MX-Press (Newsletter of the Mazda MX-5 Club of WA Inc.)
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www.mx5club.com.au Founded 1990 pressTHE BIMONTHLY MAGAZINE OF THE MAZDA MX-5 CLUB OF WA INC. Editing, design and production Simon Corston & Bob Sharpe Mazda Jan-Feb 2017 Club of Western Australia Inside 5 Humour Us 6 Coming Events 8 NZ Tiki Tour (Part I) 10 Event Photos 18 MX-5 Fan Fest 19 MX-5 Rocketeer Steve Harris - January 2017 President’s Report What do 477 MX-5s all gathered togeth- made at NatMeet and to make contact with for our cars, stating in a press interview for er in the same place look like? I hope that our exclusive WA representatives. Lyall had motoring.com.au “It makes me incredibly the photos in this copy of MX-press do full registered for motor sport, while Dave and proud that no matter where in the world I justice to the truly magnificent sight. Ken had gained photographer accreditation travel, the love for the MX-5 is always the This was the Mazda MX-5 FanFest held allowing them greater access; while John, same.” I think that we can all endorse that. on 21 January at Sandown in Melbourne to Carol and I just enjoyed the day. And what The weekend did not end there. With so give Australian MX-5 owners the opportu- a day it was. many interstate visitors, the Vic/Tas club nity to see and sign the one millionth MX-5 Club members enrolled in motor sport had organised a cruise (actually six cruises off the production line and also to see the had the track for most of the day (Lyall has with a common end point to accommo- RF model for the first time. The 477 MX-5s now driven three Eastern States tracks in the date the number of cars) in East Gippsland. made up the biggest meeting of our beauti- last year). Their racing was interrupted by Somehow I got back to my hotel and to the ful cars ever in the Southern Hemisphere. the massive parade lap of all 477 cars lining cruise start point, the latter by following the To ensure that every state was represen- up four deep on the main straight while pho- MX-5 RF. The good news about the cruise is tation, Mazda Australia offered each club tographers and drones recorded this record that we drove some excellent and generally president travel to the event and the loan of gathering. They were also interrupted when quiet MX-5 type roads, sometimes appropri- an ND for the weekend. The enthusiasm of the two Mazda Cup cars brought from the ately quickly, among beautiful scenery; the the WA club knows very few boundaries and USA took over for some hot laps, driven by bad news is that it was all in convoy. Sorry five other WA members combined attending professional drivers, plus some only slightly Eastern Staters, WA will never adopt con- the FanFest with other activities, resulting in less hot laps by the Mazda Targa NDs. The voy rules. It is no fun parked for half an hour six from the West. We were heavily outnum- Driver Simulator winners got to sit in the on a country road because three cars missed bered by Eastern States attendees, both club passenger seat of a Mazda Cup car for a lap. I the turn and it is not acceptable to “blame” members and non-club MX-5 owners, with gather that most had their braking foot hard somebody for parking safely when the strict well over 1,500 people attending the event. down on the floor before each bend way convoy order would have been unsafe. To On the evening before the FanFest a few before the driver even thought about it. whoever it was, the cruise organiser did not of us gathered in Melbourne for drinks. The The other big attraction was the millionth set out to design a route to exacerbate your Melbourne CBD was in a state of near total MX-5 off the production line. It had been wife’s medical condition (all these experi- lockdown as the terrible events in Bourke covered in a white grid. Most of these had enced/witnessed by the WA crew). This Street had occurred that afternoon. already been filled by the white signatures was the first real opportunity that I had to The following morning I waited for the of Japanese, American, British and European drive the 2.0 litre ND properly. My opinion hotel porter to collect my ND, which had MX-5 owners; but there was still plenty of is that the extra stiffness and power make been left for me by Mazda Australia in the space for the 1500+ Aussie signatures, still it a better handling and driving car than hotel car park. I had scored a Soul Red two- leaving more space for the car’s trip to NZ. the 1.5 litre and a brilliant all round sports litre manual GT; couldn’t have been better! When the world tour is finished, it will be on car. The end of the cruise provided the final After some time sitting in the hotel driveway permanent display in the Mazda Museum opportunity to chat with our interstate coun- trying to figure out how to work the satnav in Hiroshima. The queue to sign provided terparts about what