Currently third in T3 points for the SCCA Mid-America Conference. Given the BMW Z4 M Coupe's wins at Pueblo and HPR, I expect Jim Leithauser will overhaul me before the end of the season. Outside that, chances for gaining a Runoffs invite remain high and I've filed an entry for Road America. After solving electrical issues with the Z, it's returned to being reliable, if not the quickest car in class. Still, it's been years since the HR had a race tune, and I'm considering how much is being left on the table with the latest 44 mm restrictors. My initial UpRev tune was done almost a decade ago when the rules didn't mandate any restrictors. Tires continue to remain an issue, as used (and discounted) sets remain in short supply.

Good hunting at Ozarks!

 

Ozarks … what a weekend … (Im writting this mentally and physically exhausted … reader beware)…

I’ve been looking forward to this weekend (as we planned to stay another 5days after the race) since the 2025 SCCA was released last fall. I’ve heard plenty of amazing things about Ozarks International Raceway.

I got back home Wednesday afternoon and had plenty of stuff to do after being gone for a week Needed to get two sets of hoosiers mounted/balanced, needed to clean-out the trailer, get tools/supplies/spares packed, get clothes/toiletries packed, get the car loaded, and so on …

Got on the road around 8am on Thursady morning and it was a very good start of the trip. I drove through central Colorado (through Elizabeth & Kiowa for those who know) and then caught I70 east near Limon, Colorado.

And the fun begins … Was well past Limon and I got the 911 of electrical issue warning on my truck … instructing me to stop immediately and battery light on and all the warning bells/sirens … It went away after a minute only to return twice… The truck was driving absolutely normal otherwise. But I did need to stop and take a break and prep for a conference call for work and I didnt want to pull over on the side of I70. I ended up stopping in Arriba, Colorado (20miles past Limon) and tended to my call. While driving I was able to scan my ECU and two CEL’s popped up for irregular voltages.

Call ended and I got back in the truck and it would not start … checked battery voltage and it was normal. Cleared the CELs and tried to start the truck again … only CEL that popped up was the starter performance code. Googled it, did some deciphering, and some trouble shooting … Checked fuses and the starter fuse was popped. Put a new fuse in it and it popped again. Luckily the starter was very easy to get to from under the truck … essentially remove the spash sheild, take out two 1/4” dia bolts, unhook the power line and solenoid signal.

With the starter off the car, I taped up the two wires, replaced the burnt fuse and tried to start it again. If the fuse popped then it’s upstream of the starter, if the fuse remained then it was the starter…the fuse was good after this test.

Strangely … I could not slip a 10mm socket over the solenoid signal wire because the power line was pushed up against it … and this is what caused the blown starter and all the dashboard warnings. I could see a very small dot of shinny metal where the power line arched through the insulation and grounded out to the solenoid. Which burnt up the starter and tripped the fuse. I reinstalled the starter just on the off chance that the fuse limited the damage .. but to no avail…

Got on the internets and found the closest autoparts store and it turned out to be a Napa in Limon. Luckily they had a starter for an F150 in stock … the **** thing is, I had no way to get it and I was outside of their delivery range, Arriba is a small town and a few locals werent interested in taking me to get it (despite me offering cash), A local guy did help me diagnose the starter.

Soooo, I unloaded the trailer and took the miata west bound back to Limon. Got some strange looks along the way. I was worried about getting pulled over but it is insured and I am licensed … but no registration. Risked it, pretty sure I could talk myself out of any ticket. Got to Napa, got back to the truck and the starter was the issue. It should be noted that a transmission shop just replaced my transmission and I suspect they installed the wiring incorrectly…Im not mad, I’ll bring it up to the manager, and I am very fortunate that this was the extent of the damage - it could have been 10x worse.

Back on the road around 2pm and the drive was going great … it was very hot (95 to 100degrees along the way) and my IATs were elevated which pulled timing, which caused the ECU to command more boost (to keep me at a 60 to 65mph pace) which caused coolant temps to rise … so I sorta had to baby-it through Kansas. I dont think air temps dropped below 90degrees until 10pm.

But made plenty good time, stopped for dinner and fuel in Hays, Kansas and got back on the road. Refueled a few times including a stop in Topeka and the trailer got a flat tire… it was very late (around 11pm) and it was a super-sketch part of town so I put can of fixaflat in it and it held…added more air to it and checked it a few times over the next hour and proceeded

Made it though Lawrence and Kansas City and called it a night around 1am just outside of KC.

