MX5 America: Sally Mott secures two top-15 finishes, claims female driver honours at Barber
- LIAM REDFORD
- May 8
- 9 min read
Sally Mott starred as the Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup drivers competed in changeable conditions at Barber Motorsports Park. Mott secured a pair of top-15 overall results and finished as the highest placed female driver in both races.
Sally Mott starred as the Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup drivers competed in changeable conditions at Barber Motorsports Park. Mott secured a pair of top-15 overall results and finished as the highest placed female driver in both races.
Heather Hadley was her nearest challenger as she banked a good haul of championship points. Both Caroline Candas and Ashlyn Speed showed flashes of pace, while Maite Caceres and newcomer Charlotte Traynor banked valuable experience at a new venue.
The 2025 Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup got off to a thrilling start with the events at Daytona International Speedway and St Petersburg producing close racing throughout the field. At Daytona, the highest finishing female driver prizes were split between Heather Hadley and Ashlyn Speed, before Hadley and Sally Mott claimed the honours in St Petersburg as they scored overall top-10 finishes.
Although arriving at Barber Motorsports Park searching for their first bonus prize, the RAFA Racing Team by MMR duo of Caroline Candas and Maite Caceres showed improved performance last time out with Caceres twice finishing inside the top-15. Candas, meanwhile, stood on the podium in Alabama during her run to the vice-championship in Porsche Sprint Challenge North America and was therefore looking to translate this form into Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup competition.
For this round at Barber Motorsports Park, these drivers were joined by newcomer Charlotte Traynor who would make her debut for Parker Delong Racing. Traynor had experience Spec Miata racing and was looking to translate this into a strong debut in the highest level of Mazda MX-5 competition in America.
All six female drivers were looking to begin the weekend on the front foot during the first practice session on Friday morning. Conditions were dry and Sally Mott quickly jumped inside the top-15 during the early part of the session. Practice was then disrupted following a red flag after Peter Atwater’s car required recovery.
At the end of the first free practice session, Mott was the fastest female driver with a time of 1:37.758 which placed her in 17th position and less than one second behind pacesetter Noah Harmon. Hadley ended the session in 24th position, while the RAFA Racing Team by MMR machines of Candas and Caceres set the 28th and 30th fastest times respectively, split by Traynor in 29th position. On her first visit to Barber Motorsports Park, Speed banked vital experience while clocking the 32nd quickest lap.
Conditions remained stable for the second free practice session of the weekend which took place later on Friday morning. Mott was again the early pacesetter among the female drivers before Caceres caused a red flag mid-way through the session.
Caceres was able to rejoin and participate in the final stages of practice which allowed her to bank vital experience at a new circuit. With a time of a 1:37.683, one tenth faster than in session one, Mott’s quickest lap improved her position to 13th overall. Hadley just missed out on a top-20 position as the Hendricks Motorsport driver finished the day in 21st spot.
Improving by half a second from the morning, Caceres ended free practice two in 27th position while teammate Candas was closely behind in 29th spot. Traynor ended the session in 31st position, while Speed found three-quarters of a second of lap time improvement as she remained in 32nd position at the conclusion of free practice.
Conditions had changed dramatically for qualifying which was held on Saturday morning. Overnight rain meant that the track was wet and all drivers fitted the grooved tyres. With just a fifteen-minute session in which to set a fast lap time, the drivers had to learn quickly while ensuring they remained on-track.
Caroline Candas used her experience of Barber Motorsports Park to good effect as she was consistently the fastest female driver throughout the session. Despite qualifying ending early due to a red flag caused by Noah Harmon, Candas’ quickest lap of a 1:50.567 saw her set the 20th fastest time.
Mott was the next highest placed female driver in 27th with Hadley close behind in 28th. Caceres set the 29th fastest time on her first visit to Barber Motorsports Park, while Traynor enjoyed a clean session in 30th position. Speed set the 31st quickest lap and she was looking for a trademark charge through the field in the opening race of the weekend.
Conditions remained challenging for the opening race of the weekend as the track remained damp and all drivers again fitted the wet weather tyres. It was a busy start as Candas did well to initially hold her position after running wide through turn one, while Caceres and Hadley both made up ground.
Misfortune then struck for Candas as she was spun and the French driver fell to the rear of the field.
At the end of the first lap, Hadley was the highest placed female driver in 22nd position, while Caceres was directly behind in 23rd. Mott remained in 27th with Traynor ahead of Speed as they held 31st and 32nd positions respectively. Mott was showing exceptional pace in the early stages of the race as she dealt superbly with the difficult conditions. By lap three, the JTR Motorsports Engineering driver was up to 21st and running top-5 lap times.
Mott had therefore taken over the leading position of the female drivers with Hadley now also ahead of Caceres in 24th. Despite her early setback, Candas was also running good times as she hunted down Traynor and Speed, with the latter now making inroads on the debutant.
On lap four, Mott was inside the overall top-20 and after Hadley passed Alex Bachoura, she was up to 23rd. Shortly after, the race entered a full course yellow period following an incident involving Bobby Gossett. This was a good break for Candas who could now catch the rear of the field after her first lap spin.
When the racing resumed, Mott continued to move forward and by lap ten, she was inside the top-15. At the same time, Hadley was now 19th and beginning to match Mott as the Hendricks Motorsport driver was making good time despite completing a number of overtakes. After running in 25th position, Caceres was forced to serve a questionable drive-through penalty and this relegated the RAFA Racing Team by MMR driver to the rear of the field. Her teammate Candas, meanwhile, was making good progress as she was now up to 28th position.
