August - Mazda MX-5 Club of Victoria & Tasmania

Don’s Drive(l) ...■ Don Nicoll – President president@mx5vic.org.auHi everyone!Welcome to our August mxtra.This one is being written before the AGM(which coincides with the despatch ofthis magazine) and so this could be mylast Drive(l) as president if the Committeehave had enough of the incumbent. Therehave been no rumours of a spill but youcan never say never in a democracy, asJulia will confirm.However, on the off chance the Club hasbeen invaded by the faceless backroomboys, I’ll take the opportunity to thank theCommittee for all their hard work overthe last 12 months.It’s said very regularly that the Club isfortunate to have some very committedpeople who are happy to donatetheir spare time for the good of themembership. Between the ChapterCaptains and their assistants, theCommittee members and the volunteersfrom within the Chapters and motorsport, we have a group of dedicated folkwho make this Club what it is: a vibrantand active meeting place for enthusiastsof the MX-5. My sincere thanks to all ofyou for your efforts; I’m sure I speak foreveryone in the Club when I say that yourcontributions are greatly appreciated.With an average of a meeting everymonth in nearly all Chapters and themotor sport group, we are now stagingaround 75 events over a year. Throwin a high-quality full-colour monthlymagazine and the other annual events, Ithink we are offering good value for themembership fees. But are you of the sameopinion?To find out, we still need members tocomplete the survey. My thanks to all 143of you who have taken the time to answerthe online questionnaire. As I said lastmonth, this is all about finding out whatyou want from your membership fees,but that last plea appears to have hadthe opposite effect as we didn’t get onemore respondent since the July magazinewas sent out! Undeterred we have placedan advert this month (p 14) to try to jogyou to action. I can assure you that youranswers are totally anonymous whichmeans you can be as honest as you like(which we would prefer).Last month I made some comments onthe durability of the oil in the gearboxand diff of the NC. I thought it may bewise to get the opinion of Mazda onthe frequency of gearbox and diff oilchanges. They confirmed that they werehappy with the 100,000km oil changerecommendation. Even though the oilmay have looked black and thin fromthe gearbox at 50,000km, they werecomfortable that it was still doing the job.I guess it comes down to personalchoice. Mazda’s position is governed by adesire to ensure they have no drive-trainproblems, at least during the warrantyperiod of the car, while at the sametime keeping running costs as low aspossible. My position is that the car mayhave to travel more kilometres and forlonger than the warranty, so changingthe oil more regularly than required is anattempt at some engineering insuranceat a relatively low price. I also like thefact that the drive-train rattle has notreturned.This month we have quite a few photosfrom the annual Awards lunch. The eventwas a great success as you will be ableto see. Thanks to the support of MazdaAustralia (Ben Rounsefell and EmilyBanger), we were able to stage the eventat their headquarters in Notting Hill.Martin Benders, the Mazda AustraliaMD, and Eugene Arocca, the CEO ofCAMS, provided us with some interestinginsights into their organisations andwhat they see for the future. We aregrateful to both for assisting in thepresentation of awards to the winnersand for donating their time on the day.My personal thanks to Dave Collins,Cary Warren and Murray Finlay for theorganisation of the lunch and trophies,and to Ron Macdonald (not forgettingWendy Clarke) for leading the run prior tothe lunch, as well as undertaking the roleof official photographer.Finally a comment to the increasingnumber of enquiries about Club permitsfor owners of cars reaching the magic25 years of age. VicRoads registrationsfor infrequently used cars, 25 years andolder, are considerably cheaper thannormal registration costs, so the interestis not unexpected. We have formed asub-committee to look into how the Clubshould manage the permits. Fortunatelythere are plenty of clubs with experienceto sample. The sub-committee will reportback in October. We have time as thefirst MX-5 will not reach 25 until October2014. But it will come soon enough andwe want to have a system in place wellbeforehand.Remember ... Safety fast first!DonFor your diary …See the full calendar for detailsAugust18 Central: Trafalgar run18 Eastern: Social day out18 South Tas: Tasman Peninsula18 North Tas: A to B run18 Motorkhana – Leongatha24-25 Western Vic: Eildon overnightSeptember8 Central: Joint run with Alfa Club21 Sprints: Rd 4 – CalderOctober5-6 Eastern: overnight to Bright5-6 Australian MotorkhanaChampionship, Mt Gambier6 Central: Ocean Road dawn run18-20 NSW Club 3-day weekend19-20 Motor Sport: Winton 6 Hour26 Central: High Country runTBA Central: New members’ nightNovember2-3 Sprints: Rd 5 & NSW/VicInterstate Challenge – WakefieldPark9-10 NSW Club Canberra Chapterweekend – all welcome10 Central: annual CFA run17 Sprints: Rd 6 – Phillip IslandDecember15 Central: Christmas run15 Western Vic: Christmas run2014April12-15 NatMeet XI – Caloundra, Qld

»2012-2013 AwardsDave Collins (centre) receives the 2012-2013 Mike Quist Award for Club Championfrom Mazda Australia MD, Martin Benders (left) and Club President Don NicollL-R: Gail & Dave Collins, 2012-2013 Teams Champions,with Ellen Engwerda, 2012-2013 New Member Champion» 2012-2013awardwinner, KarenBradshaw8Chapter Champions ... L-R: Rob Krygsman, Eastern Victoria, Dave Collins, Central, Gerry Engwerda, North-eastern Victoria and Karen Bradshaw,Western Victoria. Absent winners this year (inset, right) were John Hadrill, Southern Tasmania (top) and Michael Nolan, Northern Tasmania.

28/7/13■ Photos: Ron Macdonald« President Donpresents the2012-2013Jinba IttaiAward toDaniel White20 yearsAlyssa Finlay15 yearsJoan Read | Ken Read | Barry Hollands10 yearsChris Coghlan | Steven Eckfield | Sam GuminaAndrew Hardeman | Antoine Jacob | Stephen ManneringRobert Parr | Greg & Lynda SavageRandy Stagno Navarra | Janette & John Todd5 yearsSimon Beal & Susan McMahon | George & Mary CazanisMatthew Curtain, Julia Multoff & Ethan CurtainPeter Dannock, Jane Price & Melanie DannockDianne & Lynton Forster | Andrew GeorgeJohn & Noellene Gleeson | Bruce & Jenny GrayBruce Harvey & Cheryl Murray | Clifton HuttonJeff Isaac | Max Lloyd | Travis McInnes | Ray MonikDon & Linda Nicoll | Terry Oates | Bruce PhillipsJohn Pocklington | Nils Powell | Faye PryorBen Sale | Owen Shirreff | Perry TountsiosRobert West | Ric Wigmore | David Wilken« Far left: AlyssaFinlay receivesher 20-yearmembership pinLeft: 15-year pinmembers (from left)Ken & Joan Readand Barry Hollands« Far left: 10-yearpins went to John &Janette ToddLeft: 5-year pinrecipients (fromleft) Peter Dannock,Linda & Don Nicoll,Noellene & JohnGleeson, Max Lloydand Ben Sale9

