Here's a video of that run up the hill.
Photo by Guess Work Photography
Daniel Semon and his Mazda Miata kart finished third in the 2018 $2000 Challenge. Fast forward seven years to 2025, and it’s still a podium finisher–this time beating far more expensive builds at the Flag Rock HillClimb. The only car faster than this Miata in the Open class? The wild 1970.5 Chevrolet Camaro of Cody Puckett. Overall, Semon placed fourth.
Who says you need money to go fast? It helps, sure, but Daniel proves that hard work combined with some ingenuity works, too.
Photo by J.A. Ackley.
He bought the Miata in 2016 as a non-running parts car–because you never know when a spare Miata might come in handy. Daniel found the car just needed a relay to get it started, but the Miata didn’t have a straight panel on it. “It ran so good, I couldn’t let it go,” Daniel says. So, he did what any reasonable person would do–cut the body panels off, installed a cage and turned it into a $2000 Challenge racer.
It worked. Despite hitting a deer on the road with it prior to the event, he placed third in the $2000 Challenge, and finished second in the autocross portion. After, Daniel traded it to a friend, who used it mainly as a fun street car. (Yes, it’s street legal in North Carolina.) That friend owned it for a few years until he needed a daily driver. Daniel traded him a ’99 Miata for his old Miata kart.
Since then, Daniel’s done some autocross and, of course, hillclimbs, with the kart. It remains relatively the same since its $2000 Challenge days, with changes primarily involving wear-and-tear items and what’s under the hood.
The Miata now uses a Mazdaspeed Miata six-speed manual transmission, Mazdaspeed Miata turbo and a Mazda BP engine out of a Ford Escort GT.
Daniel got a deal on that engine when a former Mazda Protege racing team had a dozen engines sitting after the series it competed in shut down. He bought all of the powerplants, spending pennies on the dollar. “We’ve had them for three years now,” Daniel says. “I’m now down to six.”
Other changes to the Miata included Injector Dynamics 750cc injectors, Beer Money Motorsports ECU, rusEFI, trimmed wiring harnesses, Nine Lives Racing rear wing, a fabricated front wing and some additional bars to the cage.
“Not many people have touched this car other than me,” Daniel says with great pride. “When something does break, it’s my fault. But at the end of the day when I get a podium finish, I get to say, ‘I did that.’ There’s something rewarding about it.”
Photo by Guess Work Photography.
2025 Flag Rock HillClimb
SCCA Appalachian HillClimb Series
Round 2: Flag Rock Recreation Area
Norton, Virginia
June 28-29, 2025
Class Winners
Special Open: Justin Reed, Anderson, S.C., 2016 DF Kit Car Goblin, 1:42.687
Outlaw: Cody Puckett, Gainesville, Ga., 1970.5 Chevrolet Camaro, 1:47.160
Super Modified: Dillon Broyles, Roswell, Ga., 2003 Chevrolet Corvette, 1:48.482
Sport Max: Seth Rogers, Concord, N.C., 2009 Mini Cooper, 1:53.119
Sport Unlimited: Rob Wilmoth, Apex, N.C., 2018 Audi RS 3, 1:53.724
Classic Stock Car: Tom Plaza, Arlington Heights, Ill., 1990 Oldsmobile Cutlass, 1:55.160
Special Limited: D. Todd Hixon, Lexington, Ky., Legend Car, 1:55.502
Super Sport: Aaron Elsner, Bethania, N.C., 2000 Porsche 911, 1:56.881
Modified: Bryan McCrea, Mechanicsburg, Pa.., 2013 Scion FR-S, 1:58.688
Sport: Zander Sharpe, Sabillasville, Md., 1991 Mazda Miata, 2:08.315
Full Results
Special Awards
Queen of the Hill: Tracy Gaudu, Johnson City, Tenn., 2008 Chevrolet Corvette Z06, 1:54.845
King of the Hill: Justin Reed, Anderson, S.C., 2016 DF Kit Car Goblin, 1:42.687
In reply to J.A. Ackley :
Run that video at like a 1/3 of the speed, and that's about as fast as I'd feel comfortable.
Looks like a riot nonetheless.
J.A. Ackley said:
I mean, it's no EP3, but it'll do... right?
I love the idea of these events. Not sure i have the stones though.
In reply to Go_Gators (Forum Supporter) :
You don't really think about it once you are out on course. It's a blast!
Colin Wood said:In reply to J.A. Ackley :
Run that video at like a 1/3 of the speed, and that's about as fast as I'd feel comfortable.
Looks like a riot nonetheless.
I went down a rabbit hole looking at in-car videos from Flag Rock. Every driver definitely has a certain style. Check out Justin Reed from last year.
In reply to J.A. Ackley :
Nice Video! Can you tell us about your camera set-up? I am curious it seems to pivot and gives good footage but its not an helmet cam, how is it mounted and what movement controls are in play?
Thanks,
Max
Reminds me a bit of mine! Yours is clearly a heck of a lot faster though. Back of my head I've wondered what it would be like with boost, that video gives me a good idea. =D
Colin Wood said:In reply to J.A. Ackley :
Run that video at like a 1/3 of the speed, and that's about as fast as I'd feel comfortable.
Looks like a riot nonetheless.
Telling is that he didn't even bother with 1st gear. So little weight, and so much engine oomph, 2nd was enough to yank from a stop, and he was out of 2nd pretty quickly.
Brutal.
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