Mazda is showing off their next generation of SEMA concept cars with the all-new and even lighter Speedster concept, devoid of any driver protection, as well as the one of a kind RF Kuro concept car, named for its custom charcoal metallic finish and wheel and tire package that would be familiar to any fan of the Global Cup Car. The concept cars were designed in house at Mazda’s R&D center in Irvine and aim to honor the brand’s motorsport heritage while evoking a sense of “Mazda Premium.” Either way they both look like a lot of fun!
It’s that time of year again, SEMA is finally upon us and this is time to celebrate. With stickers! That is because the short film Snow Drift will be featured in the finals of the Optima Ultimate Film Festival at the 2016 SEMA Show. So we thought it would only be appropriate to get some special SEMA edition stickers for the event.
I’ll be all over the show floor Nov 1 and 2, mainly where there’s Miatas, and most definitely at The Foundry inside the SLS Hotel and Casino on Nov 2 at 7 PM for the Optima Ultimate Film Fest. Come find me for some stickers of your own. See you there.
Mad Mike is without a doubt one of the craziest men in professional drifting. Not only is he the wildest brand ambassador Mazda has ever benefited from, he is also a certified die hard rotary nut. Which is why it should come as no surprise that when it came time to campaign a car in the 2016 Formula Drift series, Mad Mike went with the smallest, lightest, rear wheel drive Mazda on the market today (an ND MX-5 Miata) and stuffed a twin turbocharged four rotor motor under the hood. While the short wheelbase and explosive power plant have proven to be a challenge for the native New Zelander there is nothing that can stand in his way.
Mazda Motorsports has come a long way since the beginnings of Spec Miata, originally empowering would be racers to stack the grids with garage built specials. The factory backing was as close to a DIY race car kit that a speed seeker could dream about putting together at home with few very good friends.
While the reality of starting out in Spec Miata is more along the lines of $10,000 plus the cost of your Mazda, complete packages can be found for much cheaper. This is thanks to the thousands of racers who spend good money building their own race car, and then slowly grow out of it.
However, for under $60K Mazda Motorsports will sell you a brand new 2016 MX-5 ND Miata built and prepared ready to race by Long Road Racing. This is a turn key tool to go racing for less than a used 911, and just like the Porsche, Mazda has created a Global MX-5 Cup specifically suited to the new car.
This is where we meet Jeremy Barnes, he might just be the luckiest man in automotive PR. Not only does he head up communications for Mazda North America as well as brand experience, he also gets to take their race cars out on track. What an experience.
At the 2016 Motor Press Guild Track Days at Willow Springs Mr. Barnes takes us for a ride in the 2016 MX-5 Global Cup Car around the Streets of Willow racetrack. This car also happens to be the official pace car for Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. The 2016 ND Miata race car can be ordered directly from mazdamotorsports.com and in the words of the PR guy “is almost as easy as buying a book on Amazon.”
The MX-5 Miata is a record breaker, with over one million models produced over the past 25 years and Mazda is rewarding their fans with the opportunity to leave their mark on a very special MX-5 with the Millionth Miata Tour. Fans and enthusiasts have a chance to sign the millionth Miata as it makes its way across the US.
Mazda’s own Jacob Brown walks us through the ins and outs of the one of a kind right hand drive Soul Red MX-5 at Miatas at Mazda Raceway (Laguna Seca) and even exposes some secrets under its skin. Aside from the record breaker, Jacob also gives us a closer look at the all-new 2017 Miata RF (Retractable Fastback) and sheds some light on the $31,555 starting price.
While visiting Miatas at Mazda Raceway in Monterey, roadster fans not only had the opportunity to stand in line for a chance to sign the 1,000,000th Miata but the Japanese automaker also gave the crowd to a chance to walk away with a little memento to commemorate the occasion. While most people saw this as an opportunity to put their name on a plaque we couldn’t resist the opportunity to make the Craigslist Miata, Mazda “official”. Why not?
