Since the NASA FL Spec Miata Challenge is on summer break until September, we decided to participate in a Southeast Division SCCA Endurance race at our favorite track, Roebling Road Raceway in Savannah Georgia on the weekend of July 3^rd-4^th. For the 2010 season, we made the move to NASA Spec Miata Challenge racing for the laid back atmosphere, contingencies, and the chance to promote our business in a more customer oriented race series. We have limited our SCCA racing schedule to only a few choice races to fill in our race schedule when there wasn’t a NASA race available, SCCA racing has shown to be tough on equipment and very frustrating, as the competition is a little out of control at our local races. We really just got tired of doing body work and tearing up our cars, it wasn’t worth the effort, time, and money spent to try and keep up with an SCCA season. Regardless, racing is racing and a 90 minute endurance race at Roebling Road has been something we have wanted to do for a while, so we hauled the 5X Racing rig and two Spec Miata’s up to the 2.2 mile sweeping road course west of Savannah for our last race for at least a couple of months.

The format of the weekend had lots of racing to offer, the schedule was drawn out over the course of three days, and included: Two 90 minute enduros (ECR), and two 30 minute sprint races (SARRC) each with their own 20 minute qualifying session. Since racing on Friday would not be possible for our whole team, John chose to participate in Saturdays Enduro and Rick chose to participate in Saturdays 30 minute sprint race. Sunday would be a fun day in downtown Savannah and getting home at a reasonable time for the 4^th of July holiday for John, Rick, and Jim. 5X Racing would be represented well at Roebling, with Team members: John Adamczyk, Rick Adamczyk, Jim Blaisdell, as well as close friends George Munson and Chris Fulton all appearing at the event. The Ironman award of the weekend goes to Chris Fulton for participating in every race available over the course of three days! Jim Blaisdell participated in both enduros, and George Munson shared Chris Fultons car with him in Friday’s enduro, but raced his own car in both sprint races.

With our last visit to Roebling Road resulting in a DNF in the SARRC Invitational Challenge due to a major crash, we were aiming to get back on the podium for a redeeming return to our best track. The weather was very nice for July, as high 80’s were forecasted for Saturday, so the lap times would not be affected too much due to extremely hot temperatures.  We experimented a little bit with our proven setups on the 5X Racing shop scales, dialing in an exact 50-50 cross weight balance on both 5XR cars. This proved to work against us, as Roebling is all right handed turns except for two left handers. The cars were balanced well, which made them fast through the left handers, but left us lacking grip in the right handers. Despite the handling issues, John was able to post a qualifying time that was good enough for 4^th in class, and 6^th overall for the Enduro. Rick was taking his time to feel out the track, since the last time he was there was in his drivers school back in 2007. He would start towards the back of the pack in the sprint race. Jim Blaisdell and Chris Fulton slotted into the midpack for the enduro, but in a 90 minute race consistency and smart driving is the key to a good result, not starting position.

When the green flag dropped for the start of the enduro, cooler heads prevailed and everybody played nice, which is not too common in SCCA Spec Miata racing at Roebling Road! 1^st place qualifier Alex Bolanos made a quick get-away with Tom Fowler in 2^nd; while Matt VanVurst, Roger Burdette, and John Adamczyk battled for the 3^rd position for at least 45 minutes! Alex Bolanos, driving Cliff Blanchard’s 1.6 Miata ended up losing an engine about a quarter of the way through the race, which moved everyone up a position. We had planned our pit strategy to need refueling around the hour mark, as the required 5 minute pit stop would be plenty of time to refuel and refill the ice in the cool shirt system. At the 55 minute mark, John was forced to break away from the battle with VanVurst and Burdette when the engine bogged coming out of turn 2 from fuel starvation, luckily there was enough fuel in the tank to make it around to the pits. Team 5X Racing’s pit was shared between John Adamczyk, Jim Blaidell and Chris Fulton, the stops were staggered to eliminate the threat of multiple cars pitting at the same time. With the pit crew help of Rick Adamczyk and Chris Fultons father-in-law Woody, we were able to perform a perfect 5 minute pit stop with refuel and ice refill in the cool shirt system. Once back out on track, John put the pedal down and hoped for mistakes either on the track or in the pits by VanVurst and Burdette. John was able to pass the Fowler/Bogart entry for position, which moved him to 3^rd place in class. Although he had an open track ahead, John was not able to regain the time lost when his engine bogged from fuel at the 55 minute mark to close the gap to VanVurst and Burdette, as they would go on to fight for the entire 90 minutes and not make a mistake costly enough to allow the 3 car battle to ensue once again. So after 90 minutes of mistake free racing, only an engine bog would keep John from the chance at victory in the 90 minute endurance race at Roebling Road. After all was said and done, John brought the #25 5X Racing Spec Miata home in 3^rd place! Not a bad result for our first enduro at Roebling Road and first enduro with a single driver completing the entire race without a driver change! Both Jim Blaisdell and Chris Fulton brought their cars home in one piece for solid finishes and a good knowledge of Roebling Road, the development on both of their cars will surely benefit from their experience in both 90 minute enduro’s completed on this 4^th of July race weekend!

So long for now, we will resume racing again in October. We will still be involved in our respective racing communities and plan to produce some very innovative spec miata parts and accessories with our extra time, so keep an eye on 5XRacing.com for new product announcements and specials!

Thanks for reading and following!

