The 2010 FM Summer Camp

The 2010 edition of the Flyin' Miata Summer Camp was a big success. We kicked things off on Thursday with Bill, Teri, Brandon and Keith taking people for rides at our local track in various FM cars. We also had our Ground School, a class intended to get novice drivers comfortable with track days. The school was sold out with 25 students!

Friday kicked off the annual track day. Nearly 50 drivers came out and took a run around our local track. Lots of big smiles, some personal bests and - of course - the chance to ride along in one of the FM shop cars with an experienced driver at the wheel. We had Nancy (our 2006), Elvis (the V8-powered 2002), the Targa Miata, Igor (the FM II 1999) and of course the turbocharged Westfield.
Track times

On Friday night, dozens of Miatas descended on the Sonic Drive-through for burgers, milkshakes, fries and heroic tales of derring-do on the track. Shortly before sunset, the lot emptied as the cars headed for a dusk drive over the Colorado Monument.

Saturday morning started with a drive over the Grand Mesa for some participants, followed by the Open House at Flyin' Miata World Headquarters. There were prototype parts, fast cars and cool drinks on hand. The seminars proved particularly popular this year, with extensive question/answer sessions extending Brandon's "New Product Tour", Bill's "Forced Induction 101", Keith's "Suspension and Cornerweighting" and of course, Jeremy's Hydra masterclasses.

That evening we all gathered for a banquet with track pictures, awards, more stories of driving heroics, a track highlight video - and of course, approximately 20 gallons of peach cobbler. In the middle of all this, we got a peek at baby FM pictures and various prizes were awarded. Thanks to AFCO Racing, Bookcliff Auto Parts, Carlson Vineyards, Class Tool & Die, Competition Clutch, DeatschWerks, Ed Bozarth Chevrolet, Hellwig, High Country Orchards, Mazda North America, Porterfield, QuaLex, Snap-On, Thermal Flex, Thermal R&D, TurboSmart, Webtech Services and Wells Fargo for contributing!

A yummy brunch in the morning then a great ride over some of the secret Miata roads in the area, and then our visitors scattered in all directions, heading back to 13 different states and even over to Scotland. Until next year!

2010 Summer Camp pictures

So, guess where we are? C'mon, guess! Photo by Tom Heath.
Mark Iannicito was the fastest Miata of the day in his FM II. Photo by Tom Heath.
Steve picked up his new V8 Miata at around 1 pm on Thursday. By 10 am Friday, this is what we saw. Photo by Tom Heath.
Fastest overall was Skip Cannon in his Caterham, with turbo Miata power underhood. Photo by Tom Heath.
You don't have to set a lap record to have a good time! Here's Raelena Montoya giving her opinion. Photo by Gary Brown.
Ever hear of the six "color cars" Mazda produced in 1990? Well, here's the yellow one, fitted with an FM II and driven with much enthusiasm by Jon Martinez. Photo by Gary Brown.
Nancy made an appearance to showcase the parts FM sells for the 2006-10 cars. Photo by Tom Heath.
Igor's not that pretty at rest. But once the wheels start to turn, people forget about the paint. Photo by Tom Heath.
With Elvis, people forget what color the car is pretty much immediately. Photo by Tom Heath.
Tom Heath's awesome warbird paint job at rest. He and his wife Rhonda drove 2300 miles to get to the Open House. Photo by Tom (or Rhonda) Heath.
Tom's nose art. Photo by Gary Brown.
The Great Sonic Invasion. You have to arrive early to get a booth - but then you have to wait until late to leave. Photo by Steve Fassio.
There were a lot of lightweights in attendance. Tom Carlin drove his Birkin, John Torgan drove his Westfield, Tom Heath took pictures of them.
More Sonic parking problems. Photo by Tom Heath.
These stripes were really popular with onlookers. Photo by Steve Fassio.
So where are all the people who parked these cars all over the place? They're hanging around tables! Jeff Schmoyer (at left), Leigh Ashman, Brandon "Empty Tank" Fitch, Clark Erickson and Sharon Erickson are unaware they are being stalked by a giant hotdog and a shake. Tom Heath took the picture, but there's no report on if he warned them.
Bill and Teri Cardell spend 24 hours a day together as owners of Flyin' Miata. This seems to work out for them - they just celebrated their 20th anniversary. Photo by Steve Fassio.
If it were 2009, this photo would be foreshadowing. Photo by Tom Heath.
Time to head for the Monument! Photo by Steve Fassio.
Chris Cappy fought a strong battle for the fastest Miata prize, coming in 0.050 seconds behind Mark. He then had a great time on the Monument. Photo by Tom "my rollbar is a jungle gym" Heath.
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