diff --git a/azure/services/scalesets/scalesets_test.go b/azure/services/scalesets/scalesets_test.go
index 8dda0a94641..67ecc3219e1 100644
--- a/azure/services/scalesets/scalesets_test.go
+++ b/azure/services/scalesets/scalesets_test.go
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ func init() {
 	_ = clusterv1.AddToScheme(scheme.Scheme)
 }
 
-func TestReconcileVMSS(t *testing.T) {
+func getDefaultVMSSSpec() azure.ResourceSpecGetter {
 	defaultSpec := newDefaultVMSSSpec()
 	defaultSpec.DataDisks = append(defaultSpec.DataDisks, infrav1.DataDisk{
 		NameSuffix: "my_disk_with_ultra_disks",
@@ -76,10 +76,20 @@ func TestReconcileVMSS(t *testing.T) {
 			StorageAccountType: "UltraSSD_LRS",
 		},
 	})
-	defaultInstances := newDefaultInstances()
+
+	return &defaultSpec
+}
+
+func getResultVMSS() compute.VirtualMachineScaleSet {
 	resultVMSS := newDefaultVMSS("VM_SIZE")
 	resultVMSS.ID = pointer.String(defaultVMSSID)
 
+	return resultVMSS
+}
+
+func TestReconcileVMSS(t *testing.T) {
+	defaultInstances := newDefaultInstances()
+
 	testcases := []struct {
 		name          string
 		expect        func(g *WithT, s *mock_scalesets.MockScaleSetScopeMockRecorder, r *mock_async.MockReconcilerMockRecorder, m *mock_scalesets.MockClientMockRecorder)
@@ -89,29 +99,31 @@ func TestReconcileVMSS(t *testing.T) {
 			name:          "create a vmss",
 			expectedError: "",
 			expect: func(g *WithT, s *mock_scalesets.MockScaleSetScopeMockRecorder, r *mock_async.MockReconcilerMockRecorder, m *mock_scalesets.MockClientMockRecorder) {
+				spec := getDefaultVMSSSpec()
 				// Validate spec
-				s.ScaleSetSpec(gomockinternal.AContext()).Return(&defaultSpec).AnyTimes()
+				s.ScaleSetSpec(gomockinternal.AContext()).Return(spec).AnyTimes()
 				m.ListInstances(gomockinternal.AContext(), defaultSpec.ResourceGroup, defaultSpec.Name).Return(defaultInstances, nil)
 				s.GetVMImage(gomockinternal.AContext()).Return(&defaultImage, nil)
 				s.SaveVMImageToStatus(&defaultImage)
 				s.GetBootstrapData(gomockinternal.AContext()).Return("fake-bootstrap-data", nil)
 				s.MaxSurge().Return(1, nil)
 
-				r.CreateOrUpdateResource(gomockinternal.AContext(), &defaultSpec, serviceName).
-					Return(resultVMSS, nil)
+				r.CreateOrUpdateResource(gomockinternal.AContext(), spec, serviceName).
+					Return(getResultVMSS(), nil)
 				s.UpdatePutStatus(infrav1.BootstrapSucceededCondition, serviceName, nil)
 
