I absolutely love it when the fantastic humans at Corksport approach me to blog it up for them. So let’s dive right in, no time to waste.

August is kind of a sad month if you look at a calendar. No real holidays to speak of, it’s hot and miserable across the entire United States, and with the exception of Vigil of Assumption Day(whatever that is), August is kind of boring. But, look no further than the CorkSport’s Dyno Day, Show & Shine and Drag Racing on August 25th!!! It’s almost like Christmas in August. Free stuff, raffles, food and drink but most importantly, great people. Be sure to let them know if you are coming on their EVENT PAGE!

Oh, you forgot who I am. Well, I put on one of the craziest meets for us Mazda junkies. Mazda Takeover, yeah, I’m that guy that annoys you on the Facebook groups reminding you to come and have a weekend of a lifetime. You might be wondering what that has to do with a Corksport Dyno day? I will gladly tell you.

Corksport has gotten behind Mazdaspeed Idaho’s little shindig in a big way. You see, the good folks over at CS year after year make the trek, a pilgrimage if you will to Idaho for Takeover weekend. It’s only right that we return the favor! As soon as CorkSport announced their dyno day event, posts from Mazdaspeed Idaho members flooded our local page with questions, ideas, plans and straight up commitment to making the trip to CS in August.

I might be a little biased about the Mazdaspeed Idaho group being the best group of people ever, and they are. The cars in Mazdaspeed Idaho may not be showpiece material, nor are they the fastest on the planet, but us members love our Mazda’s as if they were show cars or all out HP cars.

Hell, one member sold his Gen 1 speed and within a year picked up a Gen 2 just because he loved the community more than the other community options given his other cars, so that’s saying something about not only the Mazda brand, his local Mazda community, but it says a lot about Corksport as well. Having owned his new Mazdaspeed 3 less than a week, he was the first to commit to wanting to go with the group that forms to the CorkSport dyno day! He is beyond excited to meet the people and see the building where his car part dreams come to fruition.

As of right now, I’m guessing Idaho will roll into Vancouver with 10-20 Mazda’s, which is a huge improvement over the 4 we took last year. I’m really looking forward to this event, mostly because it gives the Western Washington Mazdaspeed and Nator OR communities another group to bond with. Which is what Mazda should be about, forming and building a strong, unbreakable community that forges lifelong friendships through one shared passion. I really hope some California members make the trip as well. It’s always refreshing to see other Mazda’s, other ideas, and other builds.

I didn’t ask my boss, I told him I won’t be available because I have race car stuff to do with my race car family. And you all should tell your boss the exact same thing, and show up for one hell of a weekend out at Corksport.

See you @ CorkSport August 25th!

Keith Eggert

July 12, 2018August 16, 2023

I recently had the opportunity to interview one of my favorite up-and-coming racers and wanted to share with you some of her advice and story. This is just an awesome look into the winning mentality of one of SCCA’s Wendi Allen Scholarship prominent women Racers! From where she started to where she’s headed and some info in between, you’ll get a chance to hear direct from Johanna Foege in this interview.

How long have you been racing? What got you started?

My brothers both got involved with auto-crossing while I was in college and were always trying to convince me to come out and race with them. It wasn’t until the end of 2011 when a friend offered me a co-drive in their Mazda3 (and a year after I purchased my first MazdaSpeed3) that I finally gave it a try.

At that first event, I ended up taking first in my novice (open) class of 7, on my first run, nonetheless! Naturally, I was immediately hooked.

What have been the best outcomes for you since starting racing?

This year I received the SCCA Wendi Allen Scholarship. I suppose this means that I’ve made enough positive impressions on SCCA members to have been nominated for this award, which is intended for young women drivers that show promise at driving and inspiring other women. This scholarship has made a crazy year of racing possible for me, and I’m so grateful to have received the recognition and the opportunity to compete in 8 national tour events throughout 2018!

What have been your best standings thus far?

My first taste of victory was at a local event in Champaign, IL when I took the fastest run of the day (out of all the drivers), in the Mazdaspeed6 back in June 2014. I’ve only made it to one National event which was in September 2017 at Lincoln, NE, but I managed to trophy there, finishing 3rd in my class. And just last week at the Championship Tour Event in Peru, IN, I managed to finish 16th out of 275 drivers.

What do you believe is the best MOD for racing – if you had to pick the best one?

I think this entirely depends on your car and the kind of racing you do! For autocross, the rear sway bar has been my favorite in my Mazdaspeed3, as it helps combat the understeer, pushy front-wheel drive characteristics. My favorite mod on the Mazdaspeed6 has been the custom valved, high spring rate coilover setup since that car has relatively soft suspension and a lot of body roll from the factory.

