Four Drivers in the Hunt for the Mission Foods Pro Spec Miata Championship
October 17, 2024
– by David Maher, PCA member & instructor
I’ve been doing Driver’s Ed (DE) events with the Porsche Club of America (PCA) for about 25 years. I did my first PCA DE event shortly after I bought my first Porsche in 2000. I was 25 years old and had purchased a 1979 930 for $25,000, which I found in a New York Times classified ad. I loved that early 930, and after modifying it to make about 400 horsepower, I spent several years doing events at Pocono and Watkins Glen.
In 2005, I upgraded to a 993 Turbo, which had been track-prepped by its previous owner for club racing in California. It had many expensive mods for track duty, so I didn’t have to do much—and it was Polar Silver! I continued my DE journey in the Northeast with the Northern New Jersey (NNJR) and Metro New York regions of PCA. But after about 10 years, the thrill of DE events started to fade.
To mix things up, I transitioned to “cheap” endurance racing with a BMW E30 through 24 Hours of Lemons, ChampCar, and AER. It was an easy switch after so many years of DEs. Still, I wasn’t ready to give up on DEs entirely, so in 2016, I became a member of the PCA National DE Instructor Corps after completing a three-day program at Watkins Glen International. Instructing made DEs fun again, as I was able to share my experience and enthusiasm from the right seat with new drivers.
| When I moved to South Florida in 2020, I wanted to get back on track. After doing several track days with local driving clubs, I became good friends with another instructor, Carlos Espitia, a BMW fanatic who often invites me to instruct at events he’s working. I usually say yes. Lately, Carlos has been working with FARA, running their DE events and spearheading a new and growing “Super Lap Series.” |  |
The Super Lap Series (SLS) is a way to compete without actual wheel-to-wheel racing, and you can do it in a car registered for the street. Cars are classed by engine displacement, wheel horsepower, weight with driver, forced induction, maximum tire width, and treadwear rating. It’s similar to a qualifying session for a race. You get 30 minutes on track, and you can do as many laps as you like, but only your fastest lap counts—unless you spin or go off track with all four wheels, which negates that session (but not your day). Think of it as qualifying for a race.
While I had told myself I was done chasing lap times in my 993 Turbo because I didn’t want to risk damaging it, Carlos convinced me to sign up by telling me there were only two other cars in the SL1 (top) class. He said I could take home a third-place trophy if I just showed up and completed one lap. After instructing a few more events with FARA and putting down some more timed laps in the SLS, I found myself leading the SL1 class. Before I knew it, I was chasing lap times again in my 993.
At a recent event at Sebring, I was able to hustle the old girl around the track in 2:23.9, which was fast enough to hold off a 991 GT3 RS and a GT4, keeping me on the podium.
The Super Lap Series is filled with Porsches of all types, from a Carrera S in SL3, Cayman GTS in SL2, and all the way to 718 GT4s and 992 GT3 RSs. So, if you’re a PCA member, come see how you stack up against other PCA drivers in a timed competition for street cars—you might just fall in love with DEs all over again.
– David Maher, PCA member & instructor