2014 Mazda MX-5 Cup Champion

Kenton Koch MX5 Cup Champion

2014 was an extremely successful year for me as I was able to accomplish something that four years ago I thought would never happen. I was able to win the 2014 Mazda MX-5 Cup Championship Presented by BFGoodrich Tires, which provides me a $200,000 scholarship to run in a Mazda-powered-car of my choice in 2015. Mazda has developed a ladder system to give drivers a opportunity to move up to the pinnacle of the sport on little to no money at all. Starting out with Skip Barber in its Regional Series and potentially ending up in a shot to drive Mazda’s Factory Skyactiv Diesel LMP2 car competing in the Tudor United SportCar Championship. I am currently one step away from having this possible opportunity. Without this ladder system, I wouldn’t be where I am today. The things I have learned over the years through my experiences with Mazda and Skip Barber have been invaluable.
The year couldn’t have gone much better, taking home six wins, four podiums, and nine poles. Having a fast reliable car was very important to being able to achieve this, which was why I went with Alara Racing. They didn’t have all the bells and whistles, but they knew how to provide a race winning car, every time. Ken Murrillo is the engineer on the team and is a magician with these cars. The car never broke once all year and was dialed by the time qualifying came. This goes to show how reliable Mazda’s are and how amazing the crew was to keep a well maintained car.
This will be my second year as a Mazda Motorsports Development driver and fifth consecutive year being aided by scholarship funds. In total I have been able earn around $380,000 in scholarship money to race. Many drivers in IndyCar and the Tudor championship have graduated through the Skip Barber and Mazda programs. I hope to follow in the footsteps of those who have landed in the Tudor championship. I hope to be one of the few that doesn’t have to start with a large fortune in order to earn a small one.
I’ve had more fun this year than I have ever before and with that gained tons of knowledge. It hasn’t hit me yet that I have won the MX-5 Cup Championship, but when I step foot in the car I will call my home for next year, it will all hit home. I can’t thank Mazda and Skip Barber enough for this amazing program and my parents for supporting me through my whole career thus far. BFGoodrich Tires has been an amazing supporter of the series and the tire it has provided has been one of the best I have ever driven, if not THE best. Alara has been more than just a team; they have been a family to me. I want to thank all the people who have supported me through my whole career. I can’t wait to see what next year has in store.

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