On the road with the Triple Threat ND Miata

Happy New Year!

One of the best things about living in Austin is year-round access to the track.  One of the worst things is January cedar pollen -- juniper trees, actually -- which my wife and I are now terribly allergic to.  Solution?  Leave town.

In years past, this activity coincided nicely with the Daytona Rolex 24, so we'd roll in with the motorhome towing one of our dual-purpose cars.  We'd hook up with our GRM compatriots, commune with the flock, and typically hit a couple of tracks along the way (i.e. The FIRM and Roebling Road). 

But with the end of the GRM Experience at the 24, we opted for a new plan this year...go out west.  Wife could get some beach time in SoCal, see some friends and get in some good hiking.   I could add a couple of new tracks to my list and do some fun drives in the Miata (PCH, Mulholland, etc.).

We paused yesterday in West Texas to watch some football -- Hook 'Em Horns! -- are stopping in AZ later tonight, and on to Willow Springs for a Saturday date with Speed District on the big course.  The following weekend we'll be back for Streets of Willow with POC.  And then Chuckwalla with San Diego Region PCA later in the month.

Follow along here or come see us at the track.

Any successful road trip starts with good prep, so we spent a couple days last week replacing various wear items.  This car is now at 40K miles, over half of which are on the track, so it needed some TLC.  And with all the tire testing, attachment hardware stretches the usage limits.

Brand new OE Mazda hubs with ARP studs added, new Centric 120-series premium rotors, GMX5 spec Pagid pads and fresh Gorilla lug nuts.

Fluids and filters were also changed.  Liqui Moly Top Tec 4200 in the crankcase, Motul Competition 75-140 in the transmission and Motul Gear 300 75-90 in the diff.  OE Mazda filters.

I assume you're going through northern AZ but if you're headed through Phoenix and want to grab dinner, drop me a line. 

TX to CA is a long drive! 

brandonsmash said:

I assume you're going through northern AZ but if you're headed through Phoenix and want to grab dinner, drop me a line. 

TX to CA is a long drive! 

Maybe on the way back.  We have friends in Phoenix we'll be staying with later in the month on the return, so we'll be in the area. 

We opted for the southern route due to temps.  Stopping at Picacho Peak campground tonight and then rolling through Phoenix tomorrow on the way to CA.

Get gas in Arizona before you cross into California.  Drive through Joshua Tree National Forest.  Yosemite is awesome; go if at all possible.  Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks are worth visiting.  I used to transit north around LA because the traffic is so awful.  Buttonwillow isn't that far from Willow Springs, but the big track at Willow Springs is much more worthwhile.  Good luck!  One of my photos of Joshua Tree just cuz...

And Sequoia...

And Yosemite...

Get to Yosemite if you can!

That sounds like a lot of fun!  I'm in to follow.

In reply to Andy Hollis :

Right on! I'll wave if i I see you on the road tomorrow, and the offer's open if you'd like to stop by on the way back. 

That's a big wing! I'm curious on your thoughts on it. I hear a lot of debate on the performance of a wing on a Miata.

I love the feel of the car during slow and medium speed corners, but I've seen too many videos where an ND loses the rear sudenly on a high speed corner. And now, it happened to me. I've been eyeing some of Verus' stuff. Mainly the diffuser. How did you like the changes?

My Miata wing was worth 2s/lap on a track with an average speed below 50 mph. Real wings work. eBay wings don't. 

DWNSHFT said:

Get gas in Arizona before you cross into California.  Drive through Joshua Tree National Forest.  Yosemite is awesome; go if at all possible.  Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks are worth visiting.  I used to transit north around LA because the traffic is so awful.  Buttonwillow isn't that far from Willow Springs, but the big track at Willow Springs is much more worthwhile.  Good luck!  One of my photos of Joshua Tree just c

All good advice.  We've travelled extensively in this area back when we followed the SCCA Pro Solo circus around the country.  I've hiked almost every trail in Yosemite, many in Sequoia and quite a few in Joshua Tree.  We'll be staying near the southern entrance to Joshua Tree for the second week of the trip and plan to visit the park again.  Too cold to dry camp inside right now with temps in the 30's overnight so we got a place in the valley with electricity.

