Bourdais to Make MX-5 Cup Debut at St. Pete for Charity

Four-time IndyCar champion and current FIA World Endurance Championship driver Sebastien Bourdais will compete as a guest driver in the Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin doubleheader at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.

Racing with McCumbee McAleer Racing, Bourdais will participate in his home race as part of a fundraiser for the Karts4Kids charity.

The St. Pete event weekend on Feb. 27-March 1 will mark the second event of the MX-5 Cup season, which opened last month at Daytona International Speedway with a record-setting field.

In his IndyCar career, Bourdais was quite successful at St. Pete, winning the race twice, but he hasn’t turned a wheel at the 1.8-mile temporary street circuit since 2021.

“I’m super excited to once again race on the streets of St. Petersburg,” said Bourdais. “It’s a real thrill to join the Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup at such a meaningful place. St. Petersburg is my home, and I’ve been fortunate to have success in open-wheel racing on that track. Many thanks to Mazda and MMR for putting this together, and to Cadillac Hertz Team Jota for allowing me to pursue this opportunity.”

Bourdais, who recently stepped down from his IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship LMP2 drive with Tower Motorsport,  is using his MX-5 Cup appearance as an opportunity to raise money for the Karts4Kids charity by offering to put donors’ names or companies on the race car itself.

“The entire focus of this effort is to raise funds for Karts4Kids, which benefits Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital,” he added.

“Anyone interested in supporting the charity can donate and have their name or company featured on the car.

“Donations start at $5,000 and directly support children and their families. Since its creation, Karts4Kids has continued to raise the bar, and with the exposure from racing in one of North America’s most popular series, I hope we can generate even more support for this very worthy cause.”

Bourdais will complete a test with MMR at Carolina Motorsports Park on Feb. 17, to be acclimated to the the MX-5 Cup machinery.

He joins a distinguished list of professional drivers who’ve had guest appearances in MX-5 Cup, including Parker Kligerman, James Hinchcliffe and Earl Bamber.

“I’ve known Seb [Bourdais] through IMSA for many years,” said MMR team co-owner Chad McCumbee.

“It’s very cool to have him join us at St. Pete and I’m excited to see what he thinks of the cars and the series. I did warn him—he’ll be much busier than a GTP race for this one.”