The Miata purchase is going to work out well, it’s going to drive fast, and it’s going be a lot of fun long-term. I keep telling myself this and must believe in it. While I was initially disappointed, I’ve vowed to be positive. This would be my wife’s influence. I just want to whine, yet am starting to believe that while things haven’t started off great, it’ll turn around. Positive energy. Yup, that’s what is needed.
Ever hear of Reiki? The quick summary is that it’s a Japanese technique for stress reduction, healing, and what the car (and myself) needed – removal of negative energy. The word Reiki stands for universal life force energy. Even if I don’t totally buy into it, my wife is a Reiki Master and I’m ready to try just about anything. And there certainly has been negative energy surrounding the racecar as of late. I had her do Reiki on the car, and I also spent some time in the garage with the car to bond with it. Yes, I am perfectly aware of how dumb that sounds but over some time it did make me feel more connected to it. With racing, the mental aspect of the driver is so vital to being successful. If I felt like it helped, it did.
Trying to Gain Zen in Dave's Garage
In order to attend the next upcoming high performance driving event (HPDE), I needed to get the car quieter to meet the tracks strict sound restriction. I called a few local exhaust shops and they weren’t able to do the custom exhaust work. Finally I called a smaller shop compared to the big chain shops, Pop’s Exhaust in Manchester, CT, and they not only could build it but they could complete it that week just in time for the event. I brought it to them a bit worried with how
The removable exhaust extension
much it would cost and whether or not it would bring the car under the maximum sound limit at Lime Rock Park. The next day I went to pick the car up and was more than happy with the work and bill (around $150 for labor and parts). The exhaust bolts under the car where the “race exhaust version” ends. Perfect.
At the HPDE, it was yet another rainy day. However, this time I was much better prepared and in a positive mood. I mounted the Hoosier H20 Wet race tires, and out I went. Unbelievable! The car felt totally hooked up and the tires had a significant amount of grip. Let it rain!!! If you haven’t driven on the Hoosier H20 Wet tires in the rain, boy are you missing out.
On the last run session I opted to go out on dry tires. It was no longer raining, but there were two streams going across two sections of the track. As I followed another Miata who was using wet tires, I kept thinking “that guy is good!” He eventually got black flagged for sound (being too loud), but I remained out on track. The car felt so good on the wet driving line, I decided to experiment on the dry line where the track was wet. Turn, turn, oh shit! Once I got on the slick grass, there was nothing stopping me as I approached the “swamp”. Fortunately I remembered hearing other drivers talk about how deep the water gets in that location of the track and in order to preserve the engine, one needs to turn the car off before splash down. Whoosh! Well that was fun. Here’s a picture of me heading into the swamp; sadly I didn’t have my iPhone on me when I experienced touchdown.
At one point they even had a life preserver on a wood board out there. I think it was a joke, but maybe not? The tow truck arrived to pull me out of the swamp, I opened the door to see water just up to the opening, but not over. The tow truck driver came over, looked down and commented “hey, look at all of the tadpoles.”
After getting pulled out and being worried about the car and what damage I just had done, the engine and car were fine, although I did pull a fair share of swamp weeds out from under the car. In the paddock after the session, I asked who was driving the other Miata. Turned out the “kid” was a multi-time formula champion who now drives in the Grand-Am pro series. I felt just that much better that I was keeping up.
The following weekend I had my first SCCA race with the car. With the power issues I figured that I wouldn’t be running towards the front of the pack, but opted to install the patented “Flag Holder” TM anyways. Another story for a different time, but it’s a joke my wife came up with to harass a few racing buddies and is just all in good fun.
Qualifying went well and I was shocked to learn that I qualified in first place. The first race was pretty uneventful, and I managed to capture the win. It felt like I could drive the car anywhere and still have ample grip. I was beginning to build confidence in the car and slowly push the limits more and more. Yet I knew the second race wasn’t going to be easy. My wife, 5 yr old son, baby girl and I went to chat with the second place driver of the first reace. My son blurts out with “my daddy beat you” and “you came in second place!” Gee, thanks Isaac. I really appreciate you motivating him even more. Thankfully we were all able to just laugh it off, but that did create an awkward moment at least for me.
I was right. The second race had a lot more “action”. Just after turn one during the first lap, another car was to my right. Evidently he didn’t realize that when going two wide was totally normal especially on the first turn and first lap. Now I’m pissed as I envisioned what bodywork and other repairs will be necessary. Oh, and the steering wheel was now pointed to the right when going straight. Here’s the video, it’s actually entertaining with a tow truck being added to the mix with just a local yellow.
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GODg-7-AhgI
I managed to win the race but was frustrated by being hit, and a few other on-track issues 
that occurred. One of which was my fault, but fortunately resulted in no damage. The highlight of the weekend was seeing just how proud my son was. On the hill during the race, he was walking up to strangers and pointing out “that’s my dad!” After the second race in the paddock, he approached people and said “my daddy won two races!” I also thoroughly enjoyed hanging out with a several racing friends, and made some new friends. All of this is really what makes racing so priceless and worth all of the hard work and expenses it takes to get there. I can’t wait for the next race and the memories it will bring. Lets go racing!
