Racing | CorkSport Mazda Performance Blog

August 16, 2023August 23, 2023

Mazda 3 TC Bodywork

We (CorkSport) showed off our work-in-progress TC America TC Class Mazda 3 race car at the CorkSport Mazda Showdown event on August 5th. If you are asking yourself why this is a big deal and why I am reading a blog post about it, here’s the explanation.

On October 1st, 2019, Mazda announced they would join the TCR ranks with the car attending the 2020 season opener at Daytona with IMSA. The bodywork was excellent; it captured the body lines and presented an absolute WOW factor!

Unfortunately, the car was a no-show at the first round or any round scheduled in 2020. On August 15th, Emily Taylor from Mazda announced they had canceled the TCR program, citing the coronavirus as the explanation.

What About The Body Kit?

So what happened to everything from Mazda’s race program, and why is the bodywork a big deal? There were two sets of original molds made for the bodywork. The 1st set of molds went to the constructor Long Road Racing, and the second set sat at Mazda’s design center in Irvine, California.

The molds in Irvine were the first set made off of TCR “Show Car” bodywork and were not production-ready. The “Show Car” Mazda used for their 2019 announcement and future marketing campaigns wasn’t an actual race car. It was a production car with the bodywork on it, but the engine & drivetrain was stock.

CorkSport has been racing a 3rd generation Mazda 3 in the TC class for several years as the development tool for the Skyactiv Turbo kit we offer.

When running in a professional series, the series works with manufacturers and wants the newest models competing on the track to keep the series fresh and relevant for marketing for both the auto manufacturer and the race series. The last 3^rd Gen Mazda rolled off the production line in early 2018, making our race car over a year old when the TCR program was announced and over two years old when the program was canceled.

We needed to race the 4^th Gen Mazda 3s to keep competing in TC America,

The Journey For the Mazda 3 TCR Kit

This may seem like an exaggeration, but I spent over 200 hours on the phone, in meetings, writing emails, and talking with employees, ex-employees, and contractors that Mazda used to chase down where the bodywork went, who was ultimately in charge of it, and to see if we could get our hands on it.

Once I knew the molds still existed, additional meetings, phone calls, and emails were required before signing an, “OK, we will consider it. Your plan and history jive with a company (CorkSport) that can use the parts and provides a benefit to Mazda.” type of agreement. During this time, I learned the first set of molds had been destroyed, making the motorsports molds the only set left.

In October 2022, snagging the TCR bodywork molds became a strong possibility. I was headed to Texas to drop off some racing equipment to a friend. I decided to leave my truck and trailer in Texas since the bodywork molds were now located on the East Coast. If Mazda agreed we could pick up the molds in the next few months, the truck and trailer would already be halfway there.

December 12th, 2022, Mazda gave me the green light to gain access to the molds after several more phone calls, ZOOM meetings, and agreements were made. I flew back to Texas and headed to Multimatic in Mooresville, NC, to complete this epic quest. After one very long drive, including a massive ice storm, and making it home on Christmas Eve, Mazda’s TCR molds were at CorkSport.

Since then we have been planning and slowly building the new TC Car – We cannot thank Mazda Motorsports enough for choosing to partner with us as we continue to shape our racing program!

The body kit is thick and the ride height was not adjusted prior to the reveal .

Rear wing is not to racing spec and was added temporarily to represent what it
might look like in the future – rear window will eventually be plexiglass.

Are These The Real Thing?

A common question that will get asked is, “I have seen the Mazda 3 TCR kit overseas, how is what you have the real thing?” Well, my friends, Technology and replication are a wonderful thing.

I asked the same question about the hill climb machine that TCP put together for Mike. If you compare the kits, you can see there are some differences in the kits with the aero, brake cooling, grill area, and more.

It was unofficially stated there were body scans done of the show car with Mazda Japan and those are the results. I cannot speak about the Thailand car but a handheld scanner and some import auto salon are my best guess.

Look forward to more updates on our build over the next several months, This is going to be fun!