John Adamczyk

After racing a 1991 Mazda Miata in the Spec Miata class for the last 3 ½ years, I felt I needed even more seat time than I was getting during my race weekends to become truly “one with the car”, as many pro racing legends claim you must do to achieve automotive nirvana while driving. More seat time is not a problem in Florida, as there are track events and autocrosses going on every weekend of the year in various locations across the state. My problem with getting more seat time was the cost and time involved in participating in these various track events, as hauling a Spec Miata racecar with a Ford F-350 diesel, shelling out the entry fees, lodging, fuel, food, and miscellaneous expenses would most likely cost me the same amount, if not more money than I spend on a typical race weekend. In my opinion, if I am going to spend the same amount of money on a track day as I am a race weekend, I would rather have the competition from a race weekend despite the risk of car damage. So this left me with a question: “How do I get more seat time in a Miata without spending an excessive amount of money and time on non-competitive track days or autocross events?” The answer was quite simple, and it was to buy and daily drive a Miata on the street. I like to call it a “Spec Miata Trainer”, or in other words a Mazda Miata that closely resembles your race Miata in suspension, engine, and seating that you can daily drive so shifting, steering, braking, car dimensions, and power band realization become second nature and comfortable with you when you hop into your racecar. This is by no means a new idea or theory, many Spec Miata drivers out there daily drive Miatas for this very reason. It is obvious that driving the same car on the street as your race car everyday will make you more comfortable in your race car when you jump into it after a month or longer of not racing. This was my biggest issue when I jumped into my racecar after not being in a Miata for sometimes more than a couple of months, I was just plain rusty and not used to the car. So, consequently every race weekend I spent the better part of the first day just getting reacquainted to the Mazda Miata, which resulted in slower lap times and inconsistent car control skills. I was a regular Mustang GT driver for many years before I started racing Miatas, and Mustang GT’s are by no means comparable to a Miata in any way except that they have four wheels and are manual transmission, rear wheel drive cars. I could drive the wheels off of my Mustang, perform perfect heel/toe downshifts at any RPM every shift, control wheelspin in the rain, click off seamless upshifts one after another, and I could honestly say that I was “one with the car” because I drove it so much and knew it so well. So if I could do that in my Mustang, why couldn’t I do that in a Miata and take those skills to the track? The answer was “I could!”

So, my theory is: Driving a Miata everyday on the street for your daily commute to work, school, or whatever reason, WILL make you a better Spec Miata race driver by:

1. Allowing you to become comfortable with shifting the Miata transmission. This makes you less prone to lap time increasing missed shifts.
2. Giving you a better idea of how the brakes feel and allowing you to “smooth” out your application. This allows you to threshold brake and trail brake into turns with greater confidence.
3. Allowing you to practice proper heel/toe downshifting techniques in the same model of car that you race. This helps you to keep the balance of the car when downshifting into turns.
4. Giving you the ability to become comfortable with the car and its handling characteristics in wet weather or rain conditions. It’s not too often that you get to race in the rain, but when it does you will be light years ahead of the competition because you are already comfortable with a Miata in the rain.
5. Making you more aware of the dimensions of this smaller than normal car. This will help you with your race craft while passing or being passed. Knowing where the mirrors are allows you to see the cars behind you with your peripheral vision, which does not take your focus off of the track ahead.
6. Allow you to be more sensitive to the feel and sensitivity of the Miata steering system. This will also help you be smooth on the racetrack, which helps with the balance and traction capabilities of the car.
7. Give you a greater awareness of where the power band is on a Miata engine and how throttle application affects the balance of the car. This will train your ears to know where to shift to keep the engine in the power band and help you be smoother when applying power on corner exits.
8. Let you become comfortable with the distance of the controls. With the seat position, distance, and height the same your mind does not have to readjust to the new distances, which will add to the consistency and smoothness of your control operation.

Throughout this series I will explain how to build your own spec miata trainer for the street. There are a lot of cool, different things you can do to your street trainer that you cannot do to your spec miata racer. The addition of various aftermarket parts will help keep the build fun and interesting, as well as more streetable than your racecar would be on the street with its heavy duty parts designed for track use. The path that I will take in building my SM Trainer will be unique as I will try to source most of the parts from the cheapest sources available, such as: Craigslist, ebay, and the used classifieds market on several miata websites. Of course in building your own SM trainer, you can use new parts if desired, but most of the parts needed for the suspension can be found used from racers looking to get rid of some spares. Either way, the journey of building a spec miata trainer for the street will be a fun one, and I hope you find my article series interesting and resourceful.

Next Article: Building a Spec Miata Trainer: Part 2 “Choosing and Finding your Car”

Overview

Rounds 7 & 8 of the NASA Florida Spec Miata Challenge presented by 5X Racing were held at Sebring International Raceway on June 19^th-20^th 2010. The track might as well have been called “Searing” instead of Sebring as Florida’s famous summer season is getting into full swing and it was insanely hot! Ambient air temperatures were in the 90’s all weekend and most likely well over 100 degrees in the paddock with the blazing sun beating down on our helpless canopies and awnings. Some of the Spec Miata racers grabbed the open pit lane garage locations, which were much cooler than the grassy area and a benefit of racing with NASA as the SCCA does not allow the use of the garage areas. Some of the SM contingent was lucky to have their RV’s to save them from the heat, and the rest of us did not want to part from our trailers which are our mobile shops that contain all of the tools necessary to tune our Spec Miata’s. This was also going to be a fun weekend for many of the racing wives, as they were treated to rooms at the Chateau Elan which offered balcony views of the hairpin and the comfort of air conditioning while cheering on their husbands! This definitely made them happy, as they could drive back and forth to the hotel and paddock in between races and get out of the heat for a bit. As we all know, the extra money is worth it to keep these ladies happy, because a happy wife makes the race weekends go much smoother! The hotel was also the designated race headquarters; most everybody involved with the weekend was staying there and was also partying at the bar on Friday and Saturday night! Our most dedicated racers, such as Carey Atkinson, Eric Gebhardt, and Al Thomas were getting the most out of their race weekend by staying in their trailers and RV’s at the track overnight. These guys are the hardest of the hardcore racers, and know how to make the most out of their race season! Although they are hardcore, they did partake in the festivities by making an appearance at the hotel pool to hang out on Saturday night, but would not be swayed by an invitation for a drink as they wanted to make sure they did not lose focus for the racing on Sunday!

We had a lot of new faces join in the Spec Miata fun for our first visit to Sebring in the 2010 season; SCCA regulars: Al Thomas, Gary Frierson, and Charlie Lowrance gave NASA FL SMC a shot and NASA Thunder Group hot shots: Chris Burson, Denise Stubbs, and Bruce Byerly were all trying out their newly purchased Spec Miata’s. We were also proud to have Lucas Bize racing with us; our second graduate of the Mazda Teen Spec Miata Challenge program after Micheal Lliteras graduated at the last event. Lucas is also a graduate of the Skip Barber Racing School, a participant in the Skip Barber MX-5 Challenge, and of course the 14 year old brother of Dennis Bize, who is making headlines in SCCA National Racing this season after a stellar performance in the 2009 SCCA SARRC Championship. Lucas is definitely on the path to becoming a pro racer, as with Micheal Lliteras. These two young men are the future of our class and we will surely be seeing them on television one day, we should all be proud to have these guys training with us in our safe, courteous racing environment. As much as we love having these guys racing with us, we all know they are on their way to bigger races and we should all cheer them on as they advance in their careers. Well, onto the racing!

