The Garage: Your daily dose of automotive news, reviews and motorsports coverage
Never one to miss out on an opportunity to have some fun, I decided to take advantage of the recent ice storm in Ontario to do a bit of top down motoring in the 2018 Mazda MX-5 RF. I mean, after I consistently give my colleagues a hard time about driving convertibles with the top up, so I didn’t really have a choice. What I found was that Winter is no match for Mazda’s all season sportster.
Last year the folks at Mazda Canada decided to begin hosting an annual event that was unlike the usual car launch. Called the Mazda Adventure Rally, the event pitted journalist teams against each other in an attempt to win $10,000 for the charity of their choice. I was fortunate to be selected as part of the Toronto Star Wheels team, aptly named Team Star Wars along with my fellow Wheels scribe, Peter Bleakney. Of course our ride wore the most Canadian of all numbers, #27. The event took us through Colorado and Utah, across gold rush era mountain paths and through desert canyons. You can read about our incredible experience here and here.
For this year’s event, Team Star Wars was again invited to compete in the event, which would have much much greater secrecy leading up to the event to ensure that none of the competitors had a leg up on the other teams. That meant that we were boarded onto a chartered flight without any idea where we might be going. Ok, so that isn’t quite true. A few of us had it figured out and I had seen a tractor trailer loaded full of stickered MX-5s cruising down the highway in Toronto, so I knew what were were driving. I was a good boy though and didn’t spill the beans.
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I’m sure karma is going to bite me in the ass one day for this, but I can never get enough of videos of a driver with a steering wheel in his hands, rather than attached to the steering column as was intended.
This time, the video comes from Brian Ghidinelli in his Spec Miata racer at Road Atlanta. It was Brian’s first time visiting the track, and his first practice session for the 2014 SCCA Majors race. Fortunately, the driver was able to snap the quick release back in place before he had to repair anything other than his soiled drawers.
Source: Youtube via GRM on Facebook
Racing cars is about much more than just being able to drive fast. To be a real racer requires a mastery of what some of us call racecraft. A mixture of car control, aggression, vision and even networking along with more than a little bit of luck. Continental Tire Series driver Steven McAleer has all of the above in spades.
McAleer’s C.J. Wilson Racing Mazda MX-5 had to start at the back of the grid in this year’s Sebring race due to a tech infraction. In the first lap alone, the driver passed a rather impressive 15 cars. How he does it is a combination of all of the qualities I listed above, not the least of which is vision and networking.
Watch how McAleer is constantly looking at all three mirrors to evaluate the threats and open spaces to the side and behind, while also looking ahead for breaks in traffic that haven’t even happened yet. While reading traffic, the driver is also communicating with other drivers, using hand signals to get them to help out in setting up a draft. This guy is a relationship manager of the first order!
Source YouTube via RACER
At this year’s Chicago Auto Show, Mazda celebrated a milestone in the life of their beloved MX-5 Miata-900,000 cars built to date-with a new Special Edition model. Only 750 cars will be built. Special Edition interior features will include grey door trim, heated leather seats with grey stitching, chrome accents, and aluminum pedals (manual tranny cars only). The Special Edition is available in two new colors, Sparkling Black Mica and Dolphin Grey Mica. 17″ alloys come standard.
The Special Edition is built off the top-spec Miata, and includes as standard equipment the power retractable hardtop and Suspension Package, which includes Bilstein shocks, limited slip differential, and more aggressive suspension tuning. No changes to the drivetrain, which means a 2.0L four rated ay 167hp when paired to the six-speed manual, and 158hp with the six-speed automatic. A manual MX-5 Special Edition will run you $30,925USD, while an automatic costs $$31,525.
I do find it peculiar that Mazda chooses to celebrate their sports car, which debuted with the looks of a Lotus Elan, the basic goodness of an MGB, and well, the reliability of a Mazda with a luxe version. Yet in Mazda’s press release, the emphasis was on the affluent buyer, the notion of a Miata being a third car. No one will ever call a Miata practical, but wasn’t part of the fun that this was a car you could use every day if you were so inclined? So, I ask you, dear reader-did Mazda lose the script in celebrating its sports car by going upscale? Did they contradict the Miata’s mission?
The folks at Atlanta Motorsports Group are here at Mosport today, getting in a bit of practice leading up to the ALMS weekend here next weekend. These cars look great on track.
Never one to mince words, Jonny Lieberman declares the Lotus Elise a Fat Pig! Wait a minute here, what the hell is that boy smoking?
Well, he’s just hi on the power of Se7en! You see, Jonny just had the time of his life traipsing up and down the legendary Tail of the Dragon in an assortment of creations based on the vision of Colin Chapman. The fat pig comment was the way the Elise felt in comparison to bright orange, Miata powered Westfield built by Autopro Motorsports.
Be sure to read the full story over at Jalopnik, where Jonny’s story may even bring a tear to your eye. Now how can I get invited down to Deal’s Gap myself?
If things have seemed a bit quiet in The Garage over the past couple of days, it’s because life has been pretty hectic around here. I’ve been asked to leave my post as Service Manager at the Nissan store & move to the Mazda store our dealer group owns. It seems that the service department there is having some problems and they are hoping that little ol moi can help solve them. It’s going to be a challenge, but it’s also going to be a lot of fun learning the ins & outs of the new product line.
I’ve already started scanning e-bay for a beat up old miata to turn into a lapping day warrior.