-Derrick

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May 16, 2023October 24, 2023

How To Build A 900 Mazdaspeed 3 AWD Swap – Rocker Arm Suspension (Part 4)

Welcome to part 4 of the Mazdaspeed3 AWD Swap! If you missed the previous posts, you can catch the Intro, (Part 2), and Part 3. This blog will cover the rear suspension design, specifically the rocker arms, and how we came to the size, shape, and overall design. This will get technical with numbers, angles, and CAD models.

Before we get into the technical jargon, let’s cover the “what” with rocker arm suspension.

Mazdaspeed 3 AWD Swap Rocker Arm Suspension

Let’s break down this diagram as it is 100% not OEM for the Mazdaspeed 3:

Rocker Arm: This is the keystone of the suspension design and does all the work. The rocker arm connects the push rod and the damper to transfer suspension force at a different angle. The rocker arms can also go by a few names: rocker arm, bell crank, cantilever, and pivot arm, to name a few.
Push Rod: This is a simple rod with spherical rod ends on each end. This connects the OEM suspension to the rocker arm. The push rod is in a similar location as the OEM suspension.
Suspension Mounting Bracket: This is the mounting point for the push rod to the OEM suspension trailing arm. This must be added because the OEM damper mount is below the now-new axle shaft.
Coilover/Damper: This is an off-the-shelf damper that can have a coil spring installed on it. It features independent rebound and compression damping adjustability.
Cross Member: This is the cross member that is welded between the chassis shock towers in the car to support the new rocker arm suspension.

Here you can see the design tack welded in the car. This should help you understand how the design fits and is used in the car itself.

Mazdaspeed AWD Suspension Corss Member Tacked

Mazdaspeed AWD Suspension Push Rod Mount

Now that we have a basic understanding of this rocker arm-style suspension let’s get into some more details!

First, let’s talk about suspension and the forces they deal with. Gravity pushes you and your car down to the ground, and road imperfections (bumps, potholes, unlevel surfaces) try to push you and your car up/down/all around while driving. If vehicles did not have suspension and instead the wheels were rigidly attached to the vehicle chassis, we would have all sorts of issues. Comfort, control, and tractions are the big concerns, amongst many others.

The suspension’s job is to soak up and move with many road imperfections like bumps, potholes, and unlevel surfaces. Every time your tire goes over a bump or pothole, it moves up or down, resulting in a force transferred into the suspension.

Check out this quick illustration to see the rocker arm suspension in motion:

As the tire moves up/down, you can see that the rocker arm pivots and transfers that motion into the coilover/damper.

Now let’s break down those forces a bit more. The rocker arm allows us to change the angle of the forces transferred to a new angle that is easier for us to deal with. Instead of being required to have a coilover/damper in a vertical suspension down around the tire (like OEM), I can now change the angle so I can put the coilover/damper in a position that is much easier to deal with.

Rocker Arm Suspension Mazdaspeed Swap Forces

The rocker arm has two major features about it.

The angle change of transferred forces, as we just discussed. This is mainly to help with “positioning” the suspension components.
The rocker arm lengths allow us to define the “motion ratio” of the suspension. Looking at the diagram, you can see a blue line and a green line. These effective rocker arm lengths affect the suspension and result in a motion ratio.
1. The resulting ratio is 1:0.7 meaning the damper compresses 70% of the amount that the wheel moves up/down.
2. The wheel/tire has a maximum range of 5.55 inches of travel, while the damper has a maximum travel of 3.875 inches.

Designing the rocker arm with this 1:0.7 motion ratio allowed me to use a smaller, lighter damper design with limited travel and still get the desired wheel suspension travel I needed. We use a stiffer spring to compensate for the extra leverage of the motion ratio.

Motion ratios in suspension are common. For example, the Mazdaspeed 3 suspension has a unique motion ratio in the front (1:0.98) and rear (1:0.71) from our calculations. These numbers are typical of the style of suspension found in many commuter cars these days.