What is your favorite MOD – other than the Driver Mod, which we know you invested in already?

If awesome tires count as a mod, definitely that! All other mods depend entirely on how much grip your tires have on the surface at any given moment. This applies to the street, too. Also, have you seen our Hoosiers?

What has been the most memorable mistake you’ve made on the track?

At 2017 SCCA SOLO Nationals, I had a KILLER run- 0.7 seconds faster than the rest of mine, and 0.5 seconds ahead of first place in my class. I’d been working on looking ahead while driving throughout the year and was doing such a good job of this that I hit a cone that was right in front of me on that run. I remember seeing it at the last second and thinking, “There’s no way I’m getting around that now!” What I didn’t know at that moment, was that cone was going to cost me first place at my first Nationals.

What is your best advice for other Drivers starting out?

Take a school, ask people for help and advice (and be receptive to it), and don’t give up! Don’t be too hard on yourself, driving skills take a long time to polish, and do come more naturally to some people. In the end, racing is really about mental preparation, confidence, and ambition composure on course.

Why do you believe women in racing is important?

I think it’s time we see a paradigm shift about the activities that women (and men) pursue. I’m all about supporting whatever healthy hobbies people find themselves interested in, and I don’t think there needs to be gender stereotypes associated with any of them. I love to see women participating in motorsports because it serves as a reminder to all that we are on the same playing field as men, and are capable of just as much. As more women enter the world of racing, I really hope it opens the door to other ladies feeling comfortable pursuing what has historically been an atypical interest. I just hear way too many women say “That’s so cool that you race, but I could never do that!” You can, and you should give it a try!!! Maybe someday, they will.

Lastly, feel free to add anything you’d like the public to know about you, your car or your racing experience!

I’ve made efforts in the Mazdaspeed (forum) community to support and encourage all members, but particularly other women, to participate in the sport of autocross. I’ve taken part in organizing four different national meets, and assured autocross was on our schedule at each one. I also made myself available to instruct at these events, and really focused on getting the women members to take part with me. I’ve gotten several of the local member’s girlfriends into the driver’s seat at autocross events as well. It has been rewarding to watch them find enjoyment from it and help them grow into better drivers, as many have found it easier to learn from a fellow woman, than their significant other, lol.

My teammate and partner of 5 years, Clint, and I live nearly 600 miles apart. He’s been my inspiration, engineer, coach, mechanic, and best friend all along, and I credit him for bringing me to where I am today, and for building us an amazingly capable and unique car. I just started a blog to keep track of our long-distance relationship racing adventures this year, as well as driving tips, goals, and my progress through each event!

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June 26, 2018July 9, 2018

Drag Racing: Just Like the First Time

Ask any of my friends or coworkers and they will quickly tell you “Barett Loves Curves!”

I’ve always been the first guy to dive into the corner, hit the apex and power out with just a touch of wheel spin. My car follows suit with its build; upgraded sway bars, big brake kit up front and the steering wheel to hold it all together. Of course, my friends were always there with the peer pressure to hit 1320…Luke McCarvel being the biggest offender (check out his “Drag Strip Checklist”). However, one day my opinion changed.

At some point I realized that I can’t knock it until I try it, so I finally succumbed to the straight line life.

So let’s go through the first line up: Do a burnout…that was much easier than I expected.

Ok now roll up to the staging line…don’t be that guy that rolls through and has to back up. Knuckles white on the steering wheel, heart beating in rhythm with the launch control, closely watching the tree light up…GREEN LIGHT! Launch…wheel spin to redline. Shift…wheel spin to redline. Shift…try to modulate the throttle, but still tons of wheel spin. Shift…finally the car hooks, builds speed then it’s over in the blink of an eye.

All that build up waiting in line, doing the burnout, staging, launching and rowing the gears for a few seconds of intense adrenaline. It was an absolute blast; I couldn’t believe how intoxicating just a single pass was. I wanted more and I wanted it immediately. Back in line, I went.

My first pass was an awkward 14.37sec @ 119.8mph. I say awkward because that is a slow ET for the trap speed. It shows just how much tire spin I was fighting and how much time I was giving up because of it. With full interior and street tires this was to be expected, however, the crowd thought it was quite funny either way.

I proceeded to make 3 more passes as the night progressed. Each time making a small change to the car or to my approach and control of the launch and throttle modulation. Each pass rewarded me with a small improvement for my efforts. Each pass down the strip left me wanting more from the next pass.