Debutant Traynor was now Candas’ next target as the young American was now 27th with Speed running in 29th position. As the rain began to ease and the sun appeared at Barber Motorsports Park, the whole field were improving their lap times and this was important as the best laps set in race one were set to form the race two grid following the wet qualifying session.
Mott was thriving in these conditions as she overtook Ethan Tyler for 14th position on lap 12, while Hadley dispatched of Grant West for 18th spot. Traynor and Speed swapped positions with Ashlyn moving ahead as she now began lapping on pace with those inside the overall top-20. Candas was also finding extra performance and although Bailey Cruse moved ahead after serving a penalty, Caroline latched onto the rear of the rookie driver and was gaining valuable knowledge.
As the race entered the final stages, Mott remained firmly in contention for a top-10 position and Hadley was now closing onto her tail. The final laps saw a thrilling battle between the two female drivers with Mott defending her position well as she took the chequered flag in 13th position to claim the bonus prize. Hadley was just one tenth of a second behind in 14th, with both racers completing excellent comeback drives.
Candas crossed the line in 27th position and she was closely followed home by Speed in 28th. The Hendricks Motorsport driver was regularly lapping on pace with the top-10 drivers in the final stages as she delivered a fantastic late-race charge. Traynor completed a clean debut race in 30th position while Caceres finished a frustrating race in 31st spot after an unfortunate penalty.
Post-race penalties were then assessed to two competitors and this improved the positions of the female drivers in the final classification. Mott moved up to 12th with Hadley directly behind in 13th. Candas and Speed improved to 26th and 27th respectively, while the positions of Traynor and Caceres remained unchanged.
With the grid positions for race two based on the fastest laps from race one due to the change in conditions from qualifying, this meant that Hadley started as the highest-placed female driver in an excellent tenth position. Speed’s strong end to race one meant that her quickest lap placed her in 16th with Mott a row behind in 18th position. The RAFA Racing Team by MMR machines of Candas and Caceres lined up 28th and 31st respectively, while Traynor started from 33rd position.
Conditions were now dry, however the track temperature was low and this created difficulties for the drivers in generating heat into their tyres. An extra formation lap was added as a result, before the green flag was displayed on lap two. Hadley did well to hold her own in the leading group of drivers as she ended the first racing lap in 12th position, while Mott held 18th as she passed Speed who fell to 22nd. Candas gained two spots while it was a challenging start to the race for Caceres and Traynor, with the latter having a spin.
Traynor pitted to assess any potential damage and although she was able to rejoin, the debutant was now one lap down. Candas and Caceres then began picking off a couple of cars ahead, while Hadley and Mott were defending from drivers behind. On lap four, Bobby Gossett spun and this promoted five of the female drivers up one position each as he fell to the rear of the lead lap.
The first full course yellow period of the race came on lap six when David Ockey spun into the barriers. At the time of the neutralisation, Hadley was the leading female driver as she clung on to a top-15 position with Mott just outside the top-20. When the race resumed on lap eight, the racing was intense through the field with Candas keen to find a way past Speed with the French driver eager to make progress.
The racing resumed for just a further three laps before a second full course yellow period was required following an off for Bailey Cruse. This neutralisation period also marked the halfway point and Hadley still held onto the provisional female driver prize as she ran in 17th with Mott in 20th position. Speed was running in 25th position with Candas in 27th and Caceres just behind in 28th. Traynor’s pace was encouraging despite her inexperience as she remained inside the top-30, while regularly matching drivers fighting for top-20 positions.
As the green flag was displayed, the racing on the fringes of the top-10 intensified and contact was made at the hairpin. This resulted in Skip Brock, Grant West and Cody Powell dropping down the order. Hadley had to take evasive action and Mott was able to pass the incident on the inside and claim the lead of the female driver classification.
This incident led to another full course yellow interruption with Mott now up to 14th with Hadley down to 17th. Speed was now just inside the top-20, while Candas was 24th and Caceres ran in 25th position. As Candas battled a technical issue, she pitted her RAFA Racing Team by MMR machine to receive repairs from her crew. A good job from the mechanics allowed her to remain on the lead lap as the race resumed for a final four minutes.
It was an exciting finish right to the chequered flag as multiple drivers inside the top-5 ran off the circuit at the final turn. Mott raced superbly to collect her second female driver prize of the weekend with a 11th place result. Hadley completed a good performance by finishing in 14th as the Hendricks Motorsport driver gained four positions on the final lap.
Speed took the chequered flag inside the top-20 in 19th position, however she received a ten second penalty for a false start and was therefore classified in 25th. Caceres completed a good recovery to end race two in 21st position, two places ahead of Candas in 23rd. Although she finished a lap down, Traynor banked valuable experience with a 29th place finish to end the weekend.
Mott drove exceptionally throughout the event to move through the field in both races to become the first female driver to sweep the weekend. She was consistently challenged by Hadley, while Candas showed her strength in a wet qualifying session.
Speed displayed exceptional speed at the end of race one, while Caceres and Traynor battled adversity at Barber Motorsports Park. The next round of the Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup will take place at Mid-Ohio on the weekend of 7th/8th June.
