Summit Point, Shenandoah Circuit. A twisty technical track that can frustrate higher horsepower cars, so it makes a great Miata track. Not a lot of runoff room though. If you go off, you're probably gonna bend some sheet metal. The event only had one serious bit of carnage on the weekend, when an instructor crashed his Miata because he took the Karussel (scale replica of part of the Nurburgring) too fast and got shot out of it into a concrete wall. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/shiner.gif" alt="" />

I put one of my laps up on youtube.
LINKY
I need a video camera that has a mic input (so I can remote mount it to get rid of the wind noise) and that won't cost me my first born. Nothing that records to DVD or a hard disk, due to the environment it will see. Flash memory is preferable, and hi-def resolution is a plus. Any of you shutterbugs have any suggestions?

Cool video.

Looks like fun.

I liked the "spot" at the end.
<img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" />

Great fun!! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" /> Nice and smooth. I thought that was your exhaust note at the beginning! Do you have to have a roll bar for that kind of event?

I see you've got the heat on too <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> Top down with the heat on is fun <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Looks like you had a blast! What kinda speeds were you reaching? <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />

Also...is it a targa or a drop top, and why was it down?removed? I guess if you are not actually in a race it really doesn't matter huh?...but talk about ruining your drag coefficient. Not to mention it would dramatically cut down the wind noise having the top on.

looks like a ton of fun. Want to do that at some point with my S4 especially being so close to both Laguna Seca and Infineon (former Sears Point) Raceway.

I assume this was with a Miata club you're a member of? I was going to join one of two local Audi clubs here also.

Nice lines. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />

It's a regular drop top. I don't know about ScottFW, but I always used to do autocrosses with the top down, unless it was raining hard. I always felt I had better visibility. The rear-side view is blocked with the top up, which doesn't really matter for autocross, but it would on track. I also used to turn the rear view mirror end on for better visibility. Not a good idea on track though.

You are right about drag, but it's more fun with the top down. Let's face it, the speeds aren't exactly supersonic <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />

The exhaust you hear at the beginning was not mine, it was the Miata that was in front of me. Mine still has the stock exhaust, which is difficult to hear with the wind noise. On laps where there's not a louder car in front of me, you can hear it when driving right next to that concrete wall in front of the pits, but otherwise the camera didn't really pick it up.

The car is just a soft-top convertible, and generally you're supposed to run those top-down on track. Yeah, it hurts your drag. It's pretty noticeable at speed when driving close to another Miata that has a hardtop. I am on the lookout for a hardtop.

Most organizations that run track days require that convertibles have a minimum 4-point roll bar. The Miata requires a roll bar regardless of whether you have a hardtop or not, because the hardtop does not provide any significant structural support if you put the shiny side down. Your helmeted head also must fit under the bar. Because I'm 6'3", I'm also running Kirkey aluminum seats bolted to the floor to get the necessary roll bar clearance.




The fastest part of that track is the back straight, where I'd be in the low 90s, but a stock Miata isn't exactly fast on the straights. I have never needed 5th gear on a track. Along the front straight at VIR I'm pretty high up in 4th, maybe 100-110, but you can go bake a cake while you wait for it to attain that speed. For comparison, one guy with a turbo'ed Miata (I'm guessing 220 whp, about double mine) was up around 120 along the back straight in that vid. Eventually I'm probably gonna add a small turbo (something T28-ish) to help stay in front of the higher hp cars on the straights, just enough so they don't get in front of me and block all my fun in the turns. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />


I'd love to run those tracks, but I'm not getting out there anytime soon. Laguna is kind of Mazda's track, but Infineon looks like it would be more fun.

The event was organized by MazdaDriverS, so there were lots of Miatas and RX-7s, a Mazdaspeed3 and 6, etc. They do allow other makes of cars though, and we get lots of non-Mazdas... STIs, Evos, S2K, BMWs, Mustangs, Lotus Elise/Exige etc. We get lots of higher hp cars running with us down at VIR, where they have a little more room to stretch their legs. Lots of Corvettes. Seen a few NSXs, Porsche GT3s, some open wheel cars, all kinds of stuff.

Many clubs that run track days are brand "centric" but almost none are restrictive. Most will organize about 4 events a year, so if you're a real track junky then you've gotta find other groups to run with too. It's a very open and friendly community, just guys & gals who share the passion of getting out on the track. A club that would refuse your application solely because of what brand of car you drive is too snobby to bother with anyway IMO. Lots of Mazdas around here join the BMW, Audi, or Corvette clubs at their track days, and vice versa. If you wanted to track your S4, probably all you'd need are some brake pads that can handle track levels of heat, fresh DOT4 fluid, and a helmet. Street tires are fine to start with. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />