2012 Texas Miata Roundup

Alright gearheads, wine and cheesers, thrill seekers! You have until September to register for the 2012 Texas Miata Roundup! My younger days saw the Triumph Club as the forerunner of the people that were fixated on two seater sports cars zipping around the country looking for sights to see and roads to burn. With the demise of the British came the upstart Japanese Miata. Young and old come join in the celebration in Galveston Oct. 5-7, 2012. There's more than enough for activities. Just have a taste. Register at the Houston Miata Club home page. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Uqwf...layer_embedded

We are proud to have FAT CAT MOTORSPORTS as our official sponsor.
Fat Cat will be offering following:

1) 30 min talk, never offered before, on FCM Suspension Truth - Vehicles Suspensions and Safety: What You Don't Know May Hurt You. It doesn't have to be difficult to understand how a suspension works, and what you don't know can harm you. What you DO know makes you a better consumer and safer driver, especially when you have passengers depending upon you. Shaikh is a big proponent of safety as well as performance in everything we do and what enthusiasts do to their cars. He believes every attendee to this talk will leave more enlightened and empowered than they were before. Even long-time veterans will certainly learn something new and useful, to their Miata or any other vehicle.

2) A free 2 hour FCM Suspension Workshop where technically-inclined folks could gather for a longer presentation and classroom session. This would be math intensive but still visual.

We will go over fundamental concepts of suspension design and components, how to use our FCM Suspension Design Spreadsheet to select spring rates, sway bars, bump stops and run through examples of how I would modify a suspension to get a certain behavior. This would be something I could videotape for use in our own training and marketing, plus it would give the kind of hands-on education that usually you'd pay thousands of dollars for in Formula 1 or similar classes. If participants in that workshop, they could earn a certificate of completion and be able to speak more confidently about various suspensions and how to work with them.

Attendees to this workshop would receive free shippingupon ordering an FCM Elite suspension.


3) Some fun activities like 'The Unbottomable Shock Contest' and perhaps a driving competition via Forza, Gran Turismo or another racing simulator if participants wish to bring a video game system to share.
4) Fat Cat will be raffeling a suspension based on attendance to the Texas Miata Round Up so encourage your friends and other club to join up.

• 50 Miata owners - FCM Elite fixed-damping coilover system (approximately $2000 value).
• 100 Miata owners - FCM Elite Single-Adjustable coilover system (approximately $3000 value).
• 150 Miata owners - FCM Elite Double-Adjustable coilover system (approximately $4000 value).

I'll take a SWAG that the vast majority of views for this thread at DFWMiata are males! With that in mind, let me say that if you have a "better half" you might be considering what your co-pilot would enjoy doing at this years Roundup? (Besides catering to all your whims and desires.)

Being the old married hand I did some "experimenting", I took my wife to the Strand in Galveston to gather some video footage of what might appeal to the women folk of the Miata clubs. From the moment we hit the Strand it was a race to keep up with Mary as she raced from one store to the next, vaulted from one corner to the next as I had visions of my bank account with a negative balance. This Tombstone for guys is the Mecca for gals.

Enthralled with the clothes, babbles, beads, what-nots and thing-a-majigs...you guys are going to have to handcuff, blindfold and tie up your woman to get them away from the merchants on the Strand.

If your convincing your partner to allow you to come to the 2012 Texas Miata Roundup, dangle this bit of information. You may find it is the icing on the cake that you were needing to push this to the front of your travel plans.

Any track events planned?

The only track will be a Karting track. We have a nice back road route run from Galveston ending in Angleton at the Motor Sport Ranch Houston. The karting track in 3/4 mile, 3 lane, with some technical turns and a 180 degree 12' banked curved on one end. We are planning 30 minutes (warm-up, qualifying, competition).

There will be a run down the coast, the Bluewater Highway run. Just be aware this is not the Hill Country!

I might be down for this...

So, you are Driving TO MSR-Houston, but no track time? Fail. Karting is fun and all, but I'm not driving my Miata to Houston to go karting. At least setup an Autox course.

Not every miata gathering has to have a trackday. It's cool that someone decided to put something on for miata peeps.

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Originally Posted by driftdevil

Not every miata gathering has to have a trackday.

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True, but they are driving TO a track. That's akin to taking a bachelor party bus to a strip bar but not going inside.

What about Grandsport? It's much closer to Galveston and probably half what it would cost to rent MSRH. I agree with OZMDD; screw the karts. Here's the website and at the moment that weekend seems available. I'd ask what one day rental would be and if you need to be incorporated for insurance reasons. I would guess if you can get 40 cars to commit it shouldn't be more than a 100 per car for a day. This track is maybe 12 miles from the Strand at most and any of you regional cone dodgers that have been to the Greyhound track it's about 3 miles west of it on the road that goes behind the dog track.

Here's google map. It's location B about 16 miles from the Strand and location C is the Greyhound track; Houston's version of Mineral Wells.

https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=I...sz=12&t=m&z=12

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Originally Posted by driftdevil

Not every miata gathering has to have a trackday. It's cool that someone decided to put something on for miata peeps.

