Mazda challenged WPP to spotlight its professional racing series, the Mazda MX-5 Cup Championship, and transform it into a premium storytelling opportunity. Mazda's goal was to introduce the sport to new audiences, showcase their commitment to creating opportunities for women in racing, and demonstrate that their cars are built for everyone. The brand was looking to move beyond traditional motorsports coverage and tell a human-centric story rooted in ambition, perseverance, and Mazda’s Challenger Spirit.
This became First to the Finish, the first-ever brand-funded Amazon Original: a premium six-hour documentary series produced alongside Boardwalk Pictures that redefined what branded entertainment could achieve. Rather than creating content that felt like advertising, the team developed a premium television series designed to stand on its own in today’s competitive streaming landscape—one where Mazda’s presence and values enhanced the story instead of interrupting it, woven into the very fabric of the series. Filmed over the course of an entire Mazda MX-5 Cup Championship season, the series follows two fearless drivers and one trailblazing team owner as they pursue victory in one of the world’s most male-dominated sports, proving through their extraordinary talent, grit, and determination that the quest for victory knows no gender. More than a racing documentary, First to the Finish is a compelling portrait of drive, resilience, and modern America, using the racetrack and the athletes’ journeys as a lens to explore broader conversations and create positive change around gender inequality, class, privilege, and the barriers that still stand between talented individuals and pursuing their dreams.
First to the Finish came to life through a collaboration between WPP, Mazda, and Boardwalk Pictures, leveraging the production team’s award-winning expertise in the docuseries genre. Shot from January through October 2024, the series combined the scale and excitement of professional racing with the emotional depth of a character-driven documentary, creating many points of entry for different types of audiences. At its core, the show sought to challenge perceptions about who belongs in motorsports by introducing audiences to dynamic female athletes competing, leading, and succeeding in a professional racing series.
Getting the show on its feet required reimagining the traditional sports documentary format and finding a way to capture both the intensity of professional racing and the deeply personal stories unfolding behind the scenes. Filming the season in real time, the production team embedded itself within the MX-5 Cup Championship, gaining unprecedented access to the drivers, team owners, and paddock community as they navigated the physical, emotional, financial, and competitive demands of the sport. Unlike other racing projects that focus on globally recognized series and drivers, First to the Finish takes viewers inside one of the most competitive and respected developmental racing series in North America. In exploring this uncharted territory, the production team sought to reveal the all-encompassing commitment required to compete at this level, where drivers as young as 17 years old battle for every tenth of a second and every chance to compete at the next race.
The creative approach prioritized character over competition alone—balancing high-speed racing action with intimate moments that revealed the sacrifices, setbacks, relationships, and determination required to compete at the highest level. Production incorporated immersive in-car footage, behind-the-scenes access, and a cinematic visual style to bring audiences closer to the experience of professional racing. Rather than simply documenting race results, the series focused on each athlete's journey to be seen and taken seriously while going head to head with their male counterparts. By fiercely championing a human-centric approach and illuminating previously unheard perspectives, First to the Finish didn't just redefine compelling sports narratives; it irrefutably demonstrated the existence of a vast, passionate audience ready for this evolution.
A key challenge was creating a series that would resonate with both dedicated motorsports fans and viewers who had never engaged with racing before. The solution was to ground the storytelling in universal themes of ambition, perseverance, and the pursuit of excellence, using the racetrack as the backdrop for a larger, more relatable human story. This approach also increased visibility for women in sports, inspiring new audience demographics to take notice.
Following its premiere on Prime Video in March 2025, First to the Finish was supported by a strategic campaign across paid, owned, and earned channels designed to extend the story beyond the series itself. By combining premium filmmaking, authentic storytelling, and organic brand integration, the series demonstrated that entertainment created in partnership with a brand can achieve the same level of cultural relevance and creative excellence as traditional premium programming while building deeper connections around stories that matter.
With the goal of telling an inspiring story that transcends motorsports, challenges the status quo, amplifies meaningful progress, and relentlessly pursues equity in sports, First to the Finish achieved impressive results. The series garnered more than 1.7 billion PR impressions to date, over 18.7 million total minutes streamed, +45% increase in net sentiment, and 93% new-to-site visitors. With features and appearances in People Magazine, Bustle, Parents.com, Forbes and a national segment on Good Morning America, the show and surrounding campaign strengthened brand perception overall, expanded Mazda's reach into culturally relevant spaces, connected with new and valuabe audiences in an unexpected and exciting way, and showed young women everywhere that they too belong in motorsports.
