first ever lionheart mx-5 challenge series begins tonight

The Lionheart IndyCar Series presented by First Medical Equipment takes a week off to prepare for the tricky turns of Watkins Glen, but the stars of the premiere fixed IndyCar league using the iRacing.com simulation will take to the track tonight for the series debut of the Lionheart MX-5 Challenge.

“We started driving the Mazda MX-5 in fun races after our Lionheart events last year, just as a way to calm down and have some fun,” series director Pierre Daigle said. “Nothing was off limits. We’d run ovals, road courses. Whatever came to mind. It was so successful, we decided to run the car in a series.”

The series is separated into three seasons of six races. Events will be held on Thursday evenings, and will generally be held during off weeks for the Lionheart IndyCar Series presented by First Medical Equipment.

Things get underway tonight at Charlotte Motor Speedway, as the cars take to the 1.5-mile oval in what is effectively a restrictor plate-style event.

The series will run fixed setups and each season and features a mixture of road and oval courses from around the world. All drivers on both the Lionheart IndyCar Series presented by First Medical Equipment race roster, as well as the league practice roster are eligible, and grid spots are awarded on a first-come, first-serve basis.

“This league is supposed to be fun,” Daigle said. “We want everyone involved with Lionheart to come out and run. We are keeping track of points, but really this is just a laid back series designed to let our drivers let off some steam.

“The new Global MX-5 is really a lot of fun to drive. The folks at iRacing did a great job giving us a car that can be driven hard, but is easy to control and I think when we mix that car and the various tracks we’re running with the talent we have assembled across this league, you’re going to see one of the most competitive and dynamic experiences on iRacing.”

The Lionheart IndyCar Series presented by First Medical Equipment also announced a new digital sticker program for race winners and pole winners. The stickers will be awarded and displayed on cars for the remainder of the season. Joe Hassert (winner) and Jake Wright (pole) already have their stickers applied to the ‘kardashians,’ or rear bumpers.

For more information on the Lionheart IndyCar Series presented by First Medical Equipment, or to apply for the league practice roster and MX-5 Challenger series, head to www.LionheartRacingSeries.com.

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