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Featured Car of the Month – July 2011

CJ Ramos: 2008.5 Mazdaspeed 3

Seattle based, CJ Ramos, was dreaming of speed from the moment he test drove his 2008 Mazdaspeed 3. He was immediately attracted to the car because of its competitive price point and the positive praises it was receiving from the media, but it was way that the car handled and performed during the test drive that sold him on making the purchase.

Mazdaspeed 3(1)

Since then CJ has invested time and money into his Mazdaspeed and it has paid-off. He has won numerous awards for his ride, the most recent being the 2011 NOS Forum Fest – 1st Place Best Mazda 5Door – and aside from being sponsored by CorkSport and Speedware Motorsports, he was also the 2009 Hypertech SEMA booth car and has been voted car of the month and car of the year on the Mazda3forum, where you will regularly catch him doling out great advice and discussing the latest in Mazda performance with other like minded enthusiasts.

Mazdaspeed 3(1)

The mods on his Mazdaspeed are numerous. The engine and drivetrain feature a CorkSport turbo-back exhaust, , which includes the CorkSport downpipe, racepipe, and cat-back exhaust. He also added a CorkSport FMIC and stainless brake lines, a CPE motor mount, Devil’s Own Meth Injection Kit, PTP fuel pump internals, Cobb Access Port, Forge bypass valve and TWM short shifter. The mods on the suspension and wheels help to control this powerful car with COBB Front and Rear Sway Bars, KW V2 Coilovers, SPC Rear Camber Kit, GTSpec Bracing, Enkai NT03+m 18×9.5 and Goodyear Eagle GT All-season tires.

Not only is this car fast and powerful, but it looks and sounds amazing thanks, in part, to some extensive interior and exterior mods and full sound system that include an Autoexe JDM Front Bumper, Carbon Fiber OEM style hood, angel eye kit, CorkSport skid plate, Sparco R700 Alcantera Seata, Alpine PDX1000.1 1000w Subwoofer Amplifier, Alpine PDX100.4 100wx4 Multichannel Amplifier, and six 6.5” Elemental Designs e3.6 subwoofers.

Mazdaspeed 3(1)

As a new father of baby boy, Avery, CJ joked “I was telling people that if and when I become a father, I wouldn’t have to trade in my car. The trunk can hold all of the stroller and baby gear and the 4 door format can make taking the baby in and out easier than a 2 door coupe.” He said, “But now that I have a kid, the car is filled with show car goodies like my Speedware harness bar and a subwoofer trunk setup.” Fortunately, CJ’s fiancée and best friend, Lanie is caring and totally supportive of his car modding addiction.

You can catch CJ and his Mazdaspeed at Import Faceoff and Battle of the Imports this summer or can catch him online on any one of the five forums he frequents, nw-built.com, mazdasnw.com, mazda3forums.com, bcmasdas3.com, or mazdaspeedforums.com.

Interested in submitting your car for our new featured car of the month? E-mail Me!

Gwynne –

Full List of Modifications:

Engine & Drivetrain
– Corksport Turbo-Back Exhaust- Both Cats deleted
– Downpipe
– Racepipe
– Cat-back exhaust
– Corksport Front Mount Intercooler Kit
– relocated intake to the OEM TMIC location
– turbo inlet
– front mount intercooler
– Corksport Stainless Steel Brake Lines
– CPE Motor Mount
– Devil’s Own Meth Injection Kit
– PTP Fuel Pump Internals
– Cobb Access Port – Stage 2 OTS map
– Forge Bypass Valve
– TWM Short Shifter

Suspension & Wheels
– Cobb Front & Rear Sway Bars
– KW V2 Coilovers
– SPC Rear Camber Kit
– GTSpec Bracing
– mid chasis brace
– ladder brace
– rear v-brace
– Enkei NT03+m 18×9.5
– Goodyear Eagle GT All-season 225/40-18

Exterior
– Autoexe JDM Front Bumper
– Carbon Fiber OEM Style Hood
– 3M Di Noc Vinyl wrapped roof
– Nextmod generic rear spoler extension
– 35%/20% window tint
– 6000k HID Headlights and Foglights
– Angel Eye Kit
– Clear Corners
– Rally Armor mud flaps
– rear wiper delete
– Corksport skid plate

