14 replies to this topic

[MattNJ]

Just wanted to say hi to everyone. I am new to specMiata and look forward to creating new friendships along the way.
I do not have have a car yet etc., so please do not get pissed if I ask too many questions (or the same questions multiple times) lol.
I do have one initial question, and I realize it may be broad, but I'm looking for tons of input- I was thinking of a 1995 Miata. Pros/cons if any? Any year you think might be better? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[svvs]

Good morning!  Where in New Jersey are you?  There are plenty of racers all through the state who would be willing to offer you assistance.

 

As for the year of car to start with.......welcome to the main debate of spec miata.  Are you going to build a car, buy a used car, or have a new car built for you?

 

I drive a 1991 and love my car.  If I was going to start over though it would be with one of the newer 1999 or 2001 cars.  Some folks say these models are easier to drive because they have more torque.....I'd probably go that route anyway just because I'm tired of wrenching on an older car.

 

If it's an option you could always rent cars of the different years, though they may be at different prep levels.  If you're going to buy a car that is already built.....just remember you can change just about anything in an existing car, but changing a roll cage is a big pain.

 

-Vick

[Danny Steyn]

Buy a sorted car, and you will get up to speed WAY faster than if you build one yourself. But if wrenching is more important than racing, enjoy the build. I do not recommend a '95. The 99/00 or VVT 01+ are the current preferred cars under the CURRENT rule set.

[Bench Racer]

Matt, welcome,  open this site http://en.wikipedia....wiki/Mazda_MX-5 read through and most of all the year differences of the different year/SCCA spec line of cars. For an example, when Danny mentioned a VVT 01, the VVT stands for varialble valve timing. You'll also fine the 1999 is a VICS engine which means, variable intake control system. Lots of good stuff to lear within mentioned address. 

 

Most of all Have Fun

David Dewhurst

[Brandon]

Ditto of Vic - where in NJ are you located?  I'm in North Jersey but it's not like it's a big state...my region has their holiday party the first Saturday in December come on out and say "Hi!":

http://scca-nnjr.com...l-holiday-party

 

As far as which direction to go on model year of car and whether to build vs. buy, there are a number of variables to take into account and Danny hits on one (buying being quicker to get up to speed) and Vic touches on another (99+ being 'easier to drive').

 

Hit up any one of us for a night of beers and you'll get plenty of data to chew on!

[MattNJ]

Hey Vick, I'm along the Delaware in NW Jersey, last exit off of I78 before Pa..
I plan on buying a used spec car already built. From my early research I thought stripping one and building it myself sounded like fun, but, nah. Lol. I'd rather get up to speed as quick as possible and I'm not exactly a monkey wrench.

[MattNJ]

Brandon, thanks bud!
I'll def try and make it. With holidays and short notice might be tough but thanks again for the invite.
I'm in Pohatcong Tnsp near Phillipsburg FYI.

[Parity]

Welcome Matt,  (see what I did there?)  Anyway, there's a great group of guys running SM in both NASA and SCCA. You'll be able to get plenty of advise and a helping hand at the track when you need it. You're new to SM but do you already have a racing license? If not, the organizations have different ways of getting you there. Also, there are several  groups on FB  (Spec Miata Racers, NASA Northeast Racers) where you can get connected.

 

Cars are coming on the market right now so its a good time to pick one up. If you're buying a race ready car, the best value is a 1.6. It's also the better car to learn on. But like others have said the class is moving toward to '99-'00, and VVT '01-'05 cars. If your primary focus is driver development then spending 1-2 years in 1.6 is what I would do. If you want to be up front then the consensus seems to be the later cars. I started in a 1.6 and would still be there if I hadn't wrecked it.

 

Right now there's Fergusen level drama in the SM world and new rules are expected in the next few weeks which potentially could reshuffle the deck to some degree. It's hard to predict how that will affect the value and competitiveness of the cars but if a particular rule is changed as is being proposed, there will be cars that will not pass tech without additional weight or head replacement. I'm not trying to dampen your enthusiasm but just giving a caveat emptor heads up. Hopes this helps.

[svvs]

Paul, you are witty my friend.  Also for the record you had an awesome 1.6L until that incident.

 

Matt....don't let the noise going on in the class bother you.  Somehow it will all work out and SM will still be the best class to race in with some of the best people around.  There are very few of the folks that we race with that I would not want to go grab a beer with or have dinner with.  We have a great community of guys and gals up here in the North East.

 

Closest support shop to you is Planet Miata up in Swoyersville PA.  They do great work at very fair prices.  IF you are looking at cars and need someone to look it over, or need someone to help you install a seat (these cars are a bit hard to fit into sometimes...) give them a shout.  Just be careful in their parking lot in the winter if it's icey

 

-Vick

[MattNJ]

Hi Paul, thanks for the warm welcome
I do not have a license yet. Obviously doing research on the process of obtaining license etc but any advise and guidance would be greatly appreciated.
Vick, thanks for the tips on Planet Miata. I've already bookmarked their page, but did not know they were in Pa until your reply!

[svvs]

Matt:

 

There are a number of ways to go about getting a license, and I'd start planning now if I were you.

 

The way I did it:  Bought a spec miata, went to skip barber, DE'd for six months, then started racing.  Did a SCCA school in the beginning of my second season even though I had a license.

