Spec Miata
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Spec Miata is a class of racing car used in Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) 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 1800 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.
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[edit] Class rules
This section is not an exhaustive set of rules; it is intended to give the reader an idea of the preparation level of the cars in this class.
Spec Miatas use a specific Bilstein shock with an adjustable coil-over suspension with Eibach springs and adjustable front and rear sway bars, steel braided brake lines.
Depending on the region, Toyo Tires, Kumho, or Hankook tires are specified. For National competition, the Toyo RA1 is the spec tire. The wheel size is fixed at 15x7, with the wheels weighing no less than 13 pounds.
Cars with 1.6 liter engines have a race weight of 2300 pounds (1045 kg) and first generation cars with a 1.8 liter displacement engine have a minimum race weight of 2350 pounds. Second generation Miatas have a minimum weight of 2450 pounds. The 1.8 liter displacement cars may not run an aftermarket air intake and must run a throttle restrictor, while the 1.6 liter displacement cars do not require a restrictor and may run a modified air box.
The full rules for the class may be found in the current Spec Miata Category Specifications of the SCCA rule book, called the GCR (General Competition Rules & Specifications).
[edit] Famous quotes
"Spec cars, such as SCCA Spec Miata, and now NASCAR—and increasingly Formula One—take the car out of the equation and it becomes more driver vs. driver. This is the purest form of racing, and in some cases, such as Spec Miata, it might not draw a crowd, but so what? We're talking pure sport. I predict that in the next two decades, every major type of racing will be a spec series." - H.A. Wheeler
[edit] National Champions
2006 Andrew Caddell, Northwest Region
[edit] External links
- Sports Car Club of America web site
- Official Spec Miata web site
- Spec Miata Videos web site
- Miata Performance Driving School at Thunderhill
[edit] References
General Competition Rules and Specifications, 2006, Sports Car Club of America.
- The current edition of this book is downloadable from the SCCA website at this page.
