Miatas at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca 2014 - official thread
 

A new thread with current info. Also: SuperMiata race.

Miatas at Mazda Raceway takes place on September 6-7, 2014. The place is the legendary Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. It's the 25th birthday party for our favorite sports car!

The official website is MiatasatMazdaRaceway.com. You can also find us on Facebook at Facebook.com/MiatasatMRLS.

Miata owners from all over the country will descend on Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and the Monterey area in early September to celebrate a quarter century of their favorite sports car – already in the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s favorite production sports car. Mazda is going all out for the event, and best of all, everything will be free of charge except for the hot laps!

Here's a rough idea what to expect

- A thousand or more Miatas!
- Guiness World Record attempt for the biggest Miata parade
- A drive-in movie at the track
- Saturday seminars from the people who created the Miata
- 2 days of track time at world famous Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca
- A 30 minute race featuring Spec Miata, SuperMiata and Teen Mazda Challenge classes
- Parade laps on Sunday
- Guided driving tours of the gorgeous Monterey Peninsula area
- Miata show cars on display spanning the years
- Free BBQ dinners Friday and Saturday
- Vendors on hand with displays and demos and product specials
- More surprises! (Trust us, there will be surprises!)

Participants who register online (free of charge) before August 23rd will get a special gift. By registering online, you're helping us to get accurate numbers for food and planning purposes. Also, we anticipate a huge turnout, and being pre-registered helps you skip the lineups when you first arrive. Finally, by registering your name will be recorded as being part of the Guinness World Record!

Registration for participants, the hot laps and the race will open on February 15th at 9 am Pacific time. Some of the run groups fill up very quickly, so don't procrastinate.

We're going to contact as many Miata owners as we can, but nothing beats word of mouth. Help us get more cars for the record! Tell your clubs, tell your regional forums and email lists. We have a flyer you can download and print out.

The host hotel is the freshly remodeled Embassy Suites in Seaside, close to the track and the beach. This will be the location of the car show and welcome BBQ on Friday night as well as registration. We've managed to arrange an excellent rate of $199 for a suite, including free parking and WiFi. This is high season on the Montery Penninsula, so the hotel has done great work in getting this price.If the block of rooms sells out, we will get more until the hotel is full.
Booking page

This event started off as a two-day track event, and while it's grown we haven't forgotten what's made it popular over the last five years. The track hot laps remain a highlight for drivers and visitors alike, so here's some information about that aspect.

The hot laps are open to any Miata, modified or stock, including those that are only barely members of the Miata family. Exocets, Catfish, Westfields, Italias, V8-powered beasts - all are welcome.

We have run groups ranging from expert to novice. The passing rules of each group is tailored to the experience level of the drivers, with open passing in A and limited point-by in D. This has always been a safe event with a minimum of carnage and we want to keep it that way.

The cost is $250 per day. Sound limits are a high 103 dB, which is very rare at this track.

All cars in groups A, B and C will require roll protection. NA and NB models in D will also require the same. This means a six-point bar including rear braces. Most of the common roll bars on the market for the NA and NB are suitable. Drivers and passengers will also have to be capable of passing a "broomstick test", meaning the top of their helmet falls below a line drawn from the top of the bar to the top of the windshield frame.

There are very few bars for the NC that will meet the rollover requirements for groups A, B, and C. The only bars on the market that are acceptable are the Blackbird Fabwerx bars, AWR bars with removable rear braces (the "Quick Change") or Petty bars, and the Hard Dog Sport with a Petty bar. The PRHT version of the Hard Dog bar is not tall enough to be acceptable. The Hard Dog Sport is NOT accepted for soft-top 2006-14 models, as are a number of other bars for that car. If you're unsure about your bar, please contact us ahead of time.

NC cars are allowed to run in D with stock roll protection as well as aftermarket bars that do not meet the above criteria. PRHT cars are required to run with the top up. We know it's no fun, but we're trying to make this as safe as possible.

Registration for the hot laps will open at 9 AM PST on February 15th. Some of the run groups fill up quickly, so don't delay.

New for this year: wheel to wheel racing. Not track day hot lap "racing", but the real thing. On Sunday, we'll have a 30 minute race featuring Spec Miata, SuperMiata and Teen Mazda Challenge classes running together. The start will be staggered to keep the classes separate for a while, but I suspect we'll have SPM dealing with SM cars about 20 minutes in. If you want to race, you will need the appropriate competition license and safety gear for your chosen class. The price to race is $100, including a 15 minute practice in the morning and the 30 minute race at noon. Racers are welcome to take part in the hot laps as well, and will be placed in group A.

We are working with major rental car companies to have rental Miatas available, and Larry Oka will be there with rental track cars as well. I'll post more information about the former when it's available, and you can visit LarryOka.com for the track rentals.

FYI - The block of rooms we had at the host hotel sold out in a couple of hours this morning. We're working on getting more, but that might not happen until Monday.

I want to be at this so bad... 4,400 miles round trip would be a loooooooooong trip in a Miata though. If there's an opportunity for miata rentals, I'm in. Otherwise, I may just have to show up in a non-miata rental.

^ I'm in the same boat. No way would my tow vehicle make a 6,000 mile trip very well.

Theres a 3-5 car group organizing from Columbus, Ohio if you two wanted to tag along^^

Maybe. Are you going all in one stint, or are you stopping partway?

I talked to the lady friend last night, and we're doing it. I got Weds, Thurs, Fri, Mon, Tues, Weds around the 6-7 off from work, and we're planning on making a roadtrip out of it. We were going to take a different week-long camping trip in the boundary waters, but I'm thinking we'll do this instead.. pick a few state/national parks along the way and camp our way out there.