Round 7: Saturday June 19^th 2010

The biggest topic of the weekend was not the heat; it was the Spec Miata Challenge having the Lightning group all to themselves! Since the Spec Miata Challenge racers outnumbered all other racers combined, the change was made by NASA Race Officials to let the Spec Miata racers have their own group and absorb the remaining Lightning group cars into the Thunder group, as there was only a couple of them it was a way to balance out the two race groups with even numbers. Although it was fun to have our own group, we hope in the future the other race classes draw more competitors as it will help keep the entry fees lower.

Keeping with the format of the 2010 NASA FL SMC season, we had our shakedown practice session on Saturday morning. This is always a nice benefit of racing with NASA FL, as jumping into your racecar after a month or so of not driving a Miata is a little stressful, especially if you have to set a qualifying time! Sebring is the home track to many of our racers, such as: Jim Blaisdell, Carey Atkinson, Al Thomas, Gary Frierson, and John Adamczyk. These racers have put in countless laps at Sebring and would all look strong in the practice session. Other racers were either getting used to the track again, or visiting it for their first time. Rick Adamczyk, Tim Allen, David Pazdur, Bruce Byerly, and Denise Stubbs were all getting back up to speed at the 18 turn 3.5 mile track. Over the course of their weekend these racers would improve their fastest laps by several seconds! Eric Gebhart was visiting Sebring for his first time, 18 turns and the rough surface are all hard things to get used to, but in typical fashion Eric was up to speed right away and would be at the front of the field for the race.

The timing computer gremlins attacked for our qualifying session and we had to be manually timed. After it was all sorted out, 5X Racing Team Driver Jim Blaisdell put his #65 car on pole! This was a first for Jim and he was very excited to have the opportunity to start from pole at his home track which is also his favorite. John Adamczyk would start on the front row with Jim, as the two worked together in qualifying to help the low horsepower Miata’s get down the long strait-a-ways! Unfortunately since there was not time sheet printed out, I am not sure of the rest of the starting order. It really didn’t matter, as the 7 rows of cars lining up for the green flag would only be separated by a few seconds.

With first time pole sitter Jim Blaisdell leading the pack of Spec Miata’s around turn 18 onto the strait-a-way, the tension was high for the drop of the green flag starting Round 7 of the NASA FL Spec Miata Challenge. Jim had a picture perfect start, and going into turn one John Adamczyk slotted in behind the #65 car going into the turn 2-3-4 complex. The pack was breathing down the #25 car’s rear bumper as the group made its first couple of laps. John Adamczyk was drafting the #65 down the back strait trying to get his team mate out to a comfortable lead, but the top five racers behind us had other ideas. After a couple of laps, John Adamczyk saw an opportunity to make a move through turn 17-18 to take the lead and pull the #65 car in his draft in an attempt to get both 5XR Team cars a podium finish, but in typical NASA FL SMC fashion the top five cars were right there to not let that happen! Jim Blaisdell ended up in a fight for his life by the time the pack reached the hairpin, as the wives watched from the balconies they were treated to 3-4 car wide racing going through the tightest turn on the track! The #25 car opened up a several second lead, but Al Thomas fought his way through the top five to make sure John’s mirrors were filled with black and blue! Carey Atkinson found himself in a battle with Gary Frierson, American Iron racer Bruce Byerly, and Jim Blaisdell for 3^rd place. Carey’s most memorable moment from Round 7’s race was he called an “overzealous” move to take the 3^rd position from Gary Frierson, as he drifted by Frierson narrowly missing him only to have Frierson counter the pass in the next corner! Although Atkinson lost out on 3^rd position, the wild ride he took resulted in the fastest lap of the race for him! For that he will be awarded the 5X Racing Cool Move of the Race Award, which was last awarded to Eric Gebhardt for full lock drifting his car through turn 9 at a rain soaked Homestead race in January, all while keeping the lead and eventually winning the race! Carey will be awarded a 5XR Grip Plate Miata Floorpan for his triumphs, or $40 store credit at 5X Racing’s Spec Miata Online Race Shop: www.5xracing.com. Congratulations to Carey and 5X Racing is proud to award him for an amazing lap! Although Carey obtained fastest lap, he did not do so by much. Bruce Byerly was only 1/100^th of a second off of Carey’s fast lap, which is an amazing display of driving talent for Bruce considering it is his first time racing a Spec Miata! While the action was hot for 3^rd place, there were battles going on right on down the order as Tim Allen and Rick Adamczyk were fighting to catch up with Spec Miata first timer Denise Stubbs in 9^th place. Tim Allen was making his return to Sebring after 15 months and said he “had to remember his Skip Barber training” to keep 5X Racing Team Driver Rick Adamczyk behind him! Luckily the Skip Barber training paid off as Tim was able to keep his perfect looking yellow #59 1.8 Spec Miata in front of Rick Adamczyk’s perfect looking gray #44 1.8 5X Racing built Spec Miata. 5X Racing Team Driver Eric Gebhardt was having shifting troubles for the second consecutive race, this problem ruined Eric’s race for the last round and even after replacing most of his clutch’s hydraulic system the problem reemerged at Sebring in Saturdays race. Despite not having the use of a clutch for shifting, Eric was able to muscle his #37 Miata around the track for the first half of the race, but eventually a clutchless downshift caused a spin for Eric which dropped him out of the fight for 3^rd place. Although Eric salvaged a 7^th place finish, but unfortunately Eric felt it was best to retire the #37 car for the rest of the weekend to avoid further damage. Luckily there is a two month summer break in progress from the Challenge and Eric should have time to figure out what’s bugging his clutch system before the next race at PBIR in September. Manny Ferro also found car trouble as he suffered a puncture to his tire and had to retire his #369 Spec Miata. Fortunately Jimmy Platis at Performance Tread was able to set him up with a new Toyo RA-1 tire for Sunday’s race. After the checkered flag waved for Round 7 of the NASA FL Spec Miata Challenge, this is how the results looked after all cars passed a rigorous tech inspection that included: weight checks, restrictor plate checks, and a hoods up policy for all racers.

