Miata Showdown For Wtac 2014 – Hairdressers Need Not Apply  

Same platform, same goal, two different paths towards it. The owners of these two MX-5s have taken two completely different approaches in an attempt to turn Mazda’s popular roadster into a time attack weapon. And we think both are set to achieve their goals and also unwittingly create a MIATA showdown!





The first of these cars belongs to prominent Queensland engineer and collector of all things Rotary engined, Danny Irvine from Automotive Plus. This car is a culmination of many years working with Mazda vehicles and is something that Danny has had on the drawing board for quite some time.

“I built the cage and did much of the engineering work on the GT Autogarage R35 GTR that competed in World Time Attack in 2011 and from that day on my goal has been to compete in my own car” said Danny “naturally it had to be a rotary and there is just something about the sound of a peripheral port 20B engine that I couldn’t resist, so I then set about finding a nice light late model body and the last generation MX5 fit the bill perfectly”






“It is pretty common knowledge that you can make 150hp per rotor so we should look at a minimum of 450hp which should move the little rocket along quite nicely” said Danny “It is a massive job and as as I am building almost the entire car myself after hours it has taken a lot longer than what I would have liked. “





“We are now at the wiring stage and I hope to have the car running in the next few weeks, then it is off to the composite shop to have the aero completed. I have employed Andrew Brilliant very early in the piece after seeing the importance of aero on the GTR. I wanted to make sure that everything I built would fit in around what he needed to do. He has run a CFD on the car and designed a very trick package that will see us slot legally into the Open Class.”



A menacing large pipe out of the centre rear is sure to put on a flame show around Sydney Motorsport Park.



The 20B peripheral port engine is a snug fit in the engine bay and is backed up by an RX8, six speed gearbox and RX8 Torsen diff.


“Obviously time is of the essence now and with a couple of months scheduled in the composite shop we predict limited testing before October, but make no mistake, we will be there with bells on and we will put on a show.”



The second MX5 is owned and driven by Queensland based Dean Letfuss and has taken an entirely different approach to Danny’s car.


Long gone is the BP Mazda engine and in its place is a Nissan SR20 engine built by STZ Automotive and stuffed full of HKS goodies including a 2.2 stroker kit and 272 degree Camshafts, a Garrett Gt30/76 turbo and a Haltech ECU and dash.





“We went with the SR20 for several reasons” said Marty Horvarth from STZ Automotive “firstly the availability of aftermarket components. you can buy anything and everything out of a catalogue and the ease of finding a combination that works, it has all been done a million times, with the original engine you would be experimenting and have to get many components custom made and obviously that could cost an awful lot more, probably for less result than the SR20. It just made sense”




Brad Crawthorne from Crawthorne Composites has had a hand in constructing the aero and the car sits on a set of specially constructed MCA “Gold” coilovers.





This body shape certainly looks aggressive with the wide body styling and Dean has been spending countless hours refining and testing at various trackdays around Queensland continually collecting data and making small changes. The lap times continue to improve and Dean is looking forward to “stretching its legs” around Sydney Motorsport Park in October.





So there you have it – two totally different approaches but both so damn cool. We can’t wait to see them lined up beside each other in the Open Class!


LINKS:
www.yokohama.com.au
www.worldtimeattack.com



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