Spec MX-5 presented by Toyo Tires made its return to the East Coast last weekend where Michelin Raceway at Road Atlanta played host to Rounds 7 & 8 of the 2024 SCCA Super Tour. Continuing the remarkable growth of the Series in its first year as an SCCA National Championship-eligible road racing class, an incredible 33 Spec MX-5 racers would compete fiercely at the renowned track, smashing last month’s record of 25 entries at NOLA. Varied weather would add an additional challenge to the high level of precision that the iconic track already demands from its drivers.
Situated in Braselton, Georgia, Michelin Raceway at Road Atlanta attracts racers from across the United States, drawn by its challenging layout and rich motorsport legacy. Drivers flock here to take on its iconic features, such as the legendary esses and the tricky 10a/b chicane. With its undulating terrain, elevation changes, and a mix of fast and technical corners, this iconic track provided the perfect setting for the record-breaking SMX field.
After a sunny test day on Thursday, racers were met with overcast skies and chilly temperatures on Friday for qualifying. With a thunderstorm forecasted later in the afternoon, the Race Director decided to convert the morning’s practice session into a qualifying session in hopes of providing a dry track for the 33 drivers. Unfortunately, trouble arose early for Advanced Autosports, as championship frontrunner Michael Borden had to retire after just one lap due to a mechanical issue, while teammate Nico Bratz returned to the pits on the following lap with clutch problems. The remaining 31 drivers would utilize the rest of the session to set their best times, while most achieved their fastest laps midway through the session. Michael Tinis emerged as the sole driver in the 1:38s, with Will Robusto trailing just .264 seconds behind on his debut for 2024. Mazda Motorsports Factory Club driver Kamden Hibbitt was a mere .02 seconds adrift of Robusto in P3 for his best qualifying of his rookie season, with fellow Mazda teammate Helio Meza securing P4. Rookie Max Schweid rounded out the top 5, followed by Ethan Jacobs in sixth place.
Later in the afternoon, the expected storm failed to materialize, providing the drivers with another dry session to try and improve upon their morning times. Borden and Bratz were among the few who managed to advance their positions, finishing in eleventh and thirteenth, respectively. Fellow championship frontrunner, Jack Murchison, impressed with a time of 1:39.307, securing P4. The field was incredibly tight, with the top sixteen drivers separated by less than one second, while only two seconds separated P1 from P26. Rookie Michael Tinis’ stunning morning lap time of 1:38.964 earned him his first-ever Spec MX-5 pole position.
The rain would arrive overnight and into Saturday morning, bringing a soaked track and misty skies for Round 7, seeing all drivers on their Toyo Proxes RA1 wet weather tires. Will Robusto would get a fantastic run as the green flag waved, making a brave pass on the outside of Mike Tinis through turn one, while the rest of the 33-car field safely navigated through the first few corners. Due to the treacherous conditions at the top of the hill at turn 5, Justin Mason lost control of the rear end of his car, with Dave Pintaric finding himself unable to avoid the inevitable collision, resulting in a full-course yellow.
After a ten-minute delay and five laps behind the safety car, racing would resume with the Mazda Motorsports Factory Club drivers Helio Meza and Ethan Jacobs both storming to the front of the SMX field by turn one. Robusto was in third, while a hard charging Matt Novak was in fourth, and Jack Murchison in fifth. Turn 5 would claim another victim, this time an out-of-class Ford Mustang, who managed to regain control in front of the fast-approaching Spec MX-5 field.
Novak capitalized on the situation, expertly maneuvering past the struggling Ford to take the lead, while Meza and Robusto trailed closely behind. Further back in the field, Will Lucas encountered ABS issues, causing him to overshoot turn six and become stranded in the gravel, prompting another full-course yellow with just eleven minutes remaining. The race would not resume, with Matt Novak taking his inaugural Spec MX-5 victory on his debut race of the 2024 season. Meza claimed second place, with Ethan Jacobs inheriting third after a post-race penalty relegated Will Robusto to sixth position. Jack Murchison finished fourth, with pole-sitter Mike Tinis rounding out the top five.
The sun illuminated the circuit on Sunday afternoon as 33 Spec MX-5 drivers charged down the front straight for Round 8. Will Robusto had another impressive start, guiding his #1 car to overtake Mike Tinis on the outside of turn one, with Jack Murchison also moving past the pole-sitter. Ethan Jacobs emerged in fourth the following corner, followed by Mazda Motorsports teammate Helio Meza in fifth. An out-of-class BMW E46 became disabled at the end of the front straight, prompting a full-course caution before the first lap concluded
Following several laps behind the safety car, racing resumed with the SMX field now grouped together with the T2, T3, and T4 cars. Tinis reclaimed the lead as Robusto veered wide into the grass at the start/finish line, seeing Robusto fall back into the rest of the SMX pack. The field encountered difficulty navigating the esses safely on the restart, resulting in Murchison tangling with Jacobs, while Justin Adakonis and Michael Borden maneuvered through the chaos to slot into fifth and sixth positions by turn 5, closely trailing rookie Max Schweid in fourth. Tinis remained in the lead, negotiating through the slower Mustangs when an incident involving Saturday’s race winner Matt Novak and Jason Fichter prompted a black flag with 27 minutes remaining.
Robusto, already in the pits to replace his rear tire due to a puncture, was joined by the rest of the field to allow safety workers to clear the track under black flag conditions. After a prolonged delay, racing resumed with the Race Director adding 10 minutes to the clock to compensate for the black flag. The SMX cars once again faced challenges with the out-of-class Mustangs, with one of the Fords colliding with Meza at turn 7, forcing the rookie to retire from P2. Max Schweid dropped down the order from fourth as he went off-track to avoid the incident, promoting Borden to second and Adakonis to third.
Ahead of NOLA race winner Nico Bratz, Will Robinson showcased an impressive performance, climbing to sixth at the start of the next lap after gaining ten positions, while fellow rookie Jack Murchison battled Series veteran Don Squirek for fourth. Returning for the first time in the 2024 SCCA Super Tour season, both Cam Ebben and Josh Hansen secured eighth and ninth positions respectively, with Ethan Jacobs rounding out the top ten.
Yet another caution would fly, seeing the field bunch up together once again. Robusto was in twenty-second after starting the last laps from the back of the field, and he would continue his surge towards the front as racing went green again with just 10 minutes remaining. Super-tight battles would ensue all the way from the front to the back of the field, seeing great racing until more out-of-class drama caused another full-course yellow and a premature end to the race as two T4 cars crashed heavily going into turn 10.
Mike Tinis claimed victory, securing his first Spec MX-5 race win, with Michael Borden in second and Justin Adakonis in third after the pair started the race outside of the top 10. Don Squirek finished fourth, with Will Robinson in fifth after gaining eleven positions. Jack Murchison, Cam Ebben, Nico Bratz, Ethan Jacobs, and Josh Hansen rounded out the top 10, with Will Robusto clawing his way up to eleventh in just two laps after restarting the race in last place.
Rounds 7 & 8 of the 2024 SCCA Super Tour featured a record-breaking 33 entries in Spec MX-5, marking the first time over 30 SMX cars have competed on track simultaneously. Michelin Raceway at Road Atlanta lived up to its high-risk, high-reward reputation, showcasing two first-time Spec MX-5 race winners. Spec MX-5 presented by Toyo Tires will return after Easter next month, with VIRginia International Raceway hosting Rounds 9 & 10 from April 5th-7th.
Photos | Alex Yudice