Click here to see Round 7's final race results

Round 8: Sunday June 20^th 2010

Sunday brought a couple of new drivers into the event with the shared cars of several SMC racers. Chris Burson would be taking over the #16 car from Denise Stubbs and Charlie Lowrance would be taking over the #151 car from Gary Frierson. These drivers would get a chance to become acclimated in their cars during the combined Lightning/Thunder practice session Sunday morning. Going into qualifying on Sunday, the thought of rain was in everybody’s mind. The weather outlook was saying “rain” and the clouds building up were not looking to dry. Qualifying for Round 8 was to turn out a little different than for Round 7 as Chris Burson showed his driving skills and nabbed the 2^nd starting spot next to pole sitter John Adamczyk. Bruce Byerly got more comfortable and took 3^rd place, as well as Lucas Bize did by putting in a great effort and showing everyone that he was taking it easy on Saturday when he captured the 5^th starting spot right behind satrudays fastest lapper Carey Atkinson. Jim Blaisdell and Al Thomas followed, despite Thomas having a spin going into turn 10 early into the qualifying session. Charlie Lowrance brought the #151 into the pits in 8^th place at a 2:47.4, which was separated the top 7 cars by less than 2 seconds! Tim Allen, Rick Adamczyk, David Pazdur, and Manny Ferro rounded out the field.

With the skies darkening and the wind gusts picking up, the thought of rain turned into the threat of rain. Fittingly, there was even lightning in the distance as the Lightning group made its pace lap! Everyone made a gut decision and went with dry tires, and luckily the rain held off as the worries set in heavily when drops starting dotting our windshields on the grid. Rounding turns 17 and 18 and onto the front strait, the green flag dropped and Bruce Byerly was shot out of a cannon from a 3^rd place starting position and quickly jumped the #25 car to take the lead into turn 1! Always willing to do battle, John Adamczyk went two cars wide on the outside into turn 1 with Bruce and pulled slightly ahead and retaking the lead going into turn 2, showing that the NASA FL SMC drivers are top notch with racecraft and courteous to their fellow drivers. The first several laps were made up of a tight group of beautiful looking Spec Miata racecars, which made good photo opportunities for the wives in the Chateau Elan balconies! As the battles sectioned out, the battle for the lead was heating up as Bruce Byerly was right on John Adamczyk’s rear bumper for several laps. Eventually Byerly caught the #25 car going into the hairpin and locked up the brakes on his #12 Miata, which caused him to bump into the #25 car. Both Miata’s and their drivers showed their strength and skill by keeping themselves in one piece through the turn. After the bump, Byerly seemed to back off the pressure a bit and stay in the draft of the #25 car, the two would finish in this order. 3^rd place was being owned by Lucas Bize, our 14 year old Mazda Teen Challenge Driver! Lucas would follow Adamczyk and Byerly to a fantastic podium finish and cap off a great weekend! Lucas will make a great Spec Miata racer as he handles his car like a veteran; racing against him one would never know that the driver does not even qualify to have a street driver’s license! The battle once again raged, but this time for 4^th place, as Carey Atkinson, Jim Blaisdell, and Al Thomas tested each others might through the course of the race. Atkinson was able to capitalize on a missed shift by Burson at the start, but had a rear window full of black, white, and blue as Blaisdell and Thomas battled each other for a chance at Atkinson’s 4^th place position. The duo would catch Atkinson through Bishops bend and turns 14-15, and with Thomas getting passed Blaisdell, he attempted an skillfully intense, “so close they almost hit” pass on Atkinson into the hairpin. Both cars came through unscathed and Atkinson was able to hold off a surging Thomas for the remainder of the race. Tim Allen in the yellow #59 traded his foe Rick Adamczyk in for Charlie Lowrance in the #151 for Sunday’s race. Lowrance was able to best Allen and eventually claim the 7^th position at the line. With the rain clouds about to let loose, the checked flag flew and the top 4 cars quickly reported to impound. All cars passed the weight check and post race impound to secure their finishing positions, and promptly packed the cars away before the storms arrived! When all was said and done, the finishing order was slated as follows:

Click here to see Round 8's Race Results

Another great, incident free weekend in the NASA Florida Spec Miata Challenge presented by 5X Racing! We are making great progress towards having an awesome, fun, personalized and professionally run series being grown right here in the grassroots of Florida. We really hope that all of our current dedicated racers, new racers, and future racers keep supporting this series and keep coming back to fill our grids.

Thanks as always for supporting NASA FL and 5X Racing!

John Adamczyk

Rounds 5 & 6 of the NASA Florida Spec Miata Challenge presented by 5X Racing brought the series back to the infield road course of Homestead-Miami Speedway deep in the everglades of South Florida. The summer weather of Florida has been moving in lately, and luckily the weekend of May 22^nd-23^rd was not as hot as expected. Temperatures were in the mid to high 80’s during the day, so track surface temps were hot, but the nice covered NASCAR garages kept everyone cool enough to enjoy themselves in the designated Spec Miata racers paddock area.  We had several racers come back and race with us from the previous race at PBIR in April, the support for our new series has been great and it seems like everyone that has raced with us so far has had a great time. We hope that everyone who had raced with us in the previous rounds will let their friends know how good of a time they have at NASA FL SMC races; we could always use more fun loving, good natured grassroots racers to get our car counts higher and ensure that we earn all of the contingency that is available to us. Although we want to get our car counts higher, we also want to keep the integrity of the series by NOT recruiting racers that are: looking to “win at all costs” by using rough driving techniques, obvious cheaters, erratic or dangerous drivers, temperamental or whiny, or the type of person that is too focused on the competition aspect of Spec Miata rather than having a good time and making friends. Everyone in our series is now friends with each other and we want to keep this trend going, so if you have a racing friend that meets our criteria please direct him towards our series!

