Guest Blog – Mazda Takeover Event

Recently, we’ve been posting a lot of blogs on clubs and connection in the community, and I’m sure you’re wondering what that’s all about. We’re hoping to help people get connected in their local areas and start throwing more meets!

What way to better understand how to get a HUGE group of MAZDA ENTHUSIASTS together than ask a Mazda Meet Organizer?

Keith Eggert has been an influential event planner for a lot of West Coast Mazda clubs. Below, he walks us through how it was for him setting up the first couple Mazda Takeover events. We hope it inspires you to start the process of creating your own!


KEITH:

Let me start off by saying that I am by no means a professional at getting a large gathering of people together, nor am I very organized. However, I love the Mazda community and enjoy connecting with fellow Mazda enthusiasts.

A unique opportunity was laid out before me: Get as many people with Mazdaspeeds together here in my area. (For those of you who don’t know where I’m from, I currently reside in the greater Boise, Idaho area.) 

Dale Owen, head honcho of the Mazdaspeed Idaho group on Facebook, who also runs Gem Tuning (yes, he tuned my car), approached me with a yearly meet idea.

He explained how it’d be a huge help if I lent a hand in helping organize our yearly Mazdaspeed group meet, since I live in the epicenter of the majority of the Idaho members.  Of course I said “Yes”, and just minutes after I told him yes, I had an idea:  “Let’s do it big!”, I said to Dale:

“Let’s make this thing huge, not just a simple one-day hangout, let’s put this party on the map!”

He reluctantly agreed to that, and since that day over two years ago, I took the reins and ran with it.  I figured I had to give it a name, but more importantly, I had to figure out what we were going to do for two whole days. It had to be exciting, it had to fill empty time, it had to connect Mazda Groups from all surrounding areas.  Most importantly, it needed to be fun.  I decided to call it the Mazda Takeover because that’s how I envisioned it; Mazda after Mazda after Mazda, driving down the road to locations in the valley where events were set up. It was a beautiful thing to see.

I invited anyone in the Mazda Community willing to make the drive from as far as Utah to come up.  I invested about three months into getting known, talking to people, and helping members with their questions on the Utah Mazda Enthusiasts Facebook group.  It paid off. As luck would have it Cody Allington is kind of the go-to guy down in Utah, and with his help he generated interest, and brought up 7 cars with him in the first year, which blew me away given that the planning span of 3 months was all the time I gave him to gather a group willing to drive up.

Friday through Sunday. That was the game plan, come to find out, clearly waaaay too short of a time frame.

Between the Friday evening’s Line the Streets meet, Saturday mornings dyno day, Saturday nights drag racing, and Sunday’s farewell, I think everyone managed to get about 3 hours of sleep each night. That needed to change. We absolutely needed an extra day; that way people wouldn’t feel burned out, and would have time to relax and just talk to people. So, for Year Two, we did just that.

Mazda Takeover’s second year was much more organized, spanning from Thursday night through Sunday.

Three days to dyno, race, and have a scenic cruise.  It was perfect, and even had people making the trip in the late evening on Saturday just to make two passes down the drag strip before the lights went out and everyone went home. We now have a perfect amount of days, but there was still quite a bit of downtime that we attempted to fill with a garage day, which was way too stressful given that it was hours before we all left to go drag racing. That won’t be happening in Year Three.

So what did I learn in all of this?

Two successful years, triple the amount of attendance from people outside of Idaho, states I never contacted via Social Media wondering about the event and contacting me directly…  I think I have a recipe to keep this thing going.

Here is just a little bit of wisdom should you find yourself wanting to have a huge meet.