The third pass was the most frustrating of them all. At the start of the night, I set a personal goal to break into the 12s. I didn’t know if it was realistic or a complete dream, but I had to start somewhere. That third pass was also the one that drove me to get my shit together because it teased me with a 13.000sec @ 120.95mph. So Close!

Alright one more pass, this was the one I could feel it. 30 minutes later I’m staring at the burnout box, line up drop 2nd and get the tires nice and hot. Pull up to staging next to a real crowd killer (I mean Mustang).

Yellow… yellow…yellow…….GREEN LIGHT!

Launch…little wheel spin to redline.

Shift…little more wheel spin to redline. Shift…modulate the throttle with only a tiny bit of wheel spin. Shift…now the car really hooks but I’m a few lengths behind that Musta…oh shit there’s the turbo…I’m reeling him in…it’s so close…I fly past him with the rev limiter dancing.

It’s over…deep breath…that was it I know it.

Now the quick jaunt to the end of the strip then back to the little building and the old guy that’s been racing since flatheads were a thing.

“Car 610?”

“Yes Sir”

“Here’s your slip. Is that a Maaazda?”

YES! Hit my goal for the night and the car can still drive me home. I call that a success.

I parked my car, picked up my 120+mph club sticker and enjoyed the rest of the night with my good friends from Idaho Mazda Takeover. It was a great night and one I plan to top in the near future.

Anybody have some stock brakes and drag slicks I can borrow?

-BS @ CS

June 21, 2018February 24, 2025

Boosted Down the Rabbit Hole – A Mazdaspeed Tail

“Intake, test pipe, and a tune ONLY” was my mantra. I’d just bought a shiny new ’13 tech package VRM MazdaSpeed3 with the extended warranty, 3 miles on the odometer as it rolled off the lot for the test drive. Via the web forums (back when MSF was still popular), I had performed my due diligence in terms of where I was headed with this ride. I knew what my mods would be, and the results to expect, and even learned a bit about the tuning process, all with the intent to “stock out” in less than an hour in the event I broke something on the car.

But… the local Nator chapter wrapped their slithering hentai tentacles around me, and those thoughts of a mildly tuned car with the manners fully intact started to erode. The friends, the fun, and the performance results were an instant addiction.

Mazdaspeed 3 Community at tail of the Dragon

The Mazdaspeed Way

In just a few short months I had sold that warranty back and started down the rabbit hole. Trips to Epic NATOR Meets were an awesome influence, seeing cars on the bleeding edge of the DISI Mazdaspeed platform, and meeting several of the prominent people in the Mazda community who were so forthcoming with their knowledge. The hook was set!

I found myself pursuing information, and if there wasn’t any data to be had, I wanted to make it myself. I tested and cataloged a variety of items, from NVH with motor mounts to compression test compendiums (yes Cylinder 3, you deserve that BAD rap!), meanwhile moving along the mod path to a medium turbo, front mount intercooler, and a methanol kit. Once I purchased a spare long block, I knew I was getting in ball joints deep.

Mazdaspeed Power Mods

Fast forward to today. I’ve been very fortunate to be chosen to test products for a handful of vendors! With an aligned focus – direct fit or minimal fabrication parts – I’ve reached my (probably temporary) goal of 500 wheel horsepower Mazdaspeed! Where I’ve tested the limits of products/parts for many companies – whether they have asked me to or not. The CorkSport 3.5 Bar Map Sensor is a solid example of exceeding the envelope, as I did manage to over-boost while playing with my EBCS configuration, and pegging it at 37.58 PSI. (At 900 ft. ASL)

Corksport asked me to describe my modification journey and how their beta parts have impacted my build and decisions, so there is no slight intended toward the multitude of other people involved in my project – that list is not short.

I’ve run the Corksport intake manifold for nearly 2 years and just before the big turbo transition.

It gained 12 g/s flow on the identical tune and no other modifications, so I knew it was an immediate upgrade.
I’ve been hammering 30+psi through it for the majority of that time, and my built engine is approaching 25 thousand miles with that duress.
The spark plugs have been pristine and uniform, indicating to me the flow is balanced in the runners.
There is no better fitting upgrade intake manifold for the platform.

Testing For CorkSport

The beta-testing portion of this journey has been pretty awesome. Constant emails and conversations back and forth with the CorkSport Engineering team, and support from installation, to checking in periodically afterward to see how the system is running and the part is performing for me and my particular set-up. I understand that I am not the only one running this part as a beta-tester, which just shows how thorough this company is with its beta-testing.

