A CAR WITH CHARACTER // SEAN JAY'S MEXICAN MIATA

The internet is a funny thing. Two weeks ago, when Formula Drift held its fifth round of competition at the Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, a certain photographer flew into the Emerald City to cover the event. Now this photographer once worked with us at ColdTrackDays, matter of fact, he was our first photographer. I met him on the internet, Flickr to be exact. He had an amazing photographic portfolio, was ambitious and looking to break into the motorsport media field. I asked him if he’d like to work with us @ColdTrackDays, to which he replied yes.

Around this same time I became mildly addicted to Facebook. I friend requested a number of people whom I thought might be interested in what we do at ColdTrackDays and who were also friends with the aforementioned photographer. One of those people was Sean... [read more]

Over the course of the next year, we all became friends. No, not Facebook friends, proper friends. And while the geographic barrier was evident, the internet provided a means of communication my grandfather could have only dreamed of. While I worked with the photographer, uploading his photos, showcasing his work, I also spent a great deal of time getting to know Sean and the rest of the Kinod crew.

Sean was one of the first to reach out to me. He left comments on our blog postings, shared links to his own blog, provided video of late night canyon runs in his Miata and above all, supported ColdTrackDays and our effort to provide unique motorsport media to readers around the world.

So when I asked Sean for photos of his car, I did it for two reasons. I wanted to show our readers what, in my opinion, a true motorsport enthusiast looks like (well, at least his car), and also to pay homage to Sean and all of my So-Cal internet friends for their continued support and endless interest in ColdTrackDays.

Sean, or Chean as he’s known on the interwebs, is an interesting character himself. The son of a rally driver, Sean spent the better part of his youth hanging around Opel Mantas, Asconas, Audi Quattros and most recently an Escort Cosworth. He is a student of architecture who lives in Tijuana, Mexico and crosses the border each day to attend class. While he is not a fan of his current living arrangement, it does have its benefits: “I work at a restaurant in San Diego, and also go to school there. On any given weekend morning, I’ll wake up in Mexico around 3:30am and head to the mountains and run (my car) until the sun rises, then go to work.”

A car built to run the canyon and mountian roads around his Mexican residence, Sean’s Miata is, in my opinion, a car with immense character. Here is a bit of info about the car:

Interior:
East Bear Sports bucket seat - Specifically designed for the Miata and imported from Japan.
Stripped panelling - removed center console, passenger seat and door pulls. 
Removed soft top
Momo mod70 suede steering wheel - this is the same steering wheel Sean's father used in his Escort Cosworth. You can't beat suede when it comes to the rally feel. 
Hard Dog roll bar

Exterior:
Sean had set of Kei Office wheels until last December; when he had the car sideways in the mountains and slid it right over a boulder, bending one of the wheels. They've been boxed up ever since... 

Having broken the wheel one week before a track day, an emergency replacement was needed, and came courtesy of CTD contributor Jesse Lee The wheels currently on the car came from a later model Miata, and are 15" instead of 14," which allows Sean to run the tires he wanted.

Transmission & Footwork:
Racing Beat flywheel
Exedy Stage 1 clutch kit
Koni shocks with Ground Control coilovers
Racing Beat sway bars
Gear Head Garage sway bar endlinks
Larger brakes from the 1994+ Miata
Federal 595-rsr tires

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While some might comment that this is nothing more than a mildly tuned, underpowered, Mazda MX-5, I feel that what make a car great, what gives it true character, is not what resides beneath the hood, what one-off wheels it sits on, or what custom designed turbo system it runs, but who is at the wheel and how they drive it. That said, there are few people I know with more character than Sean Jay. A true motorsport enthusiast, I cannot tell you how glad I am to have met him and his group of friends.

Photo: Sean Jay :3
Editorial: Justin Coffey