Now that we understand the forces and the intent with the rocker am…we have to design its shape and size to do the job. Angles are the tricky parts of the rocker arm design. Defining the angles (and thus shape) comes down to understanding the push rod input angles and the desired damper output angles while in motion.

Rocker Arm Suspension Mazdaspeed AWD Swap Angles

When we say “angles,” we are talking about the red arrows in the above diagram. These red arrows are the angles between the rocker arm and the push rod, as well as the rocker arm and the damper. Ideally, these angles are always 90 degrees through the entire motion you see in the GIF, but that is not physically possible, so we had to find the correct balance of angles while in motion.

A whole lot of math encompasses this, but the upcoming diagrams will help break it down to a very understandable level for everyone! We are breaking it down to the three major suspension travel points: droop, bump and ride height.

First, we are going to look at the angles for the push rod in Bump, Ride Height, and Droop.

Bump is when the suspension is fully compressed.
Ride Height is when the car is sitting stationary (static).
Droop is when the suspension is fully decompressed. Image your car sitting on jack stands with the tires hanging in the air.

Mazdaspeed 3 AWD Rocker Arm Angle Bump Pushrod

In full bump, the push rod angle to the rocker arm decreases to 67 degrees which is 23 degrees off the “ideal” 90.

Mazdaspeed 3 AWD Rocker Arm Angle Ride Height Pushrod

Then looking at ride height as the suspension moves downward from full bump. The damper-to-rocker arm angle decreases to 82 degrees which is 8 degrees off the “ideal” 90.

Mazdaspeed 3 AWD Rocker Arm Angle Droop Push Rod

Lastly, with the suspension traveling to full droop. The push rod to rocker arm angle increases to 117.5 degrees which is 27.5 degrees off the “ideal” 90.

What does this mean? This is great, actually! Ride height is where the suspension will function most of the time, and that is only 5 degrees off the ideal 90-degree angle. When the car is launched in a drag race, the suspension is going to compress, and that angle will decrease, passing through the ideal 90-degree angle and further. This is precisely the balance we are looking for with the rocker arm design. To keep it functioning most of the time as close to 90 degrees as possible.

Ok, let’s look at the angles from the damper side of the rocker arm.

Mazdaspeed 3 AWD Rocker Arm Angle Bump Damper

In full bump, the damper angle to the rocker arm increases to 111.5 degrees which is 21.5 degrees off the “ideal” 90.

Mazdaspeed 3 AWD Rocker Arm Angle Ride Height Damper

Then looking at ride height as the suspension moves downward from the full bump. The damper-to-rocker arm angle decreases to 82 degrees which is 8 degrees off the “ideal” 90.

Mazdaspeed 3 AWD Rocker Angle Droop Damper

With the suspension traveling to full droop, the damper-to-rocker arm angle decreases to 62 degrees which is 28 degrees off the “ideal” 90.

Again we have the damper near the “ideal” 90-degree angle at ride height and then pass through the 90-degree angle zone when the suspension compresses at launch. Again, the balanced angles we are trying to design for so the suspension function in the “ideal” angle range most of the time.

Why are the angles so important? The further you get from the “ideal” 90-degree angle, the more non-linear the suspension acts. When the suspension acts in a linear function, it is tunable and predictable to drive. If it is non-linear, then it makes tuning and use much more difficult…this results in inconsistent launching and driving, which is not good in a racing environment.

This seems like a lot of work…why do it?

A few reasons, really:

Moving to the rocker arm design gave me a lot of control over how I set up my Mazdaspeed for racing.
It also gave me the ability to use readily available off-the-shelf dampers. This allowed me to get double adjustable dampers (rebound and compressor) for a very cost-effective price.
The CX7 AWD swap rear axle shafts did not allow me to use the OEM dampers anyways.
This design moves more of the suspension component’s weight to “sprung mass” which is better.
I love the challenge of designing a suspension system like this, and this was a great opportunity!

