The racing offseason is finally over, and this year I’m taking on a new challenge. During a test session at Calabogie Motorsports Park near Ottawa, I turned my first laps in the No. 12 Mazda Miata with my new team, Mortimer Racing. It was an opportunity to shake off the rust from the winter, while also getting acclimatized to the car I’ll be racing this year in the 2025 Miata Canada Cup.
On Friday night, I finished my final university exam of the semester, packed my bags, and got ready for an early morning train out to Eastern Ontario. Calabogie is a long way from Toronto, and the closer we got to the destination, the harder the rain poured outside my window. When I arrived at the track, it was soaked, not the conditions anyone would want for their first laps in a new race car.
I got to know the members of my new team, and check out their garage at the track. Next it was time to hop in for a seat fitting. I removed the NASCAR-style window net and attempted to squeeze myself through the Miata’s window. After getting a leg-and-a-half through the tiny window, one of the crew kindly mentioned that the doors were not for show; they opened. After extracting myself from the window, and opening the door, I came to the realization that racing a Miata was much more luxurious than I expected! After years of squeezing into the sheet-metal cockpit of the Formula 1200 car, the Miata felt like a Cadillac by comparison.
Out on the race track for my first session, tip-toeing around in the wet, trying to understand how to drive this car in such conditions while also trying to remember the track layout. Calabogie is sometimes referred to as the Nürburgring of Canada, being more than 5km long with 20 corners plus significant elevation changes. The corners are complex, with changing radiuses and blind braking zones. I started to pick up the pace and try out different lines, which resulted in a brief trip through the grass. I took the car back to the pits for the team to check over, and thankfully I hadn’t done any damage while off-roading.
Throughout the day I became more familiar with the handling of the No. 12 Miata race car, and understood how different it is from a Formula 1200 car. More horsepower meant more power-on oversteer, especially in the wet. The Miata also has disk brakes, which require more finesse than the Formula 1200’s drum brakes, a fact I discovered after a big lock-up. As I grew more confident I found myself running at a good pace, keeping up with other Miata Cup cars on track, which gave me confidence to push myself throughout the day.
The last time I raced at Calabogie was back in 2023, and I had great success that weekend in the Formula 1200 car. But returning to a track after nearly two years, on a rainy day and driving an unfamiliar car, was probably the toughest shakedown I could have experienced.
The experience gave me a good understanding of the new No. 12 Mazda Miata race car, and its limits. After a sold day on track, I feel much more confident ahead of Round 1 of the 2025 Miata Canada Cup on May 9, 10, 11 at Mosport, a track which I’ve turned hundreds of laps around. Looking forward to this new challenge in 2025.
~ by Daniel Demaras
Good deal, Danial. I’m partial to Miatas. Best of luck on May 9, 10, 11.
🙂
Good story of getting to know the new vehicle! I especially liked the climb in the window bit. Ha ha. Best of luck next week.
Have a successful season Daniel.
Thanks, Milke! This should be a real challenge… and fun.