Woke-up at 5:30am to get back on the road by 6am which gave me 2 hours or so to get to the track … arrived A-ok and the drive between KC and Ozarks was absolutely beatiful that time of morning.

 

Friday was a SCCA Private Track / Practice Day

I made it in time to get the car unloaded, parked in the garages, and over to the drivers meeting. The track manager reviewed turn-by-turn and provided plenty of warning about the fine line between keeping it together and going off track … and basically going off track crumples the car. The grass is too slick and the barriers are too close.

OIR is very technical with very small margins for error. Most (1/2 to 2/3rds) of the turns are blind … either vertically or horizontally you dont know whats beyond the apex. It’s quite nerve-racking and it really forces you to know the course rely on the flagging station while driving. The track rewards the ones who memorize the layout and the turns and understand the intricacies.

For me, it was a matter of breaking the track down into larger sections and ways to remember each section of track looks like beyond the apex …

Session 1 was 75% pace and just getting used to the track and was putting down 4minute lap times (stupid slow)
Session 2 and 3 were used to scrub-in the fresh hoosiers (so only 75% and I only stayed out for 10minutes or so)
Session 4 was 90% to 100% and I think my best time was 3minute 29seonds(also stupid slow). My biggest time soaks was not knowing the track and not going full throttle through certain segments.

Overall a great ice-breaker day. Spent the rest of the day getting things setup for Saturday

 

Satuday held much more of a hectic pace… I needed to wire-in my transponder so I got to the track at 6:30am and it didnt take but 30 to 45minutes. Qualifying was around 10am so it gave me some time to get situated, go through the car, and mentally prepare. For what it’s worth, SCCA put the spec miatas with the Spec Racer Fords and there were approximately 15 total vehicles.

Like the Pueblo Event, most of the qualifying session was used to learn as much of the track as I could - Ended up qualifying with a 3minute 24second lap time (still very slow) which put me 3rd slot (of 3 SMs). The other two drivers were around 2minute 50seconds to 3minutes. A little scary moment Turn 9, I did take two tires off the course going about 70mph as I mis-judged the radius of the turn … but was quick to corrrect and I saved the corner. Stole some confidence but it was a great teaching moment.

We raced in the afternoon and the race went very smoothly. Didnt go off, ran very well, pushed the full-throttle zones, tried different shift points, worked on shifting quicker, and working on heel-to-toe in the miata. Finished 3rd of 3 running miatas and happy to get some points and fight another day.

Sunday was much different … rained all morning and into the early afternoon … I didnt bother running the qualifying session due to the rain and saturated track. By 12p / 12:30p the rain subsided and the track started to dry. The running 4 miatas collectively discussed tires and 3 of us (myself included) ran slicks and one driver ran rain tires. The race started off very fast and I was sure there was going to be a wreck at Turn 1 off the green flag … I completely held back, not wanting to be in the carnage for essentially no gain … the track was still wet but not fully saturated only puddled in certain areas and the sun was out.

First few laps I was running ~75% to get a feel for wet racing and I wasnt really fighting for any position (as the other 3 drivers were significantly faster than I was) and I didnt want to go off track and hurt the car. As the 35minute session progressed I gained more and more confidnece and started pushing the car into the 90% to 100% range in most areas of the track. Some areas were we wet / had puddles that negatively impacted the racing line.

On lap 7, one of the Spec Miatas had a horrible rear wheel bearing failure that sent him in circles into the wall and destroyed the rear driver corner & suspension of his car - likely rebuildable but it ended his day and took the SM field down to 3 cars. The course was on full / double yellow for about two laps.

A Spec Racer Ford caught up to me and I would have love to let him pass but we were on double yellow and I felt very bad for him bc I was essentially letting his competiion catch up to him… Im sure all the Spec Racer Fords were upset with me (but I was quick to let them pass when they caught me). Further … the miata was cleared and we were back to racing. I immediately pointed him by to allow him to keep running his race and a few turns later he ran off course in turn 6(esses / wig-wags)…

around lap 9 I started seeing the 3rd Spec Miata and reeled him in…and he was quick to point me by. Turns out his rain tires were cooked and he couldnt hold a corner. But got past him and kept running. My times were abysmal (anywhere from 3minutes 20seconds to 4minutes) - but I didnt care, I just wanted to finish the race.

