When Sunday finally rolled around, we had an idea: What better way to check how well the turbo kit performs, than to take it to the Battle Of The Imports in Palmdale, Calif. My girlfriend and I hopped in the Miata and blazed to LACR raceway. I signed up for the Street-Comp class, which required using D.O.T-rated street tires. I checked out the competition--mainly front-drive turbo Hondas and Acuras--and I thought my chances where good since I was the only rear-drive racer in the group. On my maiden run, the Miata bogged off the line and I misshifted third gear and was only able to muster a 16.8 e.t. at 85 mph. Disappointed with the results, I looked at the timeslip and did some prerun adjustment on the Miata--mainly lowering the tire pressure by five psi. A little more prepared this time, I launched the Miata at 4,500 rpm. The Mazda shot forward and I grabbed the shifter, slamming it into second and the Miata got a little squirrelly then regained traction, hurling forward again. I shifted into third but it didn't go in at first. Finally finding third, the Mazda screamed forward. Fourth goes in without hesitation as the Miata reaches its redline and the race is over. I picked up my timeslip and was amazed of the Miata's effort-13.98 at 101 mph. Having two runs under its belt, the third and final qualifying runs were hopefully going to the be the best. With the Miata cool and ready to go, it was off to the staging lanes. I drove around a water box and once staged, held the tach at 4,400 rpm and released the clutch. I heard a loud "thunk" from the rear of my car and I knew my racing career was over. My rear end went south as I tried to perform a dry hop to remove the debris off my tires. I pushed the Miata off the track with the help of some spectators, but there was still a smile on my face. It was fun while it lasted. Some of the spectators came by to check out the car and were amazed at how fast it was with the little work that was performed on the car.
In the end, the heads up Street-Comp class was won by a Honda running 14.3; go figure. There is a serious lesson to be learned here: Although I'm breaking parts I still need more power. Maybe next time I'll bring an extra rear end ...or maybe not. My racing career in the Miata is over for now, but I'm sure I turned some heads during my brief moments in the spotlight.