🇺🇸 Ben Jacobs

Ben Jacobs is a competitive amateur; his Racer Rating of 2,619 places him at the front of club racing, a level that encompasses drivers with real competition licences who race regularly in fields that do not meet professionals. Across three seasons from 2024 to 2026, Jacobs has made eight starts, competing primarily in the Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin and the SCCA Runoffs. His average finishing position stands at 28.9, indicating consistent mid-to-back-of-field results against established professional competition.[1]

Jacobs regularly shares the track with drivers of considerably higher calibre. In the Mazda MX-5 Cup, his most frequent rivals include FIA Silver graded professionals and multiple-time champions such as Jared Thomas and Gresham Wagner, both rated around 4,300; Jacobs has finished ahead of each once across six shared races but trails them decisively in head-to-head record. He has also raced against Sebastien Bourdais, an FIA Platinum professional rated 5,176, and beaten him once. These isolated victories against stronger drivers represent single-race performances rather than sustained competitiveness; his overall record against this field shows him outclassed. His six 2026 starts for JDH Racing, which fields drivers at the amateur and semi-professional boundary, produced no wins or podiums, with a final position of 30th.

Jacobs remains active in 2026 and continues to race against the calibre of established semi-professionals and younger professionals that characterise the Mazda MX-5 Cup grid. His development trajectory reflects that of an emerging amateur competitor working against considerably stronger opposition.