2012-2013 Motor Sport Awards■ Photos: Ron Macdonald2012-2013 MotorSport ChampionsThis year saw a three-way tie forthe Club’s Motor Sport ChampionAward ...Pictured left, between ClubCaptain – Motor Sport DanielWhite and CAMS CEO, EugeneArocca, they were (from left)Robert Hart, Stephen Downesand Noel Heritage.Left: Tim Emery(centre) receved the2012-2013 ClubCaptain’s Awardfrom Daniel Whiteand Eugene AroccaAbove: AROCA Victorian president Ross Flood (right) and CompetitionSecretary Neil Choi (left) presented our Club with the Alfa club’s “MostSupportive Organisation” award. Club Captain – Motor Sport, DanielWhite, accepted on behalf of the Club and all the motor sport teamAll class!Class winnersPictured (standing, from left):»»Russell Garner – Modified»»Peter Phillips – Clubman»»Robert Hart – Std NC»»Noel Heritage – Std NA»»Stephen Downes – Std NB»»presenters Daniel White &Eugene AroccaFront:»»Paul Murphy – RestrictedOpen»»Mark Fitzgerald – OpenOther awards:»»Tim Emery – Captain’s Award»»Murray Seymour – Rookie ofthe Year10

»Scene about ... at the Awards lunch■ Photos: Karen Bradshaw, Ron MacdonaldIn Appreciation awards: retiring Committee members Steve Dunlop, Robert Downes,Janette Todd and John Todd, and NE Victoria’s Marg Gillick28 July, day of the Mazda MX-5 Club of Victoriaand Tasmania awards presentation ...The day began in Doveton with a brisk morningrun through the surrounding hills, led by ourCentral Chapter Captain Ron Macdonald. Oncethe early morning cobwebs were blown out,the team of 20 cars arrived at Mazda’s headoffice in Mount Waverley, to greet the 20 or soalready there, ready to celebrate the annualawards.Members were greeted at the door by DanielWhite’s new pride and joy of the track, hisInnocent Blue 10th anniversary NB, displayingthe Club’s new “City Mazda MX-5 SprintChampionship” logos.Mazda Australia had dressed the perimeterof the room with a collection of new and oldrace vehicles along with a selection of Mazdasfrom the early years. Steve Dunlop, our trustymerchandise officer, was running hot bargainsof Club merchandise prior to the officialcelebrations, whilst members enjoyed a warmcuppa, catching up with fellow members orviewing Ron Mac’s audiovisual presentation.President Don Nicoll welcomed us all beforeMazda Australia’s MD Martin Benders kickedoff proceedings with interesting facts andfigures about to our beloved little sports car– such as, since the car’s 1989 launch 930,000have been sold worldwide, including 15,500 inAustralia and, in the UK (with less than threetimes our population), 112,000! – and thencontinued to inform us of the next generationof the MX-5.A good old carvery lunch was served beforethe award presentations, with second servingson offer if you could fit it in. The awardswere presented by the President, committeemembers, Chapter Captains and distinguishedguests.Ross Flood and Neil Choi, president andcompetition secretary respectively of AROCA,the Victorian Alfa Club, presented us with theirclub’s “most supportive organisation” award,in recognition of our motor sport crew’s strongsupport for their sprint eventsEugene Arocca, new CEO of the Confederationof Australian Motor Sport, was our secondguest speaker, talking to us about CAMS’ driveto become more involved with and address theneeds and interests of grass roots and Clublevelmotor sport.The official proceedings came to an end, theMazda car park came alive with the excitementof zoom zoom as members managed to grab thelast of the day’s winter sunrays, dropping theirtops and heading home. ■ ~ Cary Warren11

NatMeet 2014 – bookings extended!Every two years, the MazdaMX-5 clubs of Australia gettogether for “NatMeet” –our national gathering.The next one, the eleventh to be held sincethe inaugural event in South Australiain 1994, will be in Caloundra on the Sunshine Coast inQueensland in 2014.It’s planned for 12-15 April – which means that, for the firsttime it, will not be held over the Easter weekend. And thatmeans less-congested roads, better access to accommodationand venues and amore cost-effectiveevent.NatMeet is fivedays of fun andfrivolity, and aperfect chanceto spend timewith like-mindedenthusiasts whoshare your love ofthe wonderful Mazda MX-5. Being involved is an experienceyou will never forget.If you have been to a NatMeet before, you’ll know how muchfun it is and will be keen to get along to this one.And if you haven’t, please consider the 2014 event. There’s thefull gamut of favourite MX-5 activities, from social to motorsport. You should get to at least one NatMeet in your life ... it’sa great chance to get together with MX-5 friends, old and new.The booking deadline has been extended, so you still havetime to book for a great time with fellow MX-5 enthusiastsfrom all around Australia. See this month’s flyer for details.Registration, accommodation booking and other details areon the Queensland Club website, mx5clubqld.com.au12

Introducing ...Tim EmeryAssistant Club Captain- Motor SportName? Tim EmeryAge? Stopped counting at 40Born? Bethesda Hospital, RichmondCurrent abode? Newport, MelbourneProfession? Marketing, CommunicationsManagerPartner? SallyPets? 2 x kids (does that count?)Fave food? Self-confessed ‘foodie’, lovetrying new styles, love anything Asian(Thai, Vietnamese, noodles)Wow, is it lunch time already?!Can you cook? Yep, in front of the barbie Iam the master of my domain!Favourite tipple? Red wine, Victorian. Weare spoilt in Australia – we have some ofthe best wine producing regions in theworld!First drive? Mum’s BMW E21 323iFirst car? 1971 VW BeetleFirst fender bender? Attempting my first‘Scandinavian flick’ in a Datsun 1600 rallycar in the Creswick State Forest. Turnedout being a ‘Scandinavian Flop’ ...Everyday driver? Mercedes Benz C ClassHow many MX-5s have you owned? ThreeCurrent MX-5? NA6 ‘Track Hack’MX-5 improvements? Coil-overs, fullexhaust , sticky tyres, race seat, roll cage,harnessMX-5 dislikes? When can we officially losethe ‘Hairdresser’s Car’ stigma!Why an MX-5? Cheap, reliable, rear-wheeldrive ... a real sports carThe MX-5 Club GrillFluffy dice? Next question ...Passions besides the MX-5? Family,home, food & friends ... Life’s tooshort!Favourite TV show / movie / book?Grand Designs / American Pickers /Top GearDream wheels (money no object)?Porsche 997 GT3 RS (Orange please!)Would you drive a Daewoo orSsangYong? I’ll grab a cab!Favourite other Mazda? RX-8If not a Mazda (gasp!) what?I am a Subaru fan …How long in the Club? About threeyearsHow many MX-5 Club runs or trackevents? Over 20 track days, and aWinton 6 HourFavourite Club run/track? PhillipIsland – can’t help smiling the firsttime I pull out of pit lane on tothat main straight. One of the besttracks in the world!Funniest thing seen at a Club event?Captain Daniel ‘Hollywood’ White‘reapplying’ tyre gloss half way througha track day! (Not the funniest, butwas worth some great ribbing for theremainder of the day!)Done DECA? Yep, not with the MX-5 ClubthoughFord vs Holden? HoldenWhat’s playing in your MX-5? Trackcar, no radio, so strictly iPod on the longjourney to the track ... so it’s ‘pump up’music, ‘Eye of the Tiger’, ‘Final CountDown’, that sort of thing ... LOL!y spd by›Riding in the 200km“Ride to Conquer Cancer”, 2012Footy team (AFL/NRL/Soccer)? What’sthat?Final comments? In the words of the guyin the Shannons ad: “I’m not a car clubguy …” – but having said that the MX-5Club has a great culture and the MotorSport Team are a great bunch of peoplewho as a whole don’t take themselves tooseriously, help each other out, supportnew comers and go out and have somefun in the cars they love!›Second from right, hiking the ‘GreatOcean Walk’ from Apollo Bay to theTwelve Apostles, last year›In action on the track13