 

What I found out going this route:  Skip Barber three day school taught me a lot about the mechanics of driving a car and helped me to be a good driver.  Doing DE's got me a ton of seat time and comfortable with my car (I literally started with full tread RA-1's and ran them down to the cords!).  I told myself when I was "close" to race pace I would enter a race at a track I was comfortable with and was long enough where I might not get lapped.  Once I was down to 2:32's at WGI I entered a regional up there....the race weekend took 5 seconds off of my lap times.

 

I also found out that the "DE" mentality was kind of holding me back as a racer...this was probably good at first but it took a while until I was comfortable really racing and passing cars.

 

Check to see when the early season SCCA schools are.  I think there is one at NJMP in March.  You can do a school, and if you are good and safe you may be able to get your license in one weekend.  It would be a huge benefit to you if you have time on track before taking the school.

 

Also consider having some crew for yourself if you do a SCCA school.  i know Planet offers crew service, so does Flatout and Kessler.  Pretty sure Meathead and Windsor do as well.  you will have a lot going on with the school, and while these cars are relatively bullet proof, the last thing you want is a mechanical taking you out of the weekend.  Also all the guys mentioned will be able to pass on a lot of knowledge to you, which makes taking a sip from a firehose seem a bit more manageable.

 

If you're around the city in the next couple of weeks give me and Brandon a shout out.  We can arrange for a local SCCA meeting at a bar and try to pass of some advice.

 

-Vick

[MattNJ]

Vick,

Thanks for the advice. I actually wanted to attend Skip Barber when I was in high school. But I wasn't supported financially and family wise. This has been many years in the making; nice to be able to fulfill my dreams and be a kid again.

Now I'm going to really sound like a rookie but...... What is 'DE'??

[Bill Etherington]

Matt,
Vicktor gives some good advice. I would go even further and suggest renting a car from one of the shops Vicktor mentioned above. Let the shops prepare the car during the school since you will have plenty to keep yourself busy.

Being a tech guy I have to remain neutral about recommending one of the shops. Talk to the shops mentioned and go with the one you feel most comfortable with.

Bill Etherington

[Brandon]

Seconding, thirding, whatever-ing all the previous replies...lots of good details in the above.

 

To answer the direct question: DE == Driver's Education/Event, commonly abbreviated to HPDE (high performance driving event/driver education)

 

Of the two (biggest) organizations in operation here in the Northeast (SCCA & NASA), NASA has a significant edge in running HPDEs.

(and that's not knocking what some SCCA regions have been able to accomplish in the last 2-3 years)

Additionally there are a number of other independent groups who run DEs at the same tracks throughout the season: BMW/Porsche/Audi clubs, SCDA, COM, IMG (Independent Motorsports Group)

I personally have participated in DE events with NASA, BMW, SCDA, & IMG events and (obviously) raced with the SCCA.  All have been safe & fun for me and never had a bad experience with any of them.

 

For SCCA driver's schools, there is the SJR (South Jersey Region) March Lion School followed the next weekend with the DC Region school (don't know if they have a catchy name for theirs).  The licensing requirements have been formally "eased" from what they were (perceived to be) before.  This means you only need to display sound decision making (learning & knowing 'the line', passing & being passed, following flags & other communications to you) & vehicle operation skills (being predictable, gaining speed throughout the school) in conjunction with the required track time and passing the written test.  Then finally convincing all the instructors present to give you an affirmative 'sign-off' vote on Sunday.

 

Easy, eh?  

 

Like Bill notes, recommending a specific group to rent/receive services from is somewhat fraught with self-liability if you're in the Tech world so I agree with him to 'audition' each group with a visit/long phone call before deciding on one.

 

Good luck, and I hope to see you as a student come March 2015!

Brandon

[manthony121]

Matt:

 

I am also a northeast newbie, and can give you a bit of my experience, FWIW.

 

I live in NY, not far from the track at Watkins Glen.  I've driven various street cars on the track during HPDE events, and this year decided to start SM racing.  I went to the track when the Majors race was held there in July, and made some friends.  I made arrangements with Flatout Motorsports to rent a Miata for the SCCA drivers school in October.

 

I spent the rest of the summer getting my SCCA Novice Permit and safety equipment.  When October came, I went to the driver school and strapped on a fully race prepped Miata for the first time.  It was way cool.  I passed the school, and was able to drive in the Regional race the next day.

 

Everyone I met was super helpful and friendly.  It really is a great group of people in SM racing.  You'll see two drivers duking it out on the track, swapping position back and forth, fighting tooth and nail, and they'll be best of buddies when the race is over.  The car I drove was a 1991 model, with a 1.6L engine.  I wasn't very fast in it, but the guy who runs FOM, Nick, drove it in the Pro-IT race that day, and won!   That put to rest any ideas that it was the car that was slow.  I've heard it said that if you can drive a slow car fast, you'll be able to drive a fast car *really* fast.  I suspect that is probably true.   However, I'm still at the stage of driving an any-speed car slow.

 

I plan to continue to rent for at least the next year.  It's expensive, but saves a lot of aggravation.  Another option is what is called "arrive and drive", where you own your car, but an organization like FOM takes care of it for you between races, brings it to the track, etc.  The next time I am due to buy a new street car, I'll probably get something that can tow a trailer with a Miata on it.

 

In addition to Flatout, other popular SM rentals in the NE are Planet Miata in Scranton, PA, and Meathead Racing in Washington, DC.  If you go to an SM race in your area, chances are they will be there, so you can introduce yourself and get the relevant info.  If you are intent on buying, watch the classifieds in this forum.  There is usually a steady trickle of fully prepped cars going up for sale.

 

Good luck, and I hope to see you trackside!