  1. First things first: PLAN PLAN PLAN.  Do not fill a day with too much.  Two events per day spaced out is perfect.  Dyno in the morning from 9-2, then have everyone meet for a BBQ from 4-7.  However, you wish to fill the day, keep in mind: the key to a successful meet is to utilize the reason you are there.  If you get Mazda people together, do Mazda stuff.  Go for a cruise, schedule time for how long that drive will take, and any pit stops needed for photo shoots, fuel, etc.
  2. Second. When doing two events during a meet, NEVER UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES DO TWO CAR RELATED EVENTS IN THE SAME DAY. Meaning, don’t schedule a dyno day and an evening of drag racing in the same day.  Can you? Sure you can.  Should you? Probably not.  Cars are like people, too much stress and they break.  Don’t need to go breaking any cars; this is supposed to be fun.  And if you do, know your groups of attendees. Scheduling an Autocross event and a drag event on the same day is far more acceptable, since autocross drivers are less susceptible to drag racing, and a drag car sure as hell won’t ever see an autocross course.
  3. Third. Keep in mind, you are doing this for a group so that everyone can have fun, yourself included.  Call ahead, give businesses a heads up that a group is coming on a certain day, that way it alleviates stress on the business and on you as the administrator. The less stress, the more fun everyone has.

With those three key ingredients, you can build the foundation for a successful meet.  

Keep in mind, if you are planning on doing a multi-day meet, the more notice the better.  Also, keep in mind that not everyone can make it, even with six months of notice.  Life happens fast, and things change quickly.

I think the biggest thing I learned is to not fear failure.  

The first year of the Mazda Takeover, THE DAY OF the start of the meet, I had doubt, fear that no one would show, a sinking feeling that three months of phone calls and planning was all for nothing.  Push that aside, people will come.  Hype up your meet, make it sound like the best weekend people near you with a Mazda could ever have. I did just that for two years worth of events.  Last year Corksport sent Luke McCarvel and Barett Strecker to the event.  This year I got Luke and Barett, and Brett White got the chance to join them.

Evolutionary Performance out of Salt Lake even shut it’s doors for the weekend to relax and have a good time.

So that just goes to show: If you never settle for OK, and constantly push to have bigger and better meets, performance shops will come to your meet, retailers can come to your meets, tuners can come to your meets, but most importantly, people will have a good time.

Lastly, a shameless plug for the Mazda Takeover 2018. – June 7th-11th in Boise, Idaho.

Dyno, Drag, Karting, BBQ, Scenic Cruise. Whether you drive a Mazdaspeed, Miata, Protege, or just regular Mazda that you’re proud of, you won’t want to miss this year’s event.  We hope to see you there. Camping is encouraged!!!

Cheers,

– Keith Eggert

Check out the Mazda Takeover Event Page on Facebook!

If you’re looking for an excuse to connect with your local Nator Club, Mazdaspeed Group, or Mazda community, Keith has shown you how to stick with it and come up with a great event. However, if you don’t want to plan your own, stay tuned as we’ll be working with clubs all over the US to promote events and meetups throughout 2018.

If you’re a club and you have an event page, email kim@corksport.com so we can be sure to get you on the calendar!

A List of Your Local NATOR Communities – What Makes Us Family

Ever wondered how to connect with your local Mazda crews and clubs?

Or have you ever gotten connected and then lost your ride somehow? For some of us it’s a crash, others of us sell our beloved Mazda and aim at our next dream car, or heck, even the necessary minivan.

What happens then? Not only did you lose your favorite car, but seemingly you lost out on the community as well. Does it make sense to show up to your favorite meets if you no longer drive the “proper” vehicle?

When it comes to the Nator groups, the love is still there regardless of what your next ride.

According to Micha Fullen, this is exactly how it goes; and it’s about so much more than the cars themselves:

“While at the annual Midwest meet this year in St Louis Missouri, washing my hair in the shower I had a thought, “Micha, why do you still come to this event when you don’t even own a Mazdaspeed anymore?”

I told myself, that being a Mazdaspeed owner past, present or future, is like being in a family. Especially when you involve yourself in the community and clubs that are offered throughout the country. Me, I’m a Nator Guy.

