24 replies to this topic

[Johnny D]

Longtime Spec Miata racer takes a different route in seeking Street Touring Lite wins.

Almost any racer will tell you there is no substitute for track time. Spec Miata racer Danny Steyn knows that, and as a result, started entering his Spec Miata in Street Touring Lite at SCCA club races to get more track time. He quickly discovered, however, there are better routes to go.

 

“Unfortunately, it puts you in the proverbial kill zone, where there is a lot of horsepower and less talent, and you've got talent and a car with no horsepower,” Steyn explains of entering STL in Spec Miata. “It creates a tremendous amount of carnage.”

 

He decided he needed to get to the sharper end of the STL grid and acquired a dedicated car to do so. Jesse Prather had an NC MX-5 prepared for STL, formerly campaigned by Bob Schader, and Steyn bought it sight unseen. Once he had the car, he realized it had potential but it still needed some improvements. Steyn set to work on it and has been tweaking it ever since. As delivered, the car was very stiff; Steyn has made it more compliant in order to be able to get on the throttle sooner.

“The wonderful thing about Miatas is that they are this incredible handling platform,” says Steyn. “A Spec Miata can often go through a turn as quickly as a GT3 Porsche. It's an amazing car – it's light, it's got great balance, it's a handling dream. In motor racing, a lot of people chase suspension as a way to get more horsepower to the road. What I found is a more compliant suspension allows you to handle up the bumps. We were skipping and bouncing instead of taking a set. If you're skipping and bouncing, you can't get into wide-open throttle, and the earlier you commit to wide-open throttle, the faster that you can go. We worked with the suspension to commit to throttle earlier than we were able to in the beginning.”

 

With a Jesse Prather-built motor, the car has good power from the MZR engine. After the changes Steyn made, the car is quite quick, and he has set several lap records. The problem, though, is he hasn't been able to convert that quickness into race wins. He won at the Sebring SCCA Hoosier Super Tour in January, but that's been the exception rather than the norm.

 

The front-wheel drive competition in STL is often lighter, with a little more power and a lot more torque. That means while Steyn may start on the pole, by Turn 1 he's usually been shuffled back, and his advantages in braking and handling can't overcome the competition's edge on the straights in a race.

 

“This is the scenario we find ourselves in right now,” he says. “I can run very fast lap times, but I'm struggling to win races. That's the interesting part of this class. I'm not saying the class isn't balanced, but we cannot do it on engine performance. We're going to have to figure it out in braking and handling.”

 

Still, he's committed to keep working on it. He may try the six-speed gearbox, which has closer ratios than the five-speed he's running now. Some rear-end ratio changes have helped, so Steyn is looking at the gearbox and some more handling tweaks to move up – his focus remains on getting to maximum throttle as early as possible.

 

“We're in this for the long haul and trying to get to the front,” he says. “It's nice having lap records, but what we'd rather have are wins.”

 

https://mazdamotorsp...gId=-1&button=y

[Danica Davison]

Went to STL for more track time?

 

I've always thought people just went to STL cause they weren't winning in SM anymore?

[Danny Steyn]

Went to STL for more track time?

 

I've always thought people just went to STL cause they weren't winning in SM anymore?

 

for some sure, but for others, not so much!

[Michael Novak]

Danny ---why not the 6 speed?

[Jim Drago]

Danny

Never fear.. I am building my old man STL car as well so I am ready for the day , not sure I will be ready for Indy.  Evidently I must stroll by OPM paddock at the wrong times as I have never seen you tinkering with anything other than the TV  

 

All kidding aside, very nice write up!

 

 I agree with Mike.. The 6 speed in the MX5 shifts well and obviously closer ratios and what I will be running in my Fd RX7. Make sure you run an 09 up with all the upgrades, the 06-08 are problems. 

[chris haldeman]

Guys rest assured I wish I was old!!! Sm is kicking my ass😜

[Danica Davison]

not sure I will be ready for Indy.

 

Are you ready to lose $5,000 at Indy that week too?

 

I never forget a bet!

[Jim Drago]

Are you ready to lose $5,000 at Indy that week too?

 

I never forget a bet!

I don't rememeber the bet.. but if it is you beating me in Sm at Indy for $5000.00, I'm in, I'm not that dam old   

[Danica Davison]

ooooooh Jim.  You don't remember betting me $5,000 if I win indy?  And I only pay you $100 if I lose?  You ARE getting old! Let me find the thread

[Danica Davison]

http://mazdaracers.c...ison#entry83120

[Todd Lamb]

I like those odds.