The SCCA host got medals made-up so ended up with a bronze from Saturday and a Silver from Sunday’s race - so a neat token to take home.

 

Sounds like you made the most of your Spec Miata (SM) debut at Ozarks. There were quite a few SMs at HPR and you definitely scored more points with the Ozarks race. Any chance you noticed how the T3 group did? I know Steve Johnson in a 370Z was entered at Ozarks and after winning the June Sprints should be a contender at the upcoming Runoffs. How was the climate? I've heard the humidity and bumpy paddock made Ozarks less than comfortable off-track?

Congrats on getting through the Ozarks Majors without too much carnage to your SM!

 

It was really good …

I think most the spec miatas at HPR were regional … not 100% sure but score sheet only shows two entrants for the major?

I did see Steve’s 370 (what a car!) but I did not catch how T3 ended up - I do wish SCCA had a better / faster response time for score & times.

Strangely enough, Steve and I both use #12 … but we were not paired together so it didn’t matter.

It was stupid hot Friday and Saturday … like dripping sweat when doing just about anything. Very hot in the car and the race suit was essentially soaked after the race. Stuff did dry-out as long as you got it in the sun and spread-out. An issue with the miata (that I didnt know) is the inlet and outlet for the coolant system are both in the front of the blocks … and cylinder #4 gets hotter because of this … so I run my heater during the race (just put it on defrost)… so the heater core is pulling coolant off the rear of the engine. A few companies make a better circulation kit but I am not sure if it’s allowed per the GCR.

Sunday was much milder - rainy in the morning and warmer in the afternoon.

I didnt notice any bumps / potholes / uneven pavements in the paddock - maybe it was fixed? Maybe it was just me not paying attention?

Here are some pictures from the weekend:

 

This thread has become useful for talking about the current state of SCCA Club racing. As for the Majors pointskeeping. don't be too upset. While SCCA National tries to post the points, they still rely on volunteers at the local level to get the info submitted. It'll take a few weeks to get them all totalled up. No worries, your points total will keep you in the running for a Runoffs invite, if that's what you're shooting for. As for the HOT climate at the track on Friday and Saturday, that's what I thought. Not sure why they scheduled that race at this point of the year. Not only that, but PAYING for practice is another pet peeve of mine. At our local RMDiv Majors, we usually at least get one practice session as part of your normal entry fee. This was a usual part of SCCA Nationals (before Majors) in the past. Now, tracks make extra revenue by charging for practice sessions the day before. What a racket!

Interesting comment about your #12 being the same as Johnson's. Have you submitted a permanent number request with RMDiv? It's free and ensures you get that number for the year as long as you enter in advance. Seems like you're learning a lot in your rookie season and that's one of the small things that can help during the season. So the paddock was pretty flat, eh? Since you paid for a garage that makes sense, but I heard the paddock itself was hilly and difficult to park a rig on. Thanks for all the pics as I'm usually too busy with driving or prepping the car to get any good shots in.

 

I’ve always enjoyed the SCCA threads (through the years) and happy to be a part of them now. Understood on the timeliness of points … Im not sure what to do about Runoffs … I am very very slow and have come to accept this. My ‘saving grace’ is that I am improving with every session and learning more … And I’ve committed to running the car at local and out of state events. My wife and I really like the travel aspect of each race and I think we both like the track-side atmosphere. Im excited to see how I do at HPR for the final race of the season.

So a Runoff invite would be amazing but Im not sure if I’m at that level yet.

One of my favorite quotes: ‘your only as successful as your 5 closest friends’ and putting myself with the fast miata guys might help me as I go through this journey.

Ehhhh … I get it (paying for practice) … $300 for 4 sessions at one of the country’s premier tracks … I absolutely needed the experience or I would have been sunk. There is a chance SCCA doesnt do Ozarks next season as OIR can command bigger fees from racing organizations based on how popular the track is. If they do, I will probably do the practice session again. I feel like Im still learning the track. But yea, it’d have been nice to have a free practice session on Saturday morning.

I suspect they scheduled it this time of year due to schedule constraints … I bet it gets busy busy as the summer turns to fall. NASA’s championship weekend is next weekend at OIR.

