Under the hot NorCal sun, Spec Miata drivers launched into a 12-lap frenzy around Thunderhill’s counterclockwise course. NASA NorCal decided to race on Friday and Saturday so everyone could be home Sunday to celebrate Mother’s Day. The racing was intense but clean with 30-plus cars swarming into Turn 1 like a tidal wave.
2022 National Spec Miata Champion driver Aaron Jeansonne made his mark early in the race, claiming P1 with a best lap of 2:08.048, shadowed closely by Lincoln Larson and the ever-rapid Team RAmotorsports. The top five were separated by less than eight seconds at the checkered flag. Behind them, the midfield was a bumper-banging brawl, with Curtis Zhi and Nathaniel Spitz going wheel-to-wheel for multiple laps.
The final lap saw Brian Cross edge out David Martel in a drag race to the line for 14th and 15th. By the time the dust settled, the top 25 Miatas had all completed 12 laps, a great show of great speed and respectable driving within Spec Miata.
Friday was a preview of the amazing racing that unfolded Saturday morning. Jeansonne looked like he was the man to beat, but he ended up finishing just 0.008 seconds behind Team RAMotorsports. Teen Mazda Challenge driver William Wallis wasn’t far behind to finish third, while TMC competitors Russell Scott and Larson traded positions all race long to finish fourth and fifth.
Midfield saw heavy skirmishes. Aaron Braverman, Pedro Castro-Santos, and Cross were locked in a relentless draft war. TMC driver Casey Moyer executed one of the cleanest passes of the race in Turn 9, only to be re-passed two corners later.
Farther back, mechanical gremlins and off-track excursions claimed a handful of contenders, but 18 of 32 Miatas still finished on the lead lap.
With just six laps to decide the weekend’s final contest, race three was pure Spec Miata madness. Jeansonne, Larson, and Wallis immediately broke away in a three-car draft train, their gap fluctuating by tenths. Larson put down a blistering 2:07.051 lap, but Jeansonne’s consistency kept him in front when it mattered.
The race of the race came from P4 through P10, where TMC driver Nathaniel Spitz, Wyatt Couch, and Team RAmotorsports engaged in battle. At one point, those drivers funneled into Turn 3 side-by-side. Unfortunately, the race finished under yellow due to a multi-car accident at Turn 14. Everyone involved was uninjured, but their cars did not fare the same. The race ended under yellow after six laps. Jeansonne took the win, followed by Larson in second and Walls in third. Scott finished fourth and Spitz finished in fifth.