Chapter chatter ...13.7.13 | Southern Tasmania■ Words: John Waldock ■ Photos: Rob Tanner & John Waldock■ Organiser: John WaldockJuly in Southern Tassie can be pretty cold, so it’s a goodtime to have shorter runs with a more social theme.Hence, Mike and Liz Williams offeredto host the Chapter to dinner so thatMike would have a chance to show ushis new car, plus the progress on hisBuchanan.We met mid-afternoon on Saturday,weather iffy but not too bad. Wemanaged to find Allan P on theroad, and so we headed off towardsRichmond and environs for a little spinbefore making it back to Mike and Liz’splace for dinner and car oggling.I thought it was going well ... I wastrying to time it so the group arrived asper the scheduled time. Having a littletime up our sleeves I took a bit of a longcut but, as these things go, it beingquite dark, I managed to lose one of thegroup (sorry, Royce and Gaye).We all managed to get to Mike’s place,and the group split in two, the codriversgenerally congregating upstairswhile the drivers went to look at Mike’scars under the house.Mike (pictured, top right) showed usaround the Rolls Royce 20/25, an early’30s car – quite spectacular and verydifferent from a modern car in itsengineering philosophy. We also lookedat the two Alvises (is that Alvisii, Mike?)and the Buchanan, which is anotherwhole story in itself.It was about this time that we werecalled to dinner, a lovely variety ofcurries and Persian rice. Dessert wasa yummy pavlova (thanks Carla) andJohn Hadrill’s de-lish trifle. After dessertwe had a lucky draw for a few donatedbottles of wine, before we relaxed andchatted until quite late into the night.Thanks to Mike and Liz for hosting alovely evening and making us all feelvery welcome. ■Skid pan day■ Words: John WaldockTasmania police open their skip panquarterly to CAMS members for ageneral skills experience. The daystarted very wet, which isn’t thatbad for a skid pan.Only two of us went along, Ian Longand myself, and we had two runsaround the cones to test out our carsin wet and oily conditions. We bothhad a ball, finding it very difficult toget the back to slide and giving us abetter idea of our cars’ limit.I urge everyone to have a go at this, ifyou get the opportunity. ■15

Chapter chatter ...14.7.13 | Western Victoria ■ Words & photos: Karen Bradshaw ■ Organiser: John & Noellene GleesonYes, we were off on another run; this one a bit differentwith a short morning run and a Sunday roast for lunch.It was an overcast and dreary day whenIan and I arrived at the Everetts’ to travelinto Ballarat together. Alan’s car had otherideas! Somehow it managed to lock itselfwith the keys in the ignition – luckilythe window was down a bit and Alanwas able to get to the keys. I don’t know,Alan … what is it about you and your keysbeing locked in your car! After Dawn hadrun inside to check the phone and get thespare keys we were on our way to meetup at Gleesons’.At Gleesons’ we welcomed new memberKevin Brown and his partner Jan to theClub. We also welcomed Ron and Margfrom the NE Victoria Chapter, and Pamand Tyrone, and Rosa (and her cute littledog who blended in with her fluffy coat)from the Central Chapter.We set off in the misty rain, all withour roofs up – not game to risk thethreatening down pour from the low,dark clouds. Being such a dull day Woolfiedidn’t have to worry about the sunscreenattacking him as it has been known to doin the past.We travelled around the back of MtBuninyong, into Buninyong and on to theDereel-Mt Mercer Road the misty rain hadcleared, we even had a hint of a rainbow!We then ventured through the EnfieldState Forrest where the Pink Heath wasout in flower – very pretty. We had todivert around a dead fox on the road, andno, it wasn’t the lunch time special!We went through Napoleons over DogTrack Creek, through Cambrian Hill andinto the back of Sebastopol turning intoPrince Street and then passing throughRoss Creek and into Smythesdale. This iswhere Ian had to make an unscheduledstop and went off the directed route to doa Cliffy Young shuffle in the rain – whenyou have to go you have to go!We caught up with the convoy on theoutskirts of Linton after going throughSnake Valley. John pulled over for aregroup as Neil turned and headed backto Linton with possible overheatingproblems. Back on the move again, weturned right at Scarsdale then anotherright on to the Linton-Piggoreet Road. Wewent through the curvy MX-5 sharp turnsat Devils Kitchen, then another right tookus past the Clarksdale Bird Sanctuary(where we had lunch on another run).It was still raining as we drove intoLinton and parked at Cafe 80, our lunchdestination, where we had a yummycountry style roast beef/pork lunchwaiting for us. Of course there was a lotof chit-chat over lunch as we caught upwith old and new friends and discussedall things to do with MX-5s, evenventuring outside to inspect the spoilerkit on Will and Coral’s NB, of which I hadto take photos so that we can get thesame. A big thank you to Chrissie andher staff from Cafe 80 for looking afterus so well.After our very filling roast lunch wepresented Dawn with a birthday cake (Iwon’t mention which one but she had tohave several goes at blowing the candlesout and we only had five!). Just as well wedidn’t have the required number or wewould have burnt the place down!It was really lovely to sit down to aleisurely 90-minute lunch and not haveto rush off. But lunch was over all toosoon as many people had some distanceto go to get home – Corowa, Torquay,Melbourne, Malden and Talbot. Ian and Iwere lucky; we were home in 20 minutes.Another great little run with a socialtwist this time – which made a nicechange of pace. ■Sunday roast run16

Our short escape to Adelaide ■ Words & photos: Karen BradshawWe had been talking about going to Adelaide to see the Pandas at the zoo – theonly pandas in the Southern Hemisphere and to revisit the National Car Museumat Birdwood. So in the second week of the July school holidays we headed off.We left on Monday, 8 July, travelling the long haul to Adelaide. We stayed at theJasper Motor Inn in Hyde Park, walking distance to the shops in King William Streetwhich runs through Adelaide.Tuesday we spent all day at the Zoo – me snapping photos of everything!! Thepandas were awesome and active all day, and we visited them three times.Wednesday was our MX-5 day! We travelled out to Birdwood via the Gorge ScenicDrive, which was a fantastic MX-5 road with lots of corners and bends. But thelittle man who has been around the Great Ocean Road with his 80 signs had beenon this road too, but with 70 and 80 signs most of the way … not that you could goany faster anyway.At Birdwood we visited the National CarMuseum. There we found all sorts of cars– the very old through to the new … notmany Mazdas or Valiants though; there areover 300 cars and 100 motorbikes. We didfind a three-wheeled Mazda, which wasquite different. Mazda first imported this“small truck”, powered by a 596cc air-cooledengine, in 1959. According to the Mazdainformationsign, Mazda began by producinggaskets for other vehicle producers. They designedtheir first vehicles in 1940 but it wasn’t until the1960s that Mazda volume production and exportbegan to “crank up”. They are now the fourthlargest Japanese car manufacturer.Once we hadfinished oglingthe cars in theMuseum weheaded down thestreet where we found the pub with the carhanging from the front second storey, completewith beer barrels. After lunch at Mt Torrens,where Ian found a make believe Mazda in theplayground, we headed to Gumeracha, stoppingat the giant rocking horse briefly before hittingthe road to Mt Lofty Lookout.This was another fabulous stretch of road for the MX-5 – lots of curves and corners.Some young fellows in a small Mitsubishi tried to keep up with us, but after goingsideways around a corner, conceded that the MX-5 was far superior … somethingwe already knew! The view was terrific from the lookout – looking out across thesea from Port Adelaide, Glenelg anddown the coast.On Thursday we ventured to theRM Williams museum and shop beforeheading to Port Adelaide, then on toGlenelg visiting old memories of whenwe holidayed there with the kids –not the same excitement withoutthe kids.Friday was the return trip home –long and boring! ■17