I've got a mate with a trailer for the Miata, and he might tag along (if not, he said we could probably use the trailer either way) just need to find a tow vehicle that I think could make the 4,400 mile trip.

This is happening, though. I'm so jacked.

Thanks for the invite, and a road trip of miatas traveling together to leguna seca sounds epic. Are you planning on taking 70 the whole way? That much interstate in a modified miata might get old - hard to say.

Looking more like we may end up just driving the Miata.. Which means we'd probably have to make the trip on All Seasons :( (toyos certainly would not like 4,400 highway miles plus hotlaps). Which would mean probably no hotlaps while we're there (wouldn't want to do hotlaps on crap tires) but we could still do the parade and driving tours and stuff.

Hrm...

There are lots of ways to deal with that - shipping a set of wheels and tires to CA is the easy option. Alternately, a tire trailer. Or pick up a set of Direzza ZIIs, they should be able to handle that job.

We are bringing 70 home. But going with a more sight seeing route out. Have plans to be in LA on Thursday to change oil and such.

PM me your Facebook page and I'll throw you an invite to our planning group.

PM sent. It will likely end up depending on A) whether or not my buddy ends up coming with us and B) whether or not we can find a tow vehicle.

Sweet. I was at the first one back in '09 and it was a blast. I might have to check it out this year since I'll be local (again).

Registered. !!!!

SuperMiata Race
 

Most of the active racers are signed up.
Really looking forward to this event. See friends I haven't seen in a while. ll the cool Miatas to look at. Even more people to scare during ridealongs.

BTW, registration is hauling ass this year. We've got over 200 people in the first hour, and at least one run group is sold out. If you're thinking of coming, don't procrastinate.

Miatas at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca

Update: two groups sold out with another about to go. When you go to the registration page, you'll see what groups are still open.

So, I signed up for a track group on Sunday and checked the boxes indicating I'd be there for the Friday BBQ (at hotel?) and Saturday BBQ and drive in movie...

I'm going to assume this means I'm covered for Saturday and Sunday participant?

Yes. We don't really have a distinction between one vs two-day participants.

Awesome, thanks Keith!

Can't wait. I'll be there! Based on Rick's insistence I registered for D but really don't want to be in D (no prior track experience). Whatever, it'll work out. Looking forward to meeting a lot of you there!

So, Saturday is basically sold out. Oversold, actually, but attrition will take care of that. Sunday has one sold out run group and two more on the cusp.

We've got 359 registrations either for the track, the race or participants. That's after 8 hours. In 2013, we had a total of 277 when registration closed. It's going to be big.

Signed up, glad I was up early saturday morning :D

The entire track day sold out in 36 hours. We've never actually filled every slot on the track before.

A group is going to be interesting - we've got a lot of racers showing up for the Sunday race and using A for practice. So it'll be the big power track day dilettantes (such as yours truly) mixing it up with some very experienced drivers practicing for the Runoffs in low power cars. We've always had that, but I think it'll be more pronounced than in the past.

I'll be dragging the FE3 Miata down for the Saturday track day, never saw the option for the Sunday race, Keith is this still available?

-Dean

Yes, although the classes are Spec Miata and Supermiata. An FE3 car doesn't fit in either. We decided to stick with established classes instead of opening it up to absolutely everything.

Gotcha,

I kinda want to throw this big FM banner I have lying around on the NSX and troll around the parking lot at the Embassy Suites.

Only if you pull off the Acura badges and replace them with Mazda ones, then tell people its the new ND

I could slap Mazda eternal flames over the Honda badges and write "this is the new ND" on the back window with shoe polish.

Please, yes.

Mother of god... where in Monterey County are you going to find a parking lot large enough to hold 1,600 Miatas?

I can think of at least three :)

Due tell! Though guessing is fun :)

The sheer logistics of trying to move 1,600 cars any great distance in this county is mind boggling. I'm trying to think of somewhere you could get 1,600+ cars in and out of even semi efficiently with decent proximity to MRLS. The only thing that pops into my brain is the Marina Airport or some of the spaces in Ft. Ord like maybe the motor pool area or parade grounds.

The ancillary parking for MRLS might hold that many cars, but its all dirt and hillsides. I would foresee issues with cars that are "CR low" getting in and out. Any rain would turn this into a disaster on wheels.

Paddock won't do it in one shot, but maybe the paddock + marketplace + pond area + infield packing + parts of the ancillary parking areas? Its probably enough space but its not going to make for nearly as impressive a picture :laugh:

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1404755295

Can I bring my drone & GoPro?

We're not sharing the location quite yet, there are still a few approvals required. The information will be shared in lots of time for you to make plans. Suffice it to say that we will have a lot big enough.

Party pooper :giggle:

I like how the parking survey email popped into my inbox just now.

Ugh, I still need to register for this.

Which day are you going down? Let's have a Ti caravan.

I'll likely be making some of the drive Thursday after I get off work, maybe make it to Medford, then get up early Friday and make the rest of the drive. Come back late Sunday. I'd love to leave Thursday morning and be at MRLS on time Friday, but then I'd be taking 3 days off work...and I really don't want to lose that much income lol

In case some of you aren't in Hustler's cycling thread, bicycles are a go around Laguna Seca (like ride your bike down the corkscrew) AFTER all motorized activity on track is finished, obviously.

The event/Mazda cannot be held responsible or liable for anything that happens though, so if you hurt yourself crashing at 50mph on T9 you're on your own.

Shh. The official answer is "what bike ride?"

I've seen video of a Monterey Salinas Transit bus drive the corkscrew. If they can survive it with a city bus, you can survive it on a bike.