Ronald Stringer Roderick

June at Summit Point, my first ever Hyperfest. I heard stories of ignoring the fact that the stands are full and the fence line is loaded with people watching. Concentrate on what your doing is what they told me. To be honest...I only got one session as a driver. Well, most of one anyway. But that’s another story down the tale of the Hyperfest weekend.
It all started out normal as my family and crew arrived at the track. A little behind schedule but it worked out perfect. It was the first time I had ever seen a line of trailers on the road to enter into Summit Point. Cell phone rings and mom is asking where I am. I'm at the gate I say...just then spotting her coming in on the other side. She says I don’t see you...I say I coming up to the gate. This is our first event as a one car show. Kim of King Ratt is holding a spot for us to paddock with them up near the grid. The feeling of such honor was incredible. We pulled in and took up as little room as possible and started to set up. After all was set up, Alex came over and inspected the work done on the miata. Although we are dwelling outside the realm of Spec Miata, he offered great words to us on the changes made. He seemed quite interested in the craftsmanship of everything and the layout of the design. But after all the informal introduction were made...and the fun and festivities of paddock life were over...it became a mission. A mission on my part. I would not let a parting of ways on my part end great friendships with a team I have spent so much time with. I made my way to Team FJR and walked in and shook hands with all that were willing and even grabbed a hug out of Evelyn. I knew I was no longer welcome with them...but I also know things happen for a reason. Changes are made to better everyone. Some not so nice...but that’s how they end up. It definitely was a topic of the weekend among many. But I look at it this way; I traded a good thing with tension for a good thing with fun. To me the smart choice was made. I am the one that has to live with it.


Back to reality. Hyperfest weekend. Saturday starts off with rain. An unknown student on a wet track is always a challenge. They want to go fast and I want to keep us in one piece. So the speech comes out...lets take it easy and build into it. So much can be learned on a wet track...good and bad. We actually were able to get in one wet session, one semi wet session and a good dry session on a green track. Both student did well in the rain and kept it dialed back for the most part. Once we hit dry track I worked with them on a few things and found myself loving the ride along. I almost hated the fact that I needed to give them my pep talk about being solo and how the car is going to feel different to let them go. But watching them go around the track and downloading the information they experienced and working with that is so fun.
I on the other hand waited till the track dried up to make my first run. With the new intake system I did not want to take the chance of sucking in some water on the first test. The first test proved to be the only test of the weekend. I gained about 7 mph in the straight and the Miata handled very well. The Miata seemed fairly balanced with the loss of the extra weight. Twenty Five minutes of fun until the engine called it quits. We discovered the engine was running very lean and first thoughts of the oil pump giving out or at least enough to starve the engine of oil. But hey the engine has been in the car for 3 years of track time, so it was not unexpected. The good side is that everything stayed in one piece and I was able to get back to the paddock under my own power without dropping any fluids on the track. One of my students offered me his Civic SI to take out to get some track time. Such a great offer…but I had to turn it down. I don’t like taking the risk of something going wrong and hurting someone else’s car.
The rest of the evening was spent watching the drifters, eating fried chicken and terrorizing the rest of the paddock on the mini RV complete with a down pour that lasted long enough for all of us to get soaking wet.
Sunday turned out to be decent weather and dry. My students had a lot of fun and started really getting a good feel of the track and testing new limits little by little so I turned them loose for there last two sessions. Before each of there session I was on grid to give them my pep talk. Stay focused and take each thing little by little. Keep it on the track. Be aware of what’s going on around you. These are the turns that are going to feel a little different without the 155 lbs on the other side. I kept my eye on them and each of them talked to me after each session about the differences they felt and what they were working on. Being an instructor is an incredible thing. Each weekend out you make two new friends. All of my students I see at the track come over and say hi and tell me how things are going that weekend and still ask questions. I think that is awesome. It just cant possibly get any better then that.