Chapter chatter ...21.7.13 | Northern Tasmania ■ Words & photos: Kelly Berggren ■ Organiser: Carl BerggrenTheRolandCircuitReady to go: Scott, Carl & MichaelSorry, Bruce ... the red ones go faster!18

›It’s behind you! Mt Roland provides a stunningbackdrop for Scott, Belinda (obscured), Karen,Michael, Carl and MichaelCarl’s run around Rolandtook us through someseriously fun roads ...... including the tight, winding hill climbup to Paradise through old forestrycuttings, down the hairpins to the topof Lake Barrington at the Cethana Dam,back around Wilmot and down into thefreezing valley below Black Bluff, for apicnic at the Leven Canyon with the fluffynatives.On the way we stopped at Devil’s GateDam (bottom end of Lake Barrington)to see if the water was flowing overthe top (it’s an amazing concave dam,with the top acting as the spillway).Paloona dam was in full flood theday before, but alas Devil’s Gate wasjust lapping the top lip – still a sightto behold, especially for those whohadn’t seen it before – and the roadin is a lovely winding bush road.The weather had been more wetthan cold, and we managed to stayon the other side of the rain cloudsthat were hovering over Deloraine.Keeping the top down made it all thebetter to see the fantastical mail boxcreations that Wilmot is known for. Thefull-size Dalek was my favourite, followedby the huge Boags tinny and up-sidedownbomb shell.We came home via our favourite PaloonaDam road, (a Targa stage) to finish atForth. ■›Bruce leads Michael into LevenCanyon, proving that yellow carsare faster than red ones ... exceptfor the red car he’s following,of course!›Leven River from canyontop lookout›Karen almost losesher hat on thecanyon lookout›Stasi withthe Dalekmailbox atWilmot›RogerDevil’s Gate Dam (on a full day!)›19

Run to the awardsarmour and other stories from the road ...It’s not often that tail-end-Charlie gets to be the hero ofthe day ...›Rescued by a knight in shining crystal blueBert Brogan and Jeff Woolf›... but onthe recentCentralChapterAwardslunch run,Bob de Bontdeserved hisown awardfor rescuingone of theBob de BontMX-5 runparticipantswho inadvertently locked her keys in the carduring an unscheduled stop.Earlier, approximately 16 cars headed outunder grey skies to take on a fantastic hill runaround the Dandenong Ranges on the longway round to the annual Awards Lunch.Mindful of the awards lunch deadlineorganisers Ron and Wendy had us all off thestarting blocks right on time. We soon left thetraffic lights and highways behind to head upinto the hills around Upper Beaconsfield andbeyond. Horse paddocks alternated with golfcourses and bushland as we snaked up andaround rolling green hills.Joining the Central Chapter participantswere a few visitors from near and far: MartinBenders, Mazda Australia Managing Directorand Ben Rounsefell, Mazda Australia LoyaltyManager did a bit of serious product testing;Jeff Woolf from Western Vic Chapter alongwith Rob Krygsman and Mel Lees fromEastern Vic Chapter had risen with thesparrows to join in; and Southern TasmaniaChapter Captain John Waldock had flown injust for Ron and Wendy’s run (or perhaps theawards too!).Ron set a spirited pace out in front andWendy gave the convoy clear advice over thetwo-way radio, especially useful when thoseturns on twisting country roads sneak up onyou. As we zig-zagged over Mt Burnett wehad great views south down to WesternportBay. The section of road from Gembrook upto Launching Place was magnificent MX-5material: a good road surface, dry weather,little traffic and lots of sweeping bends.Plenty of room to zoom zoom.... continued››Halfway point of the run ...So much totalk about ...Annette and Eric Field››Wendy Clarke, left,with Sasha andBen Rounsefell20

›Chapter chatter ...28.7.13 | Central ■ Words: Bronwyn Roche ■ Photos: Wendy Clark & Ron Macdonald ■ Organisers: Ron & WendyAfter a quick pitstop at the Woori Yallock footy ground the convoy splitinto two, enabling the main part of the run to head off again. Whilstwe waited for the next three cars and then the last two cars to arrive,we had a chance to enjoy the third-quarter sledging, elbowing andjostling for position at the Woori Yallock Under-12s footy match (thatwas the parents, of course – not the kids!).Once the front convoy got back into mobile phone range again welearned the tale of the damsel in distress locked out of her car. Tail endCharlie escorted her in his trusty crystal blue steed back to her castleto pick up the spare keys.Knowing that all was now well, the remaining gang of four headed offto enjoy the second part of the morning run.Now I always pride myself on my navigation skills but you know pridecomes before a fall and 20km out of Woori Yallock the instructions justdidn’t match the terrain anymore. We called in the second navigatoraka the Melway, but even then it was tricky to work out if we hadheaded north east on the C404 or south west - we had done LOTS ofcorners! Where was our knight in shining armour when we neededone now?We eventually found our bearings and as two of the four cars wereheading to the lunch we decided to abandon the trip notes and headto lunch by the quickest route … that was the intention anyway.We made it to the Mazda headquarters in time and will just have totry that second part of the run another time! ■›Motor Sport Central: CAMS CEO Eugene Arocca (centre)with Robert Downes and Daniel White›Mazda Australia MD, Martin Benders,addresses the members at lunch›15-year members, Ken & Joan ReadLunch ... ?... is served!›21

Chapter chatter ...4.8.13 | North-Eastern Victoria■ Words: Peter Doyle ■ Photos: Marg Gillick, Karen Bradshaw ■ Organiser: Ron Gillickthe NO IDEA runRonGillick›Almost cold enoughfor Ian (no shorts!),but Maree, Dierdre,Pam and Tyrone arewell rugged up forthe dayL-R: Ron, Marg,Dierdre, Peter,Gerry, Pam,Tyrone, Brianand Mareeat lunch atBeechworth22›On the Stanley Road ›

