Aaron Jeansonne: Going Pro Racing!

Hi all, I’m doing my best not to be speechless. As some of you may have seen, I have been selected as the 2020 Mazda MX-5 Cup Shootout winner which grants a $110,000 sponsorship into the Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich Tires. Alongside me are two $75,000 Mazda scholarship recipients Chris Nunes and Savannah Little. Congratulations to them and also congrats to the Spec MX-5  Shootout winners Alex Berg and Bryson Morris.

Winning this scholarship has been a huge goal of mine for a while now. After being the runner-up last year, I have been very fortunate to stay behind the wheel of a Mazda this season in Spec Miata and in the Spec MX-5 Championship, in which I received the Emerging Talent award. I have worked extremely hard in and out of the car to improve all aspects of my game this year. I needed every bit of that improvement because the competition pushed me to the max this week.

Upon flying home last night after the shootout I immediately packed up a U-Haul and hit the road to my new home in Indianapolis with my girlfriend, Kennedy, and our awesome cats. After getting hit very hard with the hurricanes, I believed that the racing capital of the world was where I needed to be to move forward with my life and my racing career. I am as hungry as ever and I can’t wait to get to work next season.

Another exciting factor in this is that MX-5 Cup will be an IMSA sanctioned series next year and we will be able to race on some of America’s most iconic tracks, such as Daytona International Speedway (before the Rolex 24), the street course at St. Petersburg, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, and others. Daytona in January is just around the corner though, so I need to get testing right away! I have not yet chosen a team to compete with but I will update as soon as it is decided.

Thank you to Mazda for all they have done for me and my racing career, and to series partners BFGoodrich Tires and Pagid Racing. Flis Performance did an incredible job with the shootout, providing excellent and equal cars. They also placed liveries on the car with our names and MX-5 Cup Shootout on them, and they had a very professional display set up. Their efficiency and kindness was also a great asset to the shootout. To Winding Road Racing, Jared Thomas Racing, and others that have helped me develop this year, it means a lot. I also thank Bell Helmets and Sparco for keeping me safe and styling out on track, and to Team USA Scholarship for believing in me from the beginning.

I hope you are all well and have a nice holiday season with your families. All the best.

Aaron Jeansonne