Bringing a car to the track comes with a lot of superlatives and cliche sayings: “The best way to know your car,” “findings one’s limits,” “the essence of performance,” and so on. But needless to say, for those who have not yet taken their car to the track, it is one of those experiences that really does live up to all the preconceptions that you can throw at it.
The third leg of Mazda’s Jinba Ittai Track Day held at the Batangas Racing Circuit (BRC) had track experience sessions where Mazda owners were accorded the opportunity to go and drive on BRC. All Mazdas, even SUVs, were allowed on track after signing some waivers, grabbing some helmets, and a safety briefing.
In my case, it was an opportunity to take a rear-wheel-drive convertible sports car to a racetrack, and what a racetrack it is. For those who are more used to the modernity of Clark International Speedway, Batangas Racing Circuit is where it all began. Dubbed the birthplace of Philippine motorsport, this winding, technical circuit is steeped in racing history.
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While it may not have all the amenities, like the amazing paddock that Mazda Philippines had constructed in Clark, or a proper grandstand to manage large crowds, it is also a much more technical and tricky track compared to its northern counterpart. Sweeping corners and hard braking zones abound, and drivers are forced to adjust to corners that can suddenly and unexpectedly tighten, a feature that can catch an overconfident racer flat-footed.
So, as I put my helmet on and started up the MX-5 for one of two 30-minute track sessions in between the more serious MSCC and Spec Miata races, I set out to understand my car a bit more, and more importantly, bring it home in one piece.
1) You find your limits.
When you go onto a track for the first time in a while (in my case, it was my first time driving on BRC in 13 years), it’s like going on a first date. You don’t really know what to expect, so you need to do some prodding, and some tentative questioning. Metaphors aside, this means slowly finding your limits as a driver, with an emphasis on ‘slowly.’
Do you brake at the 100m board before the corner, or at 50m? Or somewhere in between? All of these things you definitely want to find out gradually, rather than all at once. At a certain point, you get comfortable with the banking, with the flow of the corners, and with just how slim and unsafe that tire barrier looks to you as you fly by at over 100kph. That being said, while you find your limits as you go faster and faster, you are also limited by your car.
2) You find the car’s limits.
Once you get up to speed, it is then that the car starts becoming the limiting factor, but not for the reasons you might think. I am definitely not saying I was able to maximize the car and got the best times I could out of the MX-5, it’s more that there are certain limitations that no matter how good or bad you drive, you will eventually encounter them when on a racetrack.
For example, because I am 6’2” and have a relatively wide belly, turning into a corner means that as my hands rotate, they literally smash down on my crotch area; very awkward on turn-in while trail braking, let me tell you.
That shows me that I need two things: A seat with a slightly more compact bottom cushion, and a slightly smaller diameter steering wheel. Hopefully, that means that in the future, sudden hand movements wouldn’t make me punch my own balls.
It also shows dynamically that, yes, I wasn’t driving at the limit, but the MX-5’s relatively soft suspension and stock brakes meant that in slower speed corners (even with a terrible line), you can really feel the suspension bottom out laterally, and the brakes would start to fade from the heat after two or three laps of hard braking. This very much shows you what are the mission critical upgrades you need to think about if you want to come back to the track, things you would not discover on the public road (at least I hope you don’t). Thankfully, there’s the Autoexe catalog for my perusal in planning for the next steps.
3) You realize you still need to get home.
As much fun it is to drive a Miata on track with the top down, the niggling feeling at the back of your head is shouting the fact that you still need to get home after you’re done. Keeping this in mind, you tend to hold back that little bit more; you brake earlier and with less force, you give that little bit of leeway when tackling kerbs, and you don’t downshift too aggressively.
All-in-all, I exhibited a more restrained driving style knowing that I would still need to take this car back along Star Tollway and SLEX at the end of the day. So, you also keep in mind that handbrakes can stick when applied immediately after a spirited session, and that your tires shouldn’t be pushed too hard, lest they suffer some scuffing on the sidewall, or heaven forbid, a puncture.
Yes, a dedicated track car would alleviate these concerns, but there is also a certain charm in run-what-you-brung style convenience.
4) It makes you want to go again.
The track can be an addictive thing. Even after my brakes had begun feeling spongy, and I turned on the hazards for my cooldown lap, as I approached pit entry I got the itch to do another lap. So I skipped the pits, did a few more laps, then turned in.
There is just so much fun in knowing and feeling that you are getting better lap after lap, that as you trundle down the pit lane on cooldown, all you can really think about is when you can come back to do this whole thing all over again.
It’s a feeling that no amount of simulator seat time can replace. Knowing that there’s nothing else to credit, except you and the machine, and speaking of the machine…
5) There is no better track toy than a Miata.
Miata is always the answer, and for a day on track in BRC, this rings true more than any other moment in recent memory. In the ND3 MX-5, you have a willing dance partner. Lightness, a very engaging handling feel, a rev-happy engine, and a convertible top may not make for the fastest lap times, but it does make for some of the most fun you will ever have on track. Fun times win out against lap times, always.
Yes, there are always going to be faster cars, or even better handling cars, but the MX-5 so handily puts the smile on your face that it really doesn’t get any better than this. Here is a car that you can drive to the track, drive at the track, and drive home from the track, all without breaking a sweat (so long as you don’t break the car). This doesn’t even take into account fuel economy numbers that most would say are adequate— surprising even, given the multiple laps done.
If you have the chance to take your car on track during an event, I would very much encourage it. This is an experience that will teach you so much about yourself, your car, and your passion.
If you have a Mazda, this is made even easier as all the legs of the Fan Festas have track experience sessions where, for free, you are able to take your Mazda out and really, truly feel the essence of jinba ittai, or the rider and horse as one.
The next and final leg of the Mazda Fan Festa will be held in Clark International Speedway on November 14, 2026. See you there and see you on the track!
