Mazda MX5 Cup: Gossett and Traynor share Top Female honours after career-best weekend at CTMP
- RACERS
- 4 hours ago
- 5 min read
Ellie Gossett and Charlotte Traynor enjoyed their strongest weekend of the Mazda MX-5 Cup season at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, with the two Shift Up Now athletes sharing the Top Finishing Female honours across the weekend's two races, both securing their best finish of the season to date.
Ellie Gossett and Charlotte Traynor enjoyed their strongest weekend of the 2026 Mazda MX-5 Cup season at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, with the two Shift Up Now athletes sharing the Top Finishing Female honours across the weekend's two races.
Gossett claimed the accolade in Saturday's opening contest after charging through the field to a career-best result, before Traynor responded on Sunday with an equally impressive recovery drive to secure her own best finish of the season and the top female award in Race 2.
The fourth round of the championship saw the Mazda MX-5 Cup cross the border into Canada for its visit to the historic Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, formerly known as Mosport. One of North America's fastest and most technically demanding circuits, the flowing layout requires commitment and momentum, while the championship's trademark close racing promised another pair of fiercely contested sprint races.
The battle for the highest-finishing female driver continued between two impressive rookies enjoying their first full Mazda MX-5 Cup campaigns. Ellie Gossett, driving the #77 BSI Racing Mazda, had quickly become one of the most exciting newcomers with consistently competitive performances throughout the opening rounds. Charlotte Traynor, the recipient of the Mazda Women Initiative Scholarship, continued her own development aboard the #43 Parker DeLong Racing entry, with both drivers representing Shift Up Now.
Qualifying once again highlighted the competitiveness of the championship, with the field covered by incredibly small margins. Gossett produced a lap of 1:32.370 to qualify 21st, narrowly missing out on the top 20 in a session where the first 20 cars were separated by just one second. Traynor set a best time of 1:33.138 to secure 27th on the grid.
Saturday afternoon's first 45-minute race got underway cleanly despite the tightly packed 30-car field. While contact elsewhere delayed Gresham Wagner, Gossett immediately capitalized on the opening lap to gain two positions and move into 19th. Traynor also negotiated the opening corners safely, holding 27th.
Gossett soon became embroiled in the characteristic Mazda MX-5 Cup battles that extended throughout the field. Trading positions with Salerno, McGee and Novak, the American rookie remained in contention around the top 20 despite the constant exchanges.
Every position had to be earned, with the entire midfield running separated by only a handful of seconds.
As Shimbashi worked his way past on lap 5, Gossett found herself under pressure from BSI Racing teammate Hodneland, while Gravett also joined the battle. Despite briefly losing ground, she remained glued to the group ahead.
Further back, Traynor quietly began an excellent recovery of her own. After initially dropping behind Leach, she fought back by overtaking Macfarlane for 26th before passing Ockey to move into 25th. Running consistent lap times in the 1:34.0 range, she steadily found pace despite a growing gap to the next group ahead.
A full-course yellow was called on lap 13 following Macfarlane's accident at pit entry, bunching the entire field together for the restart with just over 16 minutes remaining.
The neutralization proved beneficial for both drivers. Nicholson slipped backwards on the restart, promoting Gossett and Traynor to 21st and 24th respectively before the action intensified once again.
Gossett immediately resumed battling around the edge of the top 20; she overtook Shimbashi alongside teammate Hodneland before briefly dropping behind Sunseri. Traynor meanwhile continued making consistent progress, passing Shimbashi herself to climb into 23rd while beginning to pressure Hodneland ahead.
The closing stages saw the order change dramatically as incidents and penalties reshuffled the field. Delong's drive-through penalty, Helio Meza's damaged car and mechanical problems for Stallone all promoted both female drivers further up the order.
Late drama continued when Jared Thomas was spun from a front-running position before Fletcher lost a wheel on the final lap, triggering another full-course yellow.
Gossett made the most of every opportunity, overtaking Sunseri in the closing laps before taking the chequered flag in a superb 15th place. Having climbed six positions from her starting spot in a clean, mistake-free drive, she secured the Top Finishing Female award while recording her best result of the season to date.
Traynor completed an equally impressive race. Recovering from 27th on the grid, she climbed nine places to finish 18th, also recording her strongest finish of the campaign up to that point.
Sunday's second race presented fresh challenges, with Gossett starting 24th and Traynor 26th.
Unfortunately for Gossett, her race almost unravelled immediately. An issue on the opening lap saw her spin between Turns 8 and 9, leaving her stationary before she eventually rejoined at the back of the field, over 30 seconds behind the leaders. With the race remaining green, she faced the daunting prospect of chasing down the entire field.
Traynor settled into 27th during the opening laps while battling Leach before briefly slipping to 28th.
Both drivers however soon began recovering. Gossett overtook Dombroski after the latter encountered problems, while Salerno's slowing car allowed both Gossett and Traynor to gain positions on lap 6. Traynor continued her charge by passing Ockey to move into 26th, while Gossett steadily rebuilt her rhythm after the costly early issue.
On lap 9 a multi-car accident involving Mishko, Stallone, Jacobs and Shimbashi brought out a full-course yellow.
The caution arrived at the perfect time for Gossett, eliminating her deficit and bringing her back onto the lead pack. As the race was neutralized, Traynor had climbed to 22nd while Gossett was back within striking distance in 24th.
At the restart, both drivers immediately seized opportunities: Gossett overtook Ockey to move into 23rd before another incident involving Jeremy Fletcher promoted both Shift Up Now drivers further forward into 20th and 21st respectively.
The battle for Top Finishing Female quickly developed into a close duel as Gossett closed to within a second of Traynor, but the Parker DeLong Racing driver responded with an excellent first sector to rebuild a comfortable margin. Gossett's progress was then interrupted as recovering drivers Novak and Shimbashi worked their way back through, dropping her to 23rd.
Further incidents continued to reshape the order; DaCosta was forced to pit with damage, promoting Traynor to 19th and Gossett to 22nd before another caution was triggered when Hodneland was tagged into the barriers by Sunseri with just 7 minutes remaining.
The race ultimately finished behind the safety car, allowing both drivers to secure another pair of strong results.
Traynor completed a great recovery from 26th on the grid, gaining ten positions on the road before post-race adjustments elevated her to an excellent 15th place. The result earned her the Top Finishing Female award in Race 2 while also marking her best finish of the season.
Despite the difficult opening lap, Gossett also produced an excellent recovery to finish 18th after climbing back through the field. Although she narrowly missed out on consecutive Top Female honours, another top-20 finish completed a highly positive overall weekend.
With Gossett recording a season-best 15th-place finish and Traynor matching it one day later, the Canadian weekend represented a step forward for both Shift Up Now-supported drivers as they continue their learning curve in one of North America's most competitive one-make championships.
The Mazda MX-5 Cup season now heads to Virginia International Raceway for rounds nine and ten on 21-23 August.