Getting the Super Touring 6 Miata down another 130 pounds is no simple task. In part 1, I laid out a plan of attack that I started at the most recent Nashville Superspeedway event. I brought my scales to document the weights, and although I may have looked like a maniac with a Sawzall in the...
After a long, late-season break, we are back at Nashville Superspeedway for a third time in 2024. This weekend at Nashville kicks off the final series of events that concludes the 2024 regular season at Barber Motorsports Park in November. And even though the Super Touring 6 regional championship...
The exo car build has become a very detailed project, and the fact that I am using it as a huge test bed only adds to the complexity. As a result, this initial fabrication phase, including the roll cage, lasted longer than anticipated. But here we are, tying up the loose ends to bring this phase to...
The NA Miata came to me with extensive front-end damage, so much so that the frame rails forward of the front struts were cut. Although I am getting closer to painting and reassembling, I must first construct a front end. I will create a tubular front bumper that ties into the front frame rails and...
Although the main roll cage is complete, a few items must be fabricated before I paint the chassis. One such item is the dashboard and switch panel. I intend to run several mechanical experiments and tests with this chassis, so I need a clean and easy way to mount several gauges. To do this, I...
Building the roll cage for the ‘ghettocet’ is easily the most time-consuming part of this build. But here we are … finally … with a custom cage built and installed by yours truly. There are a few odds and ends to add, like window net mounts and a Lexan windshield. But for...
Last year, I converted the 1.6-liter NA Spec Miata to run in the Super Touring 6 class with NASA. This power-to-weight ratio class allowed me to shed the weight of the underpowered racecar aggressively. The result was a 2230-lb racecar with the driver, a reduction of 45 lbs. from the Spec Miata...
In the Southern United States, the race season takes a distinct nosedive during the mid-summer months. This downtime is perfect for working on projects like the ‘ghettocet‘. But this year, I wanted to do something a little different. Namely, I want to venture out and explore the other...
Let’s call this intermission on the Ghettocet Miata. A time to get up, stretch our legs, and see how far we have come. Frankly, I let my imagination run wild during the roll cage build, which has taken significantly longer than anticipated.
I wanted to simplify the intake path on the Miata as soon as I converted it to Super Touring 6. After fruitless research yielded conflicting results and very little non-anecdotal data, I decided to hack my own system together. The result is the shortest intake possible while retaining the factory...
I appreciate the irony of naming the annual summer pilgrimage to Barber Motorsports Park, ‘Winter in July.’ And just like in previous years, the weather did not disappoint. The heat index was 101 degrees, with clear and brutally intense skies. But with a racetrack as iconic as Barber...
It is finally here: the fabrication portion of the exo car build. Getting to this point has been quite the process: digging up all of my old equipment and piecing together a functional fabrication space. But with all of the prep work behind me, it is time to build the roll cage. The first step is...