Six cars assembled at Isaacs Park in Yackandandah on achilly, overcast morning.Rain threatened at any moment but Ron’scar had its hood obstinately down and,bravely, two others followed suit shortlybefore departure.The idea of the ‘No Idea’ run was to giveeach member of the team a turn atleading; destination unknown. Ron andMarg would take up the rear throughoutto round up any lost stragglers.First leader Gerry decided to get someheat into the tyres without delay. Heheaded out of Yackandandah to theeast and was obviously feeling theZandvoort (or was it Assen) vibes. Narrow,‘interesting’ roads eventually took usback to the Yack-Myrtleford Road whereGerry handed over to Ian and Karen. Theyled us toward the Great Alpine Road,through Myrtleford to Ovens and theHappy Valley turnoff. From there the pacequickened until, as the road tightenedup, Ian called on his Mark Webber museand, with enviable smoothness, promptlydisappeared. (Must be something in theBallarat water!)Ian and Karen were waiting for us at theKiewa Valley Highway and it was Deirdre’sand my turn to lead the convoy intoTawonga South for morning coffee. Brianand Maree nipped over to the Caltexservice station opposite the café for a fueltop-up. (They later reported a price of$1.75 a litre!)With a slightly elevated pulse rate I ledthe group out of the café car park andheaded for the famous (infamous?)Tawonga Gap road. From the beginningof that hallowed tarmac to the secondlookout my mirrors were filled with thepredatory headlights of Tyrone and Pam’sHeritage MX-5, Clara. Halfway to thetop I was having visions of Graham Hill’sLotus skating past the casino at Monaco,looking for the inside line to get past thispesky back-marker.A breather, a fond look at the spectacularview, some all-important photographsof the group, and it was back to thegrid. Down the mountain, delighting inthose beautifully surfaced and camberedcorners to the Great Alpine Road again,and it was time for Tyrone and Pam tolead us to the lunchtime stop and the endof our run.Rain showers and traffic dictated a verysedate drive through Bright, Porepunkahand Myrtleford, then the pace graduallyincreased until, from the Stanley turnoff,Tyrone moved to outright Jim Clarkmode, pulled away and, with Brian inhot pursuit, led us triumphantly intoBeechworth.As usual, that beautiful town was undersiege from the Sunday tourist crowdso parking was less than orderly. Thegroup reformed in the main street anddecided on the Beechworth Pantry forlunch. Excellent decision; the staff set uptables so we could all sit together and themood was buoyant. Great tucker and lotsof laughs brought the ‘No Idea’ run to asatisfying close. ■Member newsGreat Ocean Road queen Joni andClub motor sport identity husbandChris Condos have added to theirfamily with the arrival of EthanChristopher.Joni told us: “Ethan was born 12:56pm on Monday, 24 June, 2013,weighing in at a hefty 3.984kgor 8 pound 13 ounces in the old.Everyone settling in well except thecar, which is sadly covered in bird pooand sitting idle.”Western Victoria Chapter identityand regular mxtra contributorLockie Story is recovering at homeafter a close encounter with a reddeer which saw the demise of hisrecently-purchased and very muchlovedSE.Lockie’s evasive action avoided thedeer but not the roadside ditch,which caused the car to flip endover-endand then roll twice.In trueintrepid journalistic style, Lockie haswritten about his misadventure topraise the strength of the car’s cabinin such a bad accident. That willappear in the September mxtra.Members who attended the annualawards lunch signed a get-well cardfor Lockie, and fellow Western VicChapter members called in to seehim at the Austin hospital (below) ontheir way home from the event.23

For info or orders, contaautobarn-enquiriephone: 0414 630 02My favourite MX-5 road ...■ Words & photo: Bruce Harvey, Northern Tasmania Chapter CaptainThe B42 from Fingal throughRossarden to Avoca, northern TassieGoogle Rossarden and you will find houses for sale forless than $50,000, reports labelling it as Tasmania’scrime capital and a rich mining history.The 43km detour from Fingal through Rossarden,eventually re-joining the main highway at Avoca is apersonal favourite road that, in a state renowned for itsMX-5 purpose-built roads, choosing only one road is atough call.The B42 is now the road very much less travelled withthe chance of meeting another vehicle a lot less thanfinding a couple of deer wandering up the middle ofthe road.The road’s other hazards are also due to its lack of use,with moss holding the seal together in a lot of placesand the very real possibility of branches or completetrees across part or all of the road. One-lane bridgeswith wooden decks and frost and ice are a winterthreat.The solution: drive the road twice – once in eachdirection ...The result: – MX-5 Nirvana. ■20 roadsfor 20 yearsVICTORIA | TASMANIAIf you have a favourite MX-5 road, you’rewelcome to submit a short description(150 words) and a photo to and share it around!You can discover the Club’s favourite MX-5 roads with your owncopy of our book, “20 Roads for 20 years” ... just $16 + postagefrom our online shop. See the merchandise page on our website.Perfect for a glove box near you!CELEBRATING THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THEMAZDA MX-5 CLUB OF VICTORIAautObarn Eltham…is proud to offerMazda MX-5 Clubdiscount (up to 15%of merchandise.Burson automotiveproducts at trade pricesCurrent financial Club members can now purchaseautomotive parts and accessories at trade pricesfrom Burson Auto Parts stores.Burson Auto Parts have generously extended theirClub discount offer to all financial MX-5 Clubmembers around Australia.Simply ask for your discount when you purchase, andpresent your current membership …is proud card. to offer all members of theQuote account number Mazda 112558. MX-5 Club of Victoria a bigdiscount (up to 15%) off their full rangeBurson Auto Parts haveofmoremerchandise.than 100 outlets on theeast coast, offering a complete range of tools, spareAutobarn Autobarn Eltham Elthamparts and car care products. For info or orders, contact Peter Rutherford at: 9/256 Bolton St (cnr 9/256 Brougham Bolton St) St Eltham 3095autobarn-enquiries@mx5vic.org.au (NB: only Peter Rutherford or Hayden Dally are authorisedCheck out the range at www.burson.com.au(corner Brougham St)phone: 0414 630 024 or 9439 1466 (ah)to give Club discounts in-store.)Eltham 3095utObarn Eltham24Please ensure that you identify yourself as amember of the MX-5 Club to get your discount.This offer is exclusive to Autobarn Eltham.... is proud to offer all members of theMazda MX-5 Club of Victoria a big discount(up to 15%) off their full range of merchandise.For info or orders, contact Peter Rutherford at:autobarn-enquiries@mx5vic.org.auPhone: 0414 630 024 or 9439 1466 (ah)Please ensure that you identify yourself as a memberof the Mazda MX-5 Club to get your discount.This offer is exclusive to Autobarn Eltham.(NB: Only Peter Rutherford orHayden Dally are authorised togive club discounts in-store.)Please ensure that yomember of the MX-5 ClThis offer is exclusive to

New springs in the step at the Island ...■ Words: Ben Sale ■ Photos: Alex HailstoneIt was a bit over three yearsago when I wrote an articlefollowing my first MX-5 sprintsday, also at Phillip Island.Thankfully the weather was a little kinder threeyears later for the first round of the City MazdaMX-5 Sprint Championship; while rain was aconstant we were lucky enough to get a numberof dry sessions on what has to be one of theworlds best race tracks – although you do knowwhy the track has a corner called “Siberia” whenyou head to Phillip Island in winter!Preparations for the day started the weekbefore the event, thankfully there is nothingtoo extreme involved in preparing an MX-5 fora track day, check all the vitals, bleed the brakes,find someone to do a good wheel alignment(thanks City Mazda), come down and brave thecold to take some good photos (thanks Alex, whowasn’t driving at this event) and help bring downsome semi-slicks (thanks Toby).For me I was excited to be trying out a newaddition to my car, a set of KW Competitionsuspension. The competition suspension isBen displays his sponsors’ logosBen Sale on the straight... continuedPhillip Island, boots ’n’ allToby Redlich, City Mazda26