 

I have my old man car too - ND for T3....it's like driving a couch compared to the NB.

[Jim Drago]

ooooooh Jim.  You don't remember betting me $5,000 if I win indy?  And I only pay you $100 if I lose?  You ARE getting old! Let me find the thread

 

I'm still in on that bet too if you are

[tburas56]

I like and would take those odds.

 

My old man car is like driving a skate board from the 70s with steel wheels, going down hill, like pikes peak, with a hurricane at your back thru the twistiest roads you can find in Colorado, not to forget those peskie random patches of ice.

 

Good times...Maybe Todd can help me turn it into a couch...

[Danica Davison]

Oh I am in for it Jim.  The stakes are too good for me.  I may or may not have an arrangement to split all winnings with the Cuban Missile, and give him $4k of your dollars as a bonus.  Just cause I want to take your money

[CarbonRacer]

I like and would take those odds.

 

My old man car is like driving a skate board from the 70s with steel wheels, going down hill, like pikes peak, with a hurricane at your back thru the twistiest roads you can find in Colorado, not to forget those peskie random patches of ice.

 

Good times...Maybe Todd can help me turn it into a couch...

Todd you described my NA 1.8 car perfectly in the SM races. Did you take my car out on the track when I went to get lunch?      

[mglobe]

Just spent the weekend driving my new-to-me Global Mx-5 Cup. I'm 61yo, so I think I win the old man prize and also the old man car trophy. I'm at least on the podium.

Hey it's the only time I'll ever be on a podium so I'm gonna enjoy it.

I'm going to run it in PTC.

[Todd Lamb]

I like and would take those odds.

 

My old man car is like driving a skate board from the 70s with steel wheels, going down hill, like pikes peak, with a hurricane at your back thru the twistiest roads you can find in Colorado, not to forget those peskie random patches of ice.

 

Good times...Maybe Todd can help me turn it into a couch...

Sounds like we need to schedule another co-driving session at Roebling - this time I get the steering!

[tburas56]

Sounds like we need to schedule another co-driving session at Roebling - this time I get the steering!

Good times! Looking forward to that day! You bringing new MX-5 to RRR majors?

[Bench Racer]

Sounds like we need to schedule another co-driving session at Roebling - this time I get the steering!

That ^ was as good as it gets.

[Johnny D]

Danny Steyn's Road to Mazda

 

The South Africa native has led an interesting life on his way to being a top Mazda racer.

 

You know Danny Steyn has a potent Super Touring Lite NC MX-5 SCCA race car. You probably also know he's pretty good in a Spec Miata, with a podium and another pair of top-five finishes at the SCCA National Championship Runoffs and a trio of victories at the Chicago Region June Sprints. But his journey to being one of the best Mazda racers in the country is an interesting one.

 

Another thing you might know about him is he makes part of his living as a glamour and model photographer, shooting beautiful women and men for model portfolios and magazines. But that's not all he does.

 

“A lot of people assume that I'm only a photographer,” the Florida resident says. “I have a machinery company as well. So I travel all over the world, and I always do my photography and machinery at the same time.”

 

Steyn is vice president of Ocean Machinery, which sells steel fabricating equipment, and he is responsible for the dealer network that sells the equipment worldwide. MazdaMotorsports.com was able to speak to him when he was home for a brief moment, in between trips to Mexico and South Africa.

 

South Africa is where Steyn was born, raised, and earned his mechanical engineering degree. He raced motocross there until he ended up in a coma in 1983. He immigrated to the U.S. 24 years ago with nothing to his name, and lived in a van. But the enterprising Steyn developed some businesses and made some money, enough to by a Mercedes AMG, which earned him a customer appreciation day at Homestead-Miami Speedway. After beating both his instructors in the autocross, one of them suggested he try racing.

 

His first shot at it was in the short-lived Panoz series, which featured very powerful tubeframe cars based on the Panoz Esperante. That, interestingly enough, is what led him to Spec Miata.

“I wanted to get some more track time at Road Atlanta and ended up in a Miata, which I did not want to do. In my mind, I needed 500hp. It was miserable. And after the first lap I was in love. It would do everything you wanted to do; we were going three wide, four wide in a turn. I was hooked – the closeness of racing in these Miatas is amazing,” he says.

It's the closeness that keeps him coming back for more. He claims he'd rather place fifth in SM than win by 10 seconds in the STL car. In many ways, it harkens back to where he got his start in racing back in South Africa.

 

“I started racing Spec Miatas because it was by far the most competitive class in club racing,” he says. “In my opinion, it was like motocross with a cage. That really appealed to me.”