RALEIGH, NC — Long Road Racing and Race Engineering are proud to announce a new strategic alliance in Spec Miata Racing. Both companies have extensive histories in Spec Miata, and now they are coming together to give racers professional car preparation, maintenance and engine building based on years of Spec Miata success.

Long Road Racing and Race Engineering first teamed up in 2005, when Long Road Racing’s Tom Long went on to win the Pro MX-5 Cup Championship. That season, Long amassed four wins, eight podiums and two track records. The championship was the beginning of a long standing partnership between the two companies, which garnered Long Road Racing 15 Spec Miata wins.

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Race Engineering has been building Spec Miata motors since 2003. Since that time, owner and engine builder Bob Thornton has built over 3,000 Spec Miata engines and won countless championships. As a racer himself, Thornton has three Spec Miata championships and 53 wins. The most recent championship for Race Engineering came in 2011, when Nathanial Sparks took the NASA Spec Miata National Championship.

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Since 2001, Long Road Racing has offered pro racing preparation and support, Spec Miata and club racing support, and custom street tuning. After their superb run in Spec Miata, Long Road Racing advanced to professional racing. Since 2008, they have handled management, preparation and trackside support for Freedom Autosport. Freedom campaigns three Mazda MX-5s in the Street Tuner class of GRAND-AM Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge. In three years, Freedom Autosport earned six race wins, became the first ST team to win with a Mazda MX-5, and helped Mazda earn the 2011 Manufacturers Championship.

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Now, Long Road Racing is looking forward to renewing their Spec Miata presence through their new strategic alliance with Race Engineering. Long Road Racing will offer three in-house cars—all built with Race Engineering engines—for arrive and drive programs, including full trackside support. Alternatively, Spec Miata competitors can race their own cars with full trackside support from Long Road Racing. Car preparation and installation of Race Engineering-built engines is also available.

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Additionally, Long Road Racing has successfully built a ladder program to allow drivers to progress to the pro racing ranks. Drivers hone their craft under the guidance of Long Road Racing and the coaching skills of Tom Long as they prepare for professional racing.

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Seventeen-year-old Tyler Cooke is the most recent driver to find success through the Long Road Racing ladder program. Cooke competed in the Spec Miata NASA Championship and select Playboy Cup Series events in 2011, working closely with driving coach Tom Long. After ten wins and 21 top-five finishes, Cooke was ready to progress to GRAND-AM and is now a full-time driver with Freedom Autosport.

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For Race Engineering, this new alliance is a chance to continue their tradition of building race- and championship-winning engines. Thornton says, “We’ve been friends and business associates since we met. Some of our first big successes happened because of our partnership. In terms of their success, I couldn’t be more impressed. I feel honored to be able to team up with them in a way we’ve never done before. I’ve got a lot of my fire and motivation back to take their Spec Miata program to the same level as their GRAND-AM program.”

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“Long Road Racing has had a lot of success in Spec Miata, and part of that is due to the partnership we’ve had with Race Engineering since 2005,” says Long Road Racing owner Glenn Long. “We look forward to taking all of the knowledge and experience we’ve gained in professional racing and applying it to our new Spec Miata program. It’s a chance for competitors to run with a professional organization that features the best professionally-built engines available.”

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Racers who are interested in the new program offered by Long Road Racing and Race Engineering should contact Glenn Long at (919) 614-4797 or glenn@longroadracing.com. More details about Long Road Racing can be found online at LongRoadRacing.com, and information about Race Engineering can be found at RaceEngineering.org.

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-Bob Thornton
(Previous Owner), Race Engineering