First, I want to thank all of you for the warm welcome I have been given on this forum. For someone who is not a Spec Miata driver and never has had the skills to be one, this is a great experience. Over the last 15 years, I must have spent a combined total of 6 months on the Miata forum. In addition, one of the companies I am working with is one of the five major vendors (sponsors) of the Miata forum knows the administrator of the forum very well. From this background, I can tell you that the administrator of this forum is heads and tails above the administrator of the Miata forum (MX5-Miata.net.) He might have full control of the forum and if that is the case I can understand why there might be a difference.
I need some help from all of you. Before I cover this, there are two things I want you to be aware of. 1) This thread is not an advertisement. The reason I say this is that a thread I started a couple of weeks ago on why I had no response from my ad in the Loud Pedal had nothing to do with selling products to Spec Miata drivers. The products I represent are SC and turbos that cost up to $6,000 and suspension systems such as Ohlins and others that cost over $4,500. 2) Then if I asked the questions I need some help on, anyone in their right mind would say that I am out of my mind. So to prevent some unnecessary concern, I have tried to attached my abbreviated profile in a PDF, without any success. So I have pasted it in the very bottom.
Without your help, the only other resources I have are Steve Bertok of Panic Motorsports and Eddie at Adrenaline Racing.
Now that you have that information, I want you to know that I am fortunate enough at the age of 63, to have two very good Miatas. One is a 97 with less than 1,800 miles on the crate engine, turbo that with its large IC and MegaSquirt can generate 230 whp without risking detonation. (I have lost two engines due to detonation –a real nightmare that has not gone away in over 7 years.) The other one (93) can “only†generate 155 whp. However, it has power steering, Momo 11.81†diameter steering wheel with NRG quick disconnect, Innovative Motorsports AFR wideband with handheld remote and a Kenwood radio (which I have not figured out how to operate) with a G-meter, acceleration- meter and motion activated stopwatch. Having power steering with that little steering wheel gives one the feel of racing a kart and I used race a World Formula division kart. Man is that fun. So I am going to put power steering on my 97 that has a larger Momo steering wheel. Having this for AutoX will be great and this car will have a lot of competition from a lot of cars that are not Miatas or Hondas 2000s. Heck, some of you might want to try your hand at the regional events in Packwood, which is a wonderful venue for AutoX
If I have not put you to sleep, this is the situation I am lucky enough to be in and what I need to have some direction on. Financially, I am able to maintain to Miatas in a rental car program. I am going to buy a one of two trailer that are black and match my 97 that is brilliant black with yellow racing stripes. Then put lettering on the sides of the trailer that match the cars racing stripes.
My business is selling aftermarket high performance equipment. The Arrive and Drive program, that I will be advertising in the forum, will be run at a lost in the AutoX events such as the Tire Rack SCCA solo event in Packwood. In the OR & NW regions solo event, the loss will be significantly less. Now to the issues I am facing. I will be renting out the cars for track days. I cannot trust anyone but a SPEC Miata that has a current license and has proven themselves to be a very responsible driver. Even though I will get the cars fully insured and have the driver put up a deposit of $1,000 for the deductible, I do not want to put myself in the position of having to repair the car. So, what interest might drivers like you have in “renting†this car for trackdays. The fee would only be slightly over the cost of fuel (race gas) and an allowance for tire wear. And the renter(s) would need to pay for the insurance w/deposit. Since the clubs that sponsor Trackdays at the Ridge have very reasonable rates for up to 6 hours of driving, it would seem to me that this would not be a large cost, especially if two or more drivers rented the car. (Again, there will be an ad in the forum for this. And I am going to be spending over $1,000 for advertising in GRM in the classified ad section. The bag for the buck there is far greater than one can get in the Loud Pedal, or for that matter the most widely read SCCA club newsletters Jeff has done a fine job and the OR region is very lucky to have him.)
Then an alternative is to rent this car for the 25 Hours of Thunderhill with the option of having trackside assistance. I could go to of 949 Racing for answers. However, if I were ever to proceed with this plan we would be competitors, except I would never try to do things such as specializing in providing different setups for various manufacturers’ coilovers (spring rates), etc. Thus, the information I would get would most likely be limited.
Trying to fully answer a question like that takes more time than what I could ever expect one to provide. So if you could give me information on what
I cannot tell you how much I will appreciate any help you can provide me. Hopefully, I will get the opportunity to meet a number of you at one of the upcoming races.
Paul
PS: If you are still with me, I would like for you to be aware of the following:
- At the age of 63, I do not have the energy to capitalize on what might happen. There is an individual that is a very good friend of mine who I have been discussing with him becoming the manager of my business and eventually the owner of the business. In the area of FI, he knowledge of this area is very close to that of Corky Bell who is the owner of Bell Engineering/BEGi.
- Some of you might think that I am so lucky to do something that you think you will never be able to do. If you are thinking that, it is not true. All you have to do is save your pennies and live past 63. But you must save your pennies – period.
Profile of Paul Hutt (Abbreviated)
Professional
Owner NW MotorSports Group
Motorsports Club Memberships
- Cascade Sports Car Club, Portland, OR
- Club Miata Northwest; Everett & Olympic Peninsula, WA
- Northwest Region SCCA, Olympia, WA
- Puget Sound Miata Club; Seattle and Southern Puget Sound area
Motorsports Activities
- Crewed on a SCCA Formula Ford team from 1971 to 1972
- Began AutoX in 2006
- Began track days in 2007
- Raced a World Formula kart. 2009 to 2010
Prior Professional Experience
Norwest Bank (nka Wells Fargo Bank), Fort Collins, CO.: (1993 to 1985)
- Member of Board of Directors
- Regional Banking Loan Committee Chairman
- Manager of Business, Commercial Real Estate & Agricultural Lending