I will get the number request in … I was planning on going 112 or 121 if it was a problem and I have extra numbers to faciliate it. I didnt realize this but they changed weights in the GCR too … they bumped the NB VVT cars up 5lbs (up to 2465). I weighed in at 2505 (saturday) and 2510 (sunday) so I need to do a better job on calculating my weight … I’ll admit, I was gun-shy after being right at weight in Pueblo.

The paddock did slope down on the north-west side past the trailer & truck parking and they mandate chocks & pads for trailer hitches. But maybe they fixed the soft spots and repaved?

Im waiting on the photographer to upload but the preview tablet he setup had some sweet pictures and I bought one of his printed steel pictures of the track - going to hang it up in the office.

pictures:

 

Glad to have you on this thread about SCCA and you are learning quite a bit. All of us have to make this journey abd you're doing fine. Good judgement in learning WHEN to go fast and when to learn the track, the car and your own limitations is an underrated quality. Over the years, there's plenty of racers who've been fast, but erratic and on the edge. Those who succeed are those who learn at their own pace and finish races FIRST. I think you're wise to evaluate going to the Runoffs, as it is sure to be packed at Road America and any mistakes (yourself or others) can be punished harshly. Ask me how I know...

Learning all the tracks in the Mid-America conference is valuable. When I first started my racing career, I traveled to many tracks to gain experience. Some of those tracks no longer exist, but the memories are priceless (as were the adventures getting there and visiting the area). Here's another favorite quote to live by: "Enjoy the journey, not just the destination,"

BTW- if the local SCCA region schedules future Majors races at OIR, I'll probably end up paying for extra practice sessions just like you.

 

Left Missouri yesterday at 10am and arrived back in Colorado around 1am. Did the entire drive in a day … Overall went great but it was very hot through Kansas. 90 to 95degree air temps and it really didnt cool down until 8pm or so. The car, tires, spares, & trailer are around 5k to 6k lbs and the 3.5 ecoboost F150 does pretty good but my IATs were any where from 215degrees up to 235degrees … and I slowed-down to 55mph or so when they climbed past 230degrees. Averaged around 60mph to 65mph for the trip but it was just slow.

Next up is MPH (Motorsports Park Hastings) and quite possibly the flatest track that is on the schedule…?? I think La Junta has more elevation change! Lol!

I just came across the database (but have seen them individually before) from Ross Bentley’s Speed Secrets - their database of track maps … might be plotting some of these out.

https://speedsecrets.com/product-cat...pe/track-maps/

and on the same token, I bought a few of our tracks in sprial bound from Motorsports Maps … which I keep a journal / notebook already but I like the idea of having something big to put up in the trailer and something visual.

I love that Hastings has real estate for sale right along the track.

 

Whow- that tow to and from OIR sounds like one HOT PITA, but glad you enjoyed (survived?) it. As for MPH, have you registered your entry yet? With almost two weeks before the race, there are only eight entries listed! Nebraska SCCA is trying to revive the "Dog Days of Summer" Hastings Majors, but facing stiff odds. No SCCA region can afford to sanction a race with that meager an entry and take that big a loss. There's some very real doubt this race will happen.

 

dang! Got registered! I make 9! Lol! I’ll keep an eye on it.

How many racers do you think need to register in-order for the event to be held?

I’ll keep you posted!

 

I can only offer my opinion as a past RE and BoD member of Colorado Region. Holding a race with fewer than 20 entries means you're almost guaranteed a loss, but remember there is also a time trial (TT) held concurrently with this race. If there are a TON of TT entries to offset the lack of road racers, it might lessen the financial blow. But at this point, I'd say the NE BoD must be nervous about holding this race.

BTW- same thing applies to CoR events. Have you entered the Last Chance Majors at HPR yet? We need the support here at home!

 

We’ll keep an eye on it!

SM Eric (another SM competitor) messaged me and offered up some congrats on OIR and I shared your insight on Hastings as well … hopefully he and Roman will register for Hastings…

yea, hell or high water I’ll be at HPR for Last Chance… it’s on the calendar and unless something crazy happens I’ll be there!

Edit: Sounds like both Eric and Roman plan to attend and Jason Hartwell will be going

Up to 19 entries as of Monday July 28, 2025!

