here is the layout of the track. 3.27 miles long with a 3000 ft front straightaway and a 4000 ft back straightaway. I just dont think there is no way in hell a stock miata can stay far enough ahead of me in the turns that i couldnt make up on the straights.
help me settle this debate
He's trying to get at you. when he said a professional driver tell him to make it fair your car needs a pro too...
no offense, but unless you have a LOT of time behind the wheel ON road courses you'll prob. lose and badly. there is a specific skill set for driving on road courses and those are not easily practiced anywhere but the race track.
now if a pro was driving your car. he'd mop up the miata hands down.
no offense, but unless you have a LOT of time behind the wheel ON road courses you'll prob. lose and badly. there is a specific skill set for driving on road courses and those are not easily practiced anywhere but the race track.
now if a pro was driving your car. he'd mop up the miata hands down.
TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 530
Likes: 0
My brake rotors just warped from looking at that.
Fun reading these posts...
My .02 cents..
I have instructed at VIR since they reopened. Not old enough to have done it prior...
Its fun to get in different cars and see how they perform especially with new drivers.
I bet just because your car is what it is and his car is what it is, he will be able to get up to speed using ALL of his cars potential before you will and that will more than make up for the difference in HP. Most of the big HP drivers learn to get the car around the corner and mash it. He will have to learn to keep momentum up and corner speed up as he will have nothing on the straights... You take that skill then apply it in your car and you will be that much faster.
It is actually quite frustrating for a low HP car/driver to get around the vettes and mustangs etc.. in the school groups as initally with a novice driver, they can click off faster lap times but can not get by the HP cars on the straight. If you see the little mini/miata/focus/sentra etc.. everytime under in the brake zones, mid corner and exit, let em go, you would be suprised how much ground they will gain on you thru the tight stuff... It will more than make up for the straightaways and after a few laps you may no longer see their tail lights at all...
Goes for bikes too! I could not tell you how many little well ridden SV650 Suzukis school the big (R type) bikes at track days!
My .02 cents..
I have instructed at VIR since they reopened. Not old enough to have done it prior...
Its fun to get in different cars and see how they perform especially with new drivers.
I bet just because your car is what it is and his car is what it is, he will be able to get up to speed using ALL of his cars potential before you will and that will more than make up for the difference in HP. Most of the big HP drivers learn to get the car around the corner and mash it. He will have to learn to keep momentum up and corner speed up as he will have nothing on the straights... You take that skill then apply it in your car and you will be that much faster.
It is actually quite frustrating for a low HP car/driver to get around the vettes and mustangs etc.. in the school groups as initally with a novice driver, they can click off faster lap times but can not get by the HP cars on the straight. If you see the little mini/miata/focus/sentra etc.. everytime under in the brake zones, mid corner and exit, let em go, you would be suprised how much ground they will gain on you thru the tight stuff... It will more than make up for the straightaways and after a few laps you may no longer see their tail lights at all...
Goes for bikes too! I could not tell you how many little well ridden SV650 Suzukis school the big (R type) bikes at track days!
Teching In
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 7
Likes: 1
From: Tucson AZ
[QUOTE=joelamite;14325642]Fun reading these posts...
My .02 cents..
If you see the little mini/miata/focus/sentra etc.. everytime under in the brake zones, mid corner and exit, let em go, you would be suprised how much ground they will gain on you thru the tight stuff... It will more than make up for the straightaways and after a few laps you may no longer see their tail lights at all...
QUOTE]
I had the chance in the summer of 1990 to see Dr. Dick Thompson and Dick Guldstrand (1963-65 Penske Racing Corvettes) run a pair of Corvette coupes against Carroll Shelby driving a 289 FIA Cobra at the Palm Springs antique races. The three were turning very close laptimes BUT there were a pair of Lotus Sevens that were on the same lap and much less than a 10th of a second slower than the bigger HP cars. The track layout had only one straight section with lots of turns and it took the horsepower advantage away from the Cobra and Corvette because the Seven drivers were both very good in that car and the lighter cars braked later and held higher speeds in the twisty parts of the course. Remember, those Lotus Sevens weighed 1046 Lbs with a 95 HP 1.5 liter engine.