We had a nice comfortable car count of 10 cars for Rounds 5 & 6; this allowed plenty of space for safe starts and contact free racing all weekend. There were plenty of enough cars to qualify for Toyo Bucks contingency as the top 5 finishers in each race would be awarded credit towards the purchase of their next set of Toyo tires! But the big news of the weekend would be young Michael Lliteras Jr in his quest to earn his racing license to gain passage into the NASA/Mazda Teen Spec Miata Championship. Mike has been working his way up through the HPDE ranks within NASA FL for the past couple of months, and this race weekend would be the last HPDE requirement for Mike before he started racing in the Spec Miata class. All Mike had to do was show the race director that he was track safe in his Spec Miata while in HPDE and pass a written test to ensure he knew the rules, after completion of these required things he would be racing with us in Round 6 on Sunday! The entire Spec Miata paddock was helping Mike all weekend to ensure he was ready to start racing with us, although we didn’t tell him, we all knew he was ready!

With the NASA FL race weekend format catering to the Lightning group which includes the SMC class, the first race session of the day would be a 15 minute practice to “get the cobwebs out”. There is not a racer out there that can say they prefer NOT to have a practice session before qualifying, as not having the pressure of posting a fast qualifying lap in your first session on the track is a BIG relief. Although the practice session was timed, it is never a good indication of what to expect as far as results go for the weekend. Most racers are just feeling out the track for the first time, warming up old tires, bedding in new brake pads, or experimenting with race lines, or set-ups and tire pressures. The standouts in practice were the veterans of Homestead Speedway that had a feel for the track layout and had worked on their setup in previous races. John Adamczyk, CP Denis, Eric Gebhardt, Carey Atkinson, and Jim Blaisdell all looked strong in practice, but qualifying would be the real gauge on how fast everyone really was.

The 11am qualifying time was perfect for posting fast laps, the track was dry and the temps were still cool. Everyone had a feel for their cars and made the necessary adjustments to their racecars in an effort to qualify on the top of the time sheets. Turn 10 at Homestead Speedways “short” configuration would be the variable that separated the top couple of cars in terms of lap times. Turn 10 is one of those famous “pucker factor” turns that is taken flat out by only the bravest of racers, if it is not taken flat out there is considerable lap time to be lost by not doing so. The top 3 cars in qualifying would land themselves on the top end of the timesheets by hanging it all out through turn 10 in this session, as the lap times were separated by about two seconds a lap from 3^rd to 4^th place. After the 20 minute qualifying session drew to a close, the start of Round 5 of the NASA Florida Spec Miata Challenge would look like this:

1. John Adamczyk - 1.6 Miata (1:50.591)
2. CP Denis - 99 Miata
3. Eric Gebhardt - 1.6 Miata
4. Carey Atkinson – 1.6 Miata
5. Jim Blaisdell – 1.8 Miata
6. Paul McLester – 1.6 Miata
7. Mitch Taylor – 1.6 Miata
8. Manny Ferro – 1.8 Miata
9. Rick Adamczyk – 1.8 Miata

Saturday’s Round 5 SMC race was filled with action, thrills, and heartbreak. It would also turn out to be one of the best and hardest fought races in both John Adamczyk’s and Eric Gebhardt’s racing careers! When the green flag dropped for race one, the top 3 cars driven by: John Adamczyk, CP Denis, and Eric Gebhardt battled hard for position in the early laps. Gebhardt passed Denis for second place early in the race and set his sights on John Adamczyk in first, and before long Gebhardt had reeled in the #25 first place car of Adamczyk and began putting the pressure on. With both cars on very old and brittle tires, the cars were loose and both drivers seemed like they were driving over their heads, but were very much in control of their cars. Eventually the #37 car driven by Eric Gebhardt made the pass for first place, only to have the position taken back in the hairpin the following lap when he made an error and oversteered on corner exit. Adamczyk resumed the lead followed closely by Gebhardt as they closed in on traffic. The first group to be passed by the leaders was the BMW E30’s, which are not an easy task for the small Miata. The E30’s are faster in the straits and slower in the turns, which make passing a calculated tactical affair. As Adamczyk and Gebhardt battled for the lead and CP Denis comfortably in 3^rd, the race for 4^th was heating up. Jim Blaisdell and Carey Atkinson battled closely for the position for most of the race, and eventually Atkinson took the position for good when Blaisdell got a bit too loose around the turn 4 bowl area. CP Denis and Manny Ferro were running good races but unfortunately miscalculated their fuel mileage and had to park their cars in the garage. Homestead is notorious for excessive fuel consumption; many racers have had podium finishes given to the guy behind them because they were too low on fuel. CP and Manny were just more names to add to the list, which includes: John Adamczyk, Rick Adamczyk, Jim Blaisdell, and more who have previously ran out and had to retire. Meanwhile, the battle for 1^st between Adamczyk and Gebhardt was settling down only to get heated again, as they were working together and gaining ground on the Porsche 944 cars. The duo came up to a very lonely pink Porsche 944 that felt as if he had a grudge match with the leaders of Spec Miata. While severely interfering with the battle for the lead in Spec Miata, the 944 got passed in the turns and then fought back to pass the Miata’s again on the back strait, which really made strategy an important part in how the SM race was to turn out. About ¾’s of the way through the race John Adamczyk passed the pink 944, which trapped Gebhardt into fighting with the 944 directly. Although the 944 should have let the leaders fight their own battle, Adamczyk used this act of ignorance by the 944 driver as an escape plan and put a little bit of distance between himself and Gebhardt. When Gebhardt finally outsmarted the 944 it was too late to catch up and the checkered flag flew shortly after. Another incident free Spec Miata Challenge race and one of the best races this club has ever witnessed! After the results were in, this is how the Spec Miata field turned out:

1. John Adamczyk
2. Eric Gebhardt (fastest SM lap 1:50.491)
3. Carey Atkinson
4. Jim Blaisdell
5. Paul McLester
6. Mitch Taylor
7. Rick Adamczyk
8. CP Denis
9. Manny Ferro

After the racing concluded for the day everyone headed over to the awards ceremony and party. This events party was sponsored by NASA FL SMC racer Lindsey Jarrell and his company Jarrell and Associates. Unfortunately Lindsey had a last minute work requirement that made him unable to attend the races, but his generosity was greatly appreciated by all of the racers and event organizers. As usual, all of the Spec Miata Challenge racers grouped together for pizza and some beers to laugh and rehash the days on track activities. The NASA awards ceremony is a gratifying experience for all involved in the racing and time trials, as the podium finishers are awarded their trophies by the event staff and applauded by their fellow racers. It always feels good to be rewarded for all of your hard work and preparation, and sometimes just being handed a plaque doesn’t cut it. NASA FL makes sure the racers are happy when they are on track as well as off track with presented awards and a fun social event. SMC racer Carey Atkinson was especially pleased to take home a 3^rd place trophy, his hard work and experience paid off for him in Round 5 and he also netted a cool $75 towards new Toyo Tires!

