ITA Miata?

[Richard EVO]

I am planning to go club racing with the SoCal region of SCCA (the "CalClub") in my Miata in 2008. It is a track day car that is not compliant with Spec Miata requirements, and I don't want to make it compliant because I don't like the Spec suspension and many of the other restrictions on modifications. Therefore, I would like to run in Improved Touring A Class.

Is there anyone here who runs a Miata in ITA? If so, please post a summary of your racing experience. Thank you.

[RacerBowie]

I am planning to go club racing with the SoCal region of SCCA (the "CalClub") in my Miata in 2008. It is a track day car that is not compliant with Spec Miata requirements, and I don't want to make it compliant because I don't like the Spec suspension and many of the other restrictions on modifications. Therefore, I would like to run in Improved Touring A Class.

Is there anyone here who runs a Miata in ITA? If so, please post a summary of your racing experience. Thank you.
[/b]

Do some searching around this site, as well as www.rr-ax.com and www.raceconover.com. Both the 1.6 and 1.8 cars are very competitive.

Do you have any specific questions?

[JeffYoung]

There are several VERY fast ITA Miatas in the SEDiv and the NEDiv. Andy Bettencourt, who posts here often, will be more than happy to help you. Steve Lawrence has a fast one. Mike Van Steenburg has a very fast ITA Miata, although I heard it sold (might be wrong). Check out his company's website (ISC Racing Services) for parts.

And, Bowie was too humble to tell you he has developed, owns and drives the fastest Miata that appears regularly at the ARRC, and won a SARRC championship (or three?) in ITA in the car.

All of those guys can help you with selecting (and avoiding) an engine builder, setup and other Miata quirks. Good guys all.

Good luck. I think they look to be a fun car in A, as they "go fast" in a different way than the Integras and 240sxs, and even the CRXs.

[Knestis]

Bowie is affiliated with the shop that maintains my Golf (and neither he nor the car sucks at all) - Conover Motor Sports. They're actually doing a ground-up reshell of his Mee-otter.

http://www.raceconover.com

Cameron Conover can answer your questions and provide parts/service/etc.

K

[Turkflyer]

Do you have a 1.8 or 1.6? I run a 1.6 in ITA in the mid south, but it is strictly a Spec Miata, and not to ITA specs. Mac Spikes runs a good, real ITA Miata here and does quite well (when he stays on the track). He's fast for an old fart. Goes by the handle IPRESS. Andy Bettencourt can help too. To me, the engine to have here is a 1.8 so you can lose the restrictor plate, plus you have bigger brakes. Have fun!

[Andy Bettencourt]

www.flatout-motorsports.com (http://www.flatout-motorsports.com)

Contact me and I will tell you what I know.

[Greg Amy]

Miata prep wars throw-down! It's the Jets vs. the Sharks all over again!

;)

Timmah...? Jimmah...?

[Andy Bettencourt]

Miata prep wars throw-down! It's the Jets vs. the Sharks all over again!

;)

Timmah...? Jimmah...? [/b]

Besides the 1.6 / 1.8 differences in the two cars, I THINK Boo-hee runs some much different spring rates too.

Do the Miata. Anyone can build one, anyone can win in one. They are so good it's unfair. ;)

[Greg Amy]

They are so good it's unfair. ;) [/b]
Must..resist...keyboard...of...death...

BIG ;)

[Andy Bettencourt]

Must..resist...keyboard...of...death...

BIG ;) [/b]

We need a tongue-in-cheek smiley!

[IPRESS]

AHHHHH, them DAMN YANKEES fighting as always! :P OHHHH, I forgot you guys so far north that you are probably BOSOX fans. :D

BTW Andy, I ordered the MSPNP today. Not sure how much help it will be, but Saini and Shannon will have fun messing with it on the dyno. Got the Bilstein shocks custom valved (FatCat Motorsports) coming from the Left Coast so I am down to no excuses. My talent (or lack there of) level may be exposed! :lol:
Looks like we may try crossing over a few times with NASA, which puts us in with some S cars at 2293lbs. I can't get to that weight, so I hope these new goodies help out.
After ARRC, those dang Hondas should have the target on their backs. Good Lord they were turning some great laps.
I got an idea... you and Greg switch cars one race and see if your still buddies!! :happy204:

[Andy Bettencourt]

AHHHHH, them DAMN YANKEES fighting as always! :P OHHHH, I forgot you guys so far north that you are probably BOSOX fans. :D

BTW Andy, I ordered the MSPNP today. Not sure how much help it will be, but Saini and Shannon will have fun messing with it on the dyno. Got the Bilstein shocks custom valved (FatCat Motorsports) coming from the Left Coast so I am down to no excuses. My talent (or lack there of) level may be exposed! :lol:
Looks like we may try crossing over a few times with NASA, which puts us in with some S cars at 2293lbs. I can't get to that weight, so I hope these new goodies help out.
After ARRC, those dang Hondas should have the target on their backs. Good Lord they were turning some great laps.
I got an idea... you and Greg switch cars one race and see if your still buddies!! :happy204: [/b]

We are at least so far north that the COLD is freezing our brains....