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I agree. There has likely been a lot of work put into the event by this guy, so having you all tell him how much he sucks after he invites you does not make it worth his while. He laid out what it is. If you think you will enjoy it, then attend it. If you are not interested because of the activities, then don't say anything. No need to paint a crappy picture for everyone else.

This seems to happen with every event someone posts on here.

Honestly I don't think OZMDD and Nails are the demographic they are trying to attract. Which I see as a positive! ::Banana::

You kids do realize the Texas Miata Roundup is a long standing event that the kids in South Texas have been doing for a number of years with great success??

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Originally Posted by jrj512

I agree. There has likely been a lot of work put into the event by this guy, so having you all tell him how much he sucks after he invites you does not make it worth his while. He laid out what it is. If you think you will enjoy it, then attend it. If you are not interested because of the activities, then don't say anything. No need to paint a crappy picture for everyone else.

This seems to happen with every event someone posts on here.

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Nicely done! :clap:

Nicely done JRJ512 and POS

I don't think I told him he sucked. I think it sounds fun, and was considering attending. I was just surprised they were driving to a track and not offering any type of performance driving opportunity, like the big Miata World II event at the Gaylord. Married people in their 40's who love Miata's are not the target demographic? I guess I need more quilting in my life.

JRJ, on the other hand, does suck.

Might be helpful to post an agenda. FCM is hardly a drawing card....

My apologies for not having a more prominent competitive lean to the Roundup. As for myself, I'm a big autocross participant. Planning an event around the track would be quite costly, speaking from the Club aspect. When the annual Roundups were planned in the past they were in locations that presented the attractions in that particular location. Big Bend had the Marfa lights and the observatory and some interesting roads, San Antonio had the Three Twisted Sisters ranch roads, Austin had Lyme Creek Road and their hills. Public roads add no cost to the event. Adding the type of activity to the Gulf Coast area adds from $1000 to $3000 to the base cost. There are more than just competitive drivers in the Miata Family so we are trying to appease as large a group as possible without unduly stretching anyones finances. Take a little of the edge off...do this one for a little relaxation. The people planning this are the ones riding the edge.

Thanks for the kind word of encouragement!

Congrats on tackling the assignment on trying to herd kittens. While I'm partial to the compettion events/trackday/gymkhana stuff, it's not for everyone and the wine and cheese relaxed type certianly has it's place. I've checked out your sites and it seems you are on a good track.

One suggestion I would have would be a poker run. It's a fun activity, condusive to non- crazy, laid back driving, flexible in length/time duration, etc. Easy to man stations, and sometimes you can enlist business along the way to be checkpoints to hand out sealed cards. They won't mind potential customers stopping by (think of souvenir/trinket/drink places like sonic or DQ).Two or three small prizes is enough, cause it's the drive that matters. I've organized a few in the past and would be happy to give some pointers if interested. Just pm me.

If the distance was not so far, I would likely attend, but alas..

Good luck on your event.

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Originally Posted by SixAce

Congrats on tackling the assignment on trying to herd kittens.....Good luck on your event.

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Wow...a well thought out and coherent reply. How'd you get on the forum? ;)

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Originally Posted by cjshem

My apologies for not having a more prominent competitive lean to the Roundup. As for myself, I'm a big autocross participant. Planning an event around the track would be quite costly, speaking from the Club aspect. When the annual Roundups were planned in the past they were in locations that presented the attractions in that particular location. Big Bend had the Marfa lights and the observatory and some interesting roads, San Antonio had the Three Twisted Sisters ranch roads, Austin had Lyme Creek Road and their hills. Public roads add no cost to the event. Adding the type of activity to the Gulf Coast area adds from $1000 to $3000 to the base cost. There are more than just competitive drivers in the Miata Family so we are trying to appease as large a group as possible without unduly stretching anyones finances. Take a little of the edge off...do this one for a little relaxation. The people planning this are the ones riding the edge.

Thanks for the kind word of encouragement!

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Sorry if I came across as critical of your event. I only intended to poke a little fun, but that didn't translate well in my posts. We hassle each other on this forum, but I forget that someone new won't see it the same way. I am looking forward to the Roundup. You're doing a great job with it.

First line of this thread mentions thrill seekers. Second post of this thread mentions Fat Cat Motorsports. This forum is widely visited by autocrossers and track enthusiasts including many that don't even drive a miata.

So, aside from my saying "screw the karts", my post wasn't negative and certainly wasn't saying the event sucks. I was offering info on possible venues they may not have considered; Grandsport and Greyhound. I've been all around Galveston, Texas City, Hitchcock, Friendswood, Santa Fe, Alva, Angleton, and Surfside (Where I saw my first Buckees) and I can say with certainty; it's mostly straight non-scenic roads. So unless there is some sorta of motorsport events planned, I would sooner drive 5 hours to Tulsa (and ignore Hallett) than drive the same time/distance to MSRH.

The issue of the roads or lack there of, posed a problem for the Club Board when we were considering hosting the event. Our perception was that the other clubs were just as aware of the situation as we at the Houston Club. The only idea we could rationalize was that there was no sense having the Houston Club plan an event that was in another region. It would be so much easier for the local Miata Club to handle. This is the Gulf...it is what it is.

