Not really prep, but I didn't know where else to post it.

Video from the NASA event at Buttonwillow yesterday. PTE.
Decided to enter PTE at the last minute so I missed qualifying. Started dead last, 20 or so cars in class. Finished 3rd and set 2nd fastest race lap.
This was my first ever sprint distance club race. Just Alfa Club and NCRC before this which is more gentlemans racing and NASA/SCCA Enduros.

Did the SM race later that day. Qualified 7th, finished 6/21. Completed 1:45 of 3hr enduro when we got black flagged for having inoperative running lights. Was dog tired after getting no sleep the night before so I decided to call it a day. Set fast lap for E3 in the enduro. So kids, don't try to triple dip if you haven't slept the night before.

HD Vimeo

 

not bad!

 

Good vid. How did you like NASA? How did you like W2W compared to TT? Were you in William;s new SM?

Jake

 

Emilio- How did you like the Sm suspension kit on the NB? I was thinking about getting it and having the shocks revalved. It would be for DD/Track usage. I am not happy with the FM kit on the track its a little to soft for me. Comming from an SM.

Enjoyed the video. Wish I could have had more time to talk to you and william at the track. Beeing an instructor I don't have much time to my self much less time to talk to others. And as you stated you had a lot going on on saturday. Saw you in the enduro and wondered why you ended early. That sucks about the lights. Maybe next time.

Have a great day,
Jared

 

Here, duh.

You sure you're not boosted in the beginning of the video? You make them look like they're standing still.

The sound coming from the RX-7s make riced out Hondas sound glorious.

 

Some good moves in there.

 

NASA is a good organization. Still love TT, W2W is something different. Have done a little W2W over the last two years. Gentlemans racing, no points or prizes. This was just my first NASA/SCCA sprint distance which is much more intense. William's car.
SM kit sucks. Shocks too long, no where near enough compression or rebound damping, rear sway bar too stiff. In order to make the car fast, you have to run it on the bumpstops and just tip toe around the bumps on the track. Took a while to get used to as I'm accustomed to just driving over everything with the Xida's. The first time William drove it he hops out and said "something is broken in the suspension, it's bouncing all over and the tail keeps coming out". I just laughed. That's what an SM kit does.

I'd just start from scratch. Either a 10/7 Flex kit and RB front bar or 700/450 FCM non adjustables and RB front bar. That's with 205's on 8's. With 225/45's on 8's or 9's, add the 14mm MazdaSpeed rear bar. Do the control arm bushings, that makes a big difference in the precision of the handling and they're cheap if you install yourself.

If you have the budget for it, Mono Flex, FCM variant 1's or Xida-S.

 

I don't have much of a budget. I can get the SM kit for about 1400 shipped which includes the FCM bumpstops. Another 200 to have them revalved and shortened. From what I have seen that is where the coilovers start. Since I am running TT I have to consider the points that I am adding. Other wise it would be a different story.

I was thinking about having the shocks shortened by about an inch while they were beeing revalved.

Have a great day,
Jared

 

Both Stewart and FCM will know how much to shorten, 1" seems about right.

 

I still say the shocks are broken
I used to run over EVERY curbs to help the car turn, ~12 curbs. by 2nd session, I was running over 2 curbs only.

 

Just out of intrest, what were you both of your lap times? What burms were you hitting to help the car turn?

Have a great day,
Jared

 

I used Cotton Corners left, Grapevine entry right, Bus Stop and that's it. Had to drive around the bump in Riverside and the kink to Phil Hill as both would upset car and scrub speed. Car just flat sucks over bumps but turns really hard with -2.9° front camber.

2:07.007 enduro
2.06.886 PTE race
Not sure what SM race lap was, it'll be on mylaps tomorrow. Probably a low 2:07.

 

When I read using 12 curbs I thought that was quite excessive. I am quite camber challanged up front with -1.6 deg. camber. Good lap times. Mine arnt quite as low but your car is way more setup.

Have a great day,
Jared

 

12 curbs is not excessive if you have good shocks. from sweeper to Sunset alone, I can count 3 curbs I run over. plus cotton Cotton 3 curbs, Grapvine entry and exit, Bus stop, Riverside, Phils Hill.

SM doesn't have more setup. it is chocked down with a restrictor, stock intake, stock header.

 

William= Your car is by far more set up than mine is. Mine is a DD/track car. Your car has a full cage a seat and harness, wider tires, is quite a bit lower than mine, has adjustable ride height, way stiffer springs, and has a more agressive alignment than mine. Maybe I am mistaken, but I consider that more setup than mine. I used to have a 91SM so I know what an SM is.

Also I didn't say that 12 is excessive even though I think it is. As Emilio has stated that Riverside and Phil hill upset the car and slowed it down. I think I was hitting about 6 or 7 on a consistant bassis. In the esses the only one that you can run over without upsetting the car is the first one comming out of the sweeper on the left. The others are way too tall. I hit them in my SM and ther were very rought on it as well as my current car. I wish we could have had some time to do some leed follow. We both could have learned something. It would have been a great experiance for the both of us. Hopefully you come out again and we can pair up and run. That would be fun.

Have a great day,
Jared

 

Fantastic vid, really enjoyed that and some great driving.

Hope you don't mind but i posted the vid on another mx5 forum.
http://www.mx5nutz.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=50235



Cheers
Mark

 

Jared,

I think you're confusing the kerb hits with Xida's and the SM kit. With Xida's we can hit every kerb on the track except the sharp one entering the Bus Stop. Most of those translate to faster laps because it opens up the turn, doesn't up set the car so you can do them flat.

In the SM, when a kerb hit is critical to lap times or race position, we raise the car a bit. When raw cornering grip and to end speed matter more, we lower the car so it's just barely above the bump stops at rest. Looking at photos of race winning NB Spec's across the country, it's clear that most are set up about as low as ours. Cornering grip wins out of kerb hitting ability.

The Xida's allow even more cornering grip with rally car like kerb hitting ability. William's other Miata has Xida's and circulates BW 13CW in the 1:54's.

 

I thought that we were talking about the SM kit since that is what you have on the car. Not untill now has the XIDA's been mentioned. If I am mistaken then I am sorry.

I always learned that I had to drive the car the way it was and make the best of it. If I didn't like how it was then change something, but untill then drive the snot out of it to its fullest abilities. With the SM kit I will not help to hit all the kerbs and that is what you had on the car. Correct?

I just hear people say the car this and the car that, but never look at things they may be doing. Just my experiance from beeing in the right hand seat.

On a side note Hope to see you both out at the track again soon.

Have a great day,
Jared

 

The car that is the subject of this thread is a Spec Miata with a Spec Miata suspension. The only suspension you can legally run on an SM.

William has the other Miata and I have a few of my own, some of them with Xida's. Xida-S are legal in PTE/TTE, in fact Eric Green that won TTE had them.

 

Jared:

I remember who you are now. you are the instructor in that black Miata. the session I was out with you was my very first time on track (I missed the early session due to annual tech) with this car. I was struggling in adjusting my driving style to the car. I used to have Flex, XIDA, all had better rebound control over SM suspension. I went 3 sec faster (2:10) in the next (my last session) after I learned to avoid the curbs. I am sure give me few more sessions, I can get it down to 2:08.

I am not disagreeing with what you said. you originally said thinking about getting SM suspension. my recommendation would be to get used Flex at 10/7kg instead.
look forward to seeing you next time out.