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REVIEWED: Skip Barber MX-5 Cup Racing Series pt 2
Written by: Michael Skeen   
04/14/2008 - 09:43 AM
Monterey, CA
 
Mike Skeen buckles up for another exciting Skip Barber Mazda MX-5 Cup race. » More Photos


Last Friday we read about the initial experiences of Mike Skeen, star of SPEED's show SETUP, sampling the new Skip Barber Mazda MX-5 Racing Series at Mazda Laguna Seca Raceway. Today, Skeen takes us through the second and final part of the event.

Sunday came way too quick! A weekend at Laguna Seca (or any track for that matter) can’t last long enough. The racing and camaraderie has been great, and Sunday morning is no different with a very relaxed environment and a trophy presentation for the previous day’s races offers up numerous opportunities for story-telling as drivers recount their experiences.

Sunday’s activities move along a little bit quicker because each race group gets one race with a brief warm up beforehand. This gets things done a little earlier and allows everyone more time for travel back to the real world. Qualifying is skipped and the result of Saturday’s race determines the starting grid.

Since the race on Saturday was pretty uneventful for me in the #07 Trackpedia.com MX-5, I opted out of my pole position and requested to start at the back of the pack for the race on Sunday. I had a mediocre jump at the start, but chose the outside line into Turn 2 trying to get around a pack of cars. Due to all the activity of the weekend, the outside of the track was just covered in dirt and I went wide, dropping two wheels in the dirt. Fortunately, I managed to keep two on the track (avoiding a stop-and-go penalty) and got back in line second from last. A good run through Turn 4 allowed me to setup a pass on the outside of Turn 5 and I got one more on the run up to the corkscrew.
The Series is already boasting large grids. » More Photos

On lap two, I made another pass into Turn 5—this time on the inside—and another into the tight final corner, Turn
11. On the exit of the corner, I could not find third gear very quickly—a foreshadowing of what was to come—and lost a position to the car I had just passed. With a re-pass in Turn 5 to put me back in 3rd Position, I set my sights on the front runners to make sure they wouldn’t get away. I was within about 6 car lengths by the end of the lap, but coming out of Turn 11 and going for third gear was a problem again. This time, it went into gear, but as soon as I let out the clutch I could hear and feel the transmission let go. I put it in 4th gear and attempted to lug the car around, but going up the hill to the corkscrew was trouble and I didn’t want to ruin any racing behind me, so I got out of the way and took the car to the pits.

Despite the short race, I had lots of fun for the first two laps and enjoyed hanging out to watch the end of the race—the two leaders were within roughly a second of each other for the whole race. Thanks to all the hard working Skip Barber guys that made the weekend run smoothly! These cars and the officials that make the race series possible are just incredibly--I wasn't sure what I was going to find when I got there, but this is a first class operation, and definitely something that people at every level of racing would enjoy. Two thumbs up! I look forward to getting back out to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in the near future!

Be sure to visit www.SkipBarber.com to learn more about the school and racing opportunities available at tracks throughout the country.

Also take time to stop by www.MikeSkeen.com to learn more about this young American driver with an incredibly bright future.