Mazda reveals track-spec MX-5 for race series

When the all-new Mazda MX-5 was finally unveiled at the Paris Motor Show earlier this year, it caused a real stir. Gone was the 'hairdressers' car' stereotype, quashed with a new masculine look and lightweight chassis. And the new MX-5 just got even more serious with a track-ready cup-series racer.

Revealed at the SEMA trade show in Las Vegas, the hardcore MX-5 is to compete in a new Global Cup racing series that will take place in the US, Europe and Asia. It will be tearing around race tracks such as the Californian Laguna Seca Raceway in 2016.

It certainly looks the part, with a lower stance, lightweight racing wheels and aerodynamic body additions, including front and side skirts and a rear spoiler/diffuser combo. The interior is, as you'd expect, stripped to the bone, with a rollcage, door bracing and a single race seat, leaving only the main features of the MX-5's stylish console remaining.

Technical specs are scarce at the moment, but we know the racing MX-5 will come with a mildly tweaked four-cylinder 2.0-litre SkyActiv powerplant. Expect suspension and brake system upgrades, too, with more information being revealed by Mazda Motorsports next year.

In a first for Mazda, the track MX-5 (traditionally a very popular cup racing car) will be sold 'ready to race' out of the box from a single supplier, which will see it star in races all across the globe