2012-13 City Mazda MX-5 Sprint ChampionshipRound 1: Phillip Island ~ 6.7.13Robert & John DownesDaniel White, having too much fun!Ben Sale, likewiseCity Mazda MX-5 Sprint Championship – Round 1: Phillip Island ~ 6.7.13Results - Round 1 1st 2nd 3rdStandard NA Noel Heritage » 2:06.2982 --- ---Standard NB John Downes » 2:05.6254 Leon Bogers » 2:08.0210 ---Standard NC Robert Hart » 1:59.4974 Alan Conrad » 2:02.7640 Brian Mutton » 2:29.4245Clubman Peter Phillips » 2:02.4702 Max Lloyd » 2:03.2780 Tim Emery » 2:07.1265Modified David Wilken » 1:53.4980** Ben Sale » 1:57.7357 Dean Monik » 1:58.4268Super Modified Russell Garner » 1:55.4083** --- ---Restricted Open Paul Ledwith » 1:53.0589** Brendan Beavis » 1:54.7186Open Mike Kirby » 2:03.9957 --- ---Championship standings after Rd 1 – Phillip Island, 6 July, 2013** New Club lap record(corrected points) 1st 2nd 3rdOverall Champion = John Downes/Robert Hart/Noel Heritage/Paul Ledwith/Peter Phillips/David Wilken » 10Standard NA Noel Heritage » 10 --- ---Standard NB John Downes » 10 Leon Bogers » 7 ---Standard NC Robert Hart » 10 Alan Conrad » 7 Brian Mutton » 6Clubman Peter Phillips » 10 Max Lloyd » 7 Tim Emery » 6Modified David Wilken » 10 Ben Sale » 7 Dean Monik » 6Super Modified Russell Garner » 10 --- ---Restricted Open Paul Ledwith » 10 Brendan Beavis » 7 ---Open Mike Kirby » 10 --- ---27

Launching the new Championship ...designed and built by KW specificallyfor each individual car and featuresadjustable compression and rebound,as well as separate high- and low-speedvalving. Their philosophy is differentfrom other suspension manufacturers inthat they control the set-up through thedamper rather than spring rates whichresults in significantly greater setupadjustment possibilities. At Winton Ifound a 1.1 second improvement on myprevious PB with the new set-up so I wasexcited to see what it could do at PhillipIsland.The day started off cold, but dry with amassive tailwind down the front straight,which gave a good boost of straight-linespeed (about 10km/h) but made the carvery unstable at other points of the track.In a NA6 you’re never going to knock backa straightline speed increase though; tosee a maximum (GPS) speed of 195km/hwas pretty novel!The day was on and off wet and dry,the first few sessions were mostly drywith heavy rain falling at the end of thesecond timed session and leaving thetrack wet for the third. The fourth sessionwas dry and the “warmest” weather wegot on a pretty cold day and resulted inmy best time of the day of a 1:57.7 (twoseconds better than my previous PB). Tobe honest I would have never expecteda time like that to be possible aroundPhillip Island in an NA6 with 328,000kmand a standard engine beyond amodified exhaust and intake ... but goodsuspension and some good tyres (FederalFZ201s) made it possible. I think thereis still more in it too, track conditionsweren’t ideal, I made a mistake whichcost 0.4 seconds in one sector and I didn’ttake enough brave pills which meant Iwas a bit slower than last time throughturn one (maybe something to do withflying off backwards at 183km/h therethe last time at PI).The day ended with rain which meant Ibasically decided to sit out the last twosessions; the tyres didn’t like the amountof water on the track much and startedaquaplaning at 140km/h.The best part of that is it gives anopportunity to chat to friends, eat Max’sslice, marvel at Robert and Melanie’sorganisation and note taking, and thendrive home in a car seemingly obliviousto the abuse you’ve just thrown at it. ■Daniel WhiteGary PrescottCraig HealyJohn DownesRobert HartTony HeasleyPeter PhillipsBrendan BeavisDavid Wilken28

Peter Phillips with Max LloydRobert Hart with Daniel WhiteRay MonikLeon BogersCity Mazda MX-5 Sprint Championship – Round 2: Broadford ~ 21.7.13Results - Round 2 1st 2nd 3rdStandard NB Leon Bogers » 1:23.1953 John Downes » 1:25.4524 ---Standard NC Robert Hart » 1:16.6952 Alan Conrad » 1:19.6778 Randy Stagno Navarra » 1:19.9987Clubman Peter Phillips » 1:19.4519 Max Lloyd » 1:21.6736 Fabian Mastronardi » 1:25.6498Modified Tim Meaden » 1:25.9732 --- ---Super Modified Russell Garner » 1:18.1604** --- ---Restricted Open Brendan Beavis » 1:15.2652 --- ---Championship standings after Rd 2 – Broadford, 21 July, 2013** New Club lap record(corrected points) 1st 2nd 3rdOverall Champion = Robert Hart/Peter Phillips » 20 --- = Brendan Beavis/Leon Bogers/John Downes » 17Standard NA Noel Heritage » 10 --- ---Standard NB John Downes/Leon Bogers » 17 --- ---Standard NC Robert Hart » 20 Alan Conrad » 14 Brian Mutton/Randy Stagno Navarra » 6Clubman Peter Phillips » 20 Max Lloyd » 14 Tim Emery/Fabian Mastronardi » 6Modified Tim Meaden » 11 David Wilken » 10 Ben Sale » 7Super Modified Russell Garner » 20 --- ---Restricted Open Brendan Beavis » 17 Paul Ledwith » 10 ---Open Mike Kirby » 10 --- ---29