So, you are right, sometimes the smaller, lighter car with a more experienced driver can win!
My .02 cents..
If you see the little mini/miata/focus/sentra etc.. everytime under in the brake zones, mid corner and exit, let em go, you would be suprised how much ground they will gain on you thru the tight stuff... It will more than make up for the straightaways and after a few laps you may no longer see their tail lights at all...
QUOTE]
I had the chance in the summer of 1990 to see Dr. Dick Thompson and Dick Guldstrand (1963-65 Penske Racing Corvettes) run a pair of Corvette coupes against Carroll Shelby driving a 289 FIA Cobra at the Palm Springs antique races. The three were turning very close laptimes BUT there were a pair of Lotus Sevens that were on the same lap and much less than a 10th of a second slower than the bigger HP cars. The track layout had only one straight section with lots of turns and it took the horsepower advantage away from the Cobra and Corvette because the Seven drivers were both very good in that car and the lighter cars braked later and held higher speeds in the twisty parts of the course. Remember, those Lotus Sevens weighed 1046 Lbs with a 95 HP 1.5 liter engine.
So, you are right, sometimes the smaller, lighter car with a more experienced driver can win!
Fun reading these posts...
My .02 cents..
I have instructed at VIR since they reopened. Not old enough to have done it prior...
Its fun to get in different cars and see how they perform especially with new drivers.
I bet just because your car is what it is and his car is what it is, he will be able to get up to speed using ALL of his cars potential before you will and that will more than make up for the difference in HP. Most of the big HP drivers learn to get the car around the corner and mash it. He will have to learn to keep momentum up and corner speed up as he will have nothing on the straights... You take that skill then apply it in your car and you will be that much faster.
It is actually quite frustrating for a low HP car/driver to get around the vettes and mustangs etc.. in the school groups as initally with a novice driver, they can click off faster lap times but can not get by the HP cars on the straight. If you see the little mini/miata/focus/sentra etc.. everytime under in the brake zones, mid corner and exit, let em go, you would be suprised how much ground they will gain on you thru the tight stuff... It will more than make up for the straightaways and after a few laps you may no longer see their tail lights at all...
Goes for bikes too! I could not tell you how many little well ridden SV650 Suzukis school the big (R type) bikes at track days!
My .02 cents..
I have instructed at VIR since they reopened. Not old enough to have done it prior...
Its fun to get in different cars and see how they perform especially with new drivers.
I bet just because your car is what it is and his car is what it is, he will be able to get up to speed using ALL of his cars potential before you will and that will more than make up for the difference in HP. Most of the big HP drivers learn to get the car around the corner and mash it. He will have to learn to keep momentum up and corner speed up as he will have nothing on the straights... You take that skill then apply it in your car and you will be that much faster.
It is actually quite frustrating for a low HP car/driver to get around the vettes and mustangs etc.. in the school groups as initally with a novice driver, they can click off faster lap times but can not get by the HP cars on the straight. If you see the little mini/miata/focus/sentra etc.. everytime under in the brake zones, mid corner and exit, let em go, you would be suprised how much ground they will gain on you thru the tight stuff... It will more than make up for the straightaways and after a few laps you may no longer see their tail lights at all...
Goes for bikes too! I could not tell you how many little well ridden SV650 Suzukis school the big (R type) bikes at track days!
LS1 Tech Stories
The Best V8 Stories One Small Block at Time
6 Common C5 Corvette Failures and What's Involved In Repairing Them
Pouria Savadkouei
Retro Modern Bandit Pontiac Trans AM Comes With Burt Reynolds' Autograph
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Greatest Cadillac V Series Performance Models Ever, Ranked
Pouria Savadkouei
Top 10 Most Powerful Chevy Trucks Ever Made!