Before we wrap things up, note the rocker arms are 6061-T6 billet and are massive! We knew they were big, but it didn’t really sink in until we saw them firsthand.

Alright, that wraps up the rocker arm suspension design, a huge novelty for the build. There are plenty more huge milestones to overcome, and those are coming up in this multi-part blog series!

I hope you are enjoying this series about the AWD Swap Mazdaspeed3, stay tuned for more blogs to come!

You can also find updates on my IG @halfmilespeed3, the CorkSport 7^th Gear Membership, and on mazdaspeeds.org.

Thanks for tuning in!

-Barett @ CS

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May 9, 2023October 24, 2023

How to Make A 900 Horsepower Mazdaspeed 3 AWD Swap – CX7 Rear Subframe (Part 3)

Welcome to part 3 of the Mazdaspeed3 AWD Swap! If you missed part 1 and part 2 blog posts, then catch up by visiting these links. Lots of images in this blog as I get the CX7 rear subframe installed and figure out the correct control arms to use for the rear suspension.

Typically when I mention the AWD swap Mazdaspeed 3 to a fellow Mazdaspeed enthusiast, they assume I am using the rear subframe from a Mazdaspeed 6. While I understand their logic, incorporating one would require extensive fabrication.

Here’s why: the Mazdaspeed 6 has a very different chassis architecture vs the Mazdaspeed 3. It is important to note because it directly affects the subframe and chassis interface.

If it’s not the speed6 then what do I use? Good news! The Mazdaspeed 3 uses a chassis design based on a Ford global chassis used with various models in Mazda, Ford, and Volvo. Enter the Mazda CX7.

Mazdaspeed junkyard performance parts — Car AWD Hunt for CX-7 Subframe

So I went hunting for a Turbo AWD CX7 model year 2006-2007…this is a great time to bring your buddies along for some junkyard fun!

Luckily I found one in a local junkyard that was still complete enough. Not knowing exactly what I needed from the rear-end suspension and drivetrain, I opted to take everything; driveshaft to differential, plus the ENTIRE rear subframe and suspension.

Mazdaspeed awd swap cx7 rear subframe — CX-7 Rear Subframe

$380 later, we are driving home with our newfound treasure and ready to take on the swap! I was eager to see how this would bolt into the Mazdaspeed 3, so we went straight to the shop.

We wasted no time removing the speed3 rear subframe… literally six bolts and removing the brake calipers is all that is required.

Mazda 3 performance parts awd swap ms3 — Mazdaspeed 3 Rear subframe removed

Mazda 3 awd swap performance parts turbo — OEM Fuel Tank

Knowing the OEM fuel tank is in the way of the mid-driveshaft, we opted to just remove it right then as well. A handful of bolts and some fighting of the fuel tank filler and it’s out also. At this point, we are maybe 1.5 hours into this and the car is ready to accept its fate.

Mazdaspeed fuel tank removal awd swap — OEM Mazdaspeed Fuel Tank Removed

With both the MS3 and CX7 rear subframes out and sitting side-by-side, we took the opportunity to compare them. Checking the most important things first, we looked at the mounting points for the subframe to chassis. These all checked out visually and again after measuring to be the same…but this is where the similarities ended.

Mazdaspeed vs cx7 rear subframe on pallet — Comparison of the Mazdaspeed and CX-7 Rear Subframe Side by Side

The trailing arm/hub assembly is very different between the two models. The CX7 appears to be much heavier duty and more complex. Doing some research, we found that the CX7 uses a different style of parking brake. The parking brake is actually a drum brake inside the rotor hat of the disc. Either way, the CX7 suspension looks heavy…which is not ideal for Racecar. The width also appears to be wider by a few inches.

The last noticeable difference is the addition of a rear differential – which is the whole goal of the project – so that is a good thing! That said, the OEM spare tire location in the MS3 will interfere with the fitment of the differential.

Mazdaspeed 3 under car image no drivetrain

Not an issue for Racecar and my Sawzall! I cut the entire spare tire tub out since my new fuel cell will be going there.