Interior
– Sparco Steering Wheel
– Sparco R700 Alcantera Seats
– NRG hub and flip up system
– Blox 490g Neo Chromeshiftknob
– Redline Goods shift boot
– Speedware Harness Bar

I.C.E.
– Pioneer AVH-P4000dvd InDash DVD player
– Alpine PDX1000.1 1000w Subwoofer Amplifier
– Alpine PDX100.4 100wx4 Multichannel Amplifier
– DLS up6i Component front door Speakers
– Image Dynamics 5×7 rear door speakers
– Six 6.5inch Elemental Designs e3.6 subwoofers

Other Mods
– Hella Supertones
– MSD Dashhawk
– Valentine 1 Radar Detector

Awards/Achievements
– 2009 SEMA Booth Car – Hypertech
– Currently Sponsored by Corksport Mazda Performance Parts and Speedware
– Motorsports
– 2010 NOS Forum Fest – Best Mazda
– 2011 NOS Forum Fest – 1st place Best Mazda 5door
– 2010 GaragePlus Import Car Show – Best Mazda
– 2010 Battle of the Imports – 2nd Place Mazda
– mazda3forums.com November 2010Car of the Month
– mazda3forums.com 2010Car of the Year

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CorkSport Announces Release of New CorkSport Stub Antenna

CorkSport would like to announce the release of the newest addition to the CorkSport line of accessory parts, the CorkSport Mazda and Mazdaspeed Stub Antenna made for 2007+ Mazdaspeed & Mazda 3, 2007+ CX-7, 2011+ Mazda 2 , 2003-2008 Mazda 6, and 2006+ Mazda 5.

CorkSport Stub Antenna

An easy upgrade to boost the look of your Mazda, CorkSport’s new shorter antenna is 2.75″ in length and will replace the oversized factory antenna. Tested to ensure they perform similarly to the OEM antenna, CorkSport antennas are anodized and made out of billet aluminum which has a long lasting, durable, black finish. CorkSport antennas come with two different size fitting studs for straightforward installation of the product that will easily attach to the Mazda Genuine antenna base.

“This product represents the beginning of what will be a string of products designed to address the glaring need for additional options in the Mazda performance accessory market,” said Rich Harris, President of CorkSport Performance. “Our ability to listen and respond to the needs of our customer base combined with our efficient manufacturing expertise has resulted in the rapid development of these products to meet the demands of our customers.”

The newest addition to the CorkSport line of accessory parts will be priced at $32, making it an easy and inexpensive way to boost the look of your Mazda. Installation for this part takes mere minutes. Simply twist off the existing pieces and install the new ones to add a custom look to your Mazda.

For more information or to purchase the CorkSport Stub Antenna, Please click here to be redirected to our catalog.

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Are the Spark Plugs’ Days Numbered?

Though little is still known about a possible RX-8 successor, the latest from Autocar includes reports of new laser ignition technology that would replace the spark plug ignition system currently used in the Wankel motor. The implication comes after a comment made by a senior engineer at Mazda that said the upcoming rotary sports car would use a “special kind of ignition system”.

The engine, internally dubbed the “16X”, would be using the laser ignition to create a more complete and controlled method of ignition for each combustion chamber allowing the rotary to run leaner and more efficiently. This would allow the new rotary to pass the upcoming European emissions regulations which the current RX8 is unable to do.

The lasers are said to measure 9mm in diameter, making them compact enough to fit in the engine and should actually require less space than a typical spark plug. The new rotary set-up will likely require a smaller hole tapped into the combustion chamber of the engine which would also lend itself well to Mazda’s aim at making a more compact and lighter weight engine. It also promises to offer more torque, in part, due to the larger 1.6 liter capacity.

There has been no word of the technology filtering down to the conventional combustion engine, but if the laser ignition concept worked well, it is conceivable that it could be applied to piston powered engines as well for improved power and could potentially enhance the combustion process. As a matter of fact, the laser ignition technology is not all that new, Ford was working on something similar in 2009.

