The 2023 Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by BF Goodrich season is well underway with their second race weekend of the year arriving quickly. Copeland Motorsports, the current leader in both driver and team championships, will look to continue their momentum and extend their lead even further in the doubleheader event this weekend on the Streets of St. Petersburg.
Copeland Motorsports debuted their three-car team in Daytona a few weekends ago with a couple of familiar faces and a new addition to their driver lineup. Tyler Gonzalez earned the team a victory in the first race along with a second-place podium result in the race two, giving the team a substantial lead in both the team and driver championship points battle. Adding to the points total were both Max Opalski, achieving his best career finish, and Jeremy Fletcher, a young rookie showing incredible speed in his first appearance in the series.
“I think the team is feeling very confident going into this race weekend,” expressed Team Owner Dean Copeland. “The first race jitters are gone and now it’s all about gaining those early championship points. St. Pete didn’t quite go how we wanted it last year, so we’re set to prove that we’re the team to beat in this series, no matter what track.”
Earlier this month, lead point scorer Tyler Gonzalez was invited to take part in the groundbreaking of the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg track build representing Copeland Motorsports and the Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by BF Goodrich series alongside other top drivers in their respective fields that will take part in their designated series over the course of the race weekend.
The team will compete in a shortened doubleheader race event this weekend with two practices and a qualifying session on Friday, followed by rounds three and four of the Mazda MX-5 Cup on Saturday. Follow along with Copeland Motorsports in St. Petersburg this weekend as they compete to extend their championship lead. You can stream both races on Saturday live at https://www.imsa.com/tvlive/. The full weekend schedule can be found below. Stay tuned to the Copeland Motorsports social media channels for news, photos, information, and results from the streets of St. Petersburg.
St. Petersburg Event Schedule (Eastern)
Friday, March 3rd
Practice one: 7:50-8:20 AM
Practice two: 11:15-11:45 AM
Qualifying: 5:15-5:35 PM
Saturday, March 4th
Race one: 7:55-8:40 AM
Race two: 4:45-5:30 PM
Photo Credit: RTD Media