27 replies to this topic

[MPR22]

As many have noticed posts have become quite negative in the last 6 months or maybe even longer, I have been guilty of the negativity as anyone. My friend Chris Haldmen suggested, and I agree with him,that we should start a thread that accentuates the positives of our sport and specifically our class.

5. You could not find a better group of people to help you when you are down on your luck and need a hand getting a car ready for the next race.

4. You get to meet people from all over the country who share a common bond, warriors who risk their health and lives to go as fast as they can.

3. IMHO no better class to race for pure enjoyment or as training for a future in auto racing.

2. Great handling little cars that are an absolute blast to throw around a track.

1. I get to race with some of the best racers in the country , amature or professional, men and women whom I respect tremendously.

That is my fab 5 today, in a couple years it may be different, but we are truly blessed to get to race these little chick cars. Thnk you SCCA, NASA.... And every other sanctioning body that lets us have at it.

[MPR22]

I forgot the most important one. I get to spend time with my father whom I love and respect very much.

[David L]

X2

[Jim Boemler]

Great topic. I haven't thought about "top 5" or anything, but three out of your five could be condensed to "It's the people", and I agree entirely. The other big positive for me was that the class allowed me to race at all. I've wanted to race all my life, but SM was what finally made the pieces come together for me. I heard about the class, and two weeks later I owned the car. If it wasn't for SM I probably would never have raced at all.

[Keith Andrews]

I agree with your top 5. I would add Mazda Motorsports. To have manufacture support as a club racer is just amazing to me. The whole SM program is hard to match.

[Cnj]

5. I get to act like a kid with no responsibilities - even though lifes reality crowds back in quickly enough. A total mental cleanser. My wife is an angel for letting me get away with this.

4. I get whipped by really good drivers and in a masochistic way, enjoy the experience - versus beating up on average drivers in another less competitive class, which is strangely unsatisfying.

3. I get to develop creative new ways to explain to friends I race Spec Miata without using the word Miata (chick car connotation).

2. I get to learn to really trust other drivers and enjoy the adrenaline rush of 3 consecutive corners taken side by side with no contact.

1. I get to make valued friends and have a blast.

Cnj

[Tom Sager]

In no particular order....

1. We drive on some of the best courses on the planet, the same as pro's in many cases.
2. Great group of people with a variety of backgrounds, professions and personalities.
3. SCCA and NASA (and Midwestern Council in my area) put on well organized events and the value received for the entry fee paid is quite good IMO.
4. Spec Miata really puts one to the test. Highly competitive and rewarding.
5. Racing certainly has risks but our class has a very good safety record.

[Rob Burgoon]

1. Competition
2. Competition
3. Competition
4. Competition
5. Competition

[Todd Tagget]

Chicks dig guys who race chick cars!

[Ron Alan]

1. Friends
2. New friends
3. Old friends
4. My wife isn't a track fan
5. Allows me to be a proud dad!(not that I'm not already!Just a bonus!)

[Alberto]

The people
The fun car
The competition
the adrenaline
the escape from reality

[Race Engineering]

cool thread.

[Glenn]

All of the above plus the chance to meet/know/work with all of you GREAT folks!

[Mike Collins]

I will probably have multiple list.....

* February 2003 roebling road drivers school ( it was and is a who's who of SM)
* The ARRC
* SpecMiata.com (long before mazdaracers)
* The tent party in Topeka at the very first SM runoffs
* Crunch all you want...Mazda made 800,000 of these. We will never run out of parts...

[Steve D]

1. Drago - If that sumbitch can have success in this class by overcoming natural deficits through hard work... hale, any of us can.

2. Fowler - He eats expired jelly and can't heel/toe, but the guy provides damn fine trackside service and builds cars that are dead nuts reliable. And fights for the win when he actually gets a chance to get behind the wheel.

3. Charbonneau - Singlehandedly proving that understanding WTF another human being is trying to say is overrated.

4. The guy who comes over after the race, fresh from an epic battle (for 1st, 15th, or 43rd), with a huge grin and no dents in his car and says "That was f*cking awesome!! I'd go side by side with you any day. Let's do that again tomorrow."

5. Lance, Creighton, SMAC members, timing/scoring, and all the other volunteers and/or woefully undercompensated folks who -- solely for the love of racing -- come out and make it possible for middle aged dudes like me to get on track, only to drive like a monkey f*cking a football.

[LarryKing]

6. Retirement money?!? I don't need no steeeen-king retirement money!

[Bench Racer]

6. Retirement money?!? I don't need no steeeen-king retirement money!

One day when both my sons were around, one of them viewed a completed SCCA event entrie form laying on a table. He asked, dad whose your sponsor SFI? Response, Sons Inheritance Fund.


Reasons I love Spec Miata:

People x 5 including there site personalities.

[DrDomm]

Great idea, this thread...tons of great responses above (the tracks, the cars, the people, competition, the forum, etc.)

Let me add all the "rental teams". My great experience was with Flatout, but Planet, Meathead, and all the others allow guys to get into racing prior to the commitment of purchasing a car. This is a great opportunity for many of us. Likewise, all these teams are a useful resource even after purchasing and maintaining a car. Thanks.

[granracing]

There are many reasons to love Club Racing which were already mentioned. Coming from Improved Touring...

With a Miata, the biggest maintenance that I need to complete between sessions (with a well prepped car) is cleaning it. Nice.
Tons of other racers running the same car, thus a large parts supply resource
My wife and son think that Spec Miata is the most entertaining group to watch. Hey, they like actiion. LOL
An easy car to drive to 98%. Also easier on consumables than most cars.
When everything goes wrong and I thought the car would be in the wall, the Miata takes over and somehow saves itself.

[CARacer]

The car is fun to drive.

The car's street legal and I can drive it to the track. I don't need a truck and a trailer.

At least with a 1.6 in SFR, I can double dip in ITA with no changes to the car.

There's always someone (or multiple someones) willing and wanting to help - at the track, on the forums, at home during the week. A great community.

I've made some great friends and, as much as the racing, I look forward to race weekends 'cuz I get to hang out with them - chillaxing in the pits, battling on the track, watching Sprint cars at the dirt track, going out to dinner, and jumping in the pool at the hotel.