CorkSport Races at Road America

Rain America

My first experience at an SCCA national championship run off was exciting and left me impatient for the next season to start. I arrived on Sunday night and unloaded the car from the transporter that Joey Jordan Motorsports graciously allowed us to use.

All of the Mazda 2s were able to pit together under the covered paddock (thanks to Mazdaspeed). We were positioned at corner 14 so we were treated to a great view of the track while we chatted each day.

On Monday I was way off the pace of the other B-Spec cars in practice. The best time I was able to get was a 3:00 flat and the fastest other B-Spec was running in the 2:55-2:57 range. This was my first time out on the track so I knew there would be some learning to do as a simulator can only do so much.

On Tuesday, during the first qualifying session a Mazda 2 was clipped in Canada Corner (turn 14) and flipped. It spun across the track and flipped back over in the gravel. The driver was ok and he hopped out saying something funny about his stunt driving. The car lost its windows and was cosmetically damaged but all of the safety equipment was still in great shape.

It took them only 3 days to get the car back together to pass tech before the race on Sunday, quite an amazing feat.

We continued to make changes on the CorkSport Mazda 2 through the week but there were quite a few black flagged sessions due to people crashing out on cold tires. I saw several cars destroyed by hitting the walls in corner 7 and the kink on the back straight.

On Saturday we decided to make some large scale changes to the car and see how they would help my warm-up STL race on Sunday. My goal was to get into the 2:58s for lap times so I would stand a chance of keeping up with the rest of the cars fighting it out for the lead. The changes worked like magic and I was able to get into the 2:57s. With a good lap time set we left the setup where it was and bolted a new set of tires on the car for the race.

I qualified in 8th place due to being off the pace on Tuesday and not getting a clean run on Wednesday and Thursday. The race was very intense, especially with the first lap cars going off the track. Joel Weinberg who was the pole sitter had his steering wheel come off in his hand and he hit the wall taking him out of the race in the first corner. I was able to pass one of the Honda Fits who missed the corner at turn 5, locked up his brakes and allowed me to move into 6th. There was also a wreck coming out of turn 7 where a few cars made contact and a Fiesta was destroyed when it hit the wall which moved me up to 5th. After a few laps the Mazda 2, which was involved in the wreck earlier, was able to get around me (he also set a new track record playing catch up with a 2:54). We did some bump drafting to try to get past the 4th place Mini but there was some questionable blocking of the 5th place Mazda 2 (including some contact). I made two errors in corner 6 which dropped me back too far to catch up. At the end of 13 laps I was in 6th overall. This meant I was sent to impound with the rest of the front runners to pass tech.

After 4 hours, a few protests, and the tech inspectors not being able to find information on the camshafts in the Minis they cut us loose to load up the cars and hit the road. After quite a few days, the results were final and I was awarded 6th place overall. In the race I was able to get a low lap time of 2:56 which was great to see from the car and myself. I believe I can do better if given more track time.
Want to watch the race? Click on this link and skip to 5:15 for the start of the T-4/B-Spec race.

Overall it was a crazy week of learning at the track. The result is not what I wanted, but to make it through the race with no damage made me happy, and there is always next year which is closer to home at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

-Derrick

August 30, 2013August 31, 2013

CorkSport Is Already Working On Your Next Car First!!!

Always First!

Being the #1 Mazda performance company in the world has some serious advantages. Being based out of the Pacific Northwest (where Mazda’s enter the United States) and near one of the best Mazda dealerships around are two definite perks we have as well. This has allowed us to have access to the most exciting Mazda releases faster than anyone and the ability to purchase them and make parts for them before the competition has put down their copy of Car and Driver.

As you can see, we’ve been lucky to have our hard work pay off once again with a nice new Mazda 3 that isn’t even available for sale. We were excited to see some of the changes and are already working on designing some of the quality CorkSport parts you’ve come to know and love. So far our team is very impressed with some of the additions to the chassis and the interior. We’re already planning ahead for any possible Mazdaspeed edition that could be around the corner.

Thanks to secret Mazda dealership hookup for the vehicle and helping us support the most dedicated group of enthusiasts in the world.

August 27, 2013September 12, 2023

Keep your Mazdaspeed Engine Running Cleaner and Better with the CorkSport Aluminum Oil Catch Can and Drain Valve Kit

Introducing the Aluminum Oil Catch Can and Drain Valve Kit:

After many months of studying our previous design and listening to you, we are proud to announce the CorkSport Mazdaspeed Aluminum Oil Catch Can. The new and improved CorkSport Oil Catch Can will help rid your vehicle of contaminants, sediment, and other unwanted crankcase particles that can cause damage and premature wear to the engine components.

