The conclusion of the SCCA runoffs came in late September and the NASA western conference is all wrapped up. We’re approaching a horribly sad time of the year for us folk in the north: the racing off-season. Here in Washington, it gets a little bit colder and a whole lot wetter. The days get shorter and the racecars get put into the garages. Except for rally, that stuff goes on all year round because they’re bosses. But all in all, the season dies down.
I personally like to take this time to work on all those little projects I’ve been putting off during the summer months. That engine you were going to rebuild or those quarter panels you said you would paint and fix.
For the enthusiast, the off-season is a good time to bring your ride back up to where you want it to be. For the racer, the off-season is a great time to sit down, plan, and make a strategy for the up-and-coming season. It’s a good time to think about your goals for next year and plan out what races you wish to attend.
As much as I love racing, you still need to make good memories with friends and family that put up with your hobbies. So slow down and enjoy the holidays. Spend time with your friends and family because when summer rolls back around, your best friend becomes your steering wheel. And yes, those are chestnuts roasting on an open fire.
Photo Credit: gallery.asiaforest.org
So guys, what do you like to do in the off-season when you’re not driving the racecar as much? What plans do you have this winter? Share them with us and maybe I can try something new.
Cheers,
Vincent
What to do During Racing Off-Season September 13th, 2018CorkSport
Let’s talk rotary!!! It’s no big surprise to any Mazda enthusiast, or car enthusiast for that matter, that Mazda released the first full concept look at the new Mazda RX. If you’re anything like us at the CorkSport office, you were giddy with joy talking about all the things the car may or may not have. I can say personally I was like a kid on Christmas morning as I saw the silk piece of fabric come rolling off the sleek sexy body line of the new car. I was thrilled. So like any true enthusiast, I want to share my thoughts on what I think we will and will not see when it comes to a production model a few years down the road.
Let me first start by making it clear that none of what I’m about to say is confirmed. It’s my personal opinion on the car and what I think we will see in a true production model. SO here we go.
The first things to go will be the wheels and tires along with the side view mirrors. I’d say right now, with much confidence, that none of that will show up on a production model for various DOT regulation purposes. On that note, I think the A-pillar will move forward a lot and the roof line will be raised. I just don’t think that nice low profile will actually hit the streets. I think it’ll be a much more person-friendly entry for the average guy (or gal). Next, I don’t think the turn signals will stay unless they either get larger or are very bright. Once again, I base this off the fact that in order for this car to be legal to sell in the U.S., it will have to pass all DOT and NHTSA standards and they have quite a few in regards to glass, lights, crash test ratings, and much more.
Now for what I think we will see. We were all pretty much told that it will get a rotary engine but no details about the engine itself were released. On that note, I think we can say with confidence it’ll be a rotary engine under the SKYACTIV nameplate. It will have to be much cleaner and more fuel efficient than the outgoing Renesis engine to meet current EPA standards. I personally think it will be a naturally aspirated 3 rotor. I come to this conclusion because it will need the third rotor to make power — that really long hood profile tells me they need the room for something. Also, I think it will rev out real nice, as they all do, and be mated to a nice 6 speed manual of some sort.
Like I said, this is all educated guesses of what I think will happen, but there’re still tons of maybes and what ifs out there. I think we’ll see the car around late 2018 or early 2019, with a price tag in the mid 50k range. Regardless, I think Mazda will deliver a great car that will live up to its legend and I’ll definitely want to drive it.
I bet you know this already, but we’re very excited about the new Mazda MX-5 and really, what’s not to be excited about! The ND MX-5 is sleek, sexy, efficient, modern, and an absolute blast through the apex.
Here at the CorkSport HQ, we’ve been working on a handful of awesome products and even had our first prototypes before we even had the car to test them on. But the wait is over. With prototypes in one hand and keys in the other, there was only one thing needed….Portland International Raceway. Oh, and for good measure we brought in Kenton Koch, of Kenton Koch Racing, to put our MX-5 and prototypes through their paces. Here’s how the day went.
The morning was a cool 55 degrees, but the CS team was buzzing with excitement. First session of the day was about to start, so Kenton was sent out with OEM springs and the CS front and rear swaybars in their softest setting. A couple laps later, Kenton came to the pits with concern for the rear suspension. Too our surprise, the coins of the RSB had bent, rendering the RSB useless. This was a real bummer, but a failed part in testing is a great day for warranty. Luckily, we were able to set the RSB to the stiffest setting to continue testing. Back to the track he went.
Kenton was able to finish the session without issue and returned to the pits with more feedback than we could absorb. He loved the car, but the springs were just too soft and the FSB needed a stiffer setting. Great! This is exactly the feedback we wanted to hear! For the next session, Kenton went out in an employee’s club edition to get a baseline feel of the OEM swaybars. In the meantime, the CS team swapped the springs out with our 35% stiffer springs.
Session three: launch edition MX-5 with 35% stiffer springs and the swaybars on the stiffest settings. Kenton came into the pits around the halfway mark and requested we move the FSB back to the softest setting. The session ended and Kenton returned to the pits with even more feedback! In the first half of the session, he was fighting a lot of understeer which is what merited the FSB adjustment. In the second half of the session, the understeer was much improved, but was still the most prevalent driving characteristic. We had another set of springs that were only 20% stiffer, so we installed them in the front and sent him out for the next session.
This was the ticket! Kenton stayed on track for the whole session this time. He was very happy with the car’s balance and had complete control of understeer/oversteer with just a small amount of throttle modulation. This was great news! For the final session, we adjusted the FSB back to the stiffest setting. This would tell us if the swaybars were a good compliment to the springs. Another session went by and again Kenton was very happy. The stiffer setting on the FSB pushed the car’s balance a little more towards understeer. This is great because understeer is typically much easier and safer for a novice driver to control, but the FSB also had the adjustability to put the car at a balanced state. More experienced drivers will appreciate this.
We wrapped up the day extremely satisfied with our results. We had a failure, we had many successes, and we learned a lot about the new MX-5. We can confidently say that the CorkSport MX-5 components are track tested and designed with the customer in mind. Look for swaybars, springs, and endlinks in the near future!
Prototypes, R & D, and the New MX-5: A Day at the Track October 23rd, 2015CorkSport
I noticed something interesting today while checking out the “Spy Shot” Cx9, which has been driving around for road testing here in the U.S. Check out the intercooler parked in the front end of the vehicle.
Photo Credit: caradvice.com.au
This can mean one of two things. The first, which is massively unlikely courtesy of VW, is a 2.2 SkyActiv diesel engine. The second, is that we’re looking at a 2.5 turbo engine out in the wild, which means all those rumors of the future Mazdaspeed 3 are looking better and better for next year.
2017 Mazdaspeed Engine October 21st, 2015CorkSport
Guys, we know you know how to take care of your Mazda.
If you’re mechanical enough to mod your baby out, you’ve probably been changing oil filters since you were yea high *hovers hand about two inches off the ground*
That said, we also know there are a lot of noobs just getting into Mazda maintenance, and that even the best drivers among us don’t always know how much it pays off to take care of your Mazda yourself.
So, to illustrate the point (and a helluva lot of statistics), we created this handy Mazda maintenance infographic. In the small chance you’re not already doing these Mazda fixes yourself, you should be; and in the big chance that you are a DIY Mazda guy, here’s a nice graphic to share with all your new Mazda driver friends.
So, behold, the DIY Mazda maintenance you better be doing if you consider yourself a car guy:
Cheers,
CorkSport
A DIY Mazda Maintenance Infographic for You October 21st, 2015CorkSport
