My 20-Year Return to Autocross with the Miata

Twenty years. That’s how long it had been since I last lined up at an autocross event.

Today, the old ’94 Miata and I made our return.

Before the first run, someone suggested I should be wearing a mask. Not because of COVID, but because of all the rust that was about to come flying off the driver.

The car reminded me quickly that sitting in the garage for years doesn’t automatically make it a finely tuned autocross weapon. We had a little bit of everything: push entering corners, dive under braking, a brake pedal that occasionally inspired faith-based driving, and even a completely unnecessary spin… because apparently I wanted to make sure the corner workers were awake.

Honestly, it was perfect.

The stopwatch wasn’t the story today. The story was being back in the driver’s seat, chasing cones, and remembering why I fell in love with motorsports in the first place. The smell of hot brakes, the sound of tires protesting, and the challenge of trying to stitch together one clean run felt exactly as I remembered.

The Miata has some sorting to do. The driver has considerably more. But after a 20-year absence, both survived and are eager for another shot.

Rust was removed. Pride was adjusted. Cones were threatened.

We’re back.

#Miata#Autocross#SCCA#ConeKiller#GrassrootsMotorsports#BecauseRacecar#RustyButRunning#WelcomeBack