Want to spend a few days with some really fast roadsters? Flyin' Miata's summer camp program includes track time, a car show, tours of their shop, expert presentations and much more. If you're into Mazda's roadster, this is the place to celebrate them. They just announced dates of their 2018 program: June 21-23. They say the track time sells out …
This and oloa are my car bucket list items.
Not going to have the Molvo ready for 2018, but next one should be a possibility. Plus I should be self-unemployed by then so will have a bit of time.
I've been a few times in the past. Alas, this year's revised schedule falls on my wedding anniversary. :)
Thanks for the pitch, guys!
Registration will open on February 1st. And that Caterham SV in the picture is rocking a turbo Miata drivetrain, in case anyone's wondering.
And here I was just wondering about popping in on them on a random Tuesday in January. I clearly need to plan my trips better.
Also a good option, as the FM staff will have a lot more time to talk to you! Summer Camp is busy.
However, the track time, the presentations and the food may not be present in January.
Sounds fun! Does one need to actually own a Miata to participate? 
The track time is restricted to Miatas, but everything else is wide open. All of us at FM are car nuts, not just Miata nuts, and we love to see interesting stuff.
The only reason we restrict the track time is because we don't have enough slots for all the Miata customers even without Brand X cars taking some of those slots.
Going back to that first picture again - it's a few years old, probably taken by Tom Heath when he joined us in 2010 or so. The driver of the white (supercharged) Miata in the pic has sold that car and is now rocking a turbo Exocet. If you come out to the track day, he will be faster than you. The Caterham has also been sold and that owner is now driving a turbo ND.
Hmmmmm. I was going to bring Betty back up for this but I'll be in Iceland a week later. I'll have to see if I can make both.
You can leave Betty with us and fly out of GJT!
You know, I have been at my job long enough that they just gave me a third week of vacation, and seeing as my car isn't quite sorted enough to take out on OLOA or Hot Rod's Power Tour, I think I'd love to come down for this.
If you like interesting stuff Keith, I've got an odd one for ya... one of a kind, in a simple way, as far as things go around this corner of the internet...
2018 will be our 6th Summer Camp, and we've had an absolutely great time every year we've made it. If you're into Miatas, you need to make this trip, not just for the track time, but to meet the great folks at FM. It's really like a big family reunion!
A few more motivational pics from previous years:
PitsThursday by Rodan AZ, on Flickr
TargaMiata ride FM14 by Rodan AZ, on Flickr
FM Lot 16 by Rodan AZ, on Flickr
Sunday drive by Rodan AZ, on Flickr
FM SC 12 track by Rodan AZ, on Flickr
A few photos from 2010:
And 2014:
I'd love to go, but being 29 hours away (1937 miles) is a bit of a dealbreaker for me.
There's at least one regular that drives his NA from New York every year. And a number of Canadians every year. It's worth the trip.
Mileage is only a barrier if you make it one! 
NickD said:I'd love to go, but being 29 hours away (1937 miles) is a bit of a dealbreaker for me.
To the contrary, that should be the incentive. I used to do 1000 mile days in the 1990 Miata all over the country and there really is not better way to see the USA than from the driver's seat of a topless Miata.
Looks like fun. Do they offer any arrive & drive packages for us non-owners on the wrong side of the country? How much for a v8 weekend rental :P
1937 miles would put you strongly in the running for the "furthest distance" award, but it wouldn't be guaranteed. Last year, I think it was awarded for a 1930 mile trip - and we've disqualified Ed from this award, who does make the 2000 mile trip from NYC every year and then goes home by way of California. Or, in the case of 2015, by way of Alaska. We figure Ed's put over 70,000 miles on his car driving to/from Summer Camp over the years.
Unfortunately, all the V8 Miatas are spoken for You need to find your own chariot. It's not that unusual for really long distance visitors (Japan, Germany, England, etc) to show up in a rental car.
That'd be a solid 3 days of driving each way. Whoof. I'd really need to get either a 3.90 Torsen or even have a 3.66 put in my car. And a silencer for the exhaust. And dial back the alignment. And pack very carefully.
It's close to the same distance that we have to travel to get to the Mitty each year
Miatas have been doing cross-country road trips on stock gearing for a quarter century. That car that comes from NYC? 4.3 rear end, I think. They'll spin at higher engine speeds all day happily. The trick for the driver is earplugs. And the trick for packing is not to pack luggage and put it in the trunk, but to treat the trunk like the luggage.
In reply to Keith Tanner :
I had 4.30s. Now it has 4.10s with 205/50R15s, which has the same effective gearing as 4.30s and stock wheel/tires. It's still buzzier than I like at cruising speeds, not just noise-wise but it feels like going faster than 70mph is pushing it. With a blown '99 engine going, it'll have the grunt to work the lower gears.
I learned to pack touring on a motorcycle, so the Miata wasn't too much of a challenge. Our first Summer Camp trip included an additional 4 days meandering around the Rockies in CO, and we managed to fit it all...
Packing by Rodan AZ, on Flickr
Of course, we didn't run the track that year. The first year we drove the track I shipped our helmets, and then paid FM to ship them home for us... 
NickD said:In reply to Keith Tanner :
I had 4.30s. Now it has 4.10s with 205/50R15s, which has the same effective gearing as 4.30s and stock wheel/tires. It's still buzzier than I like at cruising speeds, not just noise-wise but it feels like going faster than 70mph is pushing it. With a blown '99 engine going, it'll have the grunt to work the lower gears.
205/50-15 is actually bigger in diameter than the stock NA tire size, and they came with a 4.3 from the factory so the gearing is shorter than yours. They have no problem running above 70 mph for hours, but people have been concerned about it since 1989. Just let the engine spin. If you give yourself rules like "I can't do a road trip unless I install a new final drive", you're just coming up with reasons why you can't go. Better to come up with reasons why you CAN.
Keith Tanner said:205/50-15 is actually bigger in diameter than the stock NA tire size, and they came with a 4.3 from the factory so the gearing is shorter than yours. They have no problem running above 70 mph for hours, but people have been concerned about it since 1989. Just let the engine spin. If you give yourself rules like "I can't do a road trip unless I install a new final drive", you're just coming up with reasons why you can't go. Better to come up with reasons why you CAN.
Absolutely agree, and can confirm from experience that they have no problem with interstate speeds. Oddly enough the best mileage I ever got from either of our Miatas was cruising through the mountains anywhere from 5k to 7k the entire route. It's no harm to run them at 5k for hours on end, so long as your car in general is in sound shape.
Literally the only hiccups I've ever had with a Miata were a transmission that I broke, a bit of a fluke from all my research at the time, and running a bit warm trying to chase other cars through mountain passes when I'm close enough that I wasn't getting fresh air to the radiator...
Keith, seriously considering coming to this year's Summer Camp, have wanted to for years, but had a jam packed summer schedule until this year. We have a couple Miatas, but they're both stock, for the most part. I also have a Supra that I've put considerable effort into (think along the lines of your MGB, project scale wise...), and while the Supra obviously doesn't fit the theme, I think it represents my best efforts far better than either of our Miatas do. I know I'd be welcome to bring it, but the question I have is, it wouldn't distract from your event, would it? I don't mind being one of the odd ones at the event, but I don't want to detract from it either... thoughts?
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