Let me know how you like the Bilsteins. I have always been a Koni guy but will try anything once.

I think Greg's 2006 success forced a bunch of teams to step up their programs. Programs that were thought preiviously thought to have been maxed out. It's pretty cool really.

Not sure what I would do with 20% more HP and a car that didn't turn...probably put it into a wall in T1! Now what we SHOULD do is take out someones Integra and have a run off. I would be up for that big time.

[Greg Amy]

Now what we SHOULD do is take out someones Integra and have a run off.[/b]
Hmmm.......

[Andy Bettencourt]

Hmmm.......
[/b]

The more I think about it, the more I think this would be fun! After the Teg, we can jump into a Spec Miata and see how everyone does without HP!

Yes, I like it. :evil laugh:

[gran racing]

Wow, this discussion quickly digressed. It went from talk about Mitas to a Andy vs. Greg ego thread. Yawn.

[Andy Bettencourt]

Wow, this discussion quickly digressed. It went from talk about Mitas to a Andy vs. Greg ego thread. Yawn. [/b]

Hey, its racing! You are welcome to put up too. :D

[Greg Amy]

Wow, this discussion quickly digressed. It went from talk about Mitas to a Andy vs. Greg ego thread. Yawn.
[/b]
Dave, don't feel left out: you're free to brag about all your wins and championships, too, you know...Welcome to Lawton's world: have a seat over there and we'll be with you in just a minute...

:P

[IPRESS]

You guys hold it I will dial up JD in Memphis he usually can contribute to one of these "smackdowns"! :P

[Richard EVO]

I'm new here. Thanks for the suggestions and advice. I don't mind the thread hijacking or smack talk either.

My car is a '94 1.8 that is modified for HPDE track days, not club racing at this point. I need to ditch the 4-point rollbar and install a full custom cage, and make some other modifications to make it SCCA GCR comliant. Here is my current set up. Is any of this stuff illegal in ITA besides the rollbar (be nice, I'm a racing noob)?:

1994 Mazda Miata (base with R-model body panels)

Crate 1.8 complete engine from Mazda
Boss Frog Rollbar with custom harness bar
Schroth 6-point harness
Sparco Sprint V driver's seat
Racing Beat 4:1 headers
Roadster Sport Race stainless exhaust and straight mid-pipe
Jackson Racing high-flow cat
Racing Beat cold air intake
8 Team Dynamics 1.2 12-spoke wheels, 15" x 7"
Nitto NT-01 size 205/50/15 on all wheels
Tein Flex coil over suspension
Cusco sway bars
Koyo racing radiator
Hawk brake pads - Black front; HP Plus rear
Rally clutch
Custom lightweight flywheel
Momo 78 quick release steering wheel
Factory hardtop (used)
Interior stripped (removed passenger seat, convertible top and frame, airbag steering wheel, carpets, stereo & speakers, air conditioning, door panels, etc.)
De-powered steering rack (per Flyin' Miata instructions)

Next modifications: limited slip differential & 6-speed gearbox

[zracre]

Go here -> http://www.scca.org/documents/Club%20Rules/GCR2008.pdf and look at the IT rules...you will refer back to it many times...

[johnny yanez]

ops no 6 spd gear boxes,, ,, evo,,,, lol,,, but im running a 1800 also with tien springs and shock, dont like them as much as koni or bilstein except the tien have enought adjustment to get you in trouble fast, the spring rate is another good question,, it runs the gammot of light to heavy,, with fast cars like andy running heavy front/rear,, depeinding on the track, a good start is 750/450 i guess,, i will suggest the cage made by spec miata,, easy to weld and comes in a kit, cheaper than having one made, im also running the spec miata front sway bar with stock rear bar, i want to try the pnp computer this next year,, as for brakes i guess blues and black is my choice if im wrong with my suggestion, you eastern fast guy tell me so i can get fast too, at 74 i need all the help i can get,

[IPRESS]

I would suggest the MiataCage kit also. Looking at your list I think you need to change a couple of things: Cold Air intake / needs to be just an open intake (can't have a scoop to the outside.) Flywheel has to be stock, Steering Rack can't be converted like yours. (Which I think is a stupid rule.)
Your other stuff should be fine to get started. At some point you may want to get a salvage block and have it bored over. With the new open ECU rule the miata has a chance for more power. I think several IT miata guys will be running the Megasquirt Plug & Play (MSPNP) ECI this coming season. As far as I can tell it is the best bang for the buck.
If you wanted to run both IT & SM you can adjust your prep to the SM rules and for the most part be legal in both classes. This usually puts you a little behind the curve in ITA, but then again the best SM times are close to if not better then the ITA times most places. Even with SM being about as popular as ever, there seem to be more and more miata racers coming over to IT. I have found that for the most part ITA has lots more racing with less fender fixing then SM.

[Richard EVO]

^^^ IPRESS -

Thanks -- that's the kind of knowledgable advice I'm looking for.

Regarding the steering rack -- Are you saying I would have to return the car to power steering in order to compete legally in ITA? Yuck.