Somewhere I have a picture of my old STS Miata under the giant tree cutout in Sequoia.  We also got snowed in there one time with the car on the trailer behind the motorhome.  They plowed the front of the campground but not the back section where we were.  Scouted out the route and made a go of it towing...super sketchy but we made it out.

Two Joshua Tree stories.  We like the Jumbo Rocks camground and I remember having to climb up top of that formation to get a cell signal to dial into an SCCA SEB meeting back when I was serving.

But my best Joshua Tree experience was when Michelin did the PS4S intro at Thermal.  One of the exercises was to drive various high end sports cars (Ferrari, Audi R8, Merc SLS) through Joshua Tree NP at speed under police/ranger S-court.  They were driving their SUVs as fast as they could so we could all have some fun.  Pretty epic.

As for Buttonwillow, BTDT...not my favorite track.  Especially annoying is all the sand that gets blown up every time someone puts a wheel off.

xeonoex said:

That's a big wing! I'm curious on your thoughts on it. I hear a lot of debate on the performance of a wing on a Miata.

I love the feel of the car during slow and medium speed corners, but I've seen too many videos where an ND loses the rear sudenly on a high speed corner. And now, it happened to me. I've been eyeing some of Verus' stuff. Mainly the diffuser. How did you like the changes?

It's actually not a very big wing, just big pylons...but it does exactly what it was designed to do. 

Read all about it here ==> https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/project-cars/2019-nd-mx-5/designing-and-building-a-win-for-an-nd-miata-with/

Made it to AZ, trading tumbleweeds for cactus.

Welcome to Willow Springs

Big Willow on the left, Streets on the right.  

Awesome trip.I have to live vicariously through you. It's 25 degrees here in Michigan with flurries.

Feedyurhed said:

Awesome trip.I have to live vicariously through you. It's 25 degrees here in Michigan with flurries.

37 overnight here...tonight will be 30.  High desert cools down quick when the sun retreats.

Speaking of chill...that's why the car is currently wearing it's street rubber -- Conti ECS -- on OE BBS wheels.  Not affected by the cold.

Snuggled up inside the motorhome are a set of Nankang CRS V2 on Flyin Miata Kogeki 17x9 wheels.  Those will go on later this am once it warms up.  We'll use the first couple of sessions to learn the track.

This event is run by Speed District and is a super low-key day.  You basically run in one of three driver-selected, experienced-based groups which rotate 20-minute sessions on the hour.  We're going to start off in Beginner while we learn the track.  Then we'll move to Inter.  Not sure if we'll go to Advanced or not.  Being in a Miata at a super fast track with open passing means driving in your mirrors constantly.

Best of all, only 31 cars total...so plenty of clear track.

First session complete.-- wow, what a roller coaster!

Only 9 turns, but the elevation and combinations make it so much more. 

Second session done.  Getting the hang of this place.  Visuals are a challenge, though.  Not much reference in a couple of key places.  

Third session was red flagged and we were delayed an hour for clean-up.  Porsche GT2 lost a tire down the front straight and found the pit wall.  Driver ok, car not so much.

Here's the pit wall...

Fourth session, all good.  Starting to get comfortable.  Time for the good tires and data logger.

Yeah man...love me some good rubber.  1:38.5 and plenty more on the table.

Damn.  Flat into T8 onto the rev limiter in 4th. Just shy of 114mph.  I dare not upshift.  
 

Ima stop now.  Almost out of fuel, and no need to press my luck.

This place is intoxicating.  I must return. 
 

Nice! Loving the wheels (chrome) in the previous pic. What are those again? My Miata is sleeping in the garage until probably April, like to get her a new set of shoes in the spring.

Feedyurhed said:

Nice! Loving the wheels (chrome) in the previous pic. What are those again? My Miata is sleeping in the garage until probably April, like to get her a new set of shoes in the spring.

Kogeki by Flyin Miata.  I have three sets.