Mazdaspeed 3 COBB Accessport Dashboard — Mazdaspeed Accesport

Barett, the CorkSport engineer, was probably annoyed with the ‘data-whore’ aspect of who I am, but man was it fun! Tracking my progress throughout and sending info back and forth fed the logical performance-driven sides of me for quite a while.

The intake manifold was recently combined with the Corksport 72mm throttle body, which takes advantage of the IM’s oversized opening, which I feel will scale up with even more power should I get the itch for ludicrous speed. There is zero loss of drivability with the throttle body mimicking the factory unit electronics and nothing for your tuner to battle with like the old days of trying to open up that choke point.

Getting Comfortable with Mazdaspeed Parts

While it’s usually about performance parts for me, I have to say that I run a few of the CorkSport “comfort” pieces and can genuinely say they are worth the investment. The CorkSport Performance Steering Wheel is just amazing! The contoured grips are a tremendous comfort for long drives, and the beefy upper section is awesome for the twisties on roads like the “Tail of the Dragon” in NC. It’s also shown no signs of wear in the last 2 years, and I look forward to driving with it for many years to come.

I was lucky enough to get the CorkSport Hood Strut kit when they were available, and now my hood opens significantly more than the prop rod and facilitates installing those go-fast bits. (Hopefully, CorkSport gets wise and brings them back for sale again).

I would like to thank Corksport for providing the opportunity to test their parts, in addition to many others, and YOU for taking the time to read my cool story, bro!

Spread the boost – there is no vaccine!

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June 19, 2018September 30, 2024

Working on the Driver

I have been racing Mazdas on the track in wheel-to-wheel competition since 2013 and I have learned quite a bit.

I am nowhere near being the best driver. I have good moments and plenty of “WTF Derrick” things that happen on the track, which are masked by good car control.

2 years ago, I bought a Spec Miata (SM). Locally the number of B-Spec and Touring 4 classes are smaller. This is not great for me, as I find my racecraft suffers when I get too big events where there are more than 5 cars and the racing is close. I can always fight my way to 2nd or 3rd place, but the top step has been elusive. Don’t get me wrong, I can go to events where there are other T4 cars (they are not unicorns), but the travel cost, time away from CorkSport, and fuel gets pricey really quickly when constantly towing to southern California.

I took the SM out a few times last year and found I was way off the pace I needed to be to even get into the top 25% of a Ppec Miata field at any events. The Northwest has a really strong group of SM racers who are more than happy to beat the illusion out of you that you can drive fast on the track.

This year I have been working on the car setup and updating the drive train to the best I can get for my car. I worked with Haag Performance to get one of their SM 1.6 engines, which have been winning races up and down the West Coast. I have also been talking with Joe Jordan on car setup and general SM advice, as he has gone down this road before with multiple SM drivers, including Joey Jordan and Will Rodgers, to get them to the top.

Before the season started, I knew I wanted to get some top-level coaching, so I looked locally at Pro Drive Racing, which offers race school for SCCA certification and high-performance driving classes. After a few emails finding out which event I should attend with my SM, it was determined that the June 5th high-performance school would be the best bet, and I could get some one-on-one coaching with Todd Harris, the head instructor.

I have struggled with the braking too much in the corners, as past instructors/coaches I have consistently mentioned this to me. I needed to overcome this if I was going to have a chance to match times with the top 25% of the field. With Todd strapped into the “Thrill Seat”, we hit the first session at speed so he could see how/what I doing and work on it.

This was a good news and bad news sort of ride. He found my approach and driving style to corners works, but it was not the fastest way through them – I was giving up cornering speed and able to get back to the throttle quicker. By simply backing up my braking zones, I had more control in the corner, which allowed me to stay committed to the throttle without having to modulate it after the steering wheel was turned. This doesn’t seem like a huge thing but the feedback from the SM was drastically different. I was able to roll speed into the corners and carry a few more MPH. Heading onto a straightaway, this is huge. I spent the rest of the day fine-tuning the changes and making sure they stuck with me.

By the time this blog goes up, I will have raced again at the Oregon Region SCCA event at Portland Intl Raceway and will discover how much the school improved my driving technique. If I don’t screw it up too badly, I should be able to take a second out of my lap times which in SM is HUGE! The weekend of June 29th I will be at Sonoma racing against 40 other SM drivers to really get a feel for where I am at skill level wise, I am prepared for this to be humbling, lol.

So, my advice to you is if you ever have a chance to take a driving school, I really recommend it, specifically, Ally Pro Drive, if you are in the Portland, Oregon, area. They run a great program, and you get one-on-one seat time with some of the best local drivers and instructors.

Look for future updates here at the CorkSport the blog on how it went.

-Derrick

Category: Lifestyle

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