Motor sport is big business for Mazda ...■ Words & photos: carsales.com.au ■ Contributor: Tim Emery›SCCA MX-5 Cup startBut US business casedoesn’t fit Aussiemarket demands ...Mazda’s competition division in Americahas sold parts worth around US $80million since its inception in 1990.It’s a nice little earner for MAZDASPEEDand its parent, but in a smaller marketlike Australia the business case for sellingcompetition parts across the counteris harder to justify, suggests MazdaAustralia’s Public Relations Manager,Steve Maciver.“It’s a different scenario here,” Macivertold motoring.com.au. “There’s a muchsmaller number of people participating[in motor sport] here.”Allied with that is Mazda Australia’sstatus as “a fairly lean organisation”,which discourages business developmentin areas unlikely to show more or lessimmediate profit.While cars like the MX-5 and Mazda3 MPSare popular in Australia for club-leveltrack events, the brand’s penetration inmotor sport circles here cannot comparein any way with what Mazda has achievedin the US. In California for the launch ofthe Mazda3 in July, Australian journalistswere treated to an informative rundownof the American motor sport sceneand Mazda’s part in it by MAZDASPEEDMotorsports Communications Officer,Dean Case – seemingly the only bloke atMazda who appreciates Australia’s V8Supercars series.Case began by explaining that NASCAR(oval track racing) and the NHRA (dragracing) amount to the lion’s share ofmotor sport activity in the US. Butwhat remains (ALMS, Grand-Am, SCCAand NASA, to name a few) is roundlydominated by Mazda. The Japanese brandmay hold just two per cent of Americanmarket share for new-car sales, but onthe race track in those series mentioned,the Mazda badge outguns Toyota, Nissanand Honda combined for a ‘market share’of around 50 per cent.Probably the standard bearer for Mazdain American motor sport is the MX-5,which can be put on the track for USD$47,000 – including the purchase priceof the car – but could earn a winningdriver in the MX-5 Cup Championship asmuch as $250,000. That’s potentially a500 per cent return on investment for thewinning driver.30According to Case, reasons for Mazdaparticipating actively in motor sportcompetition include durability/reliabilitymonitoring, technology transfer andenhanced brand management. And thenthere’s the revenue to be earned fromselling parts too, of course.In 2013 Mazda competes in, or supportsand sponsors, nine different categoriesof motor sport, with club-level racing atthe base of the pyramid. The two forms ofclub-level racing are represented by theSports Car Club of America (SCCA) or theNational Auto Sports Association (NASA).Mazda is the SCCA’s official brand. Thistype of racing is often a feeder for theMX-5 Cup, the IMSA Sports Car PrototypesLites category (cars powered by 2.0-litreMZR engines), Grand-Am ST productioncars and Grand-Am GX (silhouetteformula).This year the Mazda6 has beencampaigning in Grand-Am GX racing.After an unfortunate start – a DNF atDaytona – the diesel-powered car placedsecond in the next two rounds and wonthe subsequent fourrounds. With five morerounds remaining, theMazda6 is in a strongposition to win thechampionship, Casebelieves. The race carsshare many of thecomponents with theproduction cars, butthe output has beenraised from 175hpDyson Mazda ALMS ›and 310lb-ft to 400hp and 450lb-ft.Mazda has knocked back the compressionratio from 14:1 to 12.5:1 and the rev limithas been lowered from 5200 to 4900 rpm.Mazda’s turbocharged 2.0-litre MZRengine powered the winning team anddriver in ALMS (American Le Mans Series)P1, and the company was the winningmanufacturer also.The company is also heavily representedin open-wheeler categories of differenttypes – sometimes as a sponsor,sometimes as an engine supplier.Young Aussie Matthew Brabham,grandson of Sir Jack, won the Pro Mazdachampionship in USF2000 last year. Thefirst rung of the ladder is karting, withupward steps via Formula Mazda, theSkip Barber Series, USF2000 (2.0-litre MZRengines), Pro Mazda (RX-8 rotary engines),and Indy Lights, which is sponsored byMazda.It sounds like a real success story forMazda, but the various categories ofmotor sport in America have experiencedpeaks and troughs since the Global

(in the US)Grand-Amproduction Mazdas ››John Morton in an MX-5 Cup carFinancial Crisis, Case explained. Indycar racing has reunited, the AtlanticChampionship has “faded away”, theMiller Mustang Cup and the VW TDI Cupwere both created and killed off in thesame period, and Formula BMW ceased.Motor sport’s swings and roundaboutswere reflected throughout the broaderindustry also, as Case pointed out, withGM and Chrysler reborn after bankruptcy;Jaguar, Land Rover, Saab and Volvo allsold; and Ford selling off its share inMazda barring 3.5 per cent.But the recent stability across the motorsport spectrum may be taken as a signthat the wider US economy is recovering– and Americans are returning to thesport(s) they love. ■›Indy Lights(Jack Hawksworth)››Grand-Amproduction MX-5s›Grand-AmRX-8 (Sahlens)Grand-AmproductionMazda3 MPS›Matthew Brabham, 2012 USF2000 champion31

“Forced induction” to an NC■ Words & photos: Paul Roche, Eastern Victoria ChapterI live in Gippsland and recently had the need to go downto Melbourne on some business so it was good excuse totake my 2003 NB for a run.With my business matters completed,I was returning home via the Burnleytunnel when I was involved in a collisionwith three other vehicles. This resulted inan ambulance trip to the Alfred hospitalwhere I was to spend the next two nights.Nothing too serious, and all the staff atthe Alfred were fabulous.CityLink arranged to have the NB towedaway and it was taken to a holdingwarehouse in Abbotsford. I was inhospital, and unable to do anythingpractical so my brother Geoff got ontothe Insurance side of things for me. TheNB was insured with Shannons, (whocoincidently advertise in the mxtra – p12)and a claim was lodged. The long andshort of it, the NB was “written off” andfrom the time the claim was lodged untilthe time I received my settlement chequefor the agreed value of the MX was justsix working days. I was impressed. Therewere no delays, no problems, just straightforward good prompt professionalservice. Following my experience I wouldcertainly recommend Shannons.For every cloud there’s a silver lining andwith my NB written off I started to planwhat I could get to replace it. This time Ithought I would take the opportunity tochange to an NC.The criteria were: it had to be manual,folding hardtop, complete documentedservice history, “low” kilometres (sayaround 30,000), preferably one owner,ideally a “local” (Victoria) vehicle and allfor a “fair and reasonable price”.Carsales, here I come! None of the locallylistedvehicles fitted the bill, butthere was one in Newcastle, NSW; itticked all the boxes and at least nowyou can fly directly from Melbourneto Newcastle. I was straight on tothe phone and by the end of theconversation a deal had been struck.It was agreed I would arrange to havea pre-purchase inspection on the NC and,providing it was all the seller said it was, Iwould be on the next flight to Newcastle.The NC was a 2007 build, manual,folding hardtop, complete documentedservice history (it had been servicedevery six months), one owner and withjust 5,049 km on it (yes, six years old andonly 5,000km!) and all this for a “fairand reasonable” price. The colour wasTrue Red. I was telling my wife aboutthis fantastic discovery and when I toldher the colour, she said. “You can’t getthat one, it’s exactly the same as yourbrother’s! That would be weird to haveexactly the same MX-5”. Weird? Why? Wehave exactly the same parents, so why notexactly the same MX-5?The report came back from the vehicleinspector who said the MX looked like ithad come straight out of the showroom.With such a glowing report, a depositwas paid and I was on the next flight toNewcastle.I had some time up my sleeve, so I took afew days to drive it home to really get toknow it and feel the difference betweenthe NB and NC. The trip home took me onsome great MX-5 roads: down the coastthrough Sydney to Merimbula on theNSW South Coast where I then headedinland through Bombala, up theSnowy Mountains Highway to Tumut,down through Corryong, across to Brightvia the Kiewa Valley, down throughWhitfield, Mansfield and home. I couldhave just kept going! It was a fantastictrip and by the time I got home I hadadded another 2,600ks on to it and my‘new’ MX-5 and I had truly bonded.Once home it was a straightforwardprocedure to have the vehicle registeredhere in Victoria and to cancel the NSWregistration.At the risk of starting a full blowndebate, I reckon I have noticed a fewdifferences in the NC with the seatinga little more comfortable, corneringpossibly slightly sharper and theacceleration a little more willing. Overallthe ride might be a little quieter (or have I just had the stereo a bit louder?). ButI do think the NB’s gearbox had a nicerfeel to it.My daughter had nicknamed my NB ‘Bazthe Maz’ so this one is naturally ‘Baz 2’.What started out as a rather unfortunateevent has now really ended quite well.I hope to see you on a run soon, butplease don’t mistake my True Red NC formy brother’s True Red NC! ■32

