SALLY MOTT & HEATHER HADLEY Push Each Other in Male-Dominated MX-5 Cup Track

April 15, 2025

by Grace Wehniainen // from www.bustle.com

• SALLY MOTT and HEATHER HADLEY are featured in Prime Video’s “First to the Finish” docuseries, showcasing their journey in the 2024 Mazda MX-5 Cup Championship where they compete for both overall wins and the top female driver award. Both drivers, who started in karting, found the MX-5 series more welcoming than their previous motorsports experiences, though they acknowledge the intense competition that pushes them to “drive extra hard with each other.”
• The duo gets refreshingly real about challenges specific to female racers, particularly dealing with periods on race day. MOTT admits hormonal changes completely shift her mindset and affect results, while HADLEY describes it as “battling with yourself” and emphasizes the mental work required to stay positive when your body isn’t cooperating – a reality male competitors never face.
• Both women returned for the 2025 series, which set a record with six female drivers competing. They’re not just racers but businesswomen building personal brands, with MOTT modeling her livery after the Iron Dames’ “Every Dream Matters” campaign and both drivers working to elevate women’s visibility in motorsports beyond just Danica Patrick – because as HADLEY notes, she could name 100 female drivers most people have never heard of.

championship series, docuseries, mazda mx-5 cup, prime video