mazdamiata

GHIT 0283:  Global MX-5 Cup with Todd Flis of Flis Performance

Todd Flis has been involved with various levels of racing and now his company Flis Performance provides all of the cars for the series.  The Global MX-5 Cup is a great entry level series for professional racing.  The races are typically some of the most competitive races we see with margins of victory usually measured in a few thousandths of a second.  If you are looking to compare your skill in a pro level racing series, Todd's cars and the Global MX-5 Cup may be the series for you and the costs are exceptionally reasonable cost of entry, as well as the costs associated with a racing weekend, especially if you can manage to place in the top 3 for a year.  For instance, Mazda provides a first place prize of $250,000 each season.

A link to the episode is: https://tinyurl.com/GlobalMX5Cup

If you would like to help grow our sport and this podcast:

You can subscribe to our podcast on the podcast provider of your choice, including the Apple podcast app, Google music, Amazon, and YouTube etc. Also, if you could give our podcast a (5-star?) rating or even better, a podcast review, we would greatly appreciate it and it would help us to grow the passion and sport of high performance driving.

For instance, leaving an Apple Podcast rating is very easy.  If you go to your podcast library, under shows and click on the podcast you can leave a (5?) star rating and enter your review. 

We hope you enjoy this episode!

PS  Please don’t forget that if you are looking to add an Apex Pro to your driving telemetry system, don’t forget to use our discount code for all Apex Pro systems you will receive a free Windshield Suction Cup Mount for the system, a savings of $40.  Just enter the code “ghitlikesapex!” when you order.  They are a great system and truly invaluable in safely increasing your speed on track and/or autocross etc.  The recently released second generation systems and app increases the capability of the system greatly.

Best regards,

Vicki, Jennifer, Alan, and Bill

Hosts of the Garage Heroes In Training Podcast and Garage Heroes In Training racing team drivers

Highlights for this episode are:

1)  If you were ever interested in pro level racing, the Global MX-5 Cup may be the best series to balance low costs and high dependence on drivers skill and results in a series with some of the most competitive and close driving that we have seen in the past few years.

2)  How Flis Performance partnered with Mazda Motorsports to be the sole supplier for all the MX-5 Cup cars for the series.

3)  We describe what the normal weekend racing schedule looks like and in addition to racing with IMSA events, there will be two weekends where the series will be racing with NASCAR.

4)  What is involved in converting the  road car into the race prepped cup car that you see at the track.  It is definitely not just a pretty paint scheme, although we all know that always adds a few horsepower.  This results in lap times being several seconds improvement over a normal ND2 Miata.

5)  Why the cars have recently changed from an H-pattern shifter to a sequential transmission from SADEV. 

6)  What is allowed to be tinkered with and adjusted within the series and what is not allowed to be altered.

7)  Todd was also kind enough to share his teams recommended fluid and consumables intervals as well as provided a starting point for a nut and bolt procedure for the cars.

8)  The level that the series goes to assure close racing and maximum dependence on driver performance, the series requires each race weekend to be raced with tired from the same batch of tires for all competitors.

9)  We also discuss with Todd what other racing series and levels the car would comply to and be competitive in, including the potential for use in endurance racing without any modifications.

10)  There are also several spots that can be awarded and allow the drivers to race within the series by providing scholarships of up to $100,000 for each driver.

11)  Todd's team also provides a complete MX-5 Cup Car each year to the Lemons of Love charity for a $125 entry.  So far we have not been lucky enough but we have contributed to the charity each year and will continue to do so.

To follow Scott and Flis Performance:  

Flis Performance website:  http://flisperformance.com/ 

On Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/flisperformance 

On Instagram:  @flis.performance

On YouTube at:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKxGpoK-UtoHO4bBOhPoemQ 

To Follow the series:  https://www.mx-5cup.com/ 

GHIT 0246:  Our Autobahn Country Club HPDE 2021

Vicki and Bill attended the recent NASA Great Lakes HPDE at the Autobahn Country Club.  It was the first time Vicki was on this track and she was in the HPDE 2 run group.  Bill was in HPDE 4 and instructed a HPDE 1 student Saturday and Sunday.  Bill also completed his MSF Level 2 instructor in car training on Friday and had a great time with the drills and the mentors.

We cover a lot of the Autobahn South track and here is a track map if you need it:  https://autobahncc.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/2019-south_circuit.pdf  

You can subscribe to our podcast on the podcast provider of your choice, including the Apple podcast app, Google music, Amazon, and YouTube etc. Also, if you could give our podcast a (5-star?) rating or even better, a podcast review, we would greatly appreciate it and it would help us to grow the passion and sport of high performance driving.

For instance, leaving an Apple Podcast rating is very easy.  If you go to your podcast library, under shows and click on the podcast you can leave a (5?) star rating and enter your review. 

A link to the episode is:  https://tinyurl.com/AutobahnHPDE2021 

We hope you enjoy this episode!

PS  Please don’t forget that if you are looking to add an Apex Pro to your driving telemetry system, don’t forget to use our discount code for all Apex Pro systems you will receive a free Windshield Suction Cup Mount for the system, a savings of $40.  Just enter the code “ghitlikesapex!” when you order.  They are a great system and truly invaluable in safely increasing your speed on track and/or autocross etc.  The recently released second generation systems and app increases the capability of the system greatly.

Best regards,

Vicki, Jennifer, Alan, and Bill

Hosts of the Garage Heroes In Training Podcast and Garage Heroes In Training racing team drivers

Highlights from this episode include:

1)  Right off the bat, Bill mis-speaks during his joke, Herb vs Abe, my apologies.

