Manila Sports Car Club (MSSC) Adopts Miata Spec Series for 2022

New racing series supported by Shell Philippines, GT Radial and ROTA Wheels.

Mazda Philippines, the Manila Sports Car Club (MSCC), and the Clark International Speedway (CIS) have collaborated to hold the first ever one-make sports car race series in the country. The 2022 MSCC Miata Spec Series will be the official race event of the country’s premier sports car owners club starting this year. It will feature 20 brand new track-tuned Mazda MX-5 open-top sports cars to be raced exclusively by MSCC members. 

“We are delighted to finally see the much-awaited Miata Spec Series take to the track as the Manila Sports Car Club’s official racing event,” shares Steven Tan, President and CEO of Mazda Philippines. “The one-make format of the Miata Spec Series provides a unique opportunity for MSCC members to hone their skills and to enjoy the pure essence of driving. Mazda’s motorsports DNA and its participation in grassroots racing events around the world has made it simpler for us to institute this partnership with the MSCC and the series’ new sponsors.”

Sponsored by Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corporation (PSPC), GT Radial tires and ROTA Wheels, the 2022 MSCC Miata Spec Series season will cover four race weekends starting on the 11th of June at the Clark International Speedway. The other three race dates are August 27^th, October 22^nd and November 26^th. All races will be held at at CIS.

Manila Sports Car Club

MSCC member and Chair of the 2022 MSCC Miata Spec Series, Windy Imperial, is enthused by the club’s new racing program. “The MSCC has always considered the Mazda MX-5 Miata as a true sports car,” says Imperial. “The club chose to run the Miata Spec Series because of its proven reliability and performance on the track.  Mazda Philippines’ partnership with the MSCC has given our members the opportunity to once again pursue our passion for sports car racing. And racing in an event that is both sustainable and fun will surely rekindle our love and appreciation for sports cars.”

Shell Philippines

Pilipinas Shell has been a major business partner of Mazda Philippines since 2013. It supplies fully synthetic Shell Helix Ultra Professional lubricants to the Mazda Philippines dealership network. The partnership expanded in 2018 which saw Shell fuels become the recommended fuel to all Mazda customers and their fleet of vehicles.

As the number-one global lubricants supplier for 15 years in a row, Shell Lubricants continuously develops its products through its world-class network of technology centers to ensure consistent quality and performance. “Together with Mazda Philippines and the Manila Sports Car Club, we seek to empower motorsports enthusiasts through our innovative, top-of-the-line motor oils,” says Steve Quila, Vice President for Commercial Lubricants.

Arvin Obmerga, Shell Mobility Marketing Manager adds, “This strong partnership nurtured all these years has made Shell a trusted partner of Mazda Philippines. The partnership comes alive today, as we witness the synergy between Shell’s most advanced fuel, Shell V-Power and Mazda’s best performance vehicle, the Mazda MX-5. We give our full support to Mazda Philippines and the Manila Sports Car Club, as they jointly promote the growth of motorsports in the country.”

The partnership between Pilipinas Shell and Mazda Philippines reflects the two companies’ shared drive to deliver high-quality performance for vehicles – a fundamental component of competitive motorsports. 

GT Radial

Giti Tire group, one of the world’s largest tire manufacturers, is the official and exclusive tire provider to the 2022 MSCC Miata Spec Series. All competing cars will sport the endurance race-winning GT Radial Champiro SX2 from PT Gajah Tunggal Tbk in Indonesia, the largest integrated tire manufacturer in South East Asia.

“We are very happy to be a partner in this exciting event that is seen to level up the Philippine motorsports,” says Mannix Ocampo, Director for Sales & Marketing of Northern Automax Intersales Inc., the exclusive authorized Philippine importer and distributor of GT Radial tires in the country.    

Ocampo further highlights, “The Mazda Miata MX-5 and GT Radial Champiro SX2 have a special relationship in Philippine racing circuits where they have garnered titles and accolades over years of competition. Similarly, in international motorsports and exhibitions, both have exceptionally collaborated with remarkable finishes.”

