Miata Mailing List: November 1994, Message #172
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   From: Doug Quara 
Subject: Latch the top, stupid!
   Date: Mon, 7 Nov 1994 11:17:07 -0500

Yesterday at the Fla. State Championship Autocross I discovered
that the convertible top definitely will go down on its own accord.
This phenomenon occurs approximately at 33.4 MPH, in a cross-wind
of 5.6 MPH  :-)

Seriously, ever since I slid sideways into a curb at an autocross,
and since I heard that the convertible top will hold the weight of
the car, I've been autocrossing with the top up.  Unfortunately,
yesterday I forgot to latch it down before I ran.  It hopped a few
times early in my first run.  I saw it (an wasn't about to stop),
decided that if I go faster it would go down all the way, and 
waited for the inevitable.  Yup, the wind got under the top and
WHAM! it slammed down pretty good.  No permanent damage to either
it or the rear window, which was unzipped at the time, not even
a scratch.  Lucky me.  Dopey me.

Somewhat unfazed I finished the run, albeit a little slow.  I did
recover in my second and third runs to take second in class, third
fastest Stock time.

Doug Q.
dquara@encore.com