After a group meeting going over the various corners, a lead/follow session takes place on Laguna Seca's full 2.24-mile road course. The instructors lead in stock Mazda3s, on identical BF Goodrich tires but carrying a third more weight. Only as the instructors escalate the pace do you get a true sense of what a fast driver is capable of, even in an inferior car. After 30 minutes of this, each group is set free, but with a rev cap that's phased out gradually. During these sessions, instructors are placed at certain corners to critique each driver in terms of line, throttle application, and smoothness.
Here is where the MX-5's forgiving nature really shines through. While it's fun to over-drive the flyweight on the autocross course and force it back and forth between over- and understeer, at track speeds, the margin of neutral balance is what makes the car a marvelous training tool. The underpowered engine makes it that much easier to learn throttle modulation and how to steer through a corner without the risk of spinning outright, as in a horsepower-infested beast. Similarly, the soft suspension and communicative tires allow you to get away with plowing over FIA curbing, yet still tell you how close to the limit you are and just how the weight is planted.
In the hands of Tommy Fogerty, one of Skip Barber's senior instructors and part-time Formula Atlantic racer, the prepped MX-5 pulls a one-minute, 54.76-second fast lap, with an average speed of 70mph. Coming out of the last tight hairpin and flat out down the 0.37-mile front straight, the MX-5 peaks at 96mph, right before the braking zone. Even more impressive, it clears the 1g mark in flat cornering and 1.5g at the bottom of the Corkscrew.
At the end of day two, when everyone starts getting comfortable, the instruction changes direction and the teachers throw another lesson at you: trail braking. While I'm not a big fan of trail braking, and many driving schools frown upon it for beginners, Skip Barber's curriculum highlights it. Coming full blast into Turn Two-the Andretti Hairpin-students are forced to brake at a preset point, marked by a large cone. The only problem is (and they don't tell you), with every subsequent pass, the cone moves closer and closer to the apex.
For the unwary driver who only brakes once the cone is passed, trail braking comes naturally, since you enter the corner so hot, you have to stay on the brakes well after turning. For visual drivers, it's an act of faith and sphincter strength as you force yourself to brake later than would be possible with classic straight-line braking. When you do conquer the phobia and stay on the brakes up to the apex, the world turns into a beautiful place as the car rotates and shows you the way out. Just point straight, roll on the loud pedal, and ride the inertial drift through the corner.
Once students learn how to stay on track, day three is spent preparing to race with passing exercises, off-line driving, rolling, and how to save a car when things really get hairy. While it doesn't mean you're truly ready to go fender-to-fender racing, it should give drivers a taste of what it's like when getting ahead matters more than staying on line.
Even if you haven't come to terms with your inner happy hairdresser, it's hard to deny the racing potential of Mazda's MX-5 whenever you're on track, near a cone, or in an open parking lot.
BF Goodrich g-Force Sport
Three hundred and fifty sunny days a year have turned the staff of SCC into serious tire snobs. Not having a max-grip summer or R-compound tire to drive on is inconceivable. While we try to keep in mind those readers living in corners of the world with less-than-ideal traction conditions and budget limitations, it doesn't mean we're going to put on an all-season tire when there's only one season in California.
Once in a blue moon, however, we experience a tire that makes us think twice. While the g-Force Sport tire Skip Barber puts on its MX-5s are laughably hard compared to any tire we'd contemplate getting on track with, the time we spent with it at Laguna Seca made us appreciate all its qualities as a street tire. Although definitely not as sticky as the 1g-barrier BFG KD tires we've used many times on our project cars, the Sport does come in at a much more affordable price. And it lasts longer. What isn't sacrificed is the progressive nature BF Goodrich tires are known for. Even subjected to the intense heat of repeated track and autocross beatings, these tires will easily last through a three-day instruction program involving multiple heat cycles, hard cornering and braking, and the occasional off-course excursion. Plus, the mild tread pattern exhibits minimal scaling or chunking. We were impressed and would definitely consider putting this tire on one of our cars.
Skip Barber Racing Academy Mazda MX-5
Engine
Engine Code: 2.0 MZR
Type: 1999cc, in-line four, aluminum block and head
Internal Modifications: Stock
External Modifications: Mazdaspeed CAI, 4-1 header, exhaust
Engine Management Modifications: Stock
Drivetrain
Layout: Longitudinal front engine, rear-wheel drive
Drivetrain Modifications: Mazdaspeed LSD
Suspension
Front: Mazdaspeed springs, dampers, anti-roll bars
Rear: Mazdaspeed springs, dampers, anti-roll bars
Brakes
Front: Hawk Black pads
Rear: Hawk Black pads
External
Wheels: 17-in. Mazda optional wheels
Tires: BFGoodrich g-Force Sport, 225/45/17
Body: Stock
Interior: AWR SCCA certified roll cage, Sparco Evo II seat, harness, steering wheel