What's all this about?

It's a cup series racing version of Mazda's new MX-5 roadster.

What's the specification like?

We don't know. Well, we know a few titbits here and there, but full details of the car are expected to be revealed by Mazda Motorsports next year. What we can tell you is that this is a stripped-out version of the evergreen Japanese sports car, with a caged interior, beefier suspension and brakes, improved aerodynamics and a mildly uprated version of the road-going machine's 2.0-litre SkyActiv four-cylinder motor.

What series will it race in?

It is destined for something called the Global Cup. Which is a cup. Raced across the globe. Obvious, really.

Will we see it anywhere else?

Revealed as it was at the SEMA show in Las Vegas (and then brought along to the LA Auto Show too), the MX-5 will be one of that new breed of 'out of the box'-ready racing cars that can be bought worldwide from a single supplier. That should make it a sound choice for many formats of cup-series motorsport; its predecessors have always been popular competition cars.