Yes, we needed a break from all the work on the track Miata and fortunately there are some really interesting places to visit around Raleigh if you like cars.
Today a friend of ours joined us on a ride over to Long Road Racing in Raleigh. Glenn Long is the owner and was nice enough to give us a tour of the facilities without a formal appointment.
Glenn has a long history with motor sports having started in autocrossing and rallies back in the 1970’s. In the 1980’s he joined the SCCA and raced an FP Sprite at Lime Rock, one of my favorite tracks in the east.
All this led to more SCCA involvement including flagging and communications work at the tracks.
Its no surprise that his son Tom was influenced by all this motor sports activity and began racing competitively in 1992. Since then he has become known as a very talented driver. He is now a professional driving instructor with BMW Performance Driving School, Skip Barber Driving School, and VIR’s Certified ‘House Driving Coach’.
Having grown in its scope since 2001 Long Road Racing can provide you with a Spec Miata completely prepared and supported as well as driver instruction and coaching. They can also race prep your own car and have a four-wheel dyno to facilitate tuning.
One of the neat things they have is a race track computer simulator that consists of three large flat panels and a race seat with steering wheel and pedals. This allows drivers to not only preview tracks but also use it at the tracks they are running at so they can continue to perfect their driving even when they haven’t got track time.
The 12,500 square foot facility is a busy place with all phases of race car preparation taking place including metal fabrication and welding.
Long Road Racing specializes in Spec Miata rentals, race car service and preparation of all brands, trackside support, race team management services, and transportation and logistic services. In addition, they also offer maintenance, repair and performance tuning for all sports cars.
JIM'S GARAGE 
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