Photography by Andy Reid
When Mazda introduced the MX-5 Miata to the world in 1989, in many ways the brand saved the sports car–and at the same time, created a cult of Miata fans.
And 35 years later, that anniversary was celebrated at Lime Rock Park: MiataCon.
This fall’s MiataCon saw more than 500 examples of Mazda’s iconic roadster invade the grounds of Lime Rock Park for a weekend of racing, autocross, car shows, driving tours and parties, all celebrating what is one of the most important sports cars in the world.
This year marked the second MiataCon, and the organizers worked to add more cars on track, more cars on display and even a Mazda USA Lounge that featured historic Miatas–concept cars to the first one ever shown to the public, a Mariner Blue example.
Entries were up: a 55% increase among race cars; 80% more for MiataX, the autocross experience held on the FCP Euro Proving Grounds. We were told that car corral participation doubled, with 25% more people passing through the gates. The end result was a vibe not unlike a sci-fi con.
While there, we met the Duffy family–dad, Morgan; daughter Bridjet; and son Colin, who finished second in the MX-5 Cup class–all race and love the Miata.
“I mean, who doesn’t love Miata,” Morgan tells us, recalling his first drive in a 1990 model. “I was doing DE days and wanted to make the next step in racing and went from having a 426-horsepower Camaro to having 99, and taking that approach has definitely improved my driving ability. I think the Miata is the right path to success.”
“They are really fun to race as you can sometimes have five cars wide in a corner and that gets really chaotic,” Bridjet adds. She first drove a Miata at age 12; her brother first got behind the wheel at 13.
MiataCon brings together that Miata family. “I’m a big fan of how MiataCon combines the different Miata communities at this event, like the racing community but then also the people who just love and drive Miatas,” Bridjet notes. “It’s really cool to meet people who love Miatas but don’t race. I’ve gone over to see the cars and met some really awesome people, and I think it’s a great idea to bring people the entire Miata community together.”
“It’s awesome for people who race and even those who don’t race who get to drive their Miata to the event to show it off and get to watch some cool Miata racing,” Colin adds.
The excitement for the Miata even extended to Lime Rock Park President Dicky Riegel, who raced in the Spec Miata class. “MiataCon has evolved into an annual celebration of the global passion for the MX-5 community,” said in a release. “The outpouring of dedication from Miata owners, fans, Mazda North America and Mazda Motorsports, along with Mazda of Milford, Whaling City Mazda and Moss Miata, makes this event special and highlights the incredible sense of unity within this community.”
MiataCon managed to capture something special–a bit like a Porsche Parade event but focused on a car with a lower entry point. The dates for the 2025 MiataCon event are October 24-25 at Lime Rock Park. We only expect things to get bigger going forward.
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