I will be using the 7s Only Racing shop at Buttonwillow Raceway in SoCal to do the work to get the car prepped for CalClub ITA racing. The custom 9 lb. flywheel in the car is their piece. I gotta get rid of that too? Double Yuck.

7s Only will build me a custom cage. When it comes to safety, I don't plan to go the cheapest route. It's my a$$ I'm trying to save.

Thanks again for all the advice. Please keep it coming.

[lateapex911]

Yea, it sucks to go backwards, mods-wise! The thinking on those items is more categorical then vehicle specific. The flywheel, for example, isn't really "Needed" to go racing, so why allow lightened versions? If allowed, everybody has another item to spend money and time on.

That said, if you are going to be just starting, and doing the schools, etc, it's not paramount that you get those items legalized before you turn a wheel. For your school, the car must meet the safety regs....class legality isn't an issue.

Now, when you lead your first ITA race, well, thats another story!

[Andy Bettencourt]

^^^ IPRESS -



Regarding the steering rack -- Are you saying I would have to return the car to power steering in order to compete legally in ITA? Yuck.

[/b]

Nope, you just can't use a de-powered rack - technically. You CAN source a used manual rack or buy a new one from Mazdaspeed.

[IPRESS]

Nope, you just can't use a de-powered rack - technically. You CAN source a used manual rack or buy a new one from Mazdaspeed.
[/b]

Yeah what Andy said. Actually that is why I think it is so stupid. De-powering makes sense. But.....as you will find out not everything SCCA does makes perfect sense. There is usually a point that our rules gurus are trying to make. Maybe for some obscure IT car the de-pwering makes it a good bit quicker, in your car... not so much.
As Jake said above, get it safe for the school and unless you are kicking everybodies butt right off, you should be okay getting it all the way legal in time.

[Richard EVO]

My OEM 5-speed gearbox is shot and needs to be replaced. I want to install a factory 6-speed, but I guess it's not legal in ITA. Is there any limitation on the type of LSD I install? Thanks guys.

[JeffYoung]

Can't emphasize this enough: read the ITCS. It's short, maybe 20-25 pages and will not only tell you what is illegal, it will start that racer-brain of yours thinking about what MIGHT be legal.....

Rear ends are free within the stock housing. You can use any R&P ratio you want, and any LSD you want, so long as it fits in that stock housing.

[Richard EVO]

^^^

I'm reading the GCR 9.1.3 for ITA now. It makes my head spin. I'm used to unlimited mods at HPDE and open lapping days. :blink:

[lateapex911]

Theres no winning at HPDEs, although I wouldmswear i've seen some who think they are the HPDE nation Champ!

Sadly competition requires equization of equipment (or it's just a spending race, and even with equilization its a spending race LOL.)

[Richard EVO]

Stupid question (you can really tell I'm a racing noob) -- Can I remove the windows in ITA (I mean the 2 wind up windows in the doors)? I don't see anything about it in the IT Specs.

[spnkzss]

Stupid question (you can really tell I'm a racing noob) -- Can I remove the windows in ITA (I mean the 2 wind up windows in the doors)? I don't see anything about it in the IT Specs.
[/b]

Not only should you look at the IT section, but there is another section for cages in GT and Production based cars (ie IT). That section will explain how the cage should be and explain about the windows. All in the GCR. SInce you are a noob to SCCA you really should skim the whole GCR. There is more in there than just car prep that you might need to read up on.

[Richard EVO]

^^^
It says I have to run with the windows down and with an driver's side window netting. That IMPLIES that the windows cannot be removed, but doesn't say it outright. Did I miss something?

[joeracerx95]

Stupid question (you can really tell I'm a racing noob) -- Can I remove the windows in ITA (I mean the 2 wind up windows in the doors)? I don't see anything about it in the IT Specs.
[/b]

When Tom does your cage he's going to want to put in NASCAR bars. Having these bars allows you to gut the door which includes removing the glass. If you don't have NASCAR bars into the door, you can't remove the glass. This is in the GCR. (2007 GCR -ITCS section D.9.f (pg 316), 2008 GCR 9.4.D (pg 97))

-chuck-
Current CalClub ITA champion. ;)

[BBeasley]

"Theres no winning at HPDEs, although I wouldmswear i've seen some who think they are the HPDE nation Champ!"

sooooooooooooo true

[ddewhurst]

Before anyone installs a miatacage.com PLEASE understand the ITA/Showroom Stock/Spec Miata rules............. There may be lots of them out there but they are NOT INSTALLED consistant within the rules............ Please don't use the couple loose sentences within the GCR to think that your allowed to get out the torch & start cutting out the welded box members between the A pillar & the cowel.

Back under the rock ;)
David

[Tak]

I didn't see anyone mention it, but you do NOT need a catalytic converter. You are a member of Mazda Comp (Mazda Speed) right? If not, become one.

Tak
#29 ITA
SFR SCCA

[Mike Spencer]

I can hardly believe we've filled almost 2 pages with this thread, and no one has uttered the I.T. Mantra....

"If it doesn't say you can..... you can't!"

Richard, keep repeating that to yourself as you read the GCR. It clears up a lot of things! ;)