13 replies to this topic

[B(Kuch)Kucera45]

I want to start off with congrats to Marc Cefalo,Joey Selmants and Brian Murdick for taking the podium both days with John Guthrie and myself rounding off the top five on Sat. and Chris Windsor with a fifth on Sunday. I ended up 6th on Sunday because as soon as the green flag dropped I had a relay bracket fall from under my dash and was hanging between the brake and clutch pedal. Wasn't fun and just added to the excitement.
It was great to be able to keeps the top three guys in sight the hole race. Not a bad first time out this year.

Front guys were all running Major times and with a no contact rule not even bump drafting aloud. It made it very interesting and wish they would have at least allowed bump drafting but it made it nice bringing the car home without a scratch.

I just want to thank SVRA and Mazda for putting this together and giving us a chance to run with them. I will say it was awesome to see all the very expensive old race cars,car show and great hospitality they gave us. They had open arms and were as excited as we were to be there.

Oh and it was great to be on the track with only NA cars it was like the good old days !
So if any of you guys or girls have an NA sitting around I would tell you to knock the cobwebs off of it and go to a SVRA event. You won't be disappointed and you will have a blast !

[Johnny D]

Race results

https://www.race-mon...Session/6076045

 

J~

[Bench Racer]

That friends is what you call, bringing 21 of them NA's out of the barn. Great job folks.

[B(Kuch)Kucera45]

Jonathan Davis was up front as well until he blew the diff at the end of the back straight. That was an eye opener at the end of the back straight and a couple guys went off. I was lucky enough to save it without going off. I have no doubt that Jonathan would have been up in the top five if he didn't have mechanical problems

[B(Kuch)Kucera45]

That friends is what you call, bringing 21 of them NA's out of the barn. Great job folks.

Bench we had 24 at the start of Sat. qualifying session ! That's more then I've seen in years in the same race.

[davew]

SVRA put on another great event. I drove Mid Ohio for the first time on Saturday. Just wanted to make it through the weekend. 

 

Great having a steak dinner (SVRA supplied) with a bunch of SM people I only get to talk to on the phone.

 

Great car show with British and Mazda cars for free on Saturday and Sunday.

 

I expect a lot of east coast drivers will attend the VIR round on the Sept 23-24 weekend. If you want to drive your NA Spec Miata in low drama, no body damage environment, you need to come to an SVRA event.

 

SVRA hopes to expand the Heritage Cup series for 2018 to more of their events. Get the pop-ups back on the track with SVRA !!!!!!!!!!! No NB's allowed at this time.

 

Advanced Autosports is now an official SVRA prep shop.

 

Thanks to Tony, Kim, Rick, Billy and the entire SVRA crew for welcoming the Miatas into vintage racing.

 

Dave

[Jim Drago]

SVRA put on another great event. I drove Mid Ohio for the first time on Saturday. Just wanted to make it through the weekend. 

 

Great having a steak dinner (SVRA supplied) with a bunch of SM people I only get to talk to on the phone.

 

Great car show with British and Mazda cars for free on Saturday and Sunday.

 

I expect a lot of east coast drivers will attend the VIR round on the Sept 23-24 weekend. If you want to drive your NA Spec Miata in low drama, no body damage environment, you need to come to an SVRA event.

 

SVRA hopes to expand the Heritage Cup series for 2018 to more of their events. Get the pop-ups back on the track with SVRA !!!!!!!!!!! No NB's allowed at this time.

 

Advanced Autosports is now an official SVRA prep shop.

 

Thanks to Tony, Kim, Rick, Billy and the entire SVRA crew for welcoming the Miatas into vintage racing.

 

Dave

they should never let the NB's in > It will keep the peace

[38bfast]

there is already bitching about the NA 1.8 being let in. 

[Bench Racer]

there is already bitching about the NA 1.8 being let in. 

Then those bitching should go bitch at Mazda, they got the 1.6 into the SVRA and then Mazda changed the game and got the NA 1.8 in. We don't want to speculate why Mazda included the NA1.8 into SVRA do we. 

[B(Kuch)Kucera45]

I didn't hear anyone complaining at all this weekend but that's not to say they were complaining behind closed doors.
List of cars

1990-6
1991-5
1992-3
1993-2
1994-1
1995-2
1997-2

Also I was just looking at results and noticed Marc Cefalo was entered as MSM1. Have no idea what that is but it just moved me up to getting a 4th and 5th place finish ! lol

[davew]

Just for the record, the car I rented to the owner of SVRA, Tony Parella, is a 1995.

 

At the first Heritage cup event in California, they only had 3 1.6 cars registered. After allowing the NA 1.8 cars, they ended up with 6 entrants. At Road America they allowed myself and one other NB to race, for a total of 8 cars, Mid Ohio was all pop-up headlamp cars.

 

MY OPINION; slightly biased. The cars do not crash or drive over aggressivly. The drivers do that. The enforcement of zero contact takes the desire to drive over your ability away. Any contact will probably mean putting the car on the trailer and suspension from SVRA. Tony is very serious about this. I would like to see a separate class (same run group) for NB cars. I went so far as to recommend putting the plates back in the NA 1.8 at 2350. Then allow the un-plated NA 1.8 to run with the NB at 2400. And do a split start. This allows the gentleman racer who already has an investment in his NB car to run in SVRA. Let's face it, the NB's outnumber the NA's at this time. I can think of lots of drivers currently running NB's in SCCA, etc. that would love to go race, without the downsides of hardcore racing.

 

Saturday dinner unofficial poll: After talking with most of the Mid Ohio drivers, the consensus is to retain the current rule of NA only.

 

HSR is another vintage group based out of the south east. They allow any year SM in their events. HSR does not publicly advertise that they allow Miatas.

 

If you have ideas to make things better, email to me. I will forward to Tony whatever you send.

 

Dave

[davew]

Ralph, I did not hear anyone complaining about the NA 1.8 being at Mid Ohio. I think I talked to at least 20 of the drivers.

 

IMHO, I would go back to the old plate and 2350 weight. This brings the NA1.8 closer to the performance potential of a 1.6. For SCCA racing, I agree with 2400 and no plate so the car is more competitive with the NB's

[38bfast]

Ralph, I did not hear anyone complaining about the NA 1.8 being at Mid Ohio. I think I talked to at least 20 of the drivers.

 

IMHO, I would go back to the old plate and 2350 weight. This brings the NA1.8 closer to the performance potential of a 1.6. For SCCA racing, I agree with 2400 and no plate so the car is more competitive with the NB's

Humm, I had e-mails in my in box Monday morning. 

[Marc Cefalo]

Humm, I had e-mails in my in box Monday morning. 

well....considering i was out qualified by a 1.6 and I'm sure justin hille in a 1.6 would have done the same, the gripping about the NA8 needs to be directed  elsewhere.....  

 

SVRA did a fantastic job and we are planning on doing more in the future.  definitely would attend VIR if it were not the test week for the scca runoffs.

 

SVRA is different plain and simple.  no bump drafting, no banzai moves just good clean racing where they expect you to use your head.  It's another avenue for Miata's to race at.  we all should be thrilled!

 

it's like being born/becoming a U.S citizen.....we've already won the lottery.

 

owning and racing a Miata in amateur sports car racing is very similar....we should feel fortunate to have a great platform, strong factory support and multiple ways to race the car!