Overall, the 16X is looking to be a promising engine and if Mazda is able to solve the issue of cost, the next rotary could be a leaner, more efficient engine with more precise timing.

Gwynne-

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A New Toy for CorkSport

As we continue to ramp up our CorkSport product line, we have been making some changes to our internal processes to increase delivery time and refine the look and design of the CorkSport brand of products. The latest investment we made is the Epilog Mini 24 Laser etching machine. Why, do you ask, would we get one of these? The laser etcher has a combination of flying-optic design and the highest quality engraving results. This provides a precise etch on a variety of materials and allows us to give you a larger selection of CorkSport logoed products with the highest quality results and precise imaging.

For example, we were originally having our MAF housings for the SRI intake machined, anodized, and then machined again for the logos. This increased the manufacturing time making it more difficult to keep it in stock and available for immediate delivery. Once we made the switch to etching our logo onto the MAF housings with the new laser etching machine, it sped up the time it took to manufacture, which meant keeping more in stock and reducing backorders and delivery times.

We also began using the machine to laser etch our logo onto the CorkSport Mud Flaps. Now, rather than applying a vinyl logo, we are able to offer the mud flaps with a durable etched logo that has a superior look that will never rub off. You can pressure wash our mud flaps without any worry of damaging the logos.

On a side note, if you want to have a custom set of logoed mud flaps made, contact Chris and he can hook you up with that.

Now that we have more flexibility with our branding process, if you have an idea of something that you would like to see branded, let us know!

– Derrick

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Team Van Herck Mazda 3 Update – Belgian Touring Car Series 2011

In May of this year, Derrick put up a blog post titled, Mazdas Racing Around the World, and gave you a preview of the Van Herck Mazda 3 that is now competing in the 2011 Belgian Touring Car Series. As promised, we are posting updates on their progress, successes, and standings throughout the season.

As a refresher from the May 6th post, Van Herck raced the Mazda RX-7 in previous years, but for the 2011 season, the team chose to build a new car to compete in the Belgian Touring Series. They took over a year to develop a Mazda 3 with advanced technology. They converted it to rear wheel drive, and powered it with a 450whp 20B tri-rotor Wankel engine and a sequential 6 speed gearbox.

On April 10th the Mazda 3 20B competed in round 1 of the Belgian Touring Car Series at Zolder. As the car’s debut event, it encountered a few minor glitches with the fuel system and an overheating exhaust, and finished 26th out of 31 cars entered in the 90 min race, but the Mazda 3 20B captivated spectators with its overwhelming speed and racing rotary sound. The car was watched closely by competitors after receiving the 5th fastest time overall against the lightweight silhouette cars and the second-quickest time in its class.

The Belgian Touring Car series will include three races scheduled for the Spa-Francorchamps, the first of which was held last Sunday, the Spa-Francorchamps 12hour BTCS race. Considered one of the most challenging race tracks in the world, mainly due to its fast, hilly and twisty nature, the Spa is a circuit favorite by many racing drivers and fans. (Take a one lap tour of the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps)

During qualifying for the T3 class, pole position went to the Mazda3 of Van Herck Racing. The Mazda took pole in T3 in the second qualifying session from the W Racing Team’s VW Scirocco, which caught fire after the checkered flag was thrown.

Race day brought with it a traditional feature at the Spa, black clouds and rain. The rain had eased up by the afternoon, but the majority of the cars started on wet weather tires, and the forecast was for more rain. So with rain feared in the afternoon session, the majority of the teams set their best times in the first qualifying session.

Runners-up in the championship last year, the Volvo S60 Racing Team won the 12 Hours of Spa after a close battle with the three time champion, Frederic Bouvy’s Renault Megane. Kia Belgium took up the third position. Though the qualifying race put the Van Herck team in good position, the Mazda suffered from some electronic issues during the race.

CorkSport will continue to watch the team’s progress through the season and keep you up to date on the latest news from the Van Herck Racing Team.

Gwynne-