June 3-4, 2023: Rocky Mountain Motorsports.

Photography by © Tyler A.W. Burke. All rights reserved. 2023.

The first race weekend of 2023 felt like it picked up right where Zac left off at the end of the 2022 season: another smoky weekend at Rocky Mountain Motorsports filled with some great results for the red #13 Spec Miata.

The #71 of Chris Saunders and the #888 of Connor Peet sparred with Zac here and there (especially in Race 3 where Saunders took an early lead necessitating some white-knuckle racing between him and Zac in the midst of some other open-wheel cars - see below) but for the most part Zac stayed ahead of the pack.

RESULTS:

Race 1: P1 | Race 2: P1 | Race 3: P1 | Race 4: P1 | Race 5 (WCMA Points Race): P1 | Race 6: P1

Unlike our last race at RMM - where the Spec Miatas ran alone - this weekend they shared the track with other closed-wheel classes and it definitely made for some tense moments. (If you’re new to racing: sometimes different classes of cars will race at the same time to keep the weekend from running long - the different classes are not competing against each other.) Watch some drama unfold between Zac, Saunders, and two other closed-wheel cars below or use the link to skip ahead to Zac’s eventual pass:

https://youtu.be/0ki_yl9T-vo?t=765 ( start at 12:45)

Not one to sit on his heels, Zac was consistently pushing the #13 onto faster and faster lap times - surpassing his previous track record (and getting a little loose on a corner or two).

Photography by © Tyler A.W. Burke. All rights reserved. 2023.

If you want to see Zac’s perspective of the corner photographed above, watch the Race 2 video below, or use the link to skip ahead to just before the corner:

https://youtu.be/N-Sah-Wuuuk?t=1210 (start at 20:10)

Another closed-wheel class’ driver made things challenging for Zac when he decided to forgo track etiquette and refused to let Zac by - even going so far as to block him several times on Sunday - despite the fact that they were not competing with each other. Frustrated but largely keeping his cool, Zac made it past the car several times throughout the weekend. Watch some Race 5 (the WCMA Points Race for the weekend) footage below or use the link to skip ahead to some tense moments with the other class’ driver:

https://youtu.be/4sQY3vO2zzU?t=1027 (start at 17:07)

With a great opening race weekend behind us, we’re looking forward to July 15-16 at Rad Torque Raceway up in Edmonton. Stay tuned to our Instagram for updates!

Photography by © Tyler A.W. Burke. All rights reserved. 2023.

Introducing Burke Motorsports.

© Tyler A.W. Burke. 2022.

We are a family Spec Miata racing team built around driver Zac Burke’s love for racing and competition. We have been racing for over 10 years now and decided to create the Burke Motorsports site for the 2023 season as a hub for all the stories and updates we have to share: the struggles, successes, and everything in-between. As a homegrown and budget outfit, every season usually is host to all of the above - things rarely go according to plan in racing!

A bit about the three of us:

Zac Burke.

Zac’s motorsports career started in open-wheel Formula Continental and a few years ago he made the move to Spec Miata for more local competition. He occasionally competes in iRacing, and is looking forward to pushing himself with the upcoming 2023 Spec Miata season. Zac is also a capable, self-taught mechanic and he does nearly all the work on the car - either himself or with Peter’s assistance.

Peter Burke.

Peter is the team’s de facto crew chief. Peter is Zac’s dad, cabinet-maker-turned-project-manager, and the boss in the pits (when Zac himself isn’t calling the shots).

Tyler A.W. Burke.

Tyler is both pit lackey and team photographer/videographer - and Zac’s brother. An award-winning street photographer, Tyler also runs his own photography, video, and digital marketing business.

We hope to see you at a race this season - and if you’re interested in following our progress between race days, give us a follow on Instagram.