The important action this weekend happened in ST6, as two similarly prepared Miatas tested out the new tire classing rules. Both Miatas were prepared by the same shop, Midwest Miata Parts, and shared the same alignment details. The experiment was devised to determine what would be faster, Toyo RRs and 100 fewer pounds, or Hoosier R7’s and 100 more pounds.
Race one started out with Chris Armbruster, the Hoosier car, taking pole position in qualifying. However, Andrew Janosik in the Toyo car, had a stronger start with a bit more grip while the tires were cold. After a few laps of heat, Armbruster in the Hoosier car was able to take the win.
Race two on Sunday started out similarly with Armbruster and the Hoosiers on pole. Janosik got the early jump, but Armbruster and the Hoosiers were able to keep the Toyo car at bay after some intense traffic-filled driving with an out-of-class Thunder Roadster. Armbruster even set a new track record at NCM for ST6, despite the new heavier weight demanded by the classing for 2022. A great video edited down of the exciting traffic-filled laps can be found on NASA’s YouTube channel.
However, don’t let it be said that Toyos are slower. After some in-depth data review, Armbruster and Janosik realized that the lighter Toyo car was actually holding more lateral grip. Janosik was able to use the data review with Armbruster to focus on key grip moments on track and to take the win in race three on the Toyos.
That puts the points at two for Hoosier and one for Toyo. Armbruster, the series leader for ST5/6 in the Great Lakes region, suspects Toyos will continue to win out as the Midwest Miata Parts team continues to use data to go faster.
If you are interested in doing data reviews at Great Lakes events, Armbruster is hosting free review sessions after every race. Simply stop in at the series leader’s trailer and find some speed out there on track!
Chris – excellent to hear about the apples to apples tire testing. What data platform were you using? Would you be willing to post the data files of the tire comparison?