| MiataTudes |
| The Quarterly Newsletter of the Sacramento Area Miata Owners Association - Volume 31 - Number 1 |
| Board of Officers Martin Boersma President mboersma57@gmail.com vacant Vice-President - Michele Nanjo Secretary mdnanjo@comcast.net Clay Cowan Treasurer claypcowan@gmail.com Jack Parker Events Coordinator conedog47@sbcglobal.net Ron Petrich Webmaster samoawebmaster@comcast.net Ron Petrich Newsletter Editor freescopesdad@comcast.net |
| January 1, 2021 |
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Upcoming Schedule Of Events |
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Event Categories |
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| The Quarterly Newsletter of the Sacramento Area Miata Owners Association - January 2021 - Page 3 |
New SAMOA Members In The Fourth Quarter |
| Message From The President... Martin Boersma We were not able to have our usual Christmas Party, but I hope you all had a good Christmas with your local family and friends. We also missed our annual SAMOA elections, which are held in person at each December meeting. Therefore, the existing Board has decided to accept the nominations of the persons who have volunteered to run for office for 2021, and appoint them to those positions, until SAMOA can have a regular in-person meeting and properly elect (confirm) them. Thus, the appointed Officers for 2021 are... • President - Martin Boersma • Vice-President - vacant • Secretary - Michele Nanjo • Treasurer - Clay Cowan • Events Coordinator - Jack Parker • Webmaster - Ron Petrich • Newsletter Editor - Ron Petrich If you have any concerns with the above procedure, please email me at mboersma57@gmail. com. Now - let's wipe the dust off those shiny Miatas, and get some new runs going for 2021! Happy New Year! Welcome To Getting Back To Normal in 2021 Ron Petrich There was absolutely nothing normal about 2020, but I'm betting that 2021 is a whole lot better. The bar isn't that high I'll grant you, however we humanoids are a resilient bunch and have endured much worse. In terms of SAMOA club activities, I suspect the State and County will continue to keep us on simmer for at least the next 4 weeks but, as they say, spring hopes eternal - or maybe the other way around. I'll keep the Super Bowl Sunday run on the ballot until we either can or cannot conduct a safe outing. I'm also planning to add other driver-oriented outings to the schedule. And I'm sure Jack Parker, our new EC has some ideas as well. But that doesn't mean that each of you cannot exercise your Miata on your own. All you need is a tank of gas and an open twisty two lane. And all of our favorite Miata vendors are open for business, so perhaps this is a good time for that deferred or regular maintenance, or even that new muffler or set of coilovers you have been drooling over. The directory of Miata.net sponsors on our website has recently been updated, so check them out here . Keep the wheels firmly planted, see you on the roads in 2021! |
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| Modifications, So What's The Best? Jack Parker If you have read this article from me before, pardon the intrusion into your life. There are some changes. During the course of my twenty-one years owning Miatas, I have learned that sometimes by accident and sometimes by actually reading about the different modifications available to the general ownership population, that good things and sometimes not so good things happen to the Miata's performance. Companies know, and learned very quickly that these little toys are very easy to work on and modify. Vehicle personaliztion has been around since the invention of the wheel when some enterprising Neanderthal found out that by attaching something round to that thing he/she has been dragging around it was easier to move. By making the wheel bigger or smaller, lighter or heavier or wider or thinner, the said humanoid was able to produce different, sometimes beneficial, sometimes not, effects to the handling characteristics of that pile of rocks being transported. So the same thing can be true of us evolutionary advanced owners of the best, most affordable sports car on the planet. First, let me explain that this is not a criticism of any particular personal taste in modification of said vehicle. Each to his own. Since I have had nine of these bad boys I have learned by trial and error. Sometimes cheap error, sometimes expensive mistake. Sometimes fantastic improvement in comfort and performance. If you have seen my various results you know what I am talking about. Intake, exhaust, headers, suspension, seats, gauges, cosmetic body add ons, wheels, even paint, tires and other sundry items have made there way onto the cars. Or sometimes off the cars in an effort to lighten the cars. It is all worth the effort. Again personal taste is just that, personal. I will be in the future talking about various mods you can do to your car. Sometimes, erratically, I will be writing articles about mods you can do to your little gem. So stay tuned and you will share in my adventures in modifications. Stay safe. Wear a mask. Take care of yourself and others. See you next month. More Modification Yammering Ron Petrich I just read and reread Jack's article above, and find I have to agree with it 110%. I have not been as prolific as Jack in Miata ownership, I've only owned 3, but I have been on the modifications bandwagon as much as he has. Jack supercharged his 99, I turboed mine. I have swapped springs, shocks, coilovers, braces, and sway bars until blue in the face, searching for that perfect combination and that greatest drive of all time to Napa and back... Or the lowest lap time... Some mods worked, some