a great weekend it had I decided that Google maps on iPhone was plenty of time to admire the Machine Grey been. Finally, after about an hour and four the best way to get to Sandown. Once out of RF. By now I would presume that most of false starts, Don and I finally figured out the the city there were enough MX-5s to follow our members have seen the RF and will deepest secrets of the ND satnav and safely to the venue. Being a private event, our cars agree that it is a stunning car that will surely returned to our hotels. had to queue while names were checked. If turn heads just while putting the roof up. Many thanks to Mazda for an excellent there is such a thing as a good queue then a Then there was the VIP guests attending FanFest and to the Vic/Tas club for organis- two kilometre long one of MX-5s is as close the FanFest, including the NZ rotary MX-5 ing a great cruise. as you are going to get. drift racer Mad Mike, unfortunately without Finally, on a different subject, I think Once inside we were parked accord- his car. However by far the most impor- that this is my 34th consecutive President’s ing to whether or not you had enrolled for tant VIP was Professor Takao Kijima who is Report for MX-press and because Lianna motor sport (I hadn’t), whether or not you now retired from Mazda but is best known and I will be taking a long vacation over the had entered the show and shine (why not?); for being the father of the MX-5 chassis as next few months, I will be handing over the and then grouped into the four model types. principal development engineer of the NA next two editions to the Vice President. I am NDs are not that common in WA yet, but and NB, while consulting on the NC and sure that you will be in good hands. they are in the Eastern States, with the show ND models. As we sit in our MX-5s, Kijima- and shine ND group being at least 70 cars. san’s engineering genius is surrounding us. Barrie Parker Then it was time to catch up with friends Kijima-san has not lost any of his enthusiasm Mazda Club of Western Australia 2 MX-press: January-February 2017 Committee Contents President MX-press January-February 2017 Contents Barrie Parker m: 0417 918 359 President’s Report .......................................................2 e: [email protected] Committee ....................................................................3 Vice President/Events Coordinator Aart ter Kuile m: 0419 915 784 Features Contents ........................................................................3 e: [email protected] Editor’s Desk ................................................................4 e: [email protected] NZ Tiki Tour 2016 8-9 Humour Us ...................................................................5 Treasurer Coming Events .............................................................6 Bev Wotzko m: 0413 564 372 Event Photos 10-11 Bits ‘n’ BobS ..................................................................7 e: [email protected] Membership Mazda MX-5 Fan Fest 18 Computer Corner ........................................................7 Gary Wotzko m: 0413 564 373 NZ Tiki Tour 2016 (Part I) .......................................8 e: [email protected] MX-5 Rocketeer 19 NZ Tiki Tour 2016 (Continued) .............................9 Secretary Event Photos...............................................................10 Carol Messenger m: 0408 929 799 Event Photos...............................................................11 e: [email protected] Regulars Event Write-Ups ........................................................12 Webmaster President’s Report 2 David Turk Event Write-Ups (Continued) ................................13 e: [email protected] Your Committee 3 Event Write-Ups (Continued) ................................14 Motor Sport Manager Editor’s Desk 4 Event Write-Ups (Continued) ................................15 Warwick Gates m: 0409 103 232 Motor Sport Report ..................................................16 e: [email protected] Humour Us 5 Motor Sport Coordinator Motor Sport (Continued) .......................................17 Don Messenger m: 0419 924 420 Coming Events 6 Mazda MX-5 Fan Fest ..............................................18 e: [email protected] MX-5 Rocketeer ........................................................19 Merchandise Bits ‘n’ BobS 7 Lianna Parker m: 0437 629 635 Computer Corner 7 e: [email protected] MX-press Editor Event Write-Ups 12-15 Bob Sharpe m: 0430 596 479 Motor Sport Report 16-17 e: [email protected] MX-press Production Simon Corston m: 0409 139 606 e: [email protected] Social Steve Harris m: 0412 928 275 General Committee Lyall Tilson m: 0438 755 007 David Masters m: 0417 923 727 ......................................................................................................................................................................................................