I went on Saturday. The lines were definitely rough, but to me it was worth
it to autox the new Miata for free and get fed as well. I wished I had time
to do the RX-8 course but when I got to that line they said it'd be a 2 hour
wait. I hadn't done the Performance Challenge in the MX-5 yet so I headed
over there instead. First run just after noon when the sun poked through
the gray sky netted a 41.2xx. And I blew the tight turn at the back of the
course, almost having to stop to keep from DNFing. Went back later in the
afternoon and saw the instructor run a 39.6. Around 6pm I finally got my
second run in the car and came home with a 39.852 -- FTD according to the
staff there (aside from the instructor of course). The front tires were
cooked on that car, too.
The hardest part about the event was not being able to walk the course.
Running it blind at speed was definitely a challenge. You can only tell so
much by watching others run the course. There was quite the variety of
lines on display, as well.
The surprise of the event to me was the Mazda 5. For a tall van-like
appliance, the handling was superb. It reminded me of driving the 6.
The steering of the NC Miata didn't stick out to me as good or bad in
particular, though the wheel felt a little large for a Miata. I've never
thought steering feel was a strong point in Miatas and the NC is no
different.
Definitely more powerful than I expected. I was up against the 2nd gear rev
limiter for a bit about midway through the course. Would have grabbed 3rd
if I'd had a little more success doing the 2-3 shift in the staging area
(there's something about me and Miatas of all years; I can never hit 3rd
when I need to). I was shocked we were achieving such speeds without having
to wear helmets.
I'd do it again, but get there earlier to avoid the lines that got worse as
the day wore on. The event closed at 6 and I was one of the last ones to
leave.
Bryan Heitkotter
http://www.pbase.com/bryanh
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