It’s no secret at CorkSport we love our cars, and we love working with customers who feel the same way about theirs. That shared enthusiasm is a huge part of CorkSport; it’s something we look for whenever we bring on a new team member. The love of Mazdas was immediately evident when we first met Luke McCarvel, and we’re thrilled to announce he’s the latest member of CorkSport!
Since you may talk with or meet him in the coming months, we asked him to go ahead and write a little introduction—and show off his Mazdaspeed 3, pictured here, with his message below.
Hi, CorkSport community! My name is Luke McCarvel and I’m the newest member of the CorkSport team! I’ve been a part of the speed community for a little over two years now and I couldn’t be any happier with the opportunity I’ve had to meet great people and have lots of fun.
A little bit about my car: It’s a 2009 true red Mazdaspeed 3 with full bolt-ons. All of the work I’ve done myself, and it has been quite satisfying. I’m a track rat and any chance I get to push the platform further is a chance I’m willing to take.
I am very excited to be a part of this team and look forward to the new journey I am starting with some awesome people and awesome customers. I can’t wait to see what the future holds and how I can help people achieve their goals with their cars!!
Cheers.
Meet Luke McCarvel, the Newest Member of Our CorkSport Team! November 4th, 2015CorkSport
After countless hours designing, testing, and adjusting, we released our drop-in turbo for the Mazdaspeed, and we’re very proud of it—and thrilled about the responses we’ve already received from our beta testers. (See the first reviews on the listing.)
Obviously, with a product this big, we wanted to inform our CorkSport customers as much as possible about the advantages of our turbo vs. the OEM and competitors, and how much power buyers could expect to gain.
Barett wrote a huge white paper on the turbocharger, detailing all of this. From the benefit of a drop-in (no new coolant lines, oil lines, or a intake system are required to install and operate it) to the details of a turbocharger’s anatomy, you can read all about what makes our turbo stand apart.
Our goal was to create a performance-driven turbocharger that wouldn’t break your bank or require a mechanical engineering degree to install. We’re happy to say we succeeded, but see for yourself.
We’ve seen rumors about the next Mazdaspeed float around for the past two years on a consistent basis. The only thing more consistently seen is the question of when it will arrive.
This year?
Next year?
Next decade?
Recent reports have stated that the 2015 Frankfurt Auto show (which takes place in September) is going to have the concept of the all-new Mazdaspeed 3.
If so, this could be our first glimpse at the next generation of our favorite turbo Mazda! I wouldn’t hold your breath for too much info, though. Whether a new MS3 will debut or not, this will probably just be a concept car for eye candy. I would expect details on the car to be at least another year out.
In the meantime, we still believe the rumors that the next generation Mazdaspeed 3 should be soon. Stats like 300hp, AWD, hatchback, and a price tag of about $30,000-$35,000 get thrown around a lot. Mazda will probably use the 2.5L SkyActiv engine, which could be fantastic since that would mean placing a turbo on a current 2.5L SkyActiv would not only be possible, but hopefully relatively simple.
Let’s all hope for the best, and maybe we will see a concept and more info in September!
Stay Tuned!
-Spencer
*Prices reflect the current pricing at the time of the blog writing
Could We Have a NEW Mazdaspeed This Year? December 17th, 2018CorkSport
Guaranteed to be a perfect fit, this radiator panel was designed using a 3D coordinate measuring arm and CAD modeling software. The 3D arm is used to gather the exact measurements of the vehicle and then inputs those measurements directly into our CAD modeling software. From there, we designed a prototype and began the iterative test and fit process.
Each piece is CNC laser cut from a 5052 aluminum sheet and powder-coated with a durable textured finish. This finish is resistant to scratching, chipping, color fade, and has a satin look to it, which can make your whole engine bay as stunning as the rest of your Mazdaspeed 3.
And did we mention the best part? It only takes a few minutes to install, adding an extra level of detail that every Mazda head deserves. Our radiator panel is currently available in ruby red and charcoal black, order yours today, here.