2)  Vicki goes over her track prep since this was her first time at this track.  Luckily, the track is relatively flat and fairly easy to learn.  Vicki’s favorite section was the 8-9-10 turn complex.

3)  We both shared the 2019 Mazda Miata (ND2) and Vicki was able to settle into the new track car.  We also go over her impressions of the Garmin Catalyst which is especially useful at Autobahn since the track is relatively short and you get a lot of laps in each session.

4)  Our car prep issues with the 2004 BMW M3 (E46) were quite a story.  We thought we had our prep processes under control but found something else we can do wrong.  And then it snowballed, lol.

5)  Lifting on the long straightaways?  Vicki had that problem.  Emphasis on “had”.

6)  How did the MSF Level 2 evaluation go for Bill?

7)  What trailer does Vicki envy?  ALOT.

8)  Vicki was unintentionally “that guy”.  Or was she?  You can be the judge.

9)  We also cover how Vicki's Instructor (Brandon) did vs the Garmin Catalyst?  (Quite well)

10)  Vicki (and Bill) had some major accomplishments during the weekend.  Any guesses?

11)  Some of the issues Bill had instructing at the event.

12)  TREC Racing.  Ever heard of it?  We discuss it and we finally have a plan for this next season.

Alex Levinson has a ton or racing and wrenching experience, especially with Miatas of all vintages.  So when he "volunteered" to come over for a work weekend, we quickly lined up everything we could think of to finish up several projects on each of the team's 3 Miatas.  However, our best laid plans did not come together as we had hoped.  New car lift?  Worked great and a game changer!  Bribe/food prep was as always on point.  Listen and learn about what can happen on a work weekend, especially early on in your wrenching career.

You can subscribe to our podcast on the podcast provider of your choice, including the Apple podcast app, Google music, Amazon, and YouTube etc. Also, if you could give our podcast a (5-star?) rating or even better, a podcast review, we would greatly appreciate it and it would help us to grow the passion and sport of high performance driving.

For instance, leaving an Apple Podcast rating is very easy.  If you go to your podcast library, under shows and click on the podcast you can leave a (5?) star rating and enter your review. 

A link to the episode is: https://tinyurl.com/GaragingWithAlex

We hope you enjoy this episode!

PS  Please don’t forget that if you are looking to add an Apex Pro to your driving telemetry system, don’t forget to use our discount code for all Apex Pro systems you will receive a free Windshield Suction Cup Mount for the system, a savings of $40.  Just enter the code “ghitlikesapex!” when you order.  They are a great system and truly invaluable in safely increasing your speed on track and/or autocross etc.  The recently released second generation systems and app increases the capability of the system greatly.

Best regards,

Vicki, Jennifer, Alan, and Bill

Hosts of the Garage Heroes In Training Podcast and Garage Heroes In Training racing team drivers

Ryan Power recently graduated from comp school with his racing license and competes in wheel to wheel sprint races in his 2019 ND2 Miata.  Bill had met Ryan and been driving at HPDE’s with Ryan for the past few seasons.  While still relatively new at racing, Ryan’s results are very good for his rookie season with several podium finishes and race wins.  Unfortunately, Ryan has also experienced a significant incident on track and seen the inherent risk in racing wheel to wheel.  We wanted to cover Ryan’s recent transition from HPDE to Comp School to racing wheel to wheel, as well as what it is like to get back on track after a significant accident.  

You can subscribe to our podcast on the podcast provider of your choice, including the Apple podcast app, Google music, Amazon, and YouTube etc. Also, if you could give our podcast a (5-star?) rating or even better, a podcast review, we would greatly appreciate it and it would help us to grow the passion and sport of high performance driving.

For instance, leaving an Apple Podcast rating is very easy.  If you go to your podcast library, under shows and click on the podcast you can leave a (5?) star rating and enter your review. 

A link to the episode is: https://tinyurl.com/RyanPowerOnGHiT 

We hope you enjoy this episode!

PS  Please don’t forget that if you are looking to add an Apex Pro to your driving telemetry system, don’t forget to use our discount code for all Apex Pro systems you will receive a free Windshield Suction Cup Mount for the system, a savings of $40.  Just enter the code “ghitlikesapex!” when you order.  They are a great system and truly invaluable in safely increasing your speed on track and/or autocross etc.  The recently released second generation systems and app increases the capability of the system greatly.

Best regards,

Vicki, Jennifer, Alan, and Bill

Hosts of the Garage Heroes In Training Podcast and Garage Heroes In Training racing team drivers

Highlights from this episode include:

1)  Getting his car and supplies organized for racing his car as his one person team and some of the challenges of racing solo.

2)  Tips on how to get started and what to focus on when learning to drive on track

3)  Ryan also goes into some examples of how his learning progression was non linear and where he gained some of his most valuable experience and skill gains.

4)  Plusses and minuses of racing/HPDE'ing in a single car versus multiple cars

5)  What it was like getting back into the race car after the accident, both for prepping the car and Ryan.

From the floor of the New York Auto Show, we discuss the big introductions. The Toyota Camry goes for style while the Hyundai Sonata gets more practical. Kia rolls out the redesigned Sedona minivan and Subaru refines the Outback. Jake and Gabe agree on a favorite car of the show, the Alfa Romeo 4C, while Tom pines after the not-done-yet new Mazda Miata.