ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (February 18, 2026) – After making his Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin debut at Martinsville Speedway last October, Earl Bamber (No. 21 Hendricks Motorsports) has returned for another crack at the series. The two-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner will rejoin Hendricks Motorsports for Rounds Three and Four at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg street course.
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,” Bamber 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.”
A decorated sportscar veteran, Bamber has won an FIA World Endurance Championship and an IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. He won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in his first try, in 2015, and backed it up with another win in 2017. He won the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring in 2023 and the 12 Hours of Sebring in 2022. Most recently he finished runner-up in the Rolex 24 at Daytona with the No. 31 Whelen Action Express Cadillac team.
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.
One of his rivals is his WEC teammate, Sebastien Bourdais (No. 38 McCumbee McAleer Racing), who is making his MX-5 Cup debut at St. Pete as a fundraiser for the Karts4Kids charity.
Bamber and Bourdais will only have one practice session at St. Pete before qualifying on Friday, February 27. Race 1 is scheduled for 7:30am ET on Saturday, February 28. Race 2 goes green at 4:00pm ET on Sunday, March 1. Both races will be live streamed on the RACER and IMSA YouTube channels.
About: The Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin is the signature spec series for Mazda Motorsports. The series has been operated by Andersen Promotions since 2017 and is currently sanctioned by IMSA. Mazda-powered grassroots champions can earn Mazda scholarships for this pro-level series. The Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup awards more than $1 million in prizes and scholarships.
Find out more at http://www.mx-5cup.com.