-Derrick, CS
The New CorkSport 2010-2013 Mazdaspeed 3 Radiator Panel December 17th, 2018CorkSport
Last weekend I experienced my first track day ever, and quite frankly it was awesome. I didn’t really know what to expect because I only knew autocross and track in the context of a Formula SAE race car. In short: Ripping around a track at 100mph is far more exciting than ripping around a cone at 35mph.
Oregon Raceway Park (ORP) is located in Grass Valley, OR in the rolling hills just south of the gorge—also know as “BFN.” Now, that’s not intended to be a negative, just an observation. The location of the track is open and beautiful, which you’ll see in the following images. It’s a bit of a drive, but oh: So worth it.
OK, back to the track. The image below is the terrain track map with the descriptions of each straightaway, turn, and associated components of a fully functional road race course. 16 turns make up this beautiful 2.3 mile loop that has as many elevation changes as a roller coaster.
At the Track
So what was my first track day experience like?
First, let me provided some background information. My car is a 2009 Mazdaspeed 3 with CorkSport springs/struts, RSB, and a handful of goodies under the hood. That’s all great, but most important to a race car are brakes and tires, and mine are lackluster to say the least. OEM calipers and rotors with some old P ZERO NERO All Seasons are not the best combination for a track day, but that wasn’t going to stop me.
The track day was put on by ORP and Team Continental. The instructors were top notch, and the officials made the event a complete success. The actual event was a High Performance Driving Education (HPDE) with 4 levels ranging from beginner to licensed racing driver, each racing in separate sessions.
A Little Advice
My first suggestion: Get off your high horse and go to an event that provides you with an instructor. I’ll admit, I signed up for the intermediate level HPDE because I thought I had enough experience from autocrossing. Fortunately, the officials running the event kicked me down to the beginner level, which requires an instructor. Mine, Brian, ended up being a wealth of knowledge. He knew the ORP track extremely well, and as a bonus, he had a Ford Focus RS, so he understood the FWD issues I would be facing.
Next suggestion: Don’t be afraid to go off track, but do be cautious of it. ORP is very forgiving for noobs, as there wasn’t anything to hit off track; but plenty of tracks out there are not at all forgiving. Below, you can see one of the Nator OR guys, Vincent Pham, doing a little off road adventure after coming into a corner too hot. He got his MS3 stopped, then waited for a clearing in traffic and continued on. No harm, no foul. I’m guilty of this as well. I went completely off track once in turn 16, and I still drove my car home.
My last piece of advice: Go with your buddies! There is nothing more rewarding than passing your buddy in the straightaway and him giving you the one finger salute. Below is a handful of the Nator OR members, and one of the track officials.
All right, one more suggestion: Have fun! That’s why we do this, right? Don’t get frustrated with your driving or your car’s performance, because then you stop having fun. My car was probably one of the more powerful Speeds there, but I had by far the worst tires and most faded brakes holding me back. I decided to focus on my lines and being smooth instead of going for the best lap time I could. My results: Best lap of 2:07 and a day I’ll never forget.
Track Day Outcomes
I highly recommend you participate in a track day, even if you’re only a smidgeon interested. There are two possible outcomes from participating in a track day:
First, you have a good time, but decide one track day in your life was enough. There’s nothing wrong with that, because your daily driving will be improved from just a few hours on the track. Pushing your car on the track lets you find you and your car’s limits, so you’ll be better at assessing and controlling an emergency situation on a public road.
Second, and most likely, you become hooked just like me. You begin scheduling family events around track days, going through tires and brakes like they grow on trees, and calculating your fuel mileage in smiles per gallon. Do yourself a favor as a car enthusiast and participate in the next local track day. I promise you will love it!
Oh! And check out the video below I made from my last session at ORP.
Track Day at the Oregon Raceway Park April 3rd, 2015CorkSport