didn't, but all were educational and fun, and NON life threatening. They say these cars hold a lot of money, and that is true if you count the cost of all of these aftermarket goodies. But usually the process of making mods is as much fun and as rewarding as the result. And this statement can't be any truer than in this awful pandemic year. I guess I could theoretically infect myself or my Miata alone in my garage. My neighbors know to stay a good 20 feet away when they look up my driveway and see my car on jack stands, with someone vaguely resembling a mechanic wriggling under the car. "Oh, Ron is at it again". The following is a prime example of the hit/miss evolution of a modification, and why change, while fun, is not always cheap. Back in V1 days (that is V1 manual transmission to those learned of the fragility of this gearbox) I decided I wanted to get back into tracking in a big way. Like 12+ track days per year. So I installed a rollbar, coilovers, swaybars, braces, upgraded brakes, and bought an extra set of wider wheels and some track rubber. I had fun. I had great fun. Then I decided I wanted to go faster, so I sold my coilovers and spent twice the price on even better (and stiffer) coilovers. Then I went to Laguna Seca for the big Miata weekend in October 2019, where I was about to prove how great a driver I was. Until I blew my transmission on the third lap of the first session of the first day. At least I could still brag that I WOULD have set some new lap records lol... Fast forward to 2020. I have downsized to 16" rims and sticky rubber but with taller sidewalls to smooth out the ride (it actually works). I have a new V5 transmission compliments of Mazda, but probably still flawed. And if this one breaks the cost is probably on me. But being out of warranty it is technically an aftermarket part, which obviously totally justifies the cost. Yeah right. Anyway, I will pick and choose my trackdays carefully, maybe 3 per year. And I am thoroughly enjoying SR128/SR121 on weekends and holidays when no one else seems to be around. I'm sure I am not the only SAMOA member who has [ahem] invested in his Miata. We have a database on our website for Miataholics like you. And you are welcome to add your car and a list of modifications to that database to share the knowledge. Just wander over to Aftermarket Database and fill out the form linked at the top. |
| New Member Introduction Trentyn Simon Hi, my name is Trentyn Simon. I've been a member of SAMOA fo almost a year now and am very much enjoying it. I was able to meet everyone before all of this COVID-19 stuff started. I own a 1990 Mazda Miata (primer gray) with very minimal modification done. As of 11/28/20 the engine (1.8L) has been taken out and extensively rebuilt Currently undergoing a very thorough break-in period (1,000 miles). My goal is to have a streetable track car. I have included a few pictures. Thanks. |
| New Member Introduction Michael Fitzgerald This is my 92 Miata. I got it as a garage find. The owner parked it in her garage in 2002 and lost the key. She never drove it again. It sat there for 17 yrs. I got it in October a year ago for $1,800.00. A new tank of gas- new tires- new battery and I drove it away. It has 82000 miles on it. Season's Greetings Robin & Jeanne George Jeanne and I want to take some time in addressing SAMOA by sharing Holiday thoughts. As some of you may know we moved to Tennessee to relax and enjoy life as it should be. I can’t resist sending a message to my fellow members as I did over the many years. But as with each year November and December always seem to be a special time of the year. Given everything that 2020 has changed in our daily lives, we are all looking forward to celebrating the holidays with our families and new friends. This year as we celebrate the holidays with our family and friends, we are reminded to “celebrate responsibly” by avoiding large crowds as we gather, by wearing face coverings especially when in the company of others, frequently washing our hands, and sanitizing high touch surfaces. And please stay at home if you don’t feel well! No doubt, this will give many of our traditional holiday activities a different feel, but the true spirit of the holidays will survive and as a result of our current public health precautions, the holiday season may have even more significance this year. The holidays are also a special time for reflection, when we take the time to give thanks for our good fortune and all the blessings we have received. This year, as we reflect on 2020, we are reminded to give pause and remember the suffering and losses that so many have experienced. This is also the special time of the year when our hearts are touched by the need to share our good fortunes with those who are less fortunate and are in need. The urge we feel to share with others and to give back to our community is one of the very special blessings that come with the holiday season. This year the needs of many are very real, so when you feel the urge to share and give back, please be generous. Things tend to get pretty hectic this time of year and activities not only fill our daily lives, they often over fill our daily activities to the point that some of us will feel overwhelmed. Taking a few minutes to make a call, or send a message to someone special, a distant family member, an old friend, even a neighbor who is alone or separated from their loved ones during the holidays can do wonders for refocusing our own priorities. Just letting them know that you are thinking of them and wanted to know how they are doing will make a huge difference to the person you reach out to. As we end one year, especially a year like 2020, and look forward to the beginning of a new year. We will have a sense that better days are ahead and that the future will be brighter. We all share that optimism and look forward to what lies ahead in the upcoming years. We will face continued challenges, and the road ahead may have a bump or two, but we remain cautiously optimistic that better times and brighter days are ahead, after all we are Americans. So on behalf of Jeanne and me, we wish every member of our SAMOA Community a very Merry and Safe Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year! |
