Last race of the season was at my home track (high plains raceway) and it was nice to be close to home and sleep in my own bed and eat my own food.

I signed up for the Friday Practice Day to shake any rust off and set myself up for the weekend. And the first session went well … didnt push limits too much. Second session was yellow flagged and then black flagged. It didnt really matter because I was getting a flashing check engine light which turned out to be a mis-fire on cylinder 4. One thing I really like about the miata is that it is stupid simple to work on. Did some basic deductive reasoning and determined that I was having an injector issue where the injector was either stuck open or opening excessively … the spark plug was washed with fuel.

Searched high and wide for replacement injectors (side note story below) and nothing on facebook market place, no partouts with the NB purple injectors, did find a guy that had Mazda Protege injectors which were a very close match … and it turns out one of my fellow spec miata racer buddies/competitors had an extra set at his place from his semi-daily driver turbo’d miata, where he replaced them with aftermarket injectors and he was happy to let me borrow them (which I offered to buy, but he did not want to sell). The day ended and I had the engine in pieces so I simply winched the car back into the trailer.

Also, another miata guy was at the track that had a set of purple injectors from his NB that he replaced with his turbo build … and he lives about 15minutes away from me! And he had no problem selling them! So I followed my buddy back to his place at the end of the day (as they were there for practice as well) and grabbed them and then went and bought the 2nd set! So I had plenty of injectors.

side story: I actually bought a used set off ebay and the seller expedited the shipment but the box arrived empty! Seller did refund my payment.

I got up early and was at the track pretty early on Saturday morning … we had an official practice session at 9am and qualifying at 10:30am and we raced in the afternoon. I got the injectors in the car and it falsely fixed the problem … got the car put back together, reset the CEL, and drove the car around the pits … no check engine light, no misfire, no issues … I thought it was all good, parked the car and had a relaxing morning. 8:45am came around and I got suited up and sure enough, driving to the grid the car started misfiring and CEL blinking! Immediately drove back to the pits and started digging into the engine.

More deductive reasoning and swapping around parts, along with some help from fellow racers. Couldnt immediately identify an issue a side from possibly the spring in the ignition coil wasnt making great contact with the spark plug … I elongated it and it worked. This all took a few hours and I missed practice and qualifying but the car was running right by lunch time and I requested a hardship lap to shake the car out and give myself a ‘go / no-go’ option for the race.

The car did well but did smoke a little but the station workers noted it was coming from the tail pipe, which I think was oil burning off.

It was reassuring to push the car and have it work like expected … so I was a ‘go’ for the race.

I knew I was going to be slow, I was pretty consistently getting 2min 17second laps where my competitors were 2seconds faster pretty consistently … so my only hope was to run a good race and keep up with them and let them ruin their own race. I think theyre both a little more aggressive than I am and at a track like HPR, the risk vs. reward is worth driving more aggressive.

I ended up finishing 3rd out of 3 and it was actually a really cool race becasue I did stay up with the two (father / son) and they were going back & forth and I think there were 6 or 8 lead changes … to the effect that I thought they were messing with each other!

Overall, pretty happy to get to race and finish with a car that would run the next day. Parked the car, cleaned up, organized everything, and called it a night.

Sunday came early and I got to the track around 8am and wasnt sure if I should ‘qualify’ and decided to run the session for extra track time and to build confidence prior to the afternoon race. All went well but I wasnt any faster than my Saturday times (around 2min 17second) but I wasnt too too worried about it.

A rather unique circumstance in that one of the regional spec miata guys jumped up to the majors group and ran with the three of us - so there were four Spec Miatas in our group… It was a pretty fun race and (again) told myself to keep up and stay up with the group and take advantage of any mistakes and drive my best race.

I was able to hang with the 3 other guys most the race but they started pulling ahead around the halfway point … was sorta discouraging but still had a good race, finished 4th and happy with the race overall.

