Last week I ordered up a boatload of parts from Mazda Motorsports to begin the Spec Miata race car build. Mazda has possibly the best motorsports team support program of any car maker. If you do as few as three autocrosses a year, you can sign up for the Mazda Motorsports (a.k.a. MazdaSpeed) that allows you to buy factory parts, and a few common aftermarket competition parts, at wholesale prices. You also get discounts on Mazda cars and access to a ton of technical information. I really can't say enough good things about them (other than maybe the eternity it took for me to get my application approved).

Now that some of those parts have come in, it's time to begin work on the Spec Miata race car. The car will be getting a full "makeover": a refresh (or possibly rebuild) of the engine and transmission, a new exhaust system, a new limited-slip differential, a factory hardtop to replace the convertible soft top, a full rollcage and other pieces of safety equipment such as racing seat and harness belts, removal of most of the interior pieces and trim, whole new suspension, new wheels and tires.

First things first though; here's the humble little $4500 Miata on its final evening as a bone-stock street car:

A rarity: a Miata with a front license plate!

The rollbar comes from Competition Autoworks, a well-known Spec Miata race shop, so it should fetch a good price.

And here's a trunk full of Spec Miata parts:

Trunk chock full o' SM suspension bits!

Not seen are the swaybar and exhaust kits, which were too big to fit in the trunk. Speaking of swaybars, the Eibach swaybars were the first racing parts to be bolted to the car:

Front swaybar...

... and rear swaybar.

There's tons more to do so a lot more to come... Stay tuned!

San Jose, Calif. (May 10th, 2007) eXtreme Performance is proud to announce new owners Viet-Tam Luu ("Tam") and Rahul Pinto, both San Jose locals, active race car drivers and sports car enthusiasts.

Luu and Pinto bring almost twenty years' worth of technical know-how from their time in the technology industry, combined with over a decade of experience in car-related activities including exotic and race car brokerage and sales, sports car tuning and modification, and motor sports.

"Rahul and I look forward to an exciting and successful venture together in eXtreme Performance," said Luu.

"We are eager to enhance and expand eXtreme Performance's product and service offerings to better serve existing and new customers," said Pinto.

eXtreme Performance, based in San Jose, CA specializes in performance upgrades and customizations for your vehicle. Whether you own a truck, SUV, sports car or a race car, we can obtain parts for your vehicle and provide installation services. We have access to hundreds of aftermarket specialty manufacturers and can locate hard-to-find items at competitive prices. If you are unsure of the parts you require, our experienced staff can help assess your needs and advise you about your options. With years of experience in the automotive and motorsports markets, we are able to provide quality service to our customers.

Our showroom is located at:
43 South Capitol Avenue
San Jose, CA 95127

Our telephone number is: (408) 923-6404

We are located on the web at: www.xperformance.com

Sonoma, CA—The Vital Motorsports Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 8 was damaged in a single-vehicle accident at Infineon Raceway last Sunday, November 12. Driver Viêt-Tâm Luu was unhurt in the crash, which occurred outside of turn 8 during a lapping session that was part of an open-track day organized by Track Masters Racing.

The car sustained moderate to heavy front-end damage, along with superficial body panel damage, when Tâm lost control of the vehicle at about 95 mph, spinning the car off the track and into the tire wall at an impact velocity of almost 50 mph.

Decisions about the future of the Evo race car and direction of the Vital Motorsports racing program will be made pending a detailed assessment of the damage to the Evo.