Sally Mott and Charlotte Traynor share Top Female honors in Mazda MX-5 Cup at VIR
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At VIRginia International Raceway, Sally Mott and Charlotte Traynor shared the top female finisher awards in the Mazda MX-5 Cup’s sixth round, as the former hained ten places in Race 1 to finish just outside the overal top ten. Making her series return, Traynor impressed with consistent runs and capitalized in Race 2.
Sally Mott and series returnee Charlotte Traynor shared victories in the top female finisher award in the Mazda MX-5 Cup at VIRginia International Raceway, the sixth round of the season in the highly popular and competitive US-based series.
Shift Up Now athlete Mott narrowly missed out on a top-ten finish after a very promising weekend; she was unlucky in the second race, when an incident not of her own making took her out of contention while running in the top ten.
It was, on the other hand, a strong return to the series for Parker Delong Racing’s Charlotte Traynor, who had made her debut earlier this year at Barber Motorsports Park. Traynor battled well in the crowded field, showed solid improvements across the weekend, and secured the top female finisher award in Race 2 after a remarkably consistent run.
On her first visit to VIR, Ashlyn Speed – who had also claimed a top female award at the previous round at Mosport – was again in contention despite chaotic races and some contact. She nevertheless recovered strongly and remained in the fight throughout both races.
It was a mixed-luck outing for RAFA Racing Club’s Maite Cáceres. The Uruguayan had the speed to battle further up the order and, after qualifying as the top female, she gained places to finish P16 in Race 1. In Race 2, however, while leading the female contingent, she was sent off track by a competitor and was unable to maximize her potential.
Cáceres returned to the series after missing the previous round and was the sole female driver representing RAFA Racing Team by MMR this weekend, following Caroline Candas’ halting her campaign and Jem Hepworth’s one-off debut at Mosport.
The practice sessions were chaotic at the challenging and technical VIRginia International Raceway – an undulating circuit that rewards experience. Multiple red flags limited track time for drivers still learning the layout. Ashlyn Speed was unfortunately caught up in one of the incidents but returned for FP2. Sally Mott placed P23 in the opening session and improved to P22 in the second, while Cáceres steadily got up to speed and made significant progress.
Qualifying continued the trend of interruptions and red flags, further hampering drivers’ runs. In the few clear laps available, traffic became the main obstacle. Mott recorded a 2:11.909 to take P21, while Cáceres managed to do better with a 2:11.882, for a positive session that placed her as the best female qualifier in P20. Speed would line up in P27, with Traynor starting from P30.
The 33-car field took the green flag for the opening race and made it cleanly through Turn 1; Mott made a strong start, climbing to P19, with Cáceres slotting in P21. Speed slipped to P29, while Traynor held P30 before an early caution for a sizable crash involving Parker Delong at Turn 14.
From the back after a qualifying accident, Gresham Wagner was already carving through the field. Mott moved up to P17 before the caution, with Cáceres P21. Traynor had meanwhile passed Speed for P28 and then picked up another spot when Harmon pitted with damage.
On the restart, Tyler Gonzalez retained the lead from Adakonis and Workman. Mott remained in the thick of the midfield battle in P18, while Cáceres dropped to P23. Traynor gained ground by passing Gutierrez, as Speed ran P29.
Another full-course yellow was however deployed just one lap later after Jared Thomas went off heavily following contact with Helio Meza at Turn 3. Mott avoided the chaos and had already climbed to P16 when the yellow flew again, with Cáceres P22 and Traynor P25. Speed was among those caught in the melee, forcing a pit stop for checks, but she rejoined on the lead lap.
The race resumed with 23 minutes to go. Mott attacked Powell, though Cottrell managed to slip by. Cáceres passed Cornet to climb to P21 and closed the gap to Atwater ahead. Traynor also improved to P24, while Speed regained positions to P26. Hodneland’s off allowed Cáceres to take P20, right on Atwater’s tail.
Traynor moved up to P23 as her pace improved, with Speed also recovering to P25. Cáceres set a strong 2:09.1 lap to close in on Atwater, while Mott clocked a 2:08.5 and closed in on Paniccia in a battle with Powell. She seized her chance on lap 13, overtaking Powell for P16.
Cáceres consolidated her position with consistent laps, opening a four-second gap behind. With 10 minutes remaining, Mott remained in the leading pack, which had the top 17 covered by just four seconds. When Gossett and Jacobs tangled inside the top ten, Mott gained two more places to P14.
Meanwhile, Traynor and Speed ran nose-to-tail, climbing to P21 and P22. Eight seconds ahead, Cáceres re-entered the top 20 when Adakonis pitted with issues.
Mott continued her charge, climbing to P12. A final Full Course Yellow was deployed with three minutes to go after separate incidents for Pasquarella and Gutierrez, and the race ended under yellow.
Mott gained ten positions to finish an excellent P11, narrowly missing the top ten and claiming the top female award in Race 1. Cáceres also delivered a solid run, finishing P16 after steady progress. Speed recovered to P17 despite her earlier off and pit stop, a strong result for the Hendrick Motorsports driver, just ahead of Traynor in P18.
Race 2 was another good opportunity for the female drivers, particularly for Sally Mott who would be lining up in ninth place. Cáceres started P20, with Speed P26 and Traynor right alongside her in P27.
Trouble however struck immediately for Mott, who was running inside the top ten when she tangled with Jared Thomas and was forced off into the grass. She rejoined but had to pit with damage, and later retired after further issues caused by ABS failure.
Speed also had early contact with Damon Ockey but stayed on track, only to receive a drive-through penalty. The race remained green, with Cáceres running P21 and leading the female contingent, ahead of Traynor in P26 and Speed in P28.
By lap 3, Gonzalez went off heavily, bringing out the Full Course Yellow. Under caution, Cáceres was P21, Traynor P23, and Speed P28. On the restart, Cáceres climbed to P20 but was then soon pushed wide and off by Ethan Tyler, losing her lead among the female drivers. Traynor inherited the position, running P24 with a two-second margin over Speed, who was recovering from her penalty. Cáceres rejoined in P28 and began working back through the field.
Speed lost out to Ockey, bringing Cáceres within four seconds. When Cornet retired with suspension damage, another Full Course Yellow was deployed with ten minutes remaining, bunching the field again. Traynor held P23, with Cáceres now back in the fight.
On the restart with seven minutes to go, further contact shuffled the pack: Traynor moved up to P23, while Cáceres passed Speed for P24. The battle for top female honors was on, but Traynor held on with consistent pace. Cáceres edged away from Speed and closed in, but Traynor maintained strong sector times.
The race ended under caution following a major crash for Siddiqi as the final lap began.
Traynor secured her first top female award with P21, just ahead of Cáceres in P22 and Speed in P23.
“This feels incredible,” Traynor said. “We've put in so much work, and I've been at the track literally every single weekend, practicing, so it's nice that the hard work is finally starting to pay off. Yesterday was kind of a tough day for the team, so to have this kind of bring a brighter spirit to our team. It gives me a lot of confidence going into Road Atlanta.”
Each of the female drivers finished inside the top 20 over the weekend, all showing encouraging performances. Mott again demonstrated the pace to challenge the overall top ten, though luck was not on her side in Race 2. Cáceres delivered a positive first race but was unlucky not to capitalize on her potential in the second. Traynor’s commendable return to the series however ended in a breakthrough result, earning her one of Mazda’s $2,000 awards. Speed showed resilience and consistent progress on her first visit to VIR.
The seventh and final championship round of the 2025 season is scheduled for October 8–10 at Michelin Raceway Road America.