Parts Spotlight: Spec MX-5 PAGID Racing Brakes

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When deciding on the proper package for the Spec MX-5 race car, Mazda Motorsports studied every factor, from performance to cost to “race-ability.”

Enter PAGID Racing Brakes – the company Mazda Motorsports chose to be the spec pad provider for the all-new Spec MX-5.

PAGID Racing has been the exclusive supplier to the Mazda MX-5 Cup car and has built a brake that allows for fantastic professional racing. It has worked closely with the Spec MX-5 Challenge that operated for the past two seasons and learned how an NC MX-5 performs.

The folks at PAGID Racing know what Mazda racers look for in stopping power. More importantly, unlike many brake manufacturers who use the same compound for a variety of cars, it has built a pad exclusively for the Spec MX-5 package. This includes compounds for sprint and endurance racing.

Most impressively, PAGID Racing built those brake pads with a longer life and at a price point that should allow for lower operating costs, long term, than most others.

This doesn’t happen by accident. Mazda factory drivers, including Tom Long and Andrew Carbonell, have worked closely with Mazda Motorsports and PAGID Racing to refine the package as it was developed.

So how does PAGID Racing do it? Long life, stopping power, and an economical price point are the goals of any racer, but not everyone can deliver on all three.

The life and stopping power actually go hand in hand at PAGID Racing in a way that isn’t as incompatible as it might first seem. PAGID Racing employs dual retention systems for brake pads, with an adhesive bond and a patented mechanical system that consists of brass studs that are welded directly to the backplate that prevents the pad from de-laminating or breaking apart. The brass studs are softer than the rotor and wear away as the pad is consumed, causing no additional damage to either the pad or the rotor. The high ceramic content in the pads allows for superior thermal insulation and higher heat resistance combined with low heat conductivity. The reduction in heat transfer to the caliper (up to 60 degrees Celsius) helps prevent the boiling of the fluid. All of that helps to minimize wear, maintains optimum bite, modulation and pedal feel, and extends the life of the components.

As for the economical price point, PAGID Racing is invested in the Spec MX-5 package for the long haul, not to make a quick buck. And with all pads sold through Mazda Motorsports, the retail margins are reduced to keep the price lower for you, the racer.

PAGID Racing and Mazda Motorsports have worked together to build a brake pad designed for the NC MX-5 that is reliable and economical; will allow you to get to the front of the field no matter if you’re running in a spec class sprint race or against others in an enduro; will be readily available beginning in October of 2019; and can be easily in post-race technical inspection, all based around the NC Mazda MX-5 and it’s unique characteristics.

Front Pads:
0000-03-5104-SP
Price: $215.00

Rear Pads:
0000-03-5116-29
Price: $222.00

About Spec MX-5: Mazda Motorsports has combined decades of key learnings supplied by thousands of racers at every level of grassroots and pro racing to create Spec MX-5. We’ve applied these key learnings into four key pillars: affordability, reliability, tech-ability, and really fun to drive. We’ve considered every facet of Spec MX-5 – from the car spec, the suppliers and partners, the rule set, the schedules and tracks, the ease of maintenance and repair, fun and fair competition, prizes and awards, and more. Building on the abundance of already fun third-generation NC (2006-2015) MX-5s, Mazda Motorsports has developed a race kit with nearly every necessary part to convert the road car into the Spec MX-5 race car, intended for everyone from novices looking to make a long-term stay in club racing, to those aspiring to ascend the Mazda Road to 24 ladder. The focus of the support program is to enable excellent sprint and endurance club racing competition through transparency, parity, rewarding racers with the best contingency awards in club racing, the best parts pricing, and assistance from Mazda Motorsports’ experts on everything from assembly, to set up, and driving. Spec MX-5 is club racing done right. Parts for the Spec MX-5 kit begin shipping in October, so call Mazda Motorsports at 800.435.2508 now to be first in line!

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