The added protection that an Oil Catch Can provides will increase the longevity of your engine. The Oil Catch Can is made of billet aluminum for strength and lightweight. Everything needed to install on your Mazdaspeed 3 is included, even the mounting bracket.

Don’t let your Mazda get contaminated by sediment, crankcase vapors, or unclean oil. With the CorkSport Oil Catch Can you will remove unwanted debris that would normally contaminate the intake tract. This allows for cleaner air entering the engine, lower detonation rates and increased longevity. Complete with 11 feet of reinforced silicone hose you can mount the Oil Catch Can in multiple locations.

For added convenience, we have developed the Oil Catch Can Drain Valve Kit which can be purchased separately. Draining your Oil Catch Can becomes a simple matter of twisting one lever with this simple-to-use kit. With both the Oil Catch Can and Drain Valve Kit you will have an all-in-one system for prolonging the life of your engine by keeping it clean.

You can read more about why a catch can is a good idea and why a catch can from CorkSport is an even better idea here: https://www.corksport.com/blog/the-dangers-of-direct-injection/ and here: https://www.corksport.com/blog/the-inner-workings-of-the-corksport-oil-catch-can/

The CorkSport Oil Catch Can is available at: https://www.corksport.com/corksport-aluminum-oil-catch-can.html

Connect with us

Connect with us

August 13, 2013September 13, 2018

Is There a Better Exhaust for your Mazdaspeed than CorkSport???

Professional racer Kenton Koch doesn’t think so. Kenton burst onto the racing scene a few years ago and has rapidly made a name for himself as one of the top young drivers in America. As a Mazda enthusiast, Kenton chose a few CorkSport parts and is now one of our greatest supporters. Recently, Kenton got himself a Mazdaspeed 3 and decided after a lot of research that he wanted no other exhaust than the CorkSport Power Series cat back exhaust. As an accomplished professional race car driver who is on the rise, Autobytel performed an interview about his newest purchase. We’re honored to be mentioned and can’t wait to see what else Kenton has in store for his car, and for this race season!

Here is the exhaust (cleaner) than on Kentons:

July 25, 2013February 21, 2018

“Which intercooler should I get?”

“Which intercooler should I get?” At Corksport we get this question almost every day. The debate of top mount intercooler vs. front mount intercooler has been one that has raged on in the forums for years. Just looking around you will see both options on all sorts of cars. So what is the answer?

The Mazdaspeed 3 and Mazdaspeed 6 both come with top mount intercoolers (TMIC’s) from the factory. There are many reasons for this, but the main one is that it is much cheaper to manufacture and install. A Top Mount Intercooler can be installed directly to the engine at the factory so it is ready to drop into the car which saves both time and money.

Beside the TMIC, the other option available is the front mount intercooler (FMIC). Both styles have their pros and cons. The upsides of the TMIC is that it uses the shortest possible path from the turbo to the engine. This reduces the amount of time it takes for the car to accelerate, this feeling can be amplified between shifts when the power comes back on very quickly. The TMIC also is very simple and compact with very few connections and possible places to leak. A TMIC will also weigh very little compared to a FMIC setup and usually is in a place with very good airflow.

The downside of TMIC’s is that they are generally limited in size by the design of the car and can be much smaller than most FMIC’s. They are typically placed very high in the engine bay, raising the car’s center of gravity. Most importantly though, the biggest downside of the TMIC is that it sits in a hot engine bay. Just by sitting on top of the motor, the TMIC can soak up heat thereby decreasing its effectiveness in cooling the air compressed by your turbo.

The principals are mostly the same for the pros and cons of the FMIC. The core of a FMIC can be much larger, and in the case of a properly designed system, can cool temperatures much more effectively. Being placed further away from the engine and out into the stream of air can make the FMIC much cooler and more importantly, more consistent. One last reason that many people love FMIC’s is the look, nothing says I mean business more than a massive bar and plate core smiling in your rear view.

The biggest downside of a FMIC is that the install process is much longer. Other downsides of FMIC’s can be the much longer piping needed to route compressed air to them. This piping can increase turbo lag and usually has many couplers that can have the potential to leak or cause other issues.

So what does CorkSport say? As a general rule we would say if you don’t plan to add more than 50-100 horsepower, a top mount intercooler will work just fine and be much easier on your plans and wallet. If you eventually want to go wild with your car and build it up much higher than stock, you will probably want to look hard at a front mount intercooler. Our advice would be to try to plan in advance what you want out of the car so that you only have to buy parts once.

Happy spooling!

Always First!

Introducing the Aluminum Oil Catch Can and Drain Valve Kit:

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