 

Deadline for the Nebraska Majors race has passed and there are only 23 entries as of 8/7/25. Looks like the TT entries will support the road racers again, but there's some doubt as to whether the region will sanction another race as this time of the year. Meanwhile, Colorado Region is also struggling to build enough entries for the Last Chance Majors at HPR in two weeks. The T3 Z is prepped and ready for that race, with only race fuel to be purchased and loaded on the rig.

 

Nebraska turned out a pretty solid number of entrants. It was up to 24 at one point and then someone dropped out.

As to not hijack the thread - I uploaded the full story on the build-thread:

https://my350z.com/forum/autocross-r...ack-car-3.html

 

High plains is right around the corner … I got registered and it looks like there will be three and it’s a pretty impactful race as far as the points are concerned … going to take Friday off and get a practice session in. My fastest lap as 2minute 18seconds and I feel like I was making progress on taking that down even further - so my goal will be to take that down a few more seconds to a 2min 15seconds / 2min 16seconds.

Picked up some goodies for the car (and myself): a new stick of roll-cage padding, a in-car water bottle/thermos dispenser, and a cool-shirt setup. Hope to get them installed tomorrow and then pack up for the weekend.

 

Wish my life and plans were as exciting and focused on racing, but as the senior member of my family, there's been a lot to deal with over the past month. Illnesses, and shifting residences for one of my family members have taken up much of the summer. Having said that, I still plan to make it to High Plains this weekend and race in T3. Unlike James, I'm mired in fourth place in my Majors class, but want to solidify that ranking before the SCCA Runoffs as only the top 50% of the Mid-America T3 racers will garner an invite (11 racers total of 2025). I still have older tires for this weekend, so unlike James, I won't be shooting for any personal lap records. Car prep was minimal, but my goal is to have two clean races and better finishes with what the equipment will allow.

 

It was bound to happen: my supply of worn R-compound tires wore out during a race weekend. As a result, I had to mix two different brands and two different sizes during the Last Chance Majors to finish both races. After some adjustments, the Z was drivable, but only somewhat predictable. A driving challenge if ever there was one! Lots of fun mixing it up with other classes, but I was far behind the two BMW Z4 M-coupes in my class. So, two third place finishes were my lot and a confirmed invitation to the Runoffs next month.

Thankfully, a silver lining to the weekend is my fellow T3 competitors gifted me some of their takeoff tires. They're good enough to use as my primary Runoffs rubber this year, and are a mark of respect among competitors and friends.

 

What a season! I can’t believe its over!

I’ll dive deeper into my weekend in my build thread but I’d classify the weekend as ‘pleased but not satisfied’

Did the Friday practice day and was getting a bad misfire, excess fuel (burbles in my exhaust) and an otherwise rich smell. OBD2 said cylinder 4 was faulting and the spark plugs confirmed that. Initially thought it was a bad fuel injector and went on a wild goose chase to find a replacement … and as DK mentioned, my main competitor had a set from his daily driver miata.

Got situated Friday night and arrived at the track very early on Saturday morning to get the injector swapped out … made it in plenty time and as I was driving up to the 9am practice session the car was still mis-firing! Missed practice, missed qualifying and I got it figured out (likely a bad ignition coil connection) and took a hardship lap right after lunch to test the car. Did fine, except it had some smoking (which turned out to be residual oil in the exhaust).

Saturday’s race was fun - It was Father/Son and myself and I ended up finishing 3rd of 3 … I was ‘walking on eggshells’ driving not knowing if the car was going to implode on itselft … by halfway through the race I was fully comfortable and I had no signs of the previous troubles. I will say, the father son combo are very fast and even when I keep up with them in the corners, it seems like they put 10-20 feet on me at the end of either straight.

Im not sure if Im down on power or if there is another mechanical issue but I felt like I was driving the car to the best of my abilities but just could not keep up. Will dig into it more over the off season.

Sunday’s race was similar with the exception of a region spec miata that jumped up to the majors group. So we had four SMs for Sunday’s race.
Similar outcome though, 4th out of 4 and similar prognosis - I just couldnt keep up with the three other cars. The car ran fine other than being slow! Lol!

I think with my lack-luster performance in Nebraska and mediocre racing at HPR I finished 3rd in points for the Mid-States Spec Miata …

Please, but not satisfied is the best way to put it. Happy that I was able to drive the car onto the trailer at the end of Sunday and have a lot to plan for over the winter/spring and anticipating 2026!