Checking up on the Mazda MX-5 Cup Rookie Class of 2014

For any athlete, their rookie season is usually difficult. However, the fresh crop of new drivers who joined the SCCA Pro Racing Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by BFGoodrich Tires have been up to the task as they approach the mid-way point of 2014. For many of the drivers, this is their first experience in the ranks of professional racing.
 
As the series takes part in some of the largest and most historic motorsports events in the world, these racers begin to get an idea of what the modern top-level professional racecar driver faces every race weekend. The added pressure to excel, while under an increasingly harsh microscope of scrutiny, makes it easy to crack. Each of the series 13 rookies have faced their own set of individual challenges while making good showings each of the season’s first four races.
 
Kenton Koch, of Glendora, California, currently sits second in the Championship standings, and is well within the hunt to capture the Mazda Motorsports scholarship that will go to the season-ending point leader. Koch stepped up to the Cup class after last season’s dominating performance in the Pro Challenge. Even with two wins under his belt, Koch still says he has some learning to do this year.
 
“I’m feeling pretty good so far about how the season has progressed,” Koch said. “I’ve had a steep learning curve, so far, and feel that after rounds three and four that I’m mentally prepared, as well as physically prepared. The second half of the season is where we will really come alive.”
 
Another rookie driver in the mix during this year’s Mazda MX-5 Cup battle is Devin Jones, of Mooresville, North Carolina. With a background in kart racing, Jones is not a stranger to road course racing. However, his most recent foray into motorsports was while racing stockcars. The switch to a new form of racing is not an easy thing to do.
 
“I think my progression, to date, has been very solid,” Jones said. “The team and I have been working well together and adjusting to this new form of racing. With Sebring being the first time I ever raced in a sports car, I feel that I have adapted quickly and am becoming more comfortable as I push the limits of the car.”
 
Sarah Montgomery, of Lafayette, Louisiana, is another talented driver making her way in the male-dominated world of motorsports by taking the wheel of a Skip Barber Pro Challenge car. So far, the attention gained by racing in such a well-respected and popular development series has been a pleasant surprise for this up-and-coming driver.
 
“This series has honestly exceeded my expectations,” Montgomery said. “I knew that it was a popular series, and that a lot of attention would be put on the drivers, but I never realized how much attention we would get! I have honestly never had so much fun racing than I have here. Everyone wants to have a good time, while trying to win the Championship. People show a lot of respect for one another, and you can’t get that anywhere else.”
 
Ben Albano, of Greenwich, Connecticut, is another rookie making waves in the Skip Barber MAZDASPEED Pro Challenge. Moving to this level of professional racing, Albano knew it was not going to be easy. However, he has shown the confidence and skill needed to find his way to the front having already notched a win this season.
 
“The Skip Barber Mazdaspeed Pro Challenge is going as expected for me,” Albano said. “I knew going into the series that I was a rookie, and that nearly every driver that I would be competing with had, at least, a year of experience on me. That being said, I have had many years of experience driving Mazda MX-5s and I expected to be near the top of the leaderboard, which is where I am.
 
All four of these drivers have their sights set on racing at the top levels of sports car racing. For each of these drivers a championship could go a long way toward that goal.
 
“I would like to be an asset to Mazda through the promotion of their brand and its partners,” Albano said. “I also aspire to become a driver in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge in the next few years, and eventually to compete in the TUDOR United Sports Car Challenge. I know that if I continue to do well racing Mazdas, their support will allow me to keep going and eventually achieve my goals.”
 
While Albano has his eye on the prize, Koch may have summed up his career desires in the most succinct way possible.
 
“I want to be a factory Mazda driver in the Skyactiv Prototype,” Koch said. “For the rest of this year my goal is to be as consistent as possible, and make smart decisions. Being aggressive, in a smart way, is going to be crucial to be holding a check at the end of the year.”
 
These drivers, in addition to the balance of the Mazda MX-5 Cup field, will hit the temporary street circuit of the Shell and Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston, June 27-29.
 
 
Adam Sinclair