The Mazda MX-5 Cup wrapped up two days of testing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway a few weeks ago, where one driver consistently appeared near the top of the timing sheets across multiple sessions.

BSI Racing’s Bobby Gossett is in his first season in the Mazda MX-5 Cup, and following a strong weekend at St. Petersburg nearly two months ago, the 18-year-old now leads the championship heading into Mid-Ohio.

Coming into St. Pete, Gossett was already within striking distance of then-points leader McCumbee McAleer Racing’s Justin Adakonis. Since taking over the championship lead, however, the dynamic has shifted, with the field now focused on trying to knock the South Carolina driver off the top spot.

“It actually just makes me more confident,” said Gossett on leading the championship. “Like when I started being quick in the St. Pete race right off the bat, I was so much calmer. I was so much more in the zone, I guess you’d say. I was super calm. I wasn’t worried about anything, and that’s not very normal for me. So I think almost having this pace, this speed, and this confidence is actually better for me because I’m not nearly as nervous, and it’s actually just helping me overall.”

Looking ahead to Mid-Ohio, the MX-5 Cup field has now entered an extended break since the IMS test, with another month and a half remaining before the next round. That time gives Gossett a key opportunity to refine his preparation as he looks to defend the points lead.

Despite holding the championship lead, he admits Mid-Ohio remains a concern based on past results.

“I’m definitely a little nervous about Mid-Ohio, to be honest. My last race there last year in the MX-5 Cup wasn’t the greatest. We were good in the rain, but in the dry, it was definitely a struggle. So I’m going to do a lot of sim work and try to prepare as much as possible. Obviously, winning the race at St. Pete makes you more confident. So even just going out there and practicing, being more confident was better. The championship lead as well is nice. Honestly, my goal is to even just finish top 10, top five, and be consistent through both of the races. I literally had a DNF in my first or second race at Daytona, and I’m still in the points lead. So it just shows how much you can make mistakes or get DNFs and still lead. So even just for me, being consistent and being in that top part of the championship is the goal. But yeah, definitely a little nervous for Mid-Ohio, because it’s not exactly my strong point.”

At Indianapolis, Gossett adapted quickly to the unfamiliar circuit, consistently running inside the top three across sessions and showing steady pace throughout the test. Still, he believes there is more performance to extract.

“It’s been a little tricky for sure. I’m definitely not always the quickest at all, but we’re getting there. I was a little nervous coming here, obviously I’ve never been here before. And in a Cup car, it’s even more interesting because they’re a little sketchy. We do a lot of sim work though, and overall, we’ve been getting up to speed. We’ve been second or third every session. Obviously, we’re trying to push for first. We just had a little incident, but yeah, we’re working on it for sure.”

The test marked the first time Mazda MX-5 Cup cars have turned laps at Indianapolis Motor Speedway since 2020, bringing nearly six years of technical and competitive evolution back to the historic circuit.

Outside of Jared Thomas, most of the field—including Gossett—arrived with limited or no prior IMS experience, adding another layer of learning across the two-day session. Even so, Gossett said the program remained productive from start to finish.

“I wouldn’t say exactly,” said Gossett. “It’s been pretty smooth sailing so far, except that we did just have a little bit of a failure on the left front—it did go off. But pace-wise and track-wise, it’s been pretty smooth sailing so far. Every session, we’ve just been working on things. The first thing we did, we were kind of working on pace, and now we’re working on our racecraft and our qualifying skills and our passing skills. So it’s been good so far.”

Although Indianapolis may have been unfamiliar in terms of seat time, the significance of the venue wasn’t lost on Gossett, who will return to the historic circuit when the series visits in September.

Known primarily for its open-wheel heritage, the Speedway left a strong impression on the young driver.

“It’s pretty cool,” said Gossett. “I mean, even doing the track walk is super awesome, because we get to look at the braking zones and stuff like that, and the front straightaway. Yeah, it’s really cool. Honestly, racing here is really interesting. I was watching the Indy 500 and stuff like that, and now being here is definitely interesting. I’m sure it’s super cool, and I’m just excited to be here. Very, very excited for the race for sure. It’s going to be very fun.”

 

Image Courtesy to BSI Racing