TOPEKA, Kan. (Jan. 10, 2009) 聙聯 For its fourth season, the SCCA Pro Racing Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup will expand to 10 rounds, making stops at some of the finest road courses in North America, as well as several new venues. The 2009 MX-5 Cup season begins as the previous two did, as part of The Mitty Classic at Road Atlanta. MX-5 Cup will join Historic Sportscar Racing, May 1 聙聯 3, to showcase the modern fun of MX-5 Cup alongside the classic racing machines of years past.Two weeks later, MX-5 Cup is off to beautiful Monterey, Calif., where the series made its debut in 2006. MX-5 Cup joins the Grand-Am Rolex Series and KONI Challenge, May 15 聙聯 17, at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca for the Monterey Festival of Speed.A doubleheader at New Jersey Motorsports Park, in Millville, N.J., follows on June 12 聙聯 14. The Mazda Grand Prix will bring the Mazda racing family together, as MX-5 Cup joins Star Mazda and the Atlantic Championship at the recently constructed Thunderbolt Raceway.The halfway point of the season is marked by two tracks new to MX-5 Cup. On July 17 聙聯 19, the series joins Grand-Am once again for the Porsche 250 weekend at Barber Motorsports Park, in Birmingham, Ala. The teams will then make a short trip north to meet up with their fellow Mazda series once again as well as the SPEED World Challenge Championships, July 24 聙聯 26, at the Autobahn Country Club. The Mazda Grand Prix marks the first professional event at the Autobahn Country Club, which is located in Joliet, Ill., just outside of Chicago. The MX-5 caravan won聙聶t have to travel too far for the following round in Elkhart Lake, Wis. For the second year in-a-row, the series will take part in the combined American LeMans Series/SPEED World Challenge weekend at Road America, Aug. 14 聙聯 16.From one four-mile track to another, MX-5 heads to Miller Motorsports Park with Grand-Am, Sept. 18 聙聯 20. The Tooele, Utah course has hosted a round of MX-5 Cup action in each of the series聙聶 previous three years.The 2009 season ends Oct. 2 聙聯 4, with a doubleheader at scenic VIRginia International Raceway, in Alton, Va. It will be the series聙聶 first trek to VIR, where it joins KONI Challenge.聙聹I couldn聙聶t be happier with the 2009 MX-5 Cup schedule,聙聺 Mazda North American Operations Alternative Marketing Manager Jim Jordan said. 聙聹It聙聶s the perfect mix of classic American road courses and new, exciting venues. There聙聶s something there for everyone, which will encourage the kind of racing we聙聶ve come to expect from this great series.聙聺聙聹SCCA Pro Racing and Mazda have worked together to create a fantastic schedule for MX-5 in 2009,聙聺 SCCA Pro Racing President and CEO Robert Wildberger said. 聙聹It聙聶s great to see MX-5 heading to tracks SCCA Pro Racing has yet to venture, like Autobahn Country Club and Barber Motorsports Park. We聙聶re proud to watch MX-5 Cup expand the SCCA Pro Racing footprint.聙聺With an outstanding schedule in place, all races broadcast on cable TV and the continuance of Playboy as a title sponsor, MX-5 Cup appears poised for another successful season. The Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup also remains a part of the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development Ladder, offering the 2009 MX-5 Cup Champion a Mazda ride in SPEED Touring Car and welcoming one amateur racer to the series via the MX-5 Cup Shootout for Mazda road racing champions.To learn more about MX-5 Cup, visit SCCA Pro Racing Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup ScheduleMay 1 - 3聽聽聽 Road Atlanta with HSRBraselton, Ga.聽聽聽 May 15 - 17聽聽聽 Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca with Grand-AmMonterey, Calif.聽聽聽 June 12 - 14聽聽聽 New Jersey Motorsports Park* with Atlantics/Star Mazda Millville, N.J.聽聽聽 July 17 - 19聽聽聽 Barber Motorsports Park with Grand-Am Birmingham, Ala.聽聽聽 July 24 - 26聽聽聽 Autobahn Country Club with SPEED World Challenge/AtlanticsJoliet, Ill.聽聽聽 Aug. 14 - 16聽聽聽 Road America with ALMS/SPEED World ChallengeElkhart Lake, Wis.聽聽聽 Sept. 18- 20聽聽聽 Miller Motorsports Park with Grand-Am Tooele, Utah聽聽聽 Oct. 2 - 4聽聽聽 VIRginia International Raceway*聽聽聽 with KONI ChallengeAlton, Va.*-doubleheaderSCCA Pro Racing Playboy Mazda MX-5 CupStepping up in place of the former Mazdaspeed Miata Cup, the Mazda MX-5 Cup made its debut in 2006. Featuring identical MX-5s on spec tires, the Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup gives drivers the opportunity to run on high-profile weekends in an economical, entry-level racing series. The 2009 MX-5 Cup schedule features 10 races at prestigious events across North America, and with grids composed of roughly 30 cars at each race, MX-5 Cup has become one of the best shows in motorsports today. For more information, visit .