Around 75% through the race the father had a pretty bad 4-off x two … where he took turn 3 too fast and went off on the outside and then got back on track and went off on the inside … yellow flag and I was able to get within a few cars of him but he still put 100ft or so by the end of the race. The feel-good story of the race is the regional guy (who was in 3rd place most the race) was able to pull ahead and win the race.

Ended the season on the ‘pleased but not satisfied’ feeling - not upset and overall had a great season and look forward to 2026.

 

Glad to hear you get some paddock help at HPR from a number of competitors. I assume the :Protege guy" was my buddy Nick Leone, who is getting his FP car out this year. He's always been a help when we're at the track. This Last Chance race seemed to have a lot of racers who stopped by my trailer seeking hardware spares, tool loans and even a place to store some of their race equipment. I was happy to help out and it's nice to be the one on the giving end this time.

Also, with your recent experience with Mazdas, how does the VQ compare in terms of diagnostic simplicity? I've had some tough to solve issues at the track, including an entire Runoffs spent trying to solve an electronic issue (later traced down to a short in the interior harness and a missing harness when the QC stub was replaced). But outside of that, the VQ35HR has been pretty reliable and easy to diagnose using the onboard system and UpRev.

Finally, do you have any test (dyno) data to use to ensure you get your SM back to baseline? Congrats on getting your first full race season under your belt!

 

 

So, as mentioned above, got on the rollers and I thought I would be around 100hp (and maybe I am when you back the correction factor down to 12% to 15%). I believe I am down on power compared to my competition … the father/son combo both have daily driver miatas and are very experienced with the platform and tuning, I suspect they tuned their SMs for a little more power/torque…not 100% sure but I will be ready to go next season.

Once the spring rolls around I will get the car back on the dyno and push timing and dial-in AFRs (to the extent that SCCA permits). I was encouraged to see the 115hp on the dyno and calmed my conspiracy theories.

For what it’s worth, XFactor (engine builder) did not optimize timing (verified with a timing light using mazda’s diagnostic technique to determine base timing was set to 10degrees) and got fuel pressure dialed-in close enough but it is likely .5 to 1.2 points rich … and running a little leaner will yeild a few more horsepower… I purchased Flyin Miata’s adjustable crank timing wheel and then went and designed one in fusion that has a little more range than FM’s 4degree advance. More to come

Further plans for the off season:

1. Raise the car about 1” to 2”
2. Revise the passenger side mounting bracket that holds the cool-suit cooler and the fire suppression system
3. Rebuild a spare NB engine
4. Sandblast / power coat / rebuild a set of suspension components
5. Give some TLC to the engine bay harness (replace broken connectors)
6. Create/build a spare-parts cart

Trailer improvement items:
1. Buildout the front v-nose of the trailer with a desk/work area, toolbox slot, spare tire shelf, some 120v power
2. Install a solar panel and connect to the battery bank and tidy-up the electrical connections
3. Finalize a design and install a trailer organizer
4. Install a tire rack / tire platform

 

Thanks for the huge compliment! I've had a long racing career with the SCCA, and while I've raced with other organizations (NASA, EMRA, SpeedVentures), SCCA has come to be home for me. Just finished another three year term on the Colorado board and we've tried to maintain a sustainable race program for the past decade.

Again, I'm glad you enjoyed your first full race season, and there's always time for you to build and race a Z car (someday)!

 

Dont know whats ahead for me on a z or g platform - my only hope would be getting the g35 back to a stock’ish trim and run that. Otherwise it’s the spec miata until I get into something bigger. But I do really like the miata platform. I think Michael is gonna try to draw me into a solstice but I need to master the miata platform first.

A few minor updates:

Picked-up a builder block along with a variety of miscellaneous engine parts and started ordering replacement parts.

Thus far I have:
Replacement rings
Replacement bearings (rod / main)
Replacement main studs
Replacement head gaskets
New timing belts
Flexhone

I plan on re-using the pistons and rods … I will look to rebalance them and bring them down as close to the minimum weight as allowed by the GCR.

