Revised 2026 schedule:

April 9-12- Colorado Auto Show
April 24-26- LaJunta Raceway (airport circuit)
May 23- 24- Pueblo Motorsports Park (traditional road racing circuit with drag racing front straight)
July 3-5- High Plains Raceway (traditional road racing circuit)
August 22-23- High Plains Raceway
September 28- October 4- SCCA Runoffs, Road America, Wisconsin.

 

One more photo from the CAS- SM had multiple admirerers during the weekend.

 

Progress- got James (bealljk) annual SCCA inspection done this past weekend, along with two other racers. Now I get to concentrate on getting my own race prep done on the Z this week. I've got some type of brake fluid leak to deal with, so that becomes job #1. The latest SCCA Fastrack rule changes list a change to the flat plate restrictors the VQ is saddled with, opening it up by 4 mm and effective by the end of the month. A bunch of other smaller items (camera, GPS lap timer and AMB transponder) to get powered up and installed for LaJunta.

 

So thankful that we have David in Colorado - Truely a blessing to have you so close!

Sooooo - been quite the journey and I’ll probably update my track thread as to not bore the audience but had to reschedule my corner-balancing with my buddy to accomodate a few delays in getting the car up and running and some personal time that he had with his family. David got my inspection wrapped up pretty efficiently and I got my 2026 sticker.

Last few days just putting the finishing touches on the car, cleaning things up, making sure everything is squared away. Been working well past mid-night the last few weeks to get my ducks in a row.

I leave for Hallett Motorsports Circuit tomorrow morning and should arrive in the late afternoon / early evening - it’s about a 650mile trip and as previously mentioned I’m planning on 10 hours to get there. Gates open at 5pm for setup for the Friday Practice session and I have no idea how parking will work. There are currently 272 people registerd. 32 people in my class [Spec Miata (NA & NB Miats) will be running with Spec Miata MX-5 (NC miatas)]. So I dont know how they are going to fit 270+ trucks / trailer / cars on that property … sorta scared to find out.

Its a 1.8mile / 10 turn track where speeds might get up to 80mph to 90mph on the straights and more technical in nature. This will be my first ‘super major’ race - so Im a little nervous but still exicted.

Because the weekend is so packed its a 15minute warm-up / qualifying in the morning and a ~30minute race in the afternoon … so doesnt seem to be as hectic as other races.

 

Not sure how James (bealljk) fared in Oklahoma, but our RMDiv race in LaJunta went off well. Four races in two days can make for some fun, but sweaty times. The only problem was my AMB transponder was dead despite repeated charging sessions. Rented a backup from the region supply and off we went. Went through old tires for the weekend, and happy to report that the brakes were solid as well. The Z ran consistently and I had a blast chasing a GT2 and IMSA Corvette at the front end of the grid. Finished second or third in all the races and improved my times even as brakes and tires wore each race. A good start to the season and I used every bit of personal energy to tow, wrench and race through it all!

 

Nice! any videos?

 

Sorry, no vids this race. I'll try to get one up in the next race.

 

Used 12 gallons of Sunoco GT100 race fuel at LaJunta. Not bad for practice, qualifying and four races! Went back tonight to pickup more 100 octane for the Pueblo Majors race in two weeks. I was relieved to find race fuel was still priced at $10.50/gallon and I'll carry about 18 gallons on the trailer to ensure a good reserve.

Next, race prep to continue with a tire and brake check. Typically, I carry a set of rains spare set of slicks and two extra race tires. that may sound like overkill, but with used race tires, it's better to be conservative. Pueblo Motorsports Park is typically a rough combination of asphalt, some concrete and broken pavement. Tried to get some fresher (used) tires, but none were available for sale. Back to using what DOT-R tires I've been saving.

 

what engine mods do you have to require race fuel?

 

SCCA Touring 3 rules for 2026 include 53mm flat plate restrictors (FPRs), test pipes and a single outlet exhaust. My HR-powered Z was originally tuned by UpRev in Austin to use 100 octane fuel and later retuned as SCCA rules began using FPRs to reduce VQ top end and efficiency. In general, mid-range power and top end power can be enhanced 5-7% with a good tune on race fuel. Multiple pulls are required for the tuner to get maximum effectiveness out of each tune.

 

My race prep is complete, but with less than a week before the first of the Colorado SCCA Majors race kicks off, there's only 34 confirmed entries. That is far less than optimum and somewhat surprising for the SCCA Majors circuit! Only two entries in T3 and that means no tire contingency awards (usually takes at least three). Predicted to be hot and dry next weekend at the 2.2-mile Pueblo Motorsports Park circuit.

 

cool. I was considering running E85 in mine for some extra power but 100 octane sound better since it sits for a while. I will talk to my tuner about that.

 

You might want to check on the supply of 100 octane unleaded race fuel in your area. Here in Denver, I've found a reliable supply at a reasonable cost, but that may not be true in other states. Pricing can vary tremendously and sourcing race fuel at race tracks can be expensive.