Sunday brought another sunny day and an addition to the Spec Miata Challenge in the name of Michael Lliteras Jr, the 13 year old kart racer turned 2010 NASA Spec Miata Mazda Teen Challenge driver. Michaels racing career is moving from karts to Spec Miata racing, and NASA’s Teen Challenge is the perfect series for young kart racers to move onto the next racing step in the world of sportscar racing. Michael was instructed to “keep it clean and take it easy” by Pat the race director and Spec Miata Director John Adamczyk. The most important task for Mike was to not get involved in any incidents, as well as show everyone he is a standout driver and ready for wheel to wheel action in Spec Miata, one of the most competitive classes in the world!

Qualifying for Round 6 went smoothly except for the unfortunate transmission failure in Micheal Lliteras’ car. While following John Adamczyk in the late stages of the qualifying session, Mike suddenly pulled off track in the horseshoe with obvious car troubles. It wasn’t until after the session when he had to be towed in that we realized his transmission had failed. Fortunately Mike Sr was able to source a replacement transmission in Pompano Beach, over an hour away. In a great display of camaraderie, all of the SMC racers joined together to remove the transmission from Mike’s car in anticipation of the replacements arrival. When the replacement transmission arrived, there was less than an hour to the start of the Round 6 SMC race. While everyone pitched in, Eric Gebhardt and Carey Atkinson sacrificed their stress free weekend by performing the bulk of the heavy work. Eric and Carey worked fast and hard to get Mike out on track for his first and important Spec Miata race. It was imperative that Mike complete this race due to the license he needed to acquire in order to race in the first round of the Mazda NASA Teen Spec Miata Challenge at Road Atlanta. In a great effort, his transmission was replaced and he was ready to race with just 10 minutes to spare! Eric and Carey deserve to be acknowledged for their hard work, as well as everyone else involved. So here’s a big THANKS to everyone that helped get Mike Jr out on track and proving the theory that the friendships and camaraderie that come with NASA FL SMC racing are far more important than any trophy or first place finish! This act of camaraderie was performed free of charge by good people just wanting everyone to have fun, and most of all not see someone’s weekend get ruined because of a parts failure. This job would have most likely cost several hundred dollars by a professional shop, but the good people of the NASA FL SMC were happy to help a fellow racer in need. Despite the transmission replacement, there was a new grid formed for Round 6 of the SMC. Here is how the timesheets looked for qualifying:

1. John Adamczyk (1:49.960)
2. CP Denis
3. Eric Gebhardt
4. Michael Lliteras (would start from the back for learning purposes)
5. Jim Blaisdell
6. Carey Atkinson
7. Paul McLester
8. Rick Adamczyk
9. Manny Ferro
10. Mitch Taylor

Round 6 of the NASA FL SMC presented by 5X Racing would see the Spec Miata group starting first in the Lightning group to avoid the possibility of lapped drivers interfering with the leaders, as was the case in Saturday’s race. Mike Lliteras performed well in his first qualifying session, taking the 4^th spot over some very experienced drivers. Much to Mike’s dismay, it was pre-arranged that he would be starting from the back of the pack to learn how the pre race grid, pace lap, and start of the race worked. He was encouraged to “take it easy” for the first lap and let the racers ahead sort out their positions before he got involved. He did a great job and performed above and beyond our high expectations! We wish him luck in his Teen Challenge; we are proud of him and hope he represents the NASA FL SMC well! With new tires on his car, John Adamczyk built a comfortable lead because of the new found trust in his race cars handling. Eric Gebhardt battled with CP Denis for 2^nd again until he lost clutch pressure in his #37 1.6 Spec Miata, Gebhardt would “rev match” shift with no clutch between 3^rd and 4^th gear for the rest of the race and eventually grind his car home in an impressive 5^th place despite the trouble. CP Denis put enough fuel in his 99 Miata this race and cruised to an awesome 2^nd place finish along with $100 Toyo Bucks, congrats to CP for this great result! Carey Atkinson would battle with Jim Blaisdell again for 3^rd place, and despite Jim’s best efforts Carey would take home another 3^rd place finish earning another $75 in Toyo Bucks! Jim Blaisdell drove his Black and White 5X Racing sponsored #65 car home to an honorable 4^th place finish, earning $50 in Toyo Bucks for his efforts. Despite having shifting difficulties with his replacement transmission, Mike Lliteras came home in 6^th place behind Eric Gebhardt who was also having trouble shifting. Paul McLester had a Porsche 944 spin directly in front of him going into the turn 4 bowl, which caused McLester to take evasive action to avoid the 944. Although he tried to avoid the spun 944, the Porsche driver did not heed to the “both feet in” philosophy when spinning and rolled right in front of Paul and light contact was made. Paul’s Miata was fine, but the 944 suffered rear suspension damage from the contact. Using caution, Paul nursed his car home to finish safely and able to drive it onto the trailer with no damage, which is the most important thing in most racers opinion. Spec Miata newcomers Mitch Taylor, Manny Ferro, and Rick Adamczyk would battle for 7^th spot, with Taylor coming out on top followed by Ferro and Adamczyk. What a great job by all participants of the NASA Florida Spec Miata Challenge, everyone should be proud to come home with a clean car and good memories of a fun race weekend. After the time sheets rolled in, here is how the final results looked for Round 6 of the SMC:

