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| Test Drive: A Trio of Mazda's |
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Spec Miata
Chances are there are more Mazda Miata's on a race track at any given time than any other make or model of car out there. They're dependable, relatively light and great fun to drive - a modern day Lotus Elan. When the MX-5 Miata debuted in 1989, it sparked a whole new interest in inexpensive fun-to-drive roadsters that encouraged other manufacturers to bring similar cars to market. There are still a lot of those first generation Miata's on the road today and many of them find their way onto race tracks, in everything from track days to club racing.
I got a first-hand experience of a race-prepared first generation Spec Miata late this past summer at Lime Rock Park. The Sports Car Driving Association (SCDA) considers Lime Rock their home track and has been renting a pair of Spec Miata's during their track day events this season. To give you an idea of the longevity of these cars, one of the pair of SCDA Miata's was used by Chief Instructor Bill Prout as a daily driver for several years and has 180K miles on the odometer. Both cars have gone through the usual upgrades, including a Spec Miata suspension kit, a Mazdaspeed limited slip diff and an SCCA legal roll cage. The cars ride on sticky Toyo race rubber and inside, have snug racing seats with five-point harnesses and smaller diameter race steering wheels.
The Miata's dependability has been proven on the track, and these SCDA cars are no exception. In 2005, SCDA President Ian Prout, along with Eric Miller and Elivan Goulart ran one of the cars in the 12 Hour of Nelson Ledges. That year's race only had 15 minutes of full-course yellow, so was essentially a 12 hour sprint race. Contact with another car required a change of the left front tire, but besides that, the team ran the entire race without changing the other three tires and they didn't even open the hood or change brake pads. The cars have also been a great addition to the SCDA program, as they had rented the cars to 27 drivers by the end of the summer and usually don't need anything besides a check of the tire pressures and adding fuel.
I really wanted to try out one of the Spec Miata's during the track day I attended with SCDA at Lime Rock, but I found out one of the cars limitations - they aren't really made for tall people. At 6'5 , I was actually able to get into the seat and find a pretty comfortable position, but my long legs didn't allow me enough room to move quickly and accurately on and off the pedals. They also tended to bump into the rim of the steering wheel too much. Anyway, I did get the next best thing - a ride with pro driver Elivan Goulart (who competes in the Mazda MX-5 Cup series), who can pedal the Miata around Lime Rock much faster than I could.
Lime Rock is the perfect track for the Spec Miata. With its light weight and great handling, it was surprising how fast Goulart was able to get the Miata around the circuit, particularly since it's pretty modest in terms of horsepower. Goulart was carrying very high rates of speed through the corners, and the car was particularly impressive through the uphill and downhill turns, as well as under braking for turn one. It was great watching Goulart at work behind the wheel, but it made me wish all the more that I could drive the car myself. I'll have to try to find some way to shrink an inch or two over the winter. SCDA holds track days at Lime Rock, NHIS and Watkins Glen. For more information on them and their Spec Miata rental programs, visit their website at www.scda1.com.
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