I still need headbolts / headstuds but the GCR mandates that you must use OEM Mazda head bolts. Which Im not a huge fan of … I’d much rather use ARP Headstuds… well, SCCA allows you to request rule changes and I submitted a request to allow ARP Headstuds on the basis that the technical director can request that you remove the head for inspection and mazda headbolts are torque-to-yeild/one time use and wouldnt be able to be re-used, and thus not race unless you have replacement head bolts - its currently being reviewed.

Im working on a turbo’d 6mt swapped g35 sedan build, so I cant work on the miata until I get this car wrapped up

 

On your "minor" updates: are you planning to build your next SM motor yourself? I know next to nothing on the art and science of building a winning SM engine, but will say that the costs from a pro engine shop for a legal motor are mind-blowing (and excessive). And while the results are undeniable, I wonder what a good home-built Mazda engine will do? SMs can be incredibly fast in a straight line with a built motor and low weight. I'll be interested to hear what the comp board has to say about your request for ARP hardware (a fav of mine as well). I'll be surprised if they approve it, but hey, maybe you have a convincing argument.

It sure seems that spec classes can be some of the most expensive around if you want to run up front.

 

Yea, I intend to rebuild / refresh these. I wont do anything with the heads - there are some very technical aspects of the head & valve work I am not experienced on. Further, my existing block is an XFactor engine (which I assume was cut to spec) and this second head is from Treasure Coast Miata - which I suspect is built to an OEM spec.

But as far as measuring crank, rods, and mains for bearings, measuring cylinder walls for pistons/rings and honing, and then the break-in, I feel very confident. I dont think it’s mindblowing at all - no disrespect to Xfactor but they built a motor that could only made 130 to 150psi on a cold compression test and ‘tuned’ it to make 115hp on OEM mazda timing … they didnt bother advacing timing even the safest amount and they were 1point to 1.5points rich in the higher rev-range … many cooks in the kitchen that influenced this and Im not mad or upset at Xfactor but I am upset with myself that I didnt check this before the start of the season.

But the proof will be in the pudding … I will build these, break these in, and dyno tune them at the same shop with the same correction factor (under the techniques I’ve learned with my nissans).

The whole experience is expensive! Yea, I see fresh miata builds go for $50k to $60k on FB … gotta pay to play!

 

Makes sense- building a shortblock with all the right components is an exercise in precision and judgement. We'd built a couple of GT4-5 shortblocks in my garage over the years. A lot of the magic (and legality) is in the headwork. Who do you plan to send your SM head and intake off to?

 

I wont do anything with the heads (aside from verifying they seal) and you cannot do anything with the intakes (hands tied).

 

Nothing crazy to update … but…

Purchased a formal miata factory service manaul off ebay … I hope all the pages are there! But also have a scanned copy I got from one of my car buddies / driving mentors (who does miatas). And humbly, I cannot find conclusive evidence that the OEM head bolts are torque to yeild … which means I will become the laughing stock of the SCCA technical review board …

A few more tidbits of parts have rolled in, of which I wanted to purchase a set of scales for my own use. I will have a zillion uses for them around the shop but as previously mentioned I want to get the car corner balanced and I want to make it a point to roll off the track with 3lbs to 5lbs of fuel/weight over my minimum weight - moreso, do a good job of calculating my on-track mpg and race duration/length. Im definately overthinking it, and I’ve tried using the gas guage in the car but it hasnt worked out too too well.

I was torn between the Longacre Elite Pro Scales and the Intercomp 650s … I believe Longacre has a better overall product (they include a tablet with the kit and a pretty nice case) but I think Intercomp is a better brand. So I went with Intercomp … Intercomp does have a bluetooth app but its not as good as Longacre and I will either purchase Intercomp’s case or I’ll make one.

 

I wont thunder on DK’s parade but I believe the 2026 SCCA Mid-States schedule is out … and drum-roll … it is the exact same tracks in the exact same order.