Mazdaspeed 3 spare tire tub removed — Removed Mazdaspeed Spare Tire Compartment

We are ready to mock up the complete CX7 rear suspension with the spare tire tub removed. Knowing that the mounting points are the same, we installed the entire CX7 system to see how it fit.

mazdaspeed 3 with cx7 rear subframe installed 1

The six mounting points lined up perfectly, confirming our initial measurements – it’s almost as if it was meant to be! Next, we tried to get the trailing arm forward mounting points bolted in but fought them, eventually giving up. We are confident the springs were fighting us, and the trailing arms would have bolted in had we removed the springs.

Mazdaspeed 3 with cx7 rear subframe installed 2 — Installing the CX-7 Rear Subframe to the Mazdaspeed

Moving on, we wanted to see how the track width looked before spending any more time on the trailing arms.

Mazdaspeed 3 stance car cx7 width — The Track Width of the New Rear Subframe

As we suspected, the setup was too wide – unless you want wider – which I did not want for a high-speed straight-line drag racer.

Mazdaspeed AWD swap after CX-7 Mazda intall — Ride Height with the Mazda CX-7 Subframe on Mazdaspeed

From the side view, the wheel’s centerline looks good, and the meaty 255/50R16 looks badass, but the CX7 springs obviously do not play nice. The monster truck ride height won’t work.

We planned a “hybrid” of CX7 and MS3 suspension parts, as advised by a friend, @junkiebuilt, that did a GEN1 AWD swap using a Honda drivetrain. We will use the CX7 subframe only and the MS3 trailing arm/bearing hub and control arms.

mazdaspeed 3 awd swap done the right way

This combo was the ticket! The Mazdaspeed 3 control arms bolted into the CX7 subframe without issue, allowing me to retain my CorkSport Camber Arms and CorkSport Toe Arms, as well as the lower OEM control arm. Along with that, I get to keep the Mazdaspeed 3 trailing arm, which is not nearly as heavy or complex.

This setup also retains the OEM parking brake, my Mazda 5 rotor, and my MS3 calipers. Ultimately this is looking like a very straightforward swap with no fabrication. Don’t mind @farvaspeed6 looking at, um, something.

With the hybrid CX7/MS3 setup on the car, we wanted to see how things were lining up. The meats went back on!

Mazdaspeed 3 stance race tire — After the hybrid swap track width

After adjustments the Mazdaspeed AWD swap ride height — Mazdaspeed AWD Swap Hybrid Ride Height

Ah, much better this time. The wider stance is gone, and the wheel tire looks right at home. Surprisingly the tire tucks under the fender with just a tad amount of rubbing.

With the day of excitement winding down, I wanted to check on the last thing to see if this truly was a direct bolt-on swap. Unfortunately, the OEM MS3 rear wheel bearing is not the same as the CX7 wheel bearing. Being FWD, the MS3 wheel bearing does not have splines for an axle…duh. So I have to use CX7 wheel bearings on the MS3 trailing arm/hub assembly.

This is where my luck ended.

With the MS3 wheel bearing removed and the CX7 wheel bearing set next to the trailing arms…things look good. But they are ever so slightly different.

awd swap mazdaspeed 3 cx7 wheel gearing 2

The CX7 wheel bearing has a slightly larger bore size, and the bolt pattern is somewhat different. I will never understand why Mazda went through the effort to make these so close but not the same. Either way, this was not a job a hand drill and grinder could fix. This needed proper measurements and machining.

I reverse-engineered the CX7 bolt pattern and hub bore. 3DP printed that to verify then off to the machine shop to get the one-off work done.

The existing bolt holes were welded closed, the ground flat, and the new holes were drilled following my measurements. The hub bore was also enlarged to match the CX7 wheel bearing.

Mazdaspeed 3 awd swap machined trailing arm 1

With that one and only fab job complete, we had actually finished the CX7 to MS3 rear swap.