-				s.ReconcileReplicas(gomockinternal.AContext(), converters.SDKToVMSS(resultVMSS, defaultInstances)).Return(nil)
+				s.ReconcileReplicas(gomockinternal.AContext(), converters.SDKToVMSS(getResultVMSS(), defaultInstances)).Return(nil)
 				s.SetProviderID(azure.ProviderIDPrefix + defaultVMSSID)
-				s.SetVMSSState(converters.SDKToVMSS(resultVMSS, defaultInstances))
+				s.SetVMSSState(converters.SDKToVMSS(getResultVMSS(), defaultInstances))
 			},
 		},
 		{
 			name:          "failed to list instances",
 			expectedError: "failed to get existing instances: #: Internal Server Error: StatusCode=500",
 			expect: func(g *WithT, s *mock_scalesets.MockScaleSetScopeMockRecorder, r *mock_async.MockReconcilerMockRecorder, m *mock_scalesets.MockClientMockRecorder) {
+				spec := getDefaultVMSSSpec()
 				// Validate spec
-				s.ScaleSetSpec(gomockinternal.AContext()).Return(&defaultSpec).AnyTimes()
+				s.ScaleSetSpec(gomockinternal.AContext()).Return(spec).AnyTimes()
 				m.ListInstances(gomockinternal.AContext(), defaultSpec.ResourceGroup, defaultSpec.Name).Return(defaultInstances, internalError)
 				s.UpdatePutStatus(infrav1.BootstrapSucceededCondition, serviceName, gomockinternal.ErrStrEq("failed to get existing instances: #: Internal Server Error: StatusCode=500"))
 			},
@@ -120,7 +132,8 @@ func TestReconcileVMSS(t *testing.T) {
 			name:          "failed to get VM image",
 			expectedError: "failed to get vm image: #: Internal Server Error: StatusCode=500",
 			expect: func(g *WithT, s *mock_scalesets.MockScaleSetScopeMockRecorder, r *mock_async.MockReconcilerMockRecorder, m *mock_scalesets.MockClientMockRecorder) {
-				s.ScaleSetSpec(gomockinternal.AContext()).Return(&defaultSpec).AnyTimes()
+				spec := getDefaultVMSSSpec()
+				s.ScaleSetSpec(gomockinternal.AContext()).Return(spec).AnyTimes()
 				m.ListInstances(gomockinternal.AContext(), defaultSpec.ResourceGroup, defaultSpec.Name).Return(defaultInstances, nil)
 				s.GetVMImage(gomockinternal.AContext()).Return(nil, internalError)
 				s.UpdatePutStatus(infrav1.BootstrapSucceededCondition, serviceName, gomockinternal.ErrStrEq("failed to get vm image: #: Internal Server Error: StatusCode=500"))
@@ -130,7 +143,8 @@ func TestReconcileVMSS(t *testing.T) {
 			name:          "failed to get bootstrap data",
 			expectedError: "failed to get bootstrap data: #: Internal Server Error: StatusCode=500",
 			expect: func(g *WithT, s *mock_scalesets.MockScaleSetScopeMockRecorder, r *mock_async.MockReconcilerMockRecorder, m *mock_scalesets.MockClientMockRecorder) {
-				s.ScaleSetSpec(gomockinternal.AContext()).Return(&defaultSpec).AnyTimes()
+				spec := getDefaultVMSSSpec()
+				s.ScaleSetSpec(gomockinternal.AContext()).Return(spec).AnyTimes()
 				m.ListInstances(gomockinternal.AContext(), defaultSpec.ResourceGroup, defaultSpec.Name).Return(defaultInstances, nil)
 				s.GetVMImage(gomockinternal.AContext()).Return(&defaultImage, nil)
 				s.SaveVMImageToStatus(&defaultImage)
@@ -143,7 +157,8 @@ func TestReconcileVMSS(t *testing.T) {
 			name:          "failed to get max surge",
 			expectedError: "failed to get max surge: #: Internal Server Error: StatusCode=500",
 			expect: func(g *WithT, s *mock_scalesets.MockScaleSetScopeMockRecorder, r *mock_async.MockReconcilerMockRecorder, m *mock_scalesets.MockClientMockRecorder) {
-				s.ScaleSetSpec(gomockinternal.AContext()).Return(&defaultSpec).AnyTimes()
+				spec := getDefaultVMSSSpec()
+				s.ScaleSetSpec(gomockinternal.AContext()).Return(spec).AnyTimes()
 				m.ListInstances(gomockinternal.AContext(), defaultSpec.ResourceGroup, defaultSpec.Name).Return(defaultInstances, nil)
 				s.GetVMImage(gomockinternal.AContext()).Return(&defaultImage, nil)
 				s.SaveVMImageToStatus(&defaultImage)
@@ -156,14 +171,15 @@ func TestReconcileVMSS(t *testing.T) {
 			name:          "failed to create a vmss",
 			expectedError: "#: Internal Server Error: StatusCode=500",
 			expect: func(g *WithT, s *mock_scalesets.MockScaleSetScopeMockRecorder, r *mock_async.MockReconcilerMockRecorder, m *mock_scalesets.MockClientMockRecorder) {
-				s.ScaleSetSpec(gomockinternal.AContext()).Return(&defaultSpec).AnyTimes()
+				spec := getDefaultVMSSSpec()
+				s.ScaleSetSpec(gomockinternal.AContext()).Return(spec).AnyTimes()
 				m.ListInstances(gomockinternal.AContext(), defaultSpec.ResourceGroup, defaultSpec.Name).Return(defaultInstances, nil)
 				s.GetVMImage(gomockinternal.AContext()).Return(&defaultImage, nil)
 				s.SaveVMImageToStatus(&defaultImage)
 				s.GetBootstrapData(gomockinternal.AContext()).Return("fake-bootstrap-data", nil)
 				s.MaxSurge().Return(1, nil)
 
