(BOWMANVILLE, Ontario) July 6, 2026 - Rounds Seven and Eight of the Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin are headed north of the border to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP). The championship remains tight without a clear title favorite as the series arrives at its halfway point.
The daunting 2.549-mile road course formerly known as Mosport is a favorite among drivers because it is high-speed and high-commitment. This will be a challenge for the series’ rookies, which make up half the field. Current points leader Justin Adakonis (No. 23 McCumbee McAleer Racing), now in his second season of Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup knows the feeling.
“For the rookies, the hardest part for them will be committing through Turn One and Turn Eight,” Adakonis explained. “If the drivers are not comfortable on the limit in this car it can be quite easy to get caught out.”
There are two rookies from Canada entered, but only one has turned laps at CTMP. Marcello Paniccia (No. 38 McCumbee McAleer Racing) from Aurora Ontario dipped his toes in the MX-5 Cup waters last year at CTMP and earned two top 10 finishes. Carlton McFarlane (No. 51 McCumbee McAleer Racing) from Calgary, Alberta will make his MX-5 Cup debut this weekend but has yet to try his hand at CTMP.
Adakonis leads Jared Thomas (No. 96 JTR Motorsports Engineering) in the championship by 250 points. He feels confident heading into CTMP and eager to make up for last season’s tribulations there.
“I really enjoy racing at CTMP,” Adakonis said. “It’s a very high-speed track that requires a lot of commitment, but it is very fun in the MX-5 Cup car. The technical slow speed right handers followed by the long uphill straight make the racing exciting. It’ll be a fun race for sure. We were very quick there last year but had an unfortunate mechanical failure.”
The only driver on the grid who knows what it’s like to win a race at CTMP is Gresham Wagner (No. 5 JTR Motorsports Engineering). In fact, CTMP is the site of Wagner’s most recent win. Could an entire year pass without a Wagner MX-5 Cup victory? The two-time series champion is currently eighth in the points after a DNF in Round Six at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
A strong showing at Mid-Ohio catapulted Ethan Jacobs (No. 99 JDH Racing) to fourth in the point standings, highest of the rookies. The best-finishing rookie will earn an $80,000 prize from Mazda. The Wisconsinite appears to be on the cusp of his first MX-5 Cup race win, but can he do it at a track he’s never been to before?
Speaking of rookies, last year’s Rookie of the Year Helio Meza (No. 7 BSI Racing) and ROY runner-up Noah Harmon (No. 12 Hendricks Motorsports) are back on the grid. The two drivers have been busy winning races in the Trans-Am TA2 series but are coming back to their MX-5 Cup roots this weekend.
The summer is getting hot and so is the MX-5 Cup Championship fight, which will see the winner collect $250,000. Make sure to watch it live on the IMSA and RACER YouTube channels. Saturday’s race is scheduled for 5:25pm ET and Sunday’s race will take place at 10:05am ET.