April 11th & 12th - World Wide Tech Raceway - Madison, Illinois
April 25th & 26th - Hallet Motor Racing Circuit - Jennings, Oklahoma
May 23rd & 24th - Pueblo Motorsports Park - Pueblo, Colorado
July 4th & 5th - High Plains Raceway - Byers, Colorado
July 11th & 12th - Ozarks International Raceway - Ozarks, Missouri
August 8th & 9th - Motorsports Park Hastings - Hastings, Nebraska
August 22nd & 23rd - High Plains Raceway - Byers, Colorado
September 24th - October 4 - Runoffs at Road America - Elkart Lake, Wisconsin

I am getting excited for the start of the season and despite it being the same schedule it will still be fun. I did not race at World Wide Tech nor Hallet. Both are very intimidating tracks and Hallet draws a large crowd of spec miatas.

As far as the car goes, I havent done much. Some minor clean-up & tidy’ing, accumulated some spare parts, …I have been occupied with a customer build (single turbo, 6mt swap, engine refresh, cooling refresh, g35 HR build) … I hope to be done by the end of November. But the plan will be to rebuild both engines before the start of the season.

I believe the father & son will be racing SM in 2026 and a very nice guy with a family background (Christian Miller) may jump up from regional spec miata to majors and I believe there are one or two more individuals that have completed Pettiford’s SCCA licensing program and (dont quote me) ‘could’ be racing spec miata.

 

No thunder on my parade (?), but you might want to hold off any trip planning yet. Next year's Mid-America Majors schedule is TENTATIVE and won't be finalized until the end of the year. The only race that is definitive is the Hallett Super Tour race in April. Of course, our Majors races in Colorado will remain close to the same dates (we signed contracts already) as 2025. But as for St. Louis, Oxarks and MPH, they could move their dates, cancel, or other Midwest tracks could request Majors sanctions. Stay tuned!

 

Love it! Looking forward to your 2026 SCCA thread

yea, if I remember correctly they slightly modified last year -

Shooting from the hip which races do you intend to run?

Side question - How many miles do you have on the Titan tow-rig?

 

Well, shooting from the hip, I can only say I'll wait for the 2026 SCCA schedules to be posted before I even start making plans. But you know I'm determined to support as many Colorado races as possible to make sure road racing in the state remains viable now and into the future. As for the Titan tow vehicle. I purchased it 12 years ago with almost 60K on it, and it now going strong at 121K!

 

One planning point for 2026 involves the next Runoffs at Road America. Qualification criteria have been announced for next fall's classic and there's one big change. For 2026, SCCA recognized they needed to beef up the Runoffs entry and elected to drop the performance requirement to all entries had to finish in the top half of their Majors class. For 2026, you'll need to enter three separate Majors weekends and finish at least three separate races to qualify. Where you finish in the Majors class order is no longer a factor.

That simplifies qualifying for the 2026 Runoffs quite a bit, but it remains to be seen whether this change will raise the number of entries substantially.

 

Hey James- we missed you at the annual RMDiv awards and potluck yesterday. You earned a second-place trophy in SM for the 2025 Divisional Championship. Look me up at the races this year as I'm holding it for you.

 

I never got an invite! Lol - I didnt know!

I’m sure I’ll see you in La Junta and/or if you could tech my car again I’d be very appreciative - looking forward to 2026

 

No formal invites were sent out, but the event was on the registration page of the CoR website and in the Redline Magazine to get the word out. The RMDiv awards party/potluck dinner is an annual event that takes place after the holidays to prevent overloading everybody. Let me know when you want to stop by to get your annual done and we'll get you the award at the same time.

 

As I was unloading a few of the RMDiv awards at LaJunta, I came across your trophy, James. Forgot to give it to you during your annual inspection, but let me know if you'll be around my area in the next few weeks. Otherwise, I'll transport the remainder of the 2025 trophies down to the Pueblo Majors.