(by Eric Rood) – We’re always big fans of last-to-first charges here at BangShift, but this one might take the cake. Spec Miata racing pits identical Mazda roadsters against each other in a driver-first battle. Yeah, sure, not all Spec Miatas are really created equally, but the performance envelope is pretty narrow, which makes Joey Jordan’s single-lap charge to the front of a NASA Spec Miata field at Thunderhill so impressive.
Going to last to first in one lap is, admittedly, a bit easier on Thunderhill’s five-mile “Thunderschleife” configuration, but Jordan’s hole shot at the start and some creative use of the pit-exit road get him all the way from dead-last in 21st up to 8th place by Turn 2. Some predictable Spec Miata shenanigans at the track’s famous “Cyclone” turn complex sends four more Miatas out into the Central Valley dust to put him to third. The last pair at the front make Jordan work for it, but he just scoots past the leader as they cross the start/finish line.
Unsurprisingly, Jordan won that particular race and the race the next day to boot.
Talk about bringing a gun to a knife fight!
The only way this could happen is by running a blatantly over sized engine.
This guy has at least 30+ HP advantage over everyone else.
How do you run down everyone else on a straight away when everyone else is wide open?
It’s time for the dreaded tear down.