ROTA Wheels

Philippines Aluminum Wheels, Inc. or PAWI, is a well-known original equipment supplier in the automotive business. As the Philippines’ pioneer and leading alloy wheels manufacturer, it has been a partner of Mazda Philippines since 2014. PAWI has supplied “Illusions” alloy wheels for the Mazda 2 and more recently, “Recce Reloaded” wheels for the Mazda BT-50 Pangolin Edition.

Since PAWI started its business 30 years ago, it has specialized in only one product – ROTA alloy wheels. All its resources and energies have been utilized into making ROTA the product that is today – a world-class quality wheel, meticulously designed, and superbly engineered. Proudly Philippine-made, ROTA wheels are comparable to other global brands in style, quality, and performance.

“ROTA Wheels have been a part of every major racing event in the country,” says Michael Rojas, president of PAWI. He adds, “We are proud to be a partner of both Mazda Philippines and the MSCC in this unique sports car racing series. Aside from seeing real sports cars race on the track, we believe that the 2022 MSCC Miata Spec Series will once again showcase Filipino engineering and ingenuity through the performance and durability of ROTA Wheels on the track.”

Clark International Speedway (Batangas Racing Circuit Inc.)

The 2022 MSCC Miata Spec Series will be run exclusively at the country’s premier race track, the Clark International Speedway. CIS General Manager Dennis Ayuyao has expressed his full support for the event. 

“We are honored to be the exclusive racing venue for the inaugural MSCC Miata Spec Series,” declares Ayuyao. “As an international-grade race circuit, CIS will provide an excellent atmosphere for drivers to race safely and competitively with their Mazda MX-5s. We are proud to host this prestigious event along with Mazda Philippines and the MSCC.”

Inspired by the largest one-make grassroots race series in the world, the Mazda Spec Miata, the MSCC Miata Spec Series cars are all built from brand new Mazda MX-5 Soft Top units. In collaboration with global partners CUSCO, SPARCO and other world class vendors, the MSCC Miata Spec Series is set to achieve similar high standards of tuning and performance as the global Spec Miata cars. Furthermore, the MSCC Miata Spec Series MX-5s have been developed to ensure safe and enjoyable racing competition.

All MSCC Miata Spec Series cars will be raced with showroom stock Skyactiv-G 2.0-liter engines and six-speed Skyactiv manual transmissions. Each car’s suspension components have been upgraded and reinforced with CUSCO sports coilovers and chassis braces to maximize handling and performance on the track while ensuring drivability on the road. 

A custom stainless steel exhaust system, developed by local company DRIFT EXHAUST, maximizes air flow and enhances the aggressive racing note emanating from the MX-5’s 181 horsepower mill. While a SPARCO competition steering wheel, racing seat, harness and safety net, along with a new CUSCO racing roll cage are all installed in each car to secure the drivers’ control and safety on and off the track. 

Along with the MSCC Miata Spec Series, members of the Miata Club Philippines will also run their Miata Cup races on the same race days. The return of the Miata Cup after a two-year hiatus due to Covid-19 restrictions, cements its reputation as the country’s longest running sports car racing championship.

Bermaz Auto Philippines, Inc. (Mazda Philippines) is the exclusive distributor of Mazda vehicles and parts in the Philippines. Mazda Philippines’ exemplary after-sales service record has been ranked #1 in the industry twice–in the 2016 and 2019 J.D. Power Customer Service Index Study. There are 15 Mazda 3S dealerships located across the Philippines and Metro Manila – Mazda Greenhills, Mazda Pasig, Mazda Quezon Avenue, Mazda Makati, Mazda Alabang, Mazda Sta. Rosa, Mazda Pulilan, Mazda Pampanga, Mazda Dagupan, Mazda Cabanatuan, Mazda Tarlac, Mazda Cebu, Mazda Iloilo, Mazda Cagayan De Oro, and Mazda Davao.