spec miata... thrilling or no?

A SM is tight fit for me. But if you bolt the seat to floor, and in some cases, weld in a dropped seat pan, you can get clearance. With a real welded in cage, not a Hard Dog bolt in, 6-point harness, and Hans, they're pretty safe. I've seen some major T-bones result in only hard feelings. And, unlike Ferraris, I have never seen one catch on fire. That said, I prefer to run without a top like they do in the Pro series. Most tracks are not fast enough for the lack of a top to make a difference.

That said, probably the most unsafe aspect of a SM is you start doing things like, "Okay, this time, I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna nail this turn.."

 

I have two SM racers. A 1994 & a 2000. Why two? Because I have two kids that I want to be sure and race with. Why race with them? Because you can't beat teaching your kids how to drive in traffic like in a SM race (both finished rookie of the year in their class).

Nothing is better than preparing your children for driving then SM racing. The cars are safe because the cage & chassis are overbuilt for the speeds that these little cars go. Plus they are predictable, and turn & stop way better than accelerate. Its an ideal racecar to hone your race-craft with. In fact I think there are few better classes to run in then SM. Its inexpensive, the Miata is reliable, and the egos are mostly in check (you are driving a girls car right?).

I drive a lot of stuff at the track (360-NGT, Vintage GT-350, Full NASCAR stockcar, Radical, etc) and I would be completely happy racing just SM if it came to that.
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I raced SM in the heydays of the early 2000's, precisely because I didn't want to ball up my Carrera on a track day. I bought a pretty nice '90 street car for about $3K, and $8K later it was a race car. Started by driving it to the events, and eventually the hobby escalated to trailer, tow rig, etc.

I plateaued at the mid-pack, and realized there was a lot of cheating going on at the front of the pack. This is back when the fields were in the dozens. Even sticking by the strict rules (which I foolishly did), it's a great car that does everything well, but slow. Indeed, the car is almost disposable, and it gets treated as such. I didn't love the car enough to lavish on it the attention and tweaking necessary to be more competitive (choosing balanced stock connecting rods out of a bin full of them, secret engine blueprinting, pick of the litter airbox and MAF confirmed by repeated dyno sessions, lightweight grease in the bearings, etc.).

So I sold the car after 3 uneventful seasons, and switched to vintage so I could race a car I love; an Alfa Duetto. I've had a ball racing and developing the car over the last 10 years. Sadly, I'm only now matching and beating my old SM lap times at the same track. But I'm having more fun doing it! Interestingly, it seems in recent years a lot of the Spec Miata activity in my region has evaporated, now replaced by PRO-3, racing e30 BMWs.

 

You better have recieved some serious "greatest dad" gifts!

 

And huge money spent to be a front runner in SCCA at least. Mid-pack in a $8k SM is front runner territory in a well prepped well funded SM. I think there is a direct relationship of finishing position to dollar spent...to exploit the rules. I was racing in another class when the big SM issue at Laguna Seca Runoffs where the top 6 cars were DQ'ed for a modification grey area the Tech stewards denied. LMAO 7th place became the national champ as the only guy that wasn't "cheating." OPPS! I should say..."Non-compliant"

https://www.scca.com/articles/1995226-stearns-named-spec-miata-champion-following-post-race-penalties

 

It ain't racing, if it ain't cheating.


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yeah SPEC E30 is the new "bumper car" class. at RA, no faster than a SM lap times wise... they overpower on the straights but the SMs make it back in the twists...

 

This.

I did my first Lemons race in 2012 and ha even addicted since.

We are running Dodge Neons in Lemons and Lucky Dog and for the money you can't have more fun.

Wheel to wheel racing from start to finish. 3 classes different speeds and skill set and all on a budget.

And you get to do it at fun tracks - Sonoma, Button Willow, Laguna Seca, Thunderhill, the Ridge, PIR, etc (on the West coast).

Try it.


Kai

 

I dunno. I like to have a little more skill craft. I got hit more in one LeMons race than I ever have. Plus, tow trucks on the track with no yellow? Are you kidding me?

 

What the others have have said is spot on.

I went to Skip Barber out at Laguna Seca to drive the track before I took the F car out there for the 2015 FCA meet. I was the fastest of the non-race students. I learned the track like I wanted, but also learned a tough lesson.....I was going to have to race w2w to get faster. I was slow compared to them.

I am in my first year of Spec Miata, and have gotten quite a bit faster. I'll be a mid packer all day long, as I don't have a cheater car.....but I still have time to gain as my skills get better. I am having a great time learning a lot about car control at the limit. Even being a mid packer, there is always someone to race.

As the boys say out at the track, "You should always wonder if you're going to make the corner, then you're going fast enough"

I do have a driving coach. If you do go racing, I would highly recommend one to speed your progress along, and keep you out of trouble.
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When did you race? It is very little contact now because you get immediately black flagged. Both drivers.

