On any given weekend, there are more Mazdas on the road-race tracks of America than any other brand of vehicle. At the track, you'll see MX-5 Miata, RX-8, MAZDA 3, MAZDA 6, RX-7 and other vintage Mazda models competing, because every Mazda has the Soul of a Sports Car. In fact, the fastest growing road-racing class in the U.S. is the SCCA's Spec Miata class, with nearly 1,500 first- and second-generation Miatas tearing up America's racetracks, making it the most-raced production car in the world. Mazda's involvement in motorsports extends to its relationship with Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, one of the world's premier road-racing circuits, and the Skip Barber Schools for driving and racing.
Spec Miata
Spec Miata is a class of racing car used in Sports Car Club of America (SCCA),National Auto Sport Association (NASA), and Midwestern Council of Sports Car Clubs (MCSCC) road racing events.
The Spec Miata (SM) class is intended to provide the opportunity to compete in low-cost cars with limited modifications, suitable for racing competition. It is intended to encourage low cost, entry level, production car based competition. Spec Miata currently races both sprints and enduros where available.
Mazda Miatas in model years 1990 through 1993 with 1600 cc engines, model years 1994 through 1997 with 1850 cc engines, and model years 1999 through 2005 with 1800 cc engines have been approved by the SCCA for Regional racing in all divisions of the SCCA. The class was approved for National SCCA racing beginning in the 2006 racing season.
As its name shows, Spec Miata is a "specified" class. This means that the rules for allowable modifications to the car are very strict. The class intends to put drivers on a very even footing by making their cars as identical as possible. The rules are far more conservative than the Improved Touring category, but provide equivalent safety measures.
Because of the support of Mazda through Mazdaspeed, the wide availability of the car on the used market, plentiful and inexpensive parts, and the simplicity of maintenance on the cars, Spec Miata has become a very popular class.
Autocross
Autocross is a motorsport that consists of individual timed runs through a course laid out (using traffic cones) on a concrete or asphalt surface. The object is to drive through the course as fast as possible without missing any gates or hitting any cones.
While autocross events typically involve lower speeds than other motorsports (60 - 90MPH) the number of driver inputs per second is comparable to Formula One.
Much like drag racing, autocross has a low cost of entry. Most sanctioning bodies only require a car in good mechanical shape, and an approved helmet. There is usually a class for every car manufactured, so that cars of like type compete against each other.
On any given weekend, there are more Mazdas on the road-race tracks of America than any other brand of vehicle. At the track, you'll see MX-5 Miata, RX-8, MAZDA 3, MAZDA 6, RX-7 and other vintage Mazda models competing, because every Mazda has the Soul of a Sports Car. In fact, the fastest growing road-racing class in the U.S. is the SCCA's Spec Miata class, with nearly 1,500 first- and second-generation Miatas tearing up America's racetracks, making it the most-raced production car in the world. Mazda's involvement in motorsports extends to its relationship with Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, one of the world's premier road-racing circuits, and the Skip Barber Schools for driving and racing.
Autocross is a motorsport that consists of individual timed runs through a course laid out (using traffic cones) on a concrete or asphalt surface. The object is to drive through the course as fast as possible without missing any gates or hitting any cones.