-				r.CreateOrUpdateResource(gomockinternal.AContext(), &defaultSpec, serviceName).
+				r.CreateOrUpdateResource(gomockinternal.AContext(), spec, serviceName).
 					Return(nil, internalError)
 				s.UpdatePutStatus(infrav1.BootstrapSucceededCondition, serviceName, internalError)
 			},
@@ -172,18 +188,19 @@ func TestReconcileVMSS(t *testing.T) {
 			name:          "failed to reconcile replicas",
 			expectedError: "unable to reconcile replicas: #: Internal Server Error: StatusCode=500",
 			expect: func(g *WithT, s *mock_scalesets.MockScaleSetScopeMockRecorder, r *mock_async.MockReconcilerMockRecorder, m *mock_scalesets.MockClientMockRecorder) {
-				s.ScaleSetSpec(gomockinternal.AContext()).Return(&defaultSpec).AnyTimes()
+				spec := getDefaultVMSSSpec()
+				s.ScaleSetSpec(gomockinternal.AContext()).Return(spec).AnyTimes()
 				m.ListInstances(gomockinternal.AContext(), defaultSpec.ResourceGroup, defaultSpec.Name).Return(defaultInstances, nil)
 				s.GetVMImage(gomockinternal.AContext()).Return(&defaultImage, nil)
 				s.SaveVMImageToStatus(&defaultImage)
 				s.GetBootstrapData(gomockinternal.AContext()).Return("fake-bootstrap-data", nil)
 				s.MaxSurge().Return(1, nil)
 
-				r.CreateOrUpdateResource(gomockinternal.AContext(), &defaultSpec, serviceName).
-					Return(resultVMSS, nil)
+				r.CreateOrUpdateResource(gomockinternal.AContext(), spec, serviceName).
+					Return(getResultVMSS(), nil)
 				s.UpdatePutStatus(infrav1.BootstrapSucceededCondition, serviceName, nil)
 
-				s.ReconcileReplicas(gomockinternal.AContext(), converters.SDKToVMSS(resultVMSS, defaultInstances)).Return(internalError)
+				s.ReconcileReplicas(gomockinternal.AContext(), converters.SDKToVMSS(getResultVMSS(), defaultInstances)).Return(internalError)
 			},
 		},
 		{
@@ -324,6 +341,7 @@ func TestDeleteVMSS(t *testing.T) {
 	defaultInstances := newDefaultInstances()
 	resultVMSS := newDefaultVMSS("VM_SIZE")
 	resultVMSS.ID = pointer.String(defaultVMSSID)
+	// Be careful about race conditions if you need modify these.
 
 	testcases := []struct {
 		name          string