Tow trucks are on the track with a white flag and the car to be towed has a local yellow. That's pretty standard. There is no racing the tow truck and no passing until the tow truck is passed. What's wrong with that?

I have done over 20 lemons races and never seen an incident with a tow truck.

Kai

 

Recently in Texas. And, yes, you're supposed to get black flagged, but it doesn't always happen. It got to the point where so many cars had broken down, the tow trucks just started coming out on the course without any yellow or white. The tow drivers did a pretty good job; but still, it was a bit unusual.

I discovered one technique: as I got set up to enter a tight corner, I would bob and weave a little. This seemed to get some of the kamikaze types to back off and give me a little space. But many drivers seemed to be clueless as to any kind of race craft.

Overall, the speeds were low enough it didn't matter. I guess it takes a little getting used to.

Just my experience.

 

The problem with crapcan is the drivers are all over the place. Most figure out the driving lines pretty quickly. But some forget they're racing an enduro and just start pinballing all over the place. This and the black flags can somewhat arbitrary make things interesting. You kinda have to get the hang of it.

And the tow trucks? Probably less than 50% of the cars make it through the first day. The survival rate on day two is not much better. Even though everybody is cheating on the $500 rule, most of the cars were on their last legs before hitting the track. You do the math. Frankly, I think the racing would be better, if the budgets capped out at $15k or so, but that's just me.


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Chump car is fewer cars and better drivers.

So is Lucky Dog.

You pin pointed the real problem. Most of the people don't understand that you don't win an enduro race in a single turn. But you can lose it.

Long distance racing is more about driving smart and staying out of potential trouble situations than going 10/10 every lap.

And yes, driver skill varies but that Alamo makes it fun and unpredictable. I don't take it too seriously, I like the camaraderie and friendships you make with the teams you meet over and over.

Kai

 

It is also important to know who you race with. Our M.D. OP will be glad to know at SCCA no races are started without sign off of "medical chief" who is an M.D. who makes sure all emergency systems are in place before racing begins. SCCA has onsite ACLS and their insurance lists drivers as additional insured because I have never found an excess personal liability policy without a racing exclusion. Also, SCCA has deep pockets. Once a guy hit a wall broke his arm. We were at Indie mostorsports park 2 hours out of Tuscon. If they sent one of the 2 ambulances to Tuscon and requested a 3rd for the second onsite ambulance the delay would have been 1hr minimum. So everyone could race SCCA flew the guy out in a helicopter for a 20 minute delay! I have huge respect for SCCA.

 

I've done HPDE's in cars and on motorcycles for a long time, but nothing is as fun as w2w racing with lemons and chumpcar for me.

I've never done SpecMiata but I'm sure that's right up there as well. Part of the appeal of endurance racing is the pit strategy and on-the-fly repairs which appeals to my mechanic-side a lot more.

I'll see you fellow crapcan racers at Buttonwillow in a month! I run a green/white Accord

 

For perspective: I did an open track day at Willow Springs in my 348 years ago. I wound up being about even with a Miata with slicks that day. Don't know if he was full spec racer, but it showed me that a Miata was as fast or faster than the 348 and much cheaper.

 

Yeah, I have watched Miatas, you know a chick car, embarrass Ferrari challenge cars at TWS, which is one of the fast tracks in my area. A get off in a Ferrari will cost you $20,000. A spec Miata might cost you $15,000. You do the math.

That said, I love to hear Ferraris at the track, particularly the new ones.

 

I had a spec car for a spell and while I didn't race it I did several track days and it was gobs of fun. It actually felt like I was doing something wrong or illegal it was so fun. Had to sell it but I've often thought about buying a street legal Miata and modding it to drive to the track, spin some laps, and drive home.

 

I really miss racing spec miata at Autobahn Country Club. I was a member for 10yrs there. Started out with a Porsche 944 turbo for one summer and I grenaded every mechanical component on the car, Big bux spent and lots of rides home from the tow truck driver. The following year I bought a Porsche 964 full Gt2 spec race car, the cost of repairs and consumables, tires, brakes etc was staggering. Slicks cost me $1800 every4- 5 weeks and my fuel bill was $1600 a month. Stepped into spec miata and it was a new learning curve when there is lower power to get out of corners, so I relearned my momentum into corners which came back quickly for me since I did race SCCA ITC class in 2000. It is the Nascar of road racing. The cars are so close per the rules and its all driver. Ive done a lot of 3hr races with driver changes and fuel stops etc. Ive also done a 8 hr at Road Atlanta. The experience was fantastic. As far as cost there is NO better way to go racing on a budget , But remember racing is not cheap, and a $15k to $25k budget is to be expected if you run the series and want to be competitive