1. John Adamczyk (fastest SM lap 1:51.040)
2. CP Denis
3. Carey Atkinson
4. Jim Blaisdell
5. Eric Gebhardt
6. Michael Lliteras
7. Mitch Taylor
8. Manny Ferro
9. Rick Adamczyk
10. Paul McLester

We hope you join us for Rounds 7 & 8 of the NASA Florida Spec Miata Challenge presented by 5X Racing at historic Sebring International Raceway on June 19-20 2010. Thanks for reading and if you would like to race with us or help us in running the Spec Miata Challenge please contact John Adamczyk by email at: john@5xracing.com

The NASA FL Spec Miata Challenge presented by 5X Racing visited Palm Beach International Raceway for rounds 3 & 4 of the 2010 championship season on April 24-25 2010. The field was the biggest ever for a NASA FL SMC race, there were 15 Spec Miata’s registered for the weekend and a lot of new faces to NASA Racing in Florida. The excitement was high as most of the field was participating in their first NASA Spec Miata Challenge race, and after all the dust settled from our special paddock location, or “Spec Miata Corral”, we were ready to hit the track!

Saturday morning, after the informative drivers meeting from the NASA race directors, we had a special racers only meeting where the drivers were briefed on what to expect on track and what race control expected of us. As always, Race Director Larry was informative and clear about what the rules were and how the races would be run. Spec Miata was to have their own split start behind the other cars in our group; this would be perfect as there would not be any other class of race cars getting mixed up with the SM class during the critical first couple of laps. Shortly after the racers meeting the Lightning group (what the group is named that contains the smaller bore car classes, such as spec miata and spec E30) was scheduled to hit the track for a 15 minute practice session. One of the advantages of racing with NASA Florida SMC is that you get a quick, timed practice session before you have to go out and qualify. This may seem standard to most race weekends, but it is not always this way. Sometimes in other race events there is not always a practice session, and you are forced to go out and qualify with a unproven fresh car, along with the drivers being a bit rusty and unfamiliar with the track in most cases. In NASA FL events, the track time is plentiful which allows for enough time to allow for a 15 minute practice session. Any racer that has had to go out on track for the first time and tries to put up a fantastic qualifying lap without “getting the rust out” knows how important this practice session is. While designing the 2010 season format, John Adamczyk the SMC director for NASA FL, worked with NASA FL directors to ensure this practice session was included in the race weekend. It goes without saying that after two races with this format it is working well, everyone seemed to enjoy the no pressure atmosphere of not having to qualify the first time your wheels hit the track!

The Saturday morning practice went well, the racers that were new to the track became acclimated to the layout and the racers that were familiar with the track were able to dial in their cars and experiment with their lines. The newer track surface is really starting to come in nicely, the track has a lot of grip and lucky for the Spec Miata racers older harder tires work well on this type of track surface, unlike the older less grippier pavements of Sebring and Daytona where new tires are the best choice. Some of the SMC racers were using up their remaining Toyo R888 tires, which are still allowed to be used until after the next event when they are phased out of Spec Miata competition use and the Toyo RA-1 tire is the only spec tire once again. Chris Fulton debuted his brand new orange and gray BSI built 1999 Spec Miata and George Munson returned to racing with his silver and blue 1.6 car. Both guys were fast as always and PBIR is one track they know well, especially Chris Fulton who is normally in a 1.6 car, but chose to shake down his new 99 at this race. The times of the top 5 cars were close, with John Adamczyk topping the list followed closely by Chris Fulton and George Munson. Practice is always a bit misleading though, as some racers drive to the limit and others take it easy, only qualifying would tell who was going to be fighting for a podium finish this weekend!

Qualifying for the 3^rd round of the NASA FL SMC would look much the same way as practice, with the veterans of PBIR claiming the top 4 positions and PBIR newcomer and 5X Racing Team Driver Eric Gebhardt grabbing the 5^th starting spot. Carey Atkinson was thrilled to qualify 4^th for the race, he said “it was my best starting position ever!” and was looking forward to the race. George Munson was nipped by Chris Fulton in his 99 for the 2^nd qualifying spot, so George would be starting 3^rd on row two behind John Adamczyk in 1^st.

The feature race of the day and the one that was definitely the most anticipated of the event was the Saturday afternoon Spec Miata Challenge Race. With 13 equally prepared spec miata racecars battling for 30 minutes, it was going to be a fun race to watch for the spectators! The Lightning group went out on track at 1:50 pm and the skies were clear as was the temperatures hot, probably in the upper to mid eighties. Tire degradation would be the deciding factor and whoever could make their tires last the longest and not overheat them would have the greatest chance in winning. The spec miata field was the second group of cars in the split start, the field was packed tight and coming around the last turn onto the strait-a-way the nerves were running high as the cars in the 2^nd and 3^rd rows bunched up and were bumping each other like a freight train! The green flag waved and the pack took off into the sketchy turn 1 & 2 chicane complex, which is way too tight for a field full of small cars to go into all bunched together. Somehow everyone made it through unscathed and after the mayhem got sorted out John Adamczyk was in the lead followed by George Munson and Chris Fulton. On lap two Eric Gebhardt got into the marbles while being passed by Gary Jenkins, which made the car too loose for his tires grip and spun in the chicane, unfortunately bumping Gary Jenkins left rear wheel which caused him to spin as well. Both drivers recovered and went on the finish the race, but I am sure they had lost a lot of ground to the lead cars after the incident. As Chris Fulton and George Munson battled fiercely for second place, John Adamczyk was able to pull away and concentrate on not making any errors and conserving his tires, which allowed him to take the flag to flag win from pole position. When the checkered flag dropped, George Munson led Chris Fulton across the line to round out the podium. The top 4 cars passed the post race impound check and weight check to claim their finishing positions. Here is how the final standings looked:

1. John Adamczyk
2. George Munson
3. Chris Fulton
4. Eric Gebhardt
5. Carey Atkinson
6. Timothy Allen
7. Rick Adamczyk
8. Jim Blaisdell
9. Paul McLester
10. David Pazdur
11. Mitch Taylor
12. Manny Ferro
13. Gary Jenkins (DNF)

