The format for One Lap of America is fairly simple. Over the course of nine days, One Lap of America’s entrants cover several thousand miles across the country and at 10 different tracks. It’s not a Cannonball event, though. Drivers are judged on their performance at a combination of autocross and road courses, one oval, and one drag race. The journey, however, is a glamorous part of the attraction, but the reality is that, despite times between race tracks not being judged, a succession of long transit days will always influence on-track performance.
Over the course of a week, entrants covered 3,300 miles in the same car they were competing in. No tow rigs allowed – at least those that weren’t driving on track. If the vehicle was big enough, its drivers could load their supplies inside, but for Mazda Motorsports’ Jonathan Black and Steve Strickland, their NC Miata’s cargo space required they pull a small single-axle Leroy trailer.
One remaining rule was the need to make one set of tires last the entire nine days, and these two decided to run Falken’s RT660+. Quiet and capable in the colder temperatures, Falken’s fastest 200TW suited the unusual requirements of One Lap of America.
Though the format differed slightly from place to place, the main challenge remained the same wherever they went: a timed three-lap sprint – two per event. At most events, the drivers would take one sprint each. “You had a sighting lap, then three timed laps, which were timed cumulatively,” Strickland said.
With such a narrow window to prove themselves, getting the tire up to operating temperature quickly was paramount. “I wasn’t sure the Falken was the best tire in the bunch, but it’s geared toward autocross, so getting the tire fired up was easy,” he added.
The tires fared well on the stretches between tracks, too – being relatively quiet and capable in wet weather. As part of a package meant to be versatile, the tires certainly helped make the experience a bit more relaxing.
When it came to specifying their cone-hugging car for the road course, Strickland made a few concessions to performance which, thankfully, saved their backs and their fillings. “It might’ve gotten us a half-second a lap, but running a fixed-back bucket would’ve been painful. We were thinking about the longer transit days and the state of our bodies when we decided to run the factory seats,” Black added.
To remain safe without a harness, the duo used a Simpson Hybrid S head-an-neck device while on track, which can be used with a typical three-point belt.
Besides the seats, what Black felt made those long hauls so bearable was the suspension package, which borrowed heavily from their venerable Spec MX-5. The kit’s Eibach swaybars, Eibach springs – 700-pound in front and 400-pound rear, and one-way Penskes were so compliant on the road course, and totally civil on the road. “All we did was take a little rebound out of them for the longer drives,” he added.
The list of remaining modifications was short: a Blackbird Fabworx rollbar, an OEM hardtop, an AEM cold air intake, 17” Spec MX-5 Rays wheels, 245-section RT660s, and Pagid RSL 29 pads.
It was a reassuring setup, to say the least. “I was pleased with how well it ate up the curbs and the bumps, but it didn’t surprise me. I’d driven that setup on track before. What did was its road manners. I’d never tried that suspension on the street. I figured our kidneys would be hurting, but all we did was take a little rebound out of them for the longer drives, and we were very comfortable,” Black said.
A mix of road courses, autocrosses, and even an oval event would punctuate their 3,300-mile journey. The calendar had several shorter circuits which suited the Miata, namely Hallett and Motorsports Park Hastings, where the car’s cornering ability allowed it a couple of respectable finishes.
“We did it mainly for the experience,” Black said. The two had this event on their respective bucket lists for some time, and they were aware of the performance difference between their Miata and the machinery some were bringing to this event.
“Even in our class, we had a couple of Lotuses and a supercharged Z to contend with,” Black began, “and the way it worked out, the faster guys ended up having a major advantage by being able to leave the event two hours before the slower guys could. The run order was determined by horsepower – meaning the Miata started at the back of the pack.
“When you had a major transit day ahead of you – our longest was a little over ten hours – leaving early meant losing another couple hours of sleep. At the end of the week, we were really feeling the deprivation,” he continued.
Not in contention for a win, they could drive ten-over and appreciate the journey, as well as chat with some of the curious bystanders who had seen the convoy come through before them. “It was fun – like being part of a traveling circus,” Black said. “We rarely made a fuel stop without answering questions from customers or travelers,” Strickland added.
Though some of the stretches were monotonous, others were scenic, and some oddly mesmerizing. “It was interesting driving in these pitch black overcast nights out west,” he began,” since your mind loses a sense of the horizon, and it feels like you’re driving downhill even when the road is totally flat.”
And there were comical – and slightly macabre – points. “Driving past these grain silos in Kansas, we swerved away from what I thought was a dead deer on the road. Turned out to be the biggest raccoon I’ve ever seen – it must’ve gotten fat off that grain,” he said.
On track, there were some trying moments. At High Plains Raceway in Deer Trail, Colo., the benefit from generating some usable temperature quickly was apparent. “We arrived at the track in the middle of a snow flurry, and since I was the only one with experience there, we decided I’d take both sessions,” Black said.
“It was 30 degrees out and the track was slicker than snot,” he recounted. “The biggest takeaway from running both sessions was just how important it was to get the tires fired up fast. The first session, I approached it like I had the other events, which were mostly dry, and the car was sliding every corner until I was halfway through my first timed lap. The second time out, I did everything I could that outlap to generate some temperature, the difference in times was something like seven seconds between the two runs.”
And the car was mostly reliable throughout the week, but at Road America, it only skipped one beat. Their last session day, like with so many grand efforts in racing, theirs was let down by a cheap part – a clutch slave cylinder.
They managed to find a part from Miata specialists Advanced Auto Sports in Beloit, Wisconsin, by about 5 p.m. that day, but getting it would require them to rent a car in Fond-du-Lac and drive 130 miles to Beloit. They decided to leave the part replacement until the next day, and so they took a DNF. That pretty much ended their chances of a front-running finish.
The delirious duo weren’t dejected, though. Worried would better describe their mood. “We were stranded in the paddock, which was quickly filling up with LeMons drivers getting ready for their test day the following morning. Thankfully, they didn’t mind. “When we started to try to find a place in the paddock to stash our disabled car overnight, I turned around to run into two friendly faces – two of the LeMons staff were guys I have known for years and live nearme in S.C. I helped build one of guys’ brother a Spec Miata 15-plus years ago. They graciously allowed us to leave the Miata in their staff parking overnight,” said Black. “The people you meet and form relationships within this community are part of what makes it special.”
In addition to not completing their second session at Road America and missing the oval at Slinger, they also missed the last venue at Blackhawk Farms in Illinois. That was a disappointment, as the duo considered Blackhawk to be a Miata-friendly track.
“I’m really glad I did it, but it took nine work days from me and it was grueling. If I was to do it again, I’d like to try something a little more competitive, or something that would help the brand,” Black said.
Strickland echoed Black’s comments. It was a bucket list event for him as well, and the thought of trying again in a Mazda with a little more power is tempting. “We built the Miata for autocross, Time Trial, and hillclimbs,” Strickland said. “Getting to compete in the One Lap with it was a bonus, and really illustrated the versatility of the platform. Maybe we’ll just throw a turbocharger on it next time!”
Turns out the next time is coming up October 2026, from the 17th to the 24th for the 2026 tire Rack One Lap of America West.
For more information on the event, please visit One Lap of America and Mazda Motorsports.
