Engineering Tip #18: Rain Dance
Suspension and tire management for racing in the rain can be a very different exercise than when dealing with a dry track.
Racecraft
Coaching: The What and the Why
Part 1: The reasons for hiring a driving coach are more than one might think, and so are the things they can do
Driving Tip #17: Technical Corners
Pro driver and coach Kenton Koch breaks down off-camber and compression corners.
Driving Tip #16: Stay Mentally Sharp
It’s easy to get out of racing mode in the off season. Finding ways to keep your brain engaged will have you ready when your next race rolls around.
The Track Walk
Walking (not riding) around the track can give you an edge over the competition. MazdaMotorsports.com has recently offered advice from Mazda’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship MRT-24 Prototype drivers on learning new tracks and how to prepare for a new track before you arrive. There is another step to familiarizing oneself with a circuit that happens […]
Driving Tip #14: Making Small Adjustments/Car Control
During a race, things are going to change – the best drivers make the necessary adjustments to keep lap times on point
Engineering Tip #10: Balancing Braking
Using different friction at each end of the car can help balance your braking setup, even when there is no hydraulic brake bias adjustment available.
Driving Tip #12: More Traffic Woes (And Benefits)
Traffic during races can be frustrating, but it can also be used to your advantage
Driving Tip #9: Learning New Tracks
Doing your homework before arrival allows racers to get up to speed quickly
Julian Garfield: Lessons Learned
In his first season of road racing, Garfield learned a key lesson during each SCCA Majors weekend Julian Garfield just wrapped up his first season of SCCA club racing in Spec Miata. While he’s no stranger to motorsports competition, road racing has some key differences to the autocross competition where he has excelled. Car control […]
More Seat Time
Touring 4 racer Derrick Ambrose develops race craft through Spec Miata Race craft is key to winning, and to develop race craft, there’s no replacement for seat time in real racing situations. But for racer and CorkSport Performance co-owner Derrick Ambrose, opportunities to develop that race craft were limited with his Touring 4 SCCA race […]
Learning a New Track
When heading to a new track for the first time, the Mazda factory drivers say it’s important to do your homework Going to a new track for the first time can be intimidating. Not only do you have a limited amount of time to get the feel of the track, learn your braking points and […]
Finding a Weakness
Your competitor is not going to make passing an easy task for you. But he or she has a weakness, and it’s up to you to find it and exploit it.
Choosing Dry When It’s Wet can Pay Off
Starting a wet race on dry tires when the rain has stopped can be a big gamble, but it can also be a big advantage.
How to Race Your Teammate
In many ways, racing a teammate or good friend can be easier than an unknown; but the consequences for contact can go much higher.
MX-5 vs. MX-5 vs. MX-5
Switching from car to car doesn’t have to be dramatic, says club and pro racer Andrew Carbonell. Andrew Carbonell has driven a variety of MX-5s. In addition, he has some karting and formula car experience plus some time in the GX-class Mazda SKYACTIV-D Clean Diesels that ran in the Rolex Sports Car Series last year. […]”
The Road America Chess Game
Kenton Koch discovers drafting at Road America can be both helpful and cruel. Road America is known for its intense racing due to its mix of fast corners, insane drafting and long straights; it’s North America’s Nurburgring. In the Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by BFGoodrich® Tires, these cars create a very big hole in the […]”
Don’t Overslow It
Pro and club racer Andrew Carbonell explains braking techniques to maintain speed. Some will tell you that the key to being fast is how soon you get on the throttle. Others will tell you it’s how late you get on the brakes. For Andrew Carbonell, it’s not about getting on the brakes or on the […]”
Choose and Use a Coach
As the various national championship events and then the off season approach, many people begin to consider just how they’re going to improve to either secure that title or prepare for next season. For many, the best opportunity to advance their racing ability may be to hire a coach. Tom Long, in addition to being […]”
Cheating the Wind
You’ve built your racecar to be as aerodynamic as possible. Whether you start with an RX-7, Miata, RX-8, MX-5 or something else, you’ve got a pretty good basis and you’ve worked within the rules to make it move through the air as efficiently as it can with the help of air dams and spoilers. But […]”
MX-5 Cup Drivers Pursue Fitness
The old question of whether racing drivers are athletes ought to have been settled by now. Gone are the days when some of NASCAR’s best used to light up a cigarette during caution periods and drivers were out of shape. These days, training is everything in order to get every last bit of performance out […]”
Eric Foss on Data Fundamentals
Most of the young drivers who made it to the final rounds of the Mazda Club Racer Shootout have some experience with data. They’ve seen it, they’ve used it and usually understand it. For some experiencing data acquisition for the first time, though, it can be a little confusing. It shouldn’t be, says Eric […]”
Choreographing Driver Changes
“As soon as he stops, I punch him and yank him out of the car.” Pierre Kleinubing is laughing about the idea of doing a driver change with Jayson Clunie in the No. 31 Street Tuner i-Moto Mazdaspeed3 that way during a Continental Tire Series race, but he doesn’t really mean it. It’s actually […]”
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