The drivers who had accidently made contact with other cars were questioned by race control and all was determined to be racing incidents, meaning there was not any malicious activity and all contact was accidental. Additionally, the drivers involved were encouraged to help the fellow drivers they made contact with repair and check their cars. Chris Fultons new 99 had a rear bumper corner cosmetically pushed in that was quickly repaired by his crew and other drivers, and Gary Jenkins car was checked for correct rear alignment as best as it could be at the track. While the alignment was just a bit off, Gary chose to play it safe and wait till he got to the comfort of his shop at home to fix the car properly. After the on track activity had concluded, NASA FL put on the Awards Ceremony and Social Event where beer and pizza provided by 5X Racing was served. Ironically, most of the Spec Miata drivers were so involved with helping each other with their cars for Sundays event they arrived late to their own awards presentation! Regardless, there was plenty of beer and pizza left over and the top 3 finishers received their cool trophies. As always there was race stories being traded and laughs being had by all! Surprisingly the on track action picked up again after the social event in the form of a Spec Miata driver kart race at the PBIR arrive and drive kart track! Several SMC drivers including: John Adamczk, Jim Blaisdell, Chris Fulton, Carey Atkinson, Paul Mclester, Eric Gebhardt, Michael Lliteras, and a bunch of spectators (including the driver’s friends and family) watched the kart action get down and dirty! 13 year old kart racing standout and future NASA Mazda Teen Spec Miata Challenge driver Michael Lliteras was so fast he had to wait up for the spec miata guys on the kart track, he eventually found his closest match and settled into a heated dogfight with Eric Gebhardt. This kid is fast and is going to be a great addition to the Spec Miata community!

Sunday brought the threat of rain, much to the excitement of Eric Gebhardt who dominated the rain soaked SMC Round 1 race at Homestead/Miami Speedway in January. With the priority scheduling of the Lightning group, it made the late chance of rain a distant worry for most, as the Spec Miata race would be finished around 2pm. One of the many things NASA FL did to cater to Spec Miata racers is schedule the Lightning group as the first race group after lunch so everyone could pack up their race rigs and get home at a decent hour. This is such a nice thing to have, as there is nothing worse than leaving a track a couple hours away from home at 5pm knowing you have to go to work in the morning.

Qualifying for Sundays Round 4 of the NASA FL SMC presented by 5X Racing went off without a hitch; everybody had their sights on setting a top time for the afternoon race. John Adamczyk, winner of Saturdays Round 3 race discovered a brake pad problem right before the qualifying session while changing tires. His Carbotech brakes work so well that he didn’t even realize that they were almost gone! Luckily fellow racer Chris Fulton had a spare set of used Carbotech pads from his 1.6 racecar to lend John, who had just sold his new set that he brings to the track for customers. John quickly changed his brake pads before the session started only to figure out that the key to his #25 5X Racing Spec Miata was missing! Luckily John was able to locate the key and get out for a couple of laps of qualifying. Apparently the increased adrenaline helped John go faster, as he posted a weekend best Spec Miata laptime in the 1:35’s to grab his second consecutive pole position. George Munson swapped positions with Chris Fulton to round out the top 3, and Carey Atkinson and Eric Gebhardt were slated to start 3^rd and 4^th. Spec Miata first timer and former Porsche racer Lindsey Jarrell had a great first outing and showed that he will soon be a force to be reckoned with in Spec Miata. Paul McLester, Tim Allen, David Pazdur, Mitch Taylor backed up their solid performances from the previous day by knocking a couple of seconds off their lap times. Rick Adamczyk and Jim Blaisdell also had strong qualifying efforts as they did in the previous day despite both chasing cooling and electrical gremlins.

With the table set for Round 4 of the NASA FL SMC presented by 5X Racing, the drivers gridded their cars in the hot pre-summer Florida sun in anticipation of the 35 minute race. A couple of drivers made some setup changes to try and perfect their handling. Eric Gebhardt totally went through his alignment settings for the first time (yes, he has never even looked at his alignment) and found that he had some room for improvement in his car. John Adamczyk and Jim Blaisdell fine tuned and verified their alignment settings with the hopes shaving off that precious little bit of lap time. When the green flag flew for Round 4 of the SMC John Adamczyk went into turn 1 first followed by George Munson and Chris Fulton. The start was clean and tidy, no spins, and maybe a tire donut or two in the tight chicane complex. The race was close at the front for the first quarter, John was chased by George and Chris, but eventually Chris started losing his tires as the track temps rose and the cars started to push around turns, searching for grip. Eric Gebhardt’s new setup seemed to work for him; he eventually caught Chris Fulton and took 3^rd position, where he would stay for the remainder of the race. Tim Allen had an unfortunate event when his hood came unlatched and blinded his view for a minute, the corner workers were quick to help him get back out on track and he finished the race in one piece. Lindsey Jarrell stood his ground and finished strong in his ICT Motorsports rental; Paul McLester and Jim Blaisdell had a good battle as well, both finished the race and their cars lived to race another race without any dents or damage. Carey Atkinson finished a strong 5^th place behind Chris Fulton, and was equally excited to receive his two Toyo Tires credits for finishing in the top 5 in the weekends two races.  As the top 4 cars reported to impound, the hoods went up and the competitors looked over each other’s cars to ensure the vehicles were compliant, which of course they were. The cars were once again proven equal when the timesheet was printed out, the top 4 cars all recorded best lap times in the 1:36 range! This is as equal as it gets, and just the way Spec Miata racing should be. The final results of Sundays Round 4 of the NASA FL SMC presented by 5X Racing was:

1. John Adamczyk
2. George Munson
3. Eric Gebhardt
4. Chris Fulton
5. Carey Atkinson
6. Lindsey Jarrell
7. Paul McLester
8. Jim Blaisdell
9. Rick Adamczyk
10. David Pazdur
11. Mitch Taylor
12. Manny Ferro
13. Tim Allen
14. Gary Jenkins (DNS)

What a great weekend of racing from PBIR, the on track action was intense but clean, and everyone went home with their cars in one piece, which is hard to say at any other Spec Miata race. Rounds 5 & 6 are going to be held on May 22^th and 23^th at Homestead/Miami Speedway, please join us if you are a Spec Miata racer or fan. And if you are looking for clean, fast, and fun racing, as well as camaraderie from your fellow racers the NASA Florida Spec Miata Challenge is where you will find it!