Bamber to Join Bourdais in MX-5 Cup Round at St. Pete

After making his Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin debut at Martinsville Speedway last October, Earl Bamber has returned for another crack at the series.

The two-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner will rejoin Hendricks Motorsports for Rounds 3 and 4 at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg street course, joining fellow Cadillac factory driver Sebastien Bourdais, who was confirmed last week.

Bamber checked off racing on an oval from his bucket list last year, now it’s time to check ‘race Grand Prix of St. Petersburg’ off the list, and he’s going to do it with Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup once again.

“I’m really looking forward to getting back into the Mazda field and into the car,” he said. “I had a great time at Martinsville and it’s such a welcoming paddock.

“I’m looking forward to Saint Pete. It’s a track I’ve never been at, but I’m looking forward to the challenge of street racing one of these machines.”

Bamber is no stranger to street courses, having won the IMSA GTLM class at Long Beach in 2019. In 2022, he finished on the DPi podium at both Long Beach and Detroit.

Making the podium at St. Pete amongst a talented MX-5 Cup grid will be a much tougher task for the Kiwi.

Bamber and Bourdais will only have one practice session at St. Pete before qualifying on Friday, Feb. 27. Race 1 is scheduled for 7:30 a.m. ET on Sat., Feb. 28. Race 2 goes green at 4 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 1.

Both races will be live streamed on IMSA’s YouTube channel.