Connor Zilisch, the 15-year-old SCCA racer fresh off a third-place finish at the Runoffs in Spec Miata, was declared the top winner of the Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich® Tires scholarships following two days of on and off-track evaluation at Sebring International Raceway last week.

Zilisch earned a scholarship valued at $110,000 to take part in next year’s Mazda MX-5 Cup, while Bryce Cornet – 2018 SCCA Formula Mazda Champion – and Laura Hayes – former SCCA Formula Vee racer – were awarded $75,000 scholarships for the 2022 season of MX-5 Cup.

The trio of scholarships is only the start of Mazda’s prize fund. Racing in the 2022 MX-5 Cup, these three drivers will have a shot at the $80,000 Rookie-of-the-Year award and the $250,000 championship prize.

“I can’t believe this happened,” Zilisch said. “I can’t thank Mazda enough. This is an amazing opportunity to forward my progress in the motorsports world and I’m so excited to get to work.”

The competition began with 21 drivers in total, 12 for the Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup scholarships and nine young karters for the Spec MX-5 Challenge team. Drivers were judged not only by lap times, but also ability to create lasting partnerships, understand and apply data analysis, and overall improvement

The MX-5 Cup judging panel consisted of Mazda Senior Manager, Brand, Entertainment, and Sponsorships Chris Hill; Mazda Motorsports Program Manager Jonathan Applegate; Motorsport Marketing Manager for BFGoodrich Tires and Michelin Pete Calhoun; professional racers Tom Long and Andrew Carbonell; and Manager of Mazda Motorsports Business Development David Cook.

Photo Courtesy of Mazda Motorsports