Who Will Win the Runoffs? Spec Miata and Spec MX-5

Two of the most intense classes during any weekend during the Summit Racing Equipment SCCA® Road Racing season are Spec Miata and Spec MX-5. Inches decide the best of the best – and sometimes it’s not even inches, as we discovered at the SCCA National Championship Runoffs® in 2023. Thus, it’s no surprise that when it comes to the Sept. 29-Oct. 5, 2025, SCCA Runoffs at Road America these are two of the most anticipated battles of the weekend.

So, who will win?

We don’t know, and if you know anything about how much of a rollercoaster Spec Miata and Spec MX-5 are, you know you don’t know either.

Still, we’re going to guess.

Before you read who we think will stand atop the podium during next week’s winner-take-all National Championship battles, there are a few links you’ll want to keep on hand. With these, you’ll discover who’s racing, when they’re racing, and how you can watch as the action unfolds live.

And there’s another link you might want, and that’s the link to the other “Who Will Win the Runoffs?” articles we’ve assembled.

Spec Miata

It's almost a cliché to say you cannot predict the outcome of a Spec Miata race at the Runoffs, but it's extra true this year. Last year's champion Ethan Goulart is entered, but has lately revealed that he can't make it to the Runoffs this year. Among other things, he's competing in pro racing with the MX-5 Cup series…and he's still in high school.

"I just didn't have the time," Ethan said. "We were trying to decide, but there's too much going on and I have other focuses this year, unfortunately."

However, Ethan's father Elivan Goulart is entered, and with four prior championships to his credit, including one in SM back in 2011 at Road America, he's definitely on our short list of likely winners.

While we had him on the phone, we asked Ethan who he thought the leading drivers would be, and he gave us his take.

"I haven't looked at the entry list much, but I would say Brett Kowalski, obviously my dad, and I would say Charles Mactutus all have a good chance to win," he said.

We agree that Brett Kowalski definitely has the best chance of pulling off the win. However, in four Runoffs appearances, Kowalski has yet to finish higher than last year's sixth place. But racing is all about developing your car and your craft, so we think this year could be Kowalski's time.

Our picks for the rest of the podium include Elivan Goulart as well as Max Stallone. After coming up from karting, Stallone switched to Spec Miata last year and has established himself as a podium contender. Stallone will be making his first Runoffs appearance this year and could upset the established order.

Other drivers who are likely to run at the front include two-time National Champion Nicholas Bruni and 2019 Touring 4 National Champion Nick Leverone. Also, Francisco Barroso could be an unexpected leader, as he's currently leading the SM standings in the Hoosier Racing Tire SCCA Super Tour.

To get a handle on the possibilities, we asked Ethan what the winning factors are likely to be this year.

"I think it's going to come down to who can lead the most laps in the race,” he said. “I think whoever is leading after lap five will win the race."

As always with Spec Miata, we'll find out the answer on race day.

Spec MX-5

One of the most exciting classes to come to the Runoffs in recent years is SMX, otherwise known as Spec MX-5. This class uses the 2006-’15 third-generation NC platform Mazda MX-5 Miata as was raced in the pro MX-5 Cup series. Also, the same generation of MX-5 as raced in the Touring 4 class can also be easily modified to race in SMX. The class ran as a Runoffs demonstration class in 2023 at VIRginia International Raceway and crowned its first National Champion, Ethan Lampe, last year at Road America.

Coming into the 2025 Runoffs, we think Ethan Lampe is likely to repeat his championship, with Ethan Jacobs again taking second place, and Cam Ebben claiming the final spot on the podium. Matthew Novak and Camden Gruber could also run at the front.

One question that often arises with a new class like this is, just how much like a Spec Miata are the SMX cars, and what are the differences?

"With SMX, we run a harder tire than SM and I think you have to drive a lot more precise, and mistakes cost you more in SMX than they do in SM," Lampe said. "It comes down to the driver a lot more. With more power in the car, and being less aerodynamic than the SM, the SMX driver stands out a little bit more because it's harder to rely on the draft to stay with the pack, like you can in SM."

"Also, I think the car is just a little harder to drive because we are on harder tires and the car is heavier than the Spec Miata,” Lampe continued. “It's just a little bit trickier. But I love the SMX, and I prefer it over the SM because it just suits my driving style more. It's a really fun car to drive."

Without a long history to analyze, there's little to say about SMX competition to support a prediction of likely winners. So, we asked the California-based Lampe to talk about driving an SMX at Road America.

"Last year at the Runoffs was my first time at Road America, and I really enjoy that track," he said. "It's very different compared to California tracks or West Coast tracks in general. It's a much bigger track. The corners are a lot more spaced out and it's a lot more drafting-dependent than compared to Sonoma or Laguna or another track that's tight and technical with less straightaways. The facility there is beautiful and I just enjoyed being at Road America. It was just awesome to go explore the surrounding areas."

Asked to handicap his competition, Lampe declined to criticize.

"I try to think as little about other people as possible and I try to just focus on myself as much as I can. I think it's important for me to stay in the zone and I can't have outside factors messing with my head, so I just try to block out everything else and just focus and drive my own race."

He won’t name names, but we will. We expect Ethan Jacobs to be in contention, along with Cam Ebben. Following them will likely be Matthew Novak and Cam Gruber.

Like many leading drivers, Lampe is ready for the Runoffs at this point.

"We're ready for Road America," he declared. "I'm just super excited to go back to that event. It's a week-long event in a foreign area for me, so it's pretty cool to spend a decent amount of time in a place so different from home."

Photos by Rick Corwine and Jeff Loewe

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