Millville, NJ (June 12-14)—Fresh from off-road racing in the Traxxas Off-Road Championship (TORC) series in Perris, CA, brothers Mike and Mark Jenkins had to literally shift gears to prepare themselves for Rounds 3 and 4 of the Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup series at the New Jersey Motorsports Park. Racing with the support of Team MER, Mike and Mark worked hard during official practice to get their cars on pace, and qualified eighth and fourth respectively for Saturday's Round 3 race. Notably, the gap between the two drivers represented just sixteen-hundredths of a second.

In Round 3, Mark Jenkins placed his No. 25 MX-5 in fourth position on the grid to start the double header weekend following a respectable qualifying run. During a nose-to-tail battle for third, Brett Smrz spun out in front of Mark, creating an unavoidable obstacle on the race line in Turn 8. However, tightening his line and standing on the binders allowed Jenkins to minimize the ensuing damage to his Traxxas race car. As the left front fender crumpled and carved its way into the tire carcass and belts, Mark found himself driving to finish instead of racing to win. Incredibly, with steel belts frayed and two inches of tread missing, the BFGoodrich tire held together allowing Mark to finish in 11th place. Post-race, Mark said, "We dodged a bullet today and were still able to collect valuable points. I'm thankful there weren't any broken suspension components and the tire held up to finish instead of getting a 'DNF.' With the steering wheel facing 10 o'clock when 'straight,' it was a chore executing left turns."

Mike Jenkins had a great start in Round 3, and joined in the bumper-to-bumper battle for third. Mike worked his way through the knot of competitors to take sixth place and was lining up for a move into fifth when he spun and moved back in the field. "We missed on the car setup and had a very loose car to drive. I worked my way up through the field to sixth and set my sights on trying to hang on for a top five," said Mike later. "I had a handful driving the car. I dropped back twice with offs at turn six." Mike finished the race in twelfth, behind brother Mark.
 
Frustrated from the events of the previous day, Mark attacked Sunday's Round 4 qualifying session and set the fastest lap until late into the event. Mark would grid his No. 25 Traxxas/BFGoodrich/Amsoil/Simpson ride in fifth to start the day. The New Jersey Motorsports track allowed for exciting racing as the tight, technical track forced close side-by-side and bumper-to-bumper action throughout the race. Mark's setup favored the predominantly right-hand track, which made it challenging to escape drafting attacks set up by Ara Malkassian entering onto the front straight. Mark and Ara battled for fifth position with Mark Jenkins setting the second fastest race lap among the twenty-two drivers. After recapturing fifth place on the last lap and holding it to the checkered flag, Mark said, "I missed getting on the podium today but developed and displayed some good race craft. Team MER gave me a good setup that required some predictable management during the race. Dicing with other cars is never fast but it's sometimes necessary if the lead drafting car isn't gaining on the leaders."

Mike Jenkins qualified fourteenth in Round 4, a gap that represented less than half a second between Mike and Mark's qualifying times, proving again just how close Mazda MX-5 Cup competition can be. Mike had another strong start and steadily picked off positions to enter the top ten. The New Jersey Motorsports Park course afforded few passing opportunities for the closely matched Mazdas, and yet the cars shuffled positions frequently. As the checkers came out, Mike finished thirteenth, just four seconds behind Mark in fifth. "We went from a too loose to a too tight setup on the car today. The push out of the last turn feeding the long straight didn't allow us the race pace to contend, but I was involved in a nine car battle for fifth position in which I ran side-by-side and exchanged passes on almost every lap. I'm not pleased with my finishes this weekend, but certainly enjoyed the tight competition. Congratulations to Todd, Marc and Justin for their back-to-back podium sweeps this weekend." said Mike. With the MX-5 Cup's one-race drop accounted for in the season-points scoring, Mark now finds himself in fifth place overall. "The Traxxas, BF Goodrich, Amsoil, Simpson Mazda had some bad luck during a good battle for the Podium on Saturday, but on Sunday I had a great drive to finish in the top five. Leaving the weekend, I am pleased to be a solid fifth in the Championship and only one point out of fourth."

For more info, visit MX-5 Cup website.