Last fall we told you about the SCCA’s new B-Spec series, designed to be an affordable gateway into the world of SCCA racing. Cars for the series are purpose-built and include the Kia Rio, the MINI Cooper, the Mazda2, the Ford Fiesta, the Honda Fit and the Fiat 500.

By series rules, each car must run the same brand and model of tire, and it’s likely that winners will be required to add ballast for future races, to ensure an even playing field. The results of the very first B-Spec race are in, and as Autoguide points out, Fiat can claim its first North American manufacturer’s victory in a long, long time.

This past weekend saw back-to-back B-Spec races as part of the SCCA World Challenge Touring Car series. In the first race, Craig Capaldi put his Ford Fiesta on pole before being passed by Shaun Bailey in a Mazda2. The Mazda kept the lead for three laps before being overtaken by Jonathan Start’s Fiat 500, which went on to take the win by just over two seconds.

The second race saw Start lead from the pole to the checkered flag, but Shaun Bailey’s Mazda2 closed the margin of victory to just under 1.4 seconds. Start’s back-to-back wins puts Fiat atop the manufacturer’s championship standings, at least for now.

Of the first race, Start was quoted as saying, “Race one was exactly what B-Spec should be. Close, tight and very similar cars. I had the race of my life in the fun category. We were able to flip and flop, and we raced each other clean.”

From either a driver or fan perspective, racing doesn’t get any better than that.