Hennessey's New Supercharged Silverado ZR2 Has 700 HP
Verdad Gallardo
Coachbuilt N2A Anteros Is an LS2-Powered C6 Corvette In Italian Clothes
Verdad Gallardo
Awesome K5 Blazer Restomod Comes With C7 Corvette Power
Verdad Gallardo
10 Camaros You Should Never Buy
10 LS Engine Myths That Refuse to Die
Verdad Gallardo
I thought I was cool when I saw that I ran better times than the Nissan GTR at my last autox, until I saw that I had been raped by every civic and miata there
autox is a lot different than an open road course, but I'd say it came down to 90% skill and 10% car. it was a pretty big and open course.
autox is a lot different than an open road course, but I'd say it came down to 90% skill and 10% car. it was a pretty big and open course.
Last edited by therealcreeper; Feb 4, 2011 at 12:43 PM.
I just got a 94 miata and ran it in autocross this past weekend. For being a stock car the handling is nimble and sharp, but NO power! It took me more than a few runs before I posted a worthy time.
I'm not the best driver nor the worst, but I was embarrassing a few newbies in Z06s a C5 & C6 it was pretty ugly. They ended up doing better by the end of the weekend but not by more than a second.
If the car is running fine...it usually comes down to driver
I'm not the best driver nor the worst, but I was embarrassing a few newbies in Z06s a C5 & C6 it was pretty ugly. They ended up doing better by the end of the weekend but not by more than a second.
If the car is running fine...it usually comes down to driver
Last edited by 2000Z28M6; Feb 11, 2011 at 12:49 PM.
************************************************** *************************************
just an update..since the official results finally posted.
I posted better times than a ESP LSX GTO, CP LSX firebird, SS C5 Z06 and STU LT1 camaro. among other un worthy mentions haha...
anyway all these cars are faster than a stock miata, however, they are all newbs except for the LT1 I dont know whats up with that guy.
So yea it came down to driver!
just an update..since the official results finally posted.
I posted better times than a ESP LSX GTO, CP LSX firebird, SS C5 Z06 and STU LT1 camaro. among other un worthy mentions haha...
anyway all these cars are faster than a stock miata, however, they are all newbs except for the LT1 I dont know whats up with that guy.
So yea it came down to driver!
************************************************** *************************************
just an update..since the official results finally posted.
I posted better times than a ESP LSX GTO, CP LSX firebird, SS C5 Z06 and STU LT1 camaro. among other un worthy mentions haha...
anyway all these cars are faster than a stock miata, however, they are all newbs except for the LT1 I dont know whats up with that guy.
So yea it came down to driver!
just an update..since the official results finally posted.
I posted better times than a ESP LSX GTO, CP LSX firebird, SS C5 Z06 and STU LT1 camaro. among other un worthy mentions haha...
anyway all these cars are faster than a stock miata, however, they are all newbs except for the LT1 I dont know whats up with that guy.
So yea it came down to driver!
I have a 911s, and a late model stock car in my garage. The most fun car I own is my 99 Miata. I have a friend that races a Modified. He constantly makes fun of the little "homo" car. I let him take it out one day. He has not made fun if it since. I myself used to say I would never own/have one for the same reason. Man was I mistaken.
My dad has a Boxter S and a Z4. He drives his 94 miata everyday...
He also has owned corvettes ls1 camaros and firebirds...
My uncle (pops brother) ran everything from the firehawk and kelly challenge to an IMSA GT1 Camaro (todays Rolex cars) currently races a spec miata.
We took a late model and a spec miata to an open track/test day 2 years ago. We put more time and less gas in the miata.
There is something about them that does not show on paper...
Miata's The best car nobody ever wants to be seen in...
But I've heard the same comment from alot of ladies/ women I know......
"its so cute, why are you driving a girls car?"
It's gotten to the point where I just say you know what "I dont care, its saving me gas".
Plus the top down rocks when the weather is perfect.I did add a big **** you sticker on the back of the glass and put an SCCA sticker to make it a little more manly haha......