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| SAMOA CLASSIFIEDS Flyin Miata Slotted Front Brake Rotors for ND Miata. $150.00. ND slotted front high performance brake rotors. These rotors are an OEM fit for both Brembo and non-Brembo cars. To make a long story short, Amazon lost a set of slotted rotors so I ordered these from FM. Then of course the Amazon order showed up. I installed those, then the FM rotors arrived, and the cost to return these to FM was prohibitive, so they are for sale. You can research these on the Flyin Miata website. My cost delivered with tax was $184.00, so my price is a deal for new-in-box rotors. Ron Petrich (916) 601-5338 freescopesdad@comcast.net |
| SAMOA is a 501(c)7 non-profit corporation organized in the State of California for the benefit of it's membership. Annual dues are $24 per year. |
| Was It THE Car? Norm Swanberg A little background is needed for this. Juan Manual Fangio was born in 1911, grew up in Argentina where he raced cars on mostly dirt roads from 18 until he was 37 years old. The races were long distance with one race 6,000 miles, broken into segments. He raced in Europe in 1949 until 1958, with seven of those years in Formula One. He won 24 of 52 of those races, 46%. During this time, he was Formula One champion five times. The Nürburgring is a German race track, over nine miles long with many turns. Fangio’s most famous Formula One race was at this track in 1957. He started the race in a Maserati with half a tank of gas, planning a pit stop. The other cars had full tanks and no pit stops. He easily gained a lead in the first half of the race, but not enough. Two Ferraris passed him during the pit stop and got ahead by 45 seconds. He drove many laps faster than his qualifying time. With a lap and a half to go he caught a glimpse of the two Ferraris. At this point he really upped the pace. Spectators ran away from the track thinking he was about to crash. The seat broke loose in the car from the centrifugal force but he kept on pushing. There was a hump in a straight that drivers would let off for. He did not let off the gas, going airborne at 175 MPH. His last lap shattered the prior lap record in spite of the broken seat. He caught and passed the Ferraris winning the race. Virginia and I attended the Historic Races at Laguna Seca from 1989 to 1995. We were able to go into the pits and see the cars and drivers. I spotted an old open wheel Maserati, with the owner present. I asked him was this a factory Formula One car? He said yes. I asked what years? It included 1957. I asked was it the car Fangio drove in that famous race? He said Maserati had five Formula One cars at that time and nobody wrote down the number of the car he drove. I asked if there were scratches inside from the seat sliding around? He said they would have cleaned that up. It could have been THE car. New Member Introduction Gary Coverdale & Janice Hacket |
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| My 2020 ND is my third Miata. Our first was a red 2005 and then a 2015 White and Black Special Edition PRHT. Both outstanding cars! Between the 2020 and the 2015 we had both a 911 and a Boxster. Sweet cars but always expecting the ‘rubber band’ to break (though I did my own maintenance and mods on them). I’m a big fan of driving race karts, both speedway and shifter karts. Great fun but now I’m too old for the track stress! We enjoy NASCAR and IRL as well dirt track racing up in Placerville where we live. My son races Miatas (having just purchased the Blackbird Fabworx #222 racecar). We’ve been to the Miatas At Laguna Seca for the past 5 years (at least but stopped counting). We are both retired from the public sector, though I still dabble in cyber security at the National level. We spend a lot of time in Benicia on our sailboat and enjoy RV traveling. We are excited about being members and participating in many of SAMOA’s events. We are a friendly and social couple and really looking forward to this COVID-19 thing ending and attending the meetings and activities! Looking forward to meeting each of you!!! |
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| MAIL TO 3707 Witt Road Auburn, CA 95602 |
Konig Hypergram wheels and Nitto NT01 tires. Wheels are 17x8 +45 finished in matte gray and in perfect condition. Also clear ND Brembo
brakes. Tires are 235/40/17 with 700 total miles (2 track days plus freeway to/from). Also perfect condition with plenty of tread. Price is $800
firm. No shipping. And if you pick up at my garage I'll also throw in a used set of 215/45/17 NT01s with 7-8 track days on them, but still showing
tread. Check the new prices on these and you find this an excellent deal.
Ron Petrich
(916) 601-5338
freescopesdad@comcast.net
brakes. Tires are 235/40/17 with 700 total miles (2 track days plus freeway to/from). Also perfect condition with plenty of tread. Price is $800
firm. No shipping. And if you pick up at my garage I'll also throw in a used set of 215/45/17 NT01s with 7-8 track days on them, but still showing
tread. Check the new prices on these and you find this an excellent deal.
Ron Petrich
(916) 601-5338
freescopesdad@comcast.net