Mazdaspeed 3 awd swap machined trailing arm 2

Minus the machining for the wheel bearings, the rear subframe, and the suspension swap was actually very easy and straightforward. This is great news because it could have been the death (or very expensive aspect) of the swap. Ultimately this part of the swap being so easy makes it a much more viable project for the average enthusiast.

Alright, that wraps up the rear subframe swap, a huge milestone for the build. There are plenty more milestones to overcome and those are coming up in this multi-part blog series!

I hope you are enjoying this series about the AWD Swap Mazdaspeed 3, stay tuned for more blogs to come!

You can also find updates on my IG @halfmilespeed3, the CorkSport 7^th Gear Membership, and on mazdaspeeds.org.

Thanks for tuning in!

-Barett @ CS

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April 11, 2023April 11, 2023

Roxy Gets Wet & Wild – Lessons from Racing A Mazda RX-8

OnGrid Ridge Motorsports Park– March 11, 2023

Hello! If you’re reading this and wondering who I am, I don’t blame you. I’ve posted a few times on CorkSport’s 7th Gear page but never really introduced myself. My name is Quintin Gunn, one of the Development Engineers here at CorkSport, and I have a Mazda RX8 that I am building into the Time Attack weapon it was always meant to be. Follow along here and on social media as I record each track event and document the build process from stock to full-on race car.

Now, I’d like to introduce the real star of the show, Roxy:

Roxy – The Mazda RX-8 Car

Roxy is a 2005 GT Trim Mazda RX-8 that I bought in May of 2021. Why an RX8, you ask? I knew I wanted a robust RWD platform for building a racecar without it being a Miata (because I can barely fit in one). Naturally, working at CorkSport, Mazda was the obvious choice, which meant the best option in my price range was a Mazda RX-8. Having my first sports car purchase be a rotary was risky, but I have plans to address that in the future (more on that another time).

By far, the shining jewel of the Mazda RX-8 is how it drives. Mazda outdid themselves with the Chassis engineering on this car, and the handling is like nothing else for the price. Over the last couple of years, I have been slowly working up my (and Roxy’s) track confidence while modifying the car to extract as much out of the chassis as possible.

Current Mazda RX-8 Mods (March 2023)

Tires: Falken Azenis RT660 265/35 R18
Wheels: Bronze Enkei TS-V 18×9.5+38
Brakes: CorkSport Big Brake Kit (Front and Rear). Motul RB660 fluid
- Front
  - 6 piston Calipers. Hawk DTC60 pads
  - 356x32mm slotted rotors
  - Stainless steel brake lines
- Rear
  - 4 piston Calipers. Hawk DTC50 pads
  - 356x28mm slotted rotors
  - Stainless steel brake lines
  - Parking brake functionality retained
Sway Bars: Progress Tech (F/R)
Coilovers: BC Racing ER Double Adjustable. 10k spring front, 8k spring rear
Aero: Nine Lives Racing Big Wang RX-8 Kit with V3 CFD endplates
Exhaust: HKS Hi-power muffler with Racing Beat Dual-Res Midpipe
Interior: mostly stripped
Cockpit: Sparco EvoL driver’s seat

Round 1: Ridge Motorsports Park

@corksport Racing in the rain is just like that! #cartok #carsoftiktok #cars #carguy #carenthusiast #racing #rain #rx8 #lovehate #mazda #mazdausa #mazdarx8 #pnw ♬ original sound – CorkSport Mazda Performance

The first track event of 2023 took place at Ridge Motorsports Park, nestled in the southern shadows of the Olympic Mountain Range in Shelton, WA. This 2.47mi, 16-turn Race Track offers a unique challenge of car control and driving skill featuring crests, compressions, and blind corners – the perfect place then for a Time Attack showdown.

