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Why A $53,000 Mazda Miata Race Car Is A Screaming Bargain

Here are a few of the problems with racing: It’s expensive. Your car breaks, so you have to carry a stockpile of spare parts. And you’re always tempted to spend money to go faster. At a stroke, the Global Mazda MX-5 Cup solves all of those problems. Well, except maybe the part about expense. Reasonable people may disagree on whether a $53,000 Mazda Miata can be considered a bargain, even though it definitely is.

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The cars are built by Long Road Racing in Statesville, N.C. Complete production Miatas—not bodies in white—are sent to Long for race-car conversion. Off comes the top, in goes a roll cage so robust that it’s compliant with just about every sanctioning body on the planet. The engine gets an oil cooler, and the differential and transmission also get auxiliary coolers. A heavy-duty radiator goes in. Notice a theme here? Heat management isn’t sexy, but it helps keep your car on the track instead of in the garage. If you do need parts, though, Mazda brings plenty of them to the 12 races scheduled each season. No need to stock your own 18-wheeler.

To thwart your inner Junior Johnson, key components are sealed with tamper-proof stickers. You’ll get booted if you crack open the engine or transmission in search of an edge, so you’re freed from the temptation to try. Want an unfair advantage? Eat a light breakfast.

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While the MX-5 Cup uses a stock engine and transmission—OK, it has headers and an extremely rambunctious exhaust that makes the LED shift lights superflous—the roster of changes is comprehensive. Fuel cell, fire suppression system, race gauges, sealed race ECU, adjustable suspension, forged wheels, brake cooling ducts and slotted rotors… one wonders if, even at $53,000, this car is a loss leader. I might’ve overheard somebody mention the number $70,000 as a more accurate estimate of what it might cost to have someone build you a car like this.

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While Mazda has more than 70 deposits for its factory racecar, right now only two cars exist. So I’m implored to stay away from the walls at Carolina Motorsports Park’s road course. And mostly, I do. But the Cup car isn’t at all set up like the street car, which is relatively soft and forgiving. This is a stiff, neutral racer, so when you cheat too high on the corner curbing it gets upset. And then you spin. Then you learn not to do that, and learning is part of the point, here: the MX-5 Cup is intended as a launch pad for drivers to hone their skills and progress to faster machines.

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After a few laps, I come in and Tom Long, one of Mazda’s factory race drivers, looks at my data and identifies a few corners where I could carry more speed. I go back out, follow his advice and knock a few seconds off my lap. I’m coachable! It helps to be bad enough initially that there’s obvious room for improvement.

Speaking of which, soon after I depart, Mazda chooses a winner in its Road to 24 Shootout, a driver talent search with a $100,000 prize. Winner Glenn McGee came from iRacing, earning his way into the competition because he was an iRacing sim champion. Now he’ll be driving the real thing next season. And the MX-5 Cup is definitely the real thing. Sure, it’s a lot of dough for an MX-5, but go find another turnkey racer with its own series and factory support. It turns out the most expensive Miata is also the biggest bargain.