First track day in the MadZa

[HaylingJag]

just back from Castle Coombe on the first outing for the Mx. Great fun once the fog lifted, only thing is, i need more power!!! the stock 1.6 left me wanting more!!!

ive got a spare 4 litre charged V8 lying around here somewhere

[sbird]

Try some different circuits, preferably with shorter straights and some cambered corners.

[5paul5]

sbird said:

Try some different circuits, preferably with shorter straights and some cambered corners.

It will still be underpowered, its the only downside with the standard 5 on track. Chuck the v8 in

[MX-5 Lazza]

Just the wrong sort of track. I've been to Silverstone Stowe in a 1.6 with track tyres and was overtaking Elises. Coombe is too open for an MX5. Airfield days are the best.

[HaylingJag]

MX-5 Lazza said:

Just the wrong sort of track. I've been to Silverstone Stowe in a 1.6 with track tyres and was overtaking Elises. Coombe is too open for an MX5. Airfield days are the best.

went to Silverstone today and had a session in the XJR, not a good circuit for that. retired after 20 minutes with a sticky caliper and wished i'd taken the Mx. Still, its all about the learning!

[MX-5 Lazza]

HaylingJag said:

MX-5 Lazza said:

Just the wrong sort of track. I've been to Silverstone Stowe in a 1.6 with track tyres and was overtaking Elises. Coombe is too open for an MX5. Airfield days are the best.

went to Silverstone today and had a session in the XJR, not a good circuit for that. retired after 20 minutes with a sticky caliper and wished i'd taken the Mx. Still, its all about the learning!

Was that Silverstone Circuit or Stowe? I'd have thought Stowe was a good circuit for a car like that.

[Riknos]

MX-5 Lazza said:

Just the wrong sort of track. I've been to Silverstone Stowe in a 1.6 with track tyres and was overtaking Elises. Coombe is too open for an MX5. Airfield days are the best.

I've had my ST205 at Castle Coombe and that was fun - The mk1 MX-5 at Coombe was a bit depressing, too many straights, getting over taken a lot... You really need something with lots of twists.

[gdaybruce]

Just back from a day at Anglesey with Javelin. My first time there - what a great circuit for an MX5; all sorts of different corners with odd cambers and gradients, including the "corkscrew", which is really ticky to get right but very satisfying when you do. Even the straight is curved but we saw 95mph at the quickest point. And when you pause and look up, the views are stunning!

Recommended.

[HaylingJag]

MX-5 Lazza said:

Was that Silverstone Circuit or Stowe? I'd have thought Stowe was a good circuit for a car like that.

National circuit on the Sunday Service, great track, wrong car! Wish i'd have taken the MX there to be honest. didnt help having a sticky caliper

Need to do Anglesey though i think this will be more than a day trip!!
Out of interest is there any MX5 specific trackdays ever run? sort of levels the playng fields a bit, obviously dependant on mods?

D

Edited by HaylingJag on Monday 18th February 10:32

[HaylingJag]

bit of footage @

http://youtu.be/PmMY-OwUixQ
D

[MX-5 Lazza]

HaylingJag said:

National circuit on the Sunday Service, great track, wrong car!

Ah. National isn't a good circuit for MX5s either as it's too big & open. It really needs a big powerful car. The MX5 needs little twisty technical circuit. The small infield Silverstone Stowe circuit is idea.

I've been to the old Anglesey circuit a couple of times but haven't been to it since they built the new track. I'll get there eventually but it's a long way from home.

[HaylingJag]

Just out of interest Lazza, how does your charged steed do on the "bigger boys" circuits?

im gonna retire the Jags from trackday and concentrate on the Mazda but dont want to be restricted on where to go. A turbo or SC will be the way "sideways" i think!!

D

[MX-5 Lazza]

To be honest, I don't really do the bigger circuits. Brands is as big as I go but that's only for the MOT annual pilgramage. I don't really find it a particularly interesting circuit. I prefer the little MX5 friendly circuits. Going fast is fine but it's the corners where the fun is. Bedford is good fun but again, most of the straights aren't that long so there isn't a big advantage having more power.

I'm looking forward to going to Stowe some time later this year in my own car - I've only done it in our Mk1 1.6 track car.

For the record, in my car I've been to the following tracks (in order of preference):
Colerne (airfield)
Abingdon (airfield)
Anglesey (old layout)
Knockhill
Goodwood
Blyton
Llandow
Brands
Donnington

And in our Mk1 1.6 track car I've been to:
Silverstone Stowe
Colerne (airfield)
Abingdon (airfield)
Woodbridge (airfield)

And in my old Mk1 1.8 Berkeley
Castle Coombe

Overall, for MX5s I'd grade them like so:
Silverstone Stowe
Colerne (airfield)
Abingdon (airfield)
Woodbridge (airfield)
Anglesey (old layout)
Knockhill
Goodwood (I know it's fast & open, it's just such a great track)
Blyton
Llandow
Brands
Donnington
Castle Coombe

But that's just my opinion

[roddo]

Cadwell and croft are good circuits for the mx5
can put some big cars to shame........................

[gdaybruce]

A couple of pics from Angelsey last Sunday, albeit they don't show the stunning views of Snowdonia in the background:





The 2nd pic shows the corkscrew and we actually appear to be getting somewhere near the apex in the second part of the corner, which was not always the case! It's quite steeply downhill and it's very easy to come in through the first part of the corner too quick and then find yourself off line and understeering through the second part. In this instance I appear to have pitched it in and got the back end moving out a bit. This was also while the car was still clean. A little bit of unintentional autocrossing later left it looking a good deal muddier!

[miniman]

MX-5 Lazza said:

And in my old Mk1 1.8 Berkeley
Castle Coombe

Snap!


Fat driver by binaryimage, on Flickr

[MX-5 Lazza]

Good shot!

Are they the standard Berkeley wheels? Very rare and hard to get hold of but ridiculously heavy!

[miniman]

Yes they were the standard rims, car was lowered a bit though.

[JeremyH5]

[quote=HaylingJag]
Out of interest is there any MX5 specific trackdays ever run? sort of levels the playng fields a bit, obviously dependant on mods?/quote]
Have a look at http://www.mazdaontrack.co.uk/index.asp

[MX-5 Lazza]

Believe me, all MX5 trackdays are never a level playing field. There are so many diferent levels of driver ability and car performance that you might as well be on track with all sorts of cars. In fact some of the best track days I've been on have been with Lotus on Track. The driving standards and observation of track etiquette with them are way above anything I've seen with anyone else.