Last winter, Pacific Throttle House was not only building out the shop and setting up the business, we were also building a Spec Miata from the ground up and sorting out a monster race car for the 2013 SCCA season. At the same time, the shop had to sort and prepare three vintage race cars for the Historic Motor Sports Association and General Racing, Ltd. events this year. Thatʼs a lot of work for a small outfit, especially when the shop itself was a construction site until March!
The Spec Miata was built for local racer and restauranteur Joe Rombi, who has been a regular in the SCCA Spec Miata field for several years. PTH did a complete build on a 1991 chassis, with a custom rollcage, all new suspension and chassis components, a 1.6L Mazdaspeed crate motor, and very, very careful attention to construction and setup. Our goal was to produce a completely legal car that would be able to run at the front due to our attention to detail and preparation. At the carʼs debut at the Laguna Seca round, Rombi took home four 2nd place finishes, one third, and was run off the road for a 4th in six races. This was all done with a motor that dynoʼd at 112 horsepower, so the competition should start worrying as this motor frees up!
The other SCCA car in the shop is a monster SS class car owned by Cameron Rogers, who is taking a huge step up in class after being a regular top-5 guy in Spec Miata. The car is a 3rd Gen Mazda RX7 with a 6.0L GM LS2 V8 mated to a Tremec T56, hitting the road through an independent Ford 8.8 rear end. Despite one DNF in the season opener due to brake problems, Rogers has netted four 2nd place finishes this season so far while acclimating to his new, more rapid office. PTH has sorted the current brake components with help from technical partners Brembo and Cobalt Friction, and just completed a successful test at Laguna Seca where Cameron easily bested his previous lap times. It wonʼt be long before he takes that middle step on the podium!