Flatout Motorsports Mazda Miata

There’s something about racing in the rain that is almost mythical - drivers balancing their cars on the knife edge of traction as it slips away when the puddles form, wheelspin and opposite lock coming out of a corner where the cars usually look so composed, locked-up wheels in the braking zones… But if there is an art to racing in the rain, racing in the rain in the dark must require all the skill of Picasso, Hopper, and Michelangelo combined.


The Devil in the Dark is a 12-hour race held each April at New Jersey Motorsports Park in Milleville, NJ. In this SCCA-sponsored event, teams start at noon and race until midnight. This year’s DID was won by the #97 Porsche GT3 Cup car of Tullman Walker Racing, but it was far from the clean sweep that the Porsche pilots were probably expecting. After 12 hours of racing, their 460-hp German rocket was just 6 laps ahead of the #91 Flatout Motorsports Mazda Miata. Horsepower figures for the Miata are not available, but I think it’s safe to say that rain was the great equalizer in this case.

Tullman Walker Racing Porsche GT3 Cup


Tullman Walker Racing Porsche GT3 Cup

Tullman Walker Racing Porsche GT3 Cup


Tullman Walker Racing Porsche GT3 Cup

The harder it rained, the more the heavier, more powerful Porsche needed to tip-toe around the twisty parts of the track. The Miatas, on the other hand (and there were plenty of them on track), floated and danced around the turns, sometimes with the rears stepping out but always going as fast as they could. Of course, all this effort could evaporate on the straight as the more powerful Porsche sailed passed them, but a lot can happen in 12 hours.


McIntosh Racing Mazda Miata

Escape from New York Mazda Miata


Tullman Walker Racing Mazda Miata

Hotztuff Mazda Miata


Rhinoceros Racing Mazda Miata


Match Racing Mazda Miata

Rhinoceros Racing Mazda Miata


Flatout Motorsports Mazda Miata

The rest of the field was pretty diverse, including an Entropy Sports Racer and an Elan Np01 as well as an Acura Integra, the only front-wheel drive car in the field.


Entropy Racing Entropy Sports Racer

Jim Locke Automotive Elan Np01


Radial Motorsports Acura Integra

Team Troxell BMW 325is


Alien Force Racing Nissan 300ZX

Alien Force Racing Nissan 300ZX


Tyspeed Automotive Racing BMW 330ci

Full race results can be seen here.

