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Not h-body related, but just wanted to humbly brag a little (about the Miata, not me).

2017 has been a little h-body slow for me.
The old '91 Miata I bought from a co-worker a bit over a year ago had been used as a daily AND as a 32-mpg "Truck" to haul stuff when great distance called for mpg.....

After being highly impressed with it's performance (240k miles, 32 mpg, A/C) for a year and feeling I'd gotten my use out of the $1000 purchase price, I decided to try Rally cross for the first time with it.... just for fun.

..... 2017 East Tennesse Region SCCA Rally cross Champion Stock Rear Wheel Drive .....

Now the humbly part:
I have a co-driver that is, admittedly, a much better driver than I am. He would consistently beat my best lap times by 1-2 seconds .... in my own car!
He deserves the win, but because of his work schedule, he couldn't attend as many events as me. This allowed me to get more points when I won 1st.... only when he wasn't there! 2nd place usually went to me or the 2001 Z-28 - very close battle between Z & me.
My co-driver and I were actually tied in points going into the last race of the season (yesterday), and my buddy couldn't attend (at PRI in Indy). If the next closest competitor beat me (2001 Camaro Z-28), my buddy/co-driver would win the championship. I barely eked out the Z for the total win.... Even though my co-driver/buddy can whip me in my own car ... any day of the week.

Just goes to show you the David and Goliath story happens in Rally cross, too.
116 hp (240k miles ago!) can trump LS-1 350 hp .... Just gotta get all 100 of it to the dirt effectively. We even beat many All Wheel Drive and turboed Subarus each event.
Much love to the old, worn out '91 Miata "Truck".

Well done. I've only run a few rally-crosses, but I swear they're more fun than an autocross!

Gotta show some more "Truck" pics....

Utilizing the busted plastic rear window to my advantage.... don't need the 12-mpg Jeep and utility trailer when you've got a 32-mpg Miata "Truck"




Duct Tape Rally Stripes (orange)



Flyin' low....


And gotta show the flaws...... Yes, I do hit cones... sometimes, rather epic-ly (just no good pics):

rpoz-29 wrote:Well done. I've only run a few rally-crosses, but I swear they're more fun than an autocross!

Thanks, rpoz-29.

Yes... much more fun than autocross. A bit harder on the car, though.

Our course is a cow pasture.
Being in East Tennessee (near KY border), there is NO flat land.... so it has lot of elevation changes. Off-camber turns and bowls....
The surface can change from slick as owl snot in the morning dew to sticky as asphalt in the heat of the day.
This requires constant driver input changes from run to run.

Here's a couple shots of the course I have just to give an idea of the elevation changes:







Here's a couple vids from earlier this year:
Course overview:
https://youtu.be/jA1uVdAeaQ0

https://youtu.be/oeXFLJ6SlPI

In-car:
https://youtu.be/pv5jDf-535A

Not my car: https://youtu.be/xrFl5E8ORrU



3-minute mark shows some of the z-28... my battle with him continued all year long.
https://youtu.be/2JMCokqyoMM

Congrats, Dwight! Ya gotta love those NA Miatas! I had a '92 for a DD and ran in high-speed autocross for several years, until I moved to MO and it got rear-ended right in front of my house. I picked up a '97 to replace it, but there doesn't seem to be many track opportunities down here. I was able to buy back the '92 from the insurance company and swap out the roll bar and harnesses, though.

Chuck

Cant beat that. Clearly they missed their market, its as versatile as a truck . Looks like a lot of fun!

BadBtowtie wrote:Cant beat that. Clearly they missed their market, its as versatile as a truck . Looks like a lot of fun!

Man, that little Miata has seen some stuff in its lifetime. That's why Miatas rule!