I was joined by Derrick Ambrose, CorkSport’s Motorsport Manager and Owner (…and Founder…and Mechanic…and Tuner…and Racecar driver…he wears all the hats). Anyway, he came armed with CorkSport’s TC America Mazda3 racecar, which served as one of the testbeds for our Skyactiv Turbo Kit. Freshly retired from professionally sanctioned race events, the car can now participate in Time Trials in OnGrid’s Touring Class, the same class I am building the RX8 to compete in. Derrick came looking to kick butt and take names with s2000s, BRZs, and Miatas locked firmly in his sights.

CorkSport-sponsored driver Phil Dandurand joined us in his stripped-out 4th Gen Mazda3 Turbo for his first track day! He was eager to get his feet wet (pun intended) and push the 4th gen platform to its limit. His car serves as one of the testbeds for all of our 4th Gen Turbo parts, including a full 80mm exhaust, downpipe, coilovers, and rear sway bar (among other things).

Sadly, I don’t yet qualify for the Time Attack group, so I was in the HPDE sessions for the day. Nevertheless, we were excited to get back out on-track for the first time since the end of September. Unfortunately, it wasn’t ideal conditions for laying down fast lap times…we all got our feet wet.

The Mazda 3 TC America Car on the Ridge Motorsports Raceway in rain

Rain. Lots of it

The thing about the Pacific Northwest that a naïve Southerner like me took a while to comprehend is the concept of seasons, specifically winter. See, where I’m from, there are no seasons – at least NOT like this. Winter was no more than a mild summer for most places. Winter meant highs of 68°F (20°C), sometimes low 70s, a cool breeze, and a light jacket. However, in Oregon, it means rain and highs of no more than 45°F (7°C). It means non-stop cold, rain, and clouds from November until May. The stereotypes about Northwest Rain are absolutely accurate. Today was no different, and this meant adjusting our expectations and driving styles to fit the conditions.

Session 1 started the morning with loads of standing water and rooster tails two or three times the car’s height. The track staff tried their best to sweep the rain off the track with a roller and big-fancy blowers, but it was useless. The rain kept coming. Derrick, being the madman he is, brought his Pirelli Racing Rain Tires, and even he struggled for grip.

Luckily I was starting the day in the 3rd session, meaning plenty of cars were on track before me, and a dry line was forming on the surface. While that does mean that it’s the grippiest part of the track, it also means it is the only grippy part of the track. So now, instead of a 40ft wide race track, it is only a car width. Deviate anywhere off this line, and you slow down or risk getting out of control. I learned this lesson quickly by driving up the hill at Turn 11 and hitting a patch of standing water, sending me off the dry line and mere millimeters away from the grass.

The BMW, a couple of cars in front of me, must’ve done the same thing, and it spooked him enough to slow to a crawl in the blind part of the crest, causing the car in front and myself to take evasive action. With the chaos and the track conditions, I chose to pull back into the pits and end my session early.

Knowing your limits and lessons learned

Normally, I wouldn’t mind racing in sub-optimal conditions. I think it’s a great opportunity to learn car control, situational awareness, and how to find and push to limits at a lower speed. Today, however, was different.

Contrary to what most people believe, racing is not giving 100% all of the time. Yes, “if in Contrary to what most people believe, racing is not giving 100% all the time. Yes, “if in doubt, throttle out,” but that’s easy to say when you have an unlimited racing budget with spare parts and even an extra car. Most of us don’t have that kind of support. So racing is methodical and all about finding the limit of your car, yourself, and dancing on that edge – trying to push it further. Sometimes though, edging closer to the limits isn’t worth the risk.

Over our lunch break, temperatures dropped, and the nonstop rain turned into ice. As we sat under the canopy trembling from the cold and watching the ice accumulate on the cars and our tents, we decided to cut our losses and head home. Nothing was to be gained by staying longer; there was everything to lose if we did. Our decision was confirmed by watching our paddock neighbor’s Porsche Boxster return from the track on the back of a flatbed with a crumpled fender and snapped lower control arm – the face of defeat and dejection worn by its owner said it all. Not wanting to meet the same fate, we promptly loaded up and headed home.

