Grabbing the Next Rung: Peter Phung's Journey from HPDE to Spec Miata
Photo credit: Joe Chang
Peter Phung’s always been a car nut. The start of his story had very little to do with speed, though. Before he became a dedicated Spec Miata racer with four cars cluttering his backyard, Peter’s focus was on sound systems. Car audio was his niche.
About five years ago, he tagged along to a Thunderhill event that had him hooked. It became clear that his SL63, despite how he tried, was never going to be a great track toy, so he traded that for something lighter and better suited to the cornering business. After a few M3s and 911s, he finally settled on a car which was both something stylish—appealing to his inner show car builder—as well as quick and dependable.
A widebody E46 M3 was Peter’s first major track build. Photo credit: Ryan Bula/Sharplite Media
Searching for the Right One
For a time, his track-prepped E46 M3 was the guiding light in his life. Additions included a DTM Fiberworks widebody kit, subframe reinforcements, a half-cage, and all the other goodies a track car ought to have. With plenty of power and grip, he had a challenging vehicle to carry him through the first stage of competitive driving.
After a year of tracking, his friends’ gentle ribbing started to get to him. He’d found one of the slower guys in the turn-in phase, and, rather than laughing it off, Peter bought the car which would force him to focus on rolling speed from entry to apex: a tuned NB Miata. In addition to the lessons it taught, its lower running costs and its direct line of communication between car and driver helped him improve some of his driving techniques.
Peter’s competitive streak widened a little with the acquisition of that unassuming little Mazda, and quickly his hobby snowballed into an all-consuming snowballing in Peter’s life. Soon after, he decided to attend racing school, get a full competition license, and build a Spec Miata. With the help of RM Motorsports and Slanti Motorsports, his car was built to a standard that most can only dream about.
It takes some degree of pickiness to build a Miata as nice as his Iron Man-themed NB. Photo credit: Sierra LaVonne Lacey/Foghorn Studios
Building the car was the most familiar part of this new chapter. Sharing the track with 50 cars was one hurdle—dropping a few thousand his first race weekend was another. Despite the new strain, Peter kept drove intelligently; keeping his nose clean and avoiding any incident that weekend. For a first-timer navigating a massive pack of hungry drivers fighting for every piece of available real estate, that’s worth a tip of the hat.
Photo credit: Sierra LaVonne Lacey/Foghorn Studios
Staying Sharp and Paying It Forward
Now with three Spec Miatas in his possession, Peter spends most of his trackdays—and most of his weekends are spent at the track—in one of his Miatas. That series’ close competition is now one of the biggest motivators, and so he’s focused on mastering the encouraging Miata that’s given him a challenge that he, a true Type A, can never really get enough of.
In pursuit of his potential, he’s started using track days to receive private coaching and prepare his equipment for the race ahead. Breaking in race motors, fine tuning his setups, scrubbing in tires, and adjusting his lines are just a few of the things he needs to accomplish before the hectic race weekend begins.
All his preparation paid off: last year, Peter finished 2nd in the San Francisco Region SCCA ITA. Photo credit: Sierra LaVonne Lacey/Foghorn Studios
The relatively relaxed schedule and calmer atmosphere of an HPDE allow him to check off all the to-dos, answer any lingering questions, and keep the competitive juices flowing through his system. He has time to be as meticulous as he likes.
When he retires to bed the night before race day, he knows he’s left no stone unturned. When it comes to finding a competitive edge over another fifty drivers in nearly identical equipment, few things bring peace of mind like checking off a long list of to-dos.
In addition to bettering himself, Peter tries to give back to the community that turned him into an accomplished wheel-to-wheel racer. On certain weekends, he’ll volunteer to usher the new crop of enthusiasts into the world of track days and racing. Sierra LaVonne Lacey, an SCCA photographer and winner of the annual SCCA School Scholarship, was the most recent recipient of his support. In addition to coaching her throughout her three-day racing school, he sponsored her with new racing gear.
Peter pictured with Sierra at the end of her three-day racing school.
“Helping others is what it’s all about,” he adds. “I’m happy to donate my knowledge, time, and resources to help the next generation of drivers get involved in tracking or, if they ever want to take the next step, into the world of racing. It seems like a big leap in either case, but a little help can make it much easier.”
To juggle an incredibly busy racing schedule which sees him competing in four different categories, Peter has to turn to his friends and supporters. They’ve given him the encouragement, organizational tips, and instruction to quickly rise through the ranks of SCCA ITA and SMT as well as NASA SM and ST6.
Now, he’s learned how to delegate responsibilities and, very crucially, work with the right people. Yes, stepping up into wheel-to-wheel racing takes some money, but it also takes the right sort of planning, which is often the byproduct of contact with a more experienced friend or a benevolent rival. To succeed across a few categories in such a short span of time, it certainly takes having good people around you. Peter’s learned this, and to help foster a community that teaches the ambitious track rat that there’s more to racing than writing a check, he tries to give back in his own way.