That “bleeping” NB alarm!■ Words & photos: Ron Macdonald, Central ChapterA recurring discussion among NB owners is the “youleft the keys in the ignition idiot” alarm that Mazdasaw fit to include in the NB.This is one that has driven me crazy since I got the car(and many others I know of feel the same way), but reliefis only 10 minutes away! All you need to cure this is aPhillips head screwdriver and the ability to use it!Remove the top cover from the steering column bypulling it upwards (fig. 1) and put aside. There is a kickplate on the underside of the dash which is held by twoscrews located along the bottom edge, remove bothscrews and remove kick plate (fig. 2). Next remove thethree screws from the bottom steering column cover andremove the cover (fig. 3). You can actually do this job byjust removing the kick plate, however the two minutes ittakes to remove the steering column covers does make iteasier to see what you are doing.Now you have all the plastic out the way, have a look atthe left hand side of the steering column and you will seea connector with two green wires coming out the top ofit (fig. 4) (there is only one connector with two wires). Onthe bottom of this connector is a white button, depressthe button and pull the bottom half of the connectordownwards (fig. 5). You have now disconnected thealarm. Just to be on the safe side I did cover the bottomhalf of the connector with electrical tape to make sure itcould never short out, but this is probably unnecessary.DIY footwell lighting for your NC■ Words & photo: Greg Brown, Western Victoria ChapterI used some generic LEDs from Jaycar(three in each solid state unit) and therest is easy. A constant active is found inthe fuse box adjacent to the passenger’sfeet (see footnote) and the earth is fromthe passenger side door switch. Note thatthe door switches are closed to earth,so you will not be able to have the footlamps operate independently.How to ...»»Remove the rear trim from thepassenger’s door pillar to expose thedoor switch.»»Remove the sill trim.»»Remove the passenger side kick panel(carefully, so as not to break the pushcentre clips).»»Using a scotch lock-type connector tojoin a 2.4m cable to the one that exitsthe back of the switch. This will be theearth in your circuit.»»Run the cable along the door sill,behind the kick panel and underthe dash to the first lamp position (Imounted mine above the transmissiontunnel.) Leave a loop of cable to workwith, and then continue to the nextFig. 1 Fig. 2Fig. 3 Fig. 4Finally replace all the plastic covers in the reverseorder they were taken off and the job is done!By disconnecting these wires you have disabled the“you left the keys in the ignition idiot” alarm, buthave not affected the “your lights are still on fool”alarm or the “Oi, seatbelt mate” alarm. It’s a verysimple job that requires a very minimal skill leveland 10 minutes of your time. ■position, leaving the cable tail.»»Locate a constant active in the fuseblock above the passenger’s feet. Thereare a number of ways of attaching acable here, but a piggy-back fuse isthe easiest (an auto electrician shouldhave one – 3 amp is perfect and it willact as your in-line fuse safety). DO NOTCONNECT THE POWER YET.»»Run this cable to the first lampposition, leave a loop to work with andcontinue on to the second lamp.»»Connect your lamps and, if you do useLEDs, remember that they are polaritysensitive (ie, + to +, - to - ...).I soldered all of my joints, but crimpingis fine (you can twist and check yourcircuit if you like). Ensure that thereare no exposed ends, attach the powerside, and open and close both doors tocheck the LEDs’ operation.»»If all is OK, secure your new cablingout of the way where it cannot rub onanything, leaving the lamps to hangfor now.»»Refit all of the trim, again making surethat nothing will rub.t echalkFig. 5»»Wait until dark and tune the positionof the lamps to suit and then securethem into place with a cable tie.The image show the LEDs wired in series,but you can just cut them off as required.Think about which end you cut so as notto waste the last one. I also installed anextra lamp in my boot, in the centre andabove everything.Oh, and if you are up to it, you couldalso install a lamp into the glovecompartment, using the same active, amicro switch (you’ll need to drill a holeand find a different earth).Once you install them you will beshopping for an LED insert for theoverhead light, just to match the colour!These details were developed around anNC and, whilst I have owned two NBs, Icannot think where one might sourceconstant power ... but I am sure that it willnot be too difficult. The fuse block abovethe driver’s right knee might be a goodplace to start. ■33

The $60,000 question ...■ Words: Neil Dowling, Herald Sun Cars GuideThe Herald Sun ‘Cars Guide’ on 26 July ran a centre spread posing “the $60,000 question” …offering a budget of $60,000 for one new car and one used car.Journalist Neil Dowling looked for the ideal combinationof two cars to suit a number of different modernlifestyles:1. Sports Car and Family Wagon2. City Car and SUV3. Fun Car and People Mover4. Baby Hatchback and Family Wagon5. Sporty Coupe and 4WD WagonApart from price, the key criteria were reliability and thehighest possible safety rating.And the winner is …In the first category, the Mazda MX-5 coupled with theMazda6 Touring Wagon:“This is an ideal mix for a range of families. The usedMX-5 here is an NB model with 1.8-litre engine. It grewto 2.0 but performance gains weren’t huge. The pricerange is $15,000-$20,000 – get the car thoroughlychecked out before buying. It should prove a reliableand enjoyable Sunday car that may just becomeyour everyday drive. The Mazda6 wagon is specifiedwith the dearer diesel because apart from being veryeconomical it is such a rewarding drive. The Mazdaalso has good space to load up kids and weekendgear, has all the latest safety features and even lookssmart.” ■NOWOPEN!Trading PostPlease note that our “Trading Post” section for buy, swap, sell and borrow is now in the“Clubroom” section of the Club’s website, mx5vic.org.auClub merchandise - shop online now!The Club’s online merchandise shopcan be found via the “merchandise”page on the Club website, www.mx5vic.org.au»»an exciting, fresh new rangeof MX-5 Club and Motor Sportmerchandise, many co-brandedwith the Mazda logo»»a broad range of items,including picnic sets, picnicrugs, coffee mugs, water bottles,mouse mats, cooler bags andmuch more»»24/7 access»»a streamlined order placementand processing experience»»two weeks for delivery toyour door (under normalcircumstances )»»secure credit card or PayPalpayment facilities»»full-time customer supportA percentage of each sale goes tosupport the Mazda Foundation, apublic charitable trust that assistsa broad range of causes throughoutAustralia.Happy zoom zoom shopping!34

A new option for the MX-5 ownerOven Baked Enamel Services have taken the next step forward in service forMX-5 Owners, Lovers and Club Members.We can offer a full mechanical and service department with specialist MX-5mechanics and accident repairers working to factory specifications.QualityEndorsedCompany◆ Full range of second hand mechanical body and trim panels available ◆ Suspension, exhaust and performance kits◆ Fully equipped workshop facility◆ Competitive rates on all work◆ FREE towing for mechanical breakdown and collision◆ Special rates to Club Members - Free loan car available to Members◆ Contact Dick to discuss your mechanical needsOven Baked Enamel Services are a factory approved repairer with 20 years ofexperience on Mazda, your smash repair specialist◆◆◆◆◆Chassis alignment specialistsAir conditioning and detailingInsurance claims, advice serviceLifetime work guaranteeAll spray work in Seetal Low Bake ovenContact - Dick RicheyFREE no obligation quote.34 Molan Street, Ringwood 3134Tel 03 9870 0520 / Fax 03 9879 6545

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