Miata on a trip through the Green Hell.
Yes, Mazda has handed over a production 2014 MX-5 to UK-based JOTA Sport to prepare it for the 24 Hours Nürburgring Endurance Race in Germany this weekend. The Nürburgring, dubbed the Green Hell by Formula One driver Jackie Stewart, is one of the world's toughest circuits. The Miata will compete in the V3 class, which is limited to soft-topped vehicles with 2.0-liter naturally-aspirated engines.
British racecar builders JOTA will be handling the race modifications to the car, but there's not much to do. V3 class car are required to be kept nearly identical to their production variant, so JOTA will just be adding some racing-spec safety gear like a roll-bar, and a few sponsor stickers. Go to a Mazda dealer, and the $23,000 MX-5 with its 167 hp four-cylinder engine and six-speed manual gearbox won't be much different from what you see on the track for this race.
Four drivers (Stefan Johansson, Wolfgang Kaufmann, Teruaki Kato, and journalist Owen Mildenhall) will take turns racing around the Nordschleife and Grand Prix Circuit. The path for this race is just over 15 miles long.
The race plans come just following the Miata’s 25th anniversary and the conclusion of production for the third-generation model. Consider this race to be the current MX-5’s ceremonious send-off as the next iteration arrives.
If you’re unfamiliar with the two-seat roadster civilian car that will become this racer, know that it gets dismissed as a “chick car,” but remains one of the great automotive feats of recent history. The original (and its successors, generally) was light and graceful with enough engine to make it a joy to take around corners, even within the speed limit.
If you’ll be in Germany for the race, tickets are on sale now.
