ruth

Mwest on this forum is a PCA instructor who uses a tow dolly for his V8 Miata. Maybe he can help

gr1275

Check page 20 of this site for the base plate. Then just order one of their tow bars. Jimmy can install the base plate for you.
Much easier than a dolly. Besides, I would be concerned about trans lubrication with the nose of the car up on a dolly and the drive shaft in-tact. As already noted, removing the drive shaft is a pita.

Gary

Dr911

Hehe...Maybe the car can blame me because that would be more accurate.

Ruth and Gary, thanks for the leads. After an in-depth look into the Miata forums, looks like it'll be no problem to tow it with the driveshaft intact as long as it's a manual transmission and put in neutral.

So, that's the current plan. Longer term, I;ll check in to see about the baseplate Gary. Thanks for the link.

CCA

Be careful going this route. SM rules don't permit the baseplate, so make sure that it could be undone without issues. You don't want to cause yourself issues if you ever wanted to give SM racing a shot or decide on selling the car in the future.

BTW, if you haven't driven VIR North or South, they are excellent courses to help you get aquatinted with the car's balance and maintaining momentum.

TXE36

When this unfolded yesterday, it made me think of Dr911 after sensing perhaps a bit of regret over moving from a 911 to a Spec Miata. At TWS yesterday I was driving really well. I guesstimate I was running in the top 10-15% of the instructor run group and started a session behind this blue Miata. I had to really work to run him down, and then once past him, I screwed up trying to get away from him and had to let him by. It took nearly the rest of the session to re-pass him. The footage ends early because the SD card filled up. What really enabled me to pass him the first time was a step out at T1 which killed his momentum.

My point is, it was one of those epic sessions with another driver going neck and neck with you. The car I'm driving is a very well prepared E36 M3 and a well driven Miata can still give it a run for its money. Also note, that we were let go in front of the run group and didn't get passed. At the end, we are actually catching up with the tail end of the grid .


There was another Miata that day where it wasn't a battle, he just flat blew by me. For reference, here is a session with a friend of mine in a 911 during the session just before:


Miatas are bad fast in the right hands and they are so bloody cheap to boot. Eventually you should be able to keep up with others driving P-cars similar to the one you retired from the track.

-Mike

Steve113

get a new hitch- tow the car with a trailer

Dr911

Awesome driving Mike! And does give me courage/hope.

Road Atlanta this past weekend felt like a picnic in the Miata's maiden voyage. Also, my grades improved vastly (previously I had scored a D+ on the Chin grades page, this time I ended with a solid B.

Hopefully I can graduate to an old G series 911 or possibly go specBox route.
Thanks for the encouragement!
A.

Dr911

1. Towed Miata down, no prob. (By no prob, I mean it tore off the front bumper.)
2. Parking this abomination was hell
3. Reversing this was hell squared times Pi
4. After the track weekend, while loading Miata onto dolly, it (the dolly) decided to take revenge and BROKE OFF the driveshaft.
5. Even though paddock was nearly empty several kind souls of all denominations (Ferrari, Porsche, Corvette, SpecMiata and Dodge SRT) showed up to the rescue. Disconnected said drive shaft and pushed car onto the dolly. Their girlfriends took photos. Amazing guys!
6. UHaul insurance dudes better pay (but if they don't its nothing compared to what I would have spent on the 911)
7. Track budget for the year is spent. So is hubby's patience.

TXE36

Sounds like you have some bugs to work out. Reversing will get better with practice. The first time I had to back my trailer into its tight storage lot place it took nearly a dozen tries to get it right - it now goes in right the first time. One of the pieces of advice I read about towing makes a lot of sense - GOAL. If in doubt, Get Out And Look.

Was the DS breaking on the dolly just a coincidence? Let me guess, the bumper caught on the ramps?

My experience has shown that when someone has obvious issues on the paddock help is never far away even when the event is wrapping up and the paddock is getting empty. When I had a weekend ending off I had an offer to tow the car home before the track crew unloaded it from the flat bed. Within five minutes I had two more offers because the guys knew I drove the car to the track. It's one of the awesome things about the people who participate in this sport .

-Mike

TXE36

Get fast in that Miata and you will be fast in anything. While I had fun with the blue one, there are at least a 1/2 dozen guys in my area in SMs that will pass me like I'm the chicane out there.

Pay close attention to the video at about 6:16. That little step out in T1 cost him a lot of momentum. Compare that to the previous lap at 4:16 - I was still catching him on the straight with power, but not nearly at the rate of the next lap. The physics going on there applies to any car, but the Miata really makes it obvious.

SPBs are fun too, but a lot more expensive than a SM.

-Mike

Dr911

So....ahem. To follow up.

After adding up all the costs of the Uhaul tow dolly, the Uhaul truck, and the repairs to my bumper and driveshaft, the total TRANSPORTATION bill was close to $1200 for two days with Chin @ Road Atlanta.

Last week, the MB R Class compatible tow hitch *finally* arrived and was installed. AND I bit the bullet and bought myself a Trailex CT-7451.

That, combined with the SpecMiata, combined with the speeding ticket ***/70, combined with the whole Uhaul debacle has exhausted the 2015 track budget.

DTMiller

Budget. How's that pronounced? Never seen it in this context before.

tonypai

As they say.....

Racing in slow motion
Crashing in slow motion
Spending money in slow motion

Welcome to SM. I'm sure you'll have a great time.

DTMiller

What do a Miata and a Ferrari have in common?

It's impossible to have a $10,000 accident.

TXE36

You managed a speeding ticket while driving a u-haul towing a Miata on a dolly in a 70 MPH zone??!!? Well done! There may be a racer in you yet.

The last uhaul I rented while packed with everything I owned with my car on a trailer out back might have got up to 65 MPH with a tailwind.

You could solve you "budget" problem using the congressional approach - oh wait - that approach doesn't work so well if one is spending their own money. I thought you already knew the rule about never adding it up.

If it makes you feel any better, I saw a new GT3 smack the wall this weekend. Likely not totaled, but the buffing will like cost more than you have spent on your Miata adventure, and probably whatever you spent last year as well.

-Mike