Zoom Zoom, bee-yotch! October 17, 2005
This past weekend was a double-header of sorts. Saturday was Mazda’s Zoom Zoom Live event, offering the chance to beat up on pretty much every car that Mazda makes (3, 5, 6, MX-5, and RX-8) and collect points redeemable for prizes (150 = Bose radio). If you were willing to stand in the lines for long enough, that is. Mazda’s last event in this area cost money, $40 I think, and required registration well in advance so the lines were limited. Or so I’m told — I didn’t make the registration cut-off last time.
Upon my arrival I found some former co-workers at the “Matched Time” area, near the front of the 6 line, so I tagged along with them. The goal for this section was to run a simple course in exactly 30.000 seconds to win 50 points. I managed at 30.077 and saw someone else pull a 29.090 — neither was good enough for the 50. For my second attempt I went balls-out in a 3 for 25.xxx seconds. I was aiming for 23, and might have had it if I remembered to “downshift” after the first turn (stupid manumatic mode).
Then we waited about an hour in the MX-5 line, “Performance Experience” I think it was called. This was closer to a real autocross layout but still fairly simple (no slaloms). Target time was 28.2 seconds. It rained about 5 minutes before I reached the front of the line so the track was nice and wet and the tops were kept closed. I was happy that my head didn’t smack the roof upon my entry into the car, my sole complaint about the Z4 Roadster of my dreams (every time I get in one my sunglasses get knocked off my head, grrr). I imagine it’s humourous to see someone of my size squeezing into a tiny roadster, but while the MX-5 is a tight fit it is not at all uncomfortable (unlike, say, an S2000). Everything important is within easy reach. The short-throw shifter feels like a natural extension of the body. The clutch… not so much. I almost stalled the car every time I pulled up during staging, and I grinded second at the begining of the run.
Fortunately there was no need to shift after that. It was a fast course, 2nd-gear all the way, and with the fresh water on the ground I was sliding the car around every twist and turn. I found the car easy to control and managed a time of 28.8, but one of my buddies spun out. Twice. On the same run. We left after that — my pals had already done everything and I didn’t feel like standing in lines anymore.
A 1990-ish Miata is on my pre-Christmas shopping list. My brother will be starting community college in the spring and will need transportation, and I think a 1.6L Miata built to Stock or Spec Miata rules is the most fun for the dollar you can find in autocrossing. But now I’m wondering about it’s wet-weather handling. Is this a good car for an inexperienced driver in an area where rainy days make up around 45% of the year?
- Posted in : Uncategorized
- Author :tby
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