Annoyingly the entire 2-hour drive back home was bone dry, and the Portland/Vancouver metro area didn’t see a drop of rain all day…

As they all say: that’s racing folks.

Join us next time at Portland International Raceway as I try to set a new personal best and beat Derrick’s lap times in his Non-Turbo Mazda 3 SCCA T4 car. Follow CorkSport on social media and me @qg_autosports on Instagram for more updates.

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Mazda RX- Racing on the Ridge Motorsports Track

Thanks for reading,

3rd Time’s the Charm…Racing at the SCCA Nationals

We all know the saying the 3rd time is the charm and this year’s SCCA National Championship Runoffs was no exception to the rule. The past 2 runoffs I have not made it to the finish line. In 2016 at Mid-O I was hit on the first lap and punctured my left front tire. At Indy, I retired as we developed a fault in the ECU from some beta software we were running and the car dropped into limp mode and I wasn’t able to maintain full throttle.

We have been working on the brakes for the past 3 years and during the season it limited us from running the car as much as we like. We have also been chasing a fault/error with the ECU/control system of the car. We were still able to get the car enough starts and race finishes to get qualified for the runoffs in Sonoma. Granted the car was not happy at most of those races and it was a struggle to get to the finish.

2 weeks before the runoffs we sorted out the ECU problem and were confident enough in the car to race it. The backup plan was to race my Spec Miata if we couldn’t get the Mazda 3 fixed as I ran it this past season as well and had enough starts/races.

With the Runoffs at Sonoma, it was within 1-day driving distance unlike the past 3 runoffs at Daytona, Mid Ohio, and Indy so I got to try out the new (to me) truck and trailer.

I had raced at Sonoma one time prior, so the track wasn’t totally unknown like Mid-O and Indy, which all I had was simulator time so I was able to get up to speed quickly on a test day and find out what I needed to work on for chassis setup and driving. The driving was easy to adjust, look at the data, see where the driver was sucking, and had to man up to keep a foot to the floor in some sketchy corners.

The car, on the other hand, had what we call “a good problem to have”, too much power. We have been running a torsion-style differential in the car which works pretty well in a straight line and relatively flat tracks. Sonoma is not a flat track that unloads the car 3-4 times per lap. With the Mazda 3 and the amount of torque, it makes means I was unloading the tire enough for it to spin the inside tire. Most people think what is the big deal with a little tire wheel spin? It is a problem when you enter turn 10 at Sonoma at 97MPH and you start lighting off your right front tire. Look at the picture below and you can see that the front inside tires are barely on the ground and the rear isn’t. The speedometer would jump around and you could see the right front wheel speed turning at 5-10 mph more in the data.

We tried several suspension changes and driving style changes to make the best of it but in the end, we were way off the pace by 2-3 seconds of the rear-wheel drive cars in the class.

The good part about not being at the front of the field, there was zero stress when race day came.

Like any race there was a fun challenge, we would be heading into turn 2 blind as the race was at 4 pm in the afternoon and the sun would be shining directly down the hill. Since I wanted to see the end of the race I was a little cautious at the start and Ali in the other Mazda 3 got around me at the start.

We fought it out for 8 laps and he went into turn 6 too hot and I was able to get under him and pass him on the inside.

After a few laps I put a 4-5 second lead on Ali I was basically in no man’s land, slower than the front guys and faster than the back half of the field so I spent my time working on tire management (it is easy to overheat your left front tire at Sonoma) and made it to the end of the race.

My official finishing place was 10th but after some adventures in tech, I was moved to 9th in the final results. This isn’t where I wanted to be by any means but the 3rd time was the charm and I made it to the end of the race.

Huge thanks to the support we get racing the car from CorkSport, BFGRacing, Monarch Inspections, G-Loc Brakes, and Mazda Motorsports.

Derrick Ambrose

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The good part about not being at the front of the field, there was zero stress when race day came.

We fought it out for 8 laps and he went into turn 6 too hot and I was able to get under him and pass him on the inside.

Stay up-to-date on the latest news and product updates from CorkSport.