We are at half of our required registrants to meet the minimum stipulations for our hotel contract. With a couple more months to go, unless we meet those requirements, we will follow the Tejas Club lead last year and cancel. Apparently just having a location that met the aggressive driving portion of the Clubs was not enough. With the central location of Galveston as the focal point of the Roundup, I would hope that there be enough attractions and activities that "all" will have something of interest besides the Miata.

The Flight Museum, Moody Gardens (this could take all day), harbor ship tours, "Tall" ship Elissa, Dolphin watch, jet boat ride, beach, fishing, the Pleasure Pier, Strand (shopping), karting, rooms on Seawall Blvd (walking distance from the beach)...don't find anything that entices you? We drive the Miata because we have a discriminating taste in cars, it doesn't me that's all we enjoy.

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Originally Posted by Nails

certainly wasn't saying the event sucks.

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Originally Posted by Nails

I've been all around Galveston, Texas City, Hitchcock, Friendswood, Santa Fe, Alva, Angleton, and Surfside (Where I saw my first Buckees) and I can say with certainty; it's mostly straight non-scenic roads. So unless there is some sorta of motorsport events planned, I would sooner drive 5 hours to Tulsa (and ignore Hallett) than drive the same time/distance to MSRH.

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I rest my case.

If the event does not appeal to you, then don't comment. If you think you will like it, then sign up and help the guy promote it with a positive response.

With the interest in performance driving that I have read to date, maybe arranging something similar to the "Miata World" wouldn't be a bad idea. It was one of the events timed around the Roundup that I did not attend. (finances being what they were at the time.)

There is a very large group of Miata enthusiast in the Houston area that regularly participate in the SCCA autocrosses (17) and the DE and track offerings locally (unknown). What is the DFW count?

But I digress...this is the 2012 Texas Miata Roundup thread.

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Originally Posted by Nails

First line of this thread mentions thrill seekers. Second post of this thread mentions Fat Cat Motorsports. This forum is widely visited by autocrossers and track enthusiasts including many that don't even drive a miata.

So, aside from my saying "screw the karts", my post wasn't negative and certainly wasn't saying the event sucks. I was offering info on possible venues they may not have considered; Grandsport and Greyhound. I've been all around Galveston, Texas City, Hitchcock, Friendswood, Santa Fe, Alva, Angleton, and Surfside (Where I saw my first Buckees) and I can say with certainty; it's mostly straight non-scenic roads. So unless there is some sorta of motorsport events planned, I would sooner drive 5 hours to Tulsa (and ignore Hallett) than drive the same time/distance to MSRH.

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Seems to me the real winner here will be Tulsa. Have a great trip.

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Originally Posted by Jim m

Seems to me the real winner here will be Tulsa. Have a great trip.

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I will in September. Thanks!

I want to thank the Moderators and the Forum members for their support. We are closing in on changing the Grand Prize for the raffle from the $2000 Fat Cat suspension to the $3000 single adjustable Fat Cat suspension. The Houston Club is finalizing the activities that will be available for the Roundup and will be posted on the website soon.

Miata enthusiast! The deadline for registration to the Texas Miata Roundup is just around the corner. (Sept. 1) I can count the number of rooms left on one hand. That special someone that sits in the co-pilot seat, the one that puts up with you when you are carving that corner or spinning around those little orange traffic cones, deserves some special attention. Some "together" time in Galveston on the beach!
If you’ve been to any previous Roundups, you’ll remember that we catered more to the driver. This year we still have some interesting "driver" events for you but I think the vacation atmosphere will put you miles ahead for your future exploits! Don’t let this opportunity to show some appreciation drive by you. Go to http://houstonmiataclub.com/index.php and register for this years Texas Miata Roundup while there is still time and rooms.

Sounds like fun. Not every Miata event needs to have track time. Did we forget about the fun of driving these car on the street and the camaraderie of fellow enthusiasts? There is a part of me that misses a structured club with planned events, even if they are of the more moderate driving type. At least they are doing something besides hanging around a greasy burger joint, looking at their cars. (That's fun too but that's all we do!)

Sadly, with a wife and a six year old, we are one seat shy for regular Miata events. Good luck with the event. I'm sure it will be a blast.

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Originally Posted by black roadster

Sadly, with a wife and a six year old, we are one seat shy for regular Miata events.

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BR, three people in a miata should be no problem. Just have your six year old do the "parade" wave on your way down I-45 ... :D

http://www.bpc.edu/news_and_info/new...es/alumni2.jpg

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Originally Posted by Keifersmith

BR, three people in a miata should be no problem. Just have your six year old do the "parade" wave on your way down I-45 ... :D

http://www.bpc.edu/news_and_info/new...es/alumni2.jpg

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Now this is a thinking man! A problem solver!

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Originally Posted by Keifersmith

BR, three people in a miata should be no problem. Just have your six year old do the "parade" wave on your way down I-45 ... :D

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I don't think I want to be on the news. It might even make national news. "Parents place child on back deck of two seat convertible. Child Protective Services has placed the child in foster care while police investigate."