Year after year, we collectively travel thousands of miles to attend an event centered around vehicles that some of us don’t even own anymore. It’s crazy huh? Do the same thing, show up without owning the ‘correct’ Model Vehicle, at a VW or Honda meet and you get blacklisted and shunned.

Mazdaspeed owners don’t kick you out, or tell you that you shouldn’t be there. We just call each other; funny, and sometimes very rude, names. Then ask to race your new vehicle on a track, dragstrip or parking lot.  (More recently it’s been even helpful to all of them that I bought a truck… because we all know with spirited driving, and some showing off, something is bound to go wrong)

 I am closer to my Mazdaspeed family than I am to my own. This has been true since I bought my Speed 3 Jun of 2011. I had some problems with my car(s) and my Mazdaspeed (Nator) family came to my aid. But when that same family had problems of their own, I drove many miles or sometimes across multiple states to help them.

Corksport goes out of their way to attend these events. Not so much pushing parts, but to welcome family with open arms and stay connected to the grass roots of our community.

I met Barrett this year and even having never talked to him, he was the top 3 nicest dudes I have ever met. He got involved and talked shop with the majority of everyone in attendance. Kim is also a major voice in the community, listening to what the people want and bouncing ideas off of people to find how CorkSport can continuously push and evolve in this platform. She shows up to multiple events a year, stays in contact even throughout the winter and is always helping her “brothers and sisters” with their own endeavors, even if it doesn’t involve Corksport.

This year, if you were at the Midwest meet, you would see that a good majority of people have moved on to new platforms, specifically the new ecoboost options from Ford being very popular. Adrienne K with her Focus RS, Matt D with his FoST and Ryan P with his brand new FiST, and myself, I went way to the left with the new Raptor (Hey it has 2 turbos mmmmmkay).

It doesn’t matter what happens in your life, or even if you have moved on, we all got our start with Mazdaspeeds and we always stick with Family.”

As you see, being a Mazda owner is about the community, the family, the connection to other Mazdaspeed Enthusiasts.

And being an enthusiast isn’t always defined by the fact you still own a Mazda. It’s defined by being a car family. There may be groups that require you to own a Mazda to show up, but when it comes to Nator, once a Mazdaspeed Nator Family member, always one.

If you’re curious about where to connect, who to reach out to, or how to get in touch with your local Mazda club, check out the list below.

While we would love for this list to be exhaustive, it’s not, so if you’re currently involved in a club not listed, please let us know and we’ll be sure to make it easier for other CorkSport followers to connect with your group!

Download PDF of List:  NATOR Clubs List

CorkSquad https://www.facebook.com/groups/1634041806878345/ Savannah GA
Souther Street Crew https://www.facebook.com/groups/454444514600458/ GA
MMOC https://www.facebook.com/groups/MIMazda/ Michigan
ClubMPS https://www.facebook.com/groups/clubmpsnz/ New Zealand
LVMazdas https://www.facebook.com/groups/LVMazdas Las Vegas
NoVA Mazdaclub https://www.facebook.com/groups/321399927926454 VA
Mazda MIata Mx5 WA/OR https://www.facebook.com/groups/1698103380420298 WA/OR
Mazda Militia https://www.facebook.com/groups/mazdamilitia WA
Nothern Mazda Militia https://www.facebook.com/groups/286006598276940
Texas Mazdaspeeds https://www.facebook.com/groups/TexasMazdaspeeds TX
PNW_Mazda https://www.facebook.com/groups/PNWMazda WA/OR
Mazda 3 Owners Australia https://www.facebook.com/groups/Mazda3OA AUS
Mazdas of Kileen/Ford Hood https://www.facebook.com/groups/texasspeeddemons TX
Nator Oregon https://www.facebook.com/groups/NatorOR OR
Nator TN/KY https://www.facebook.com/groups/206647016088166 TN/KY
Nator Oklahoma https://www.facebook.com/groups/NATOROK/ OK
Nator NC/SC https://www.facebook.com/pages/North-Carolina/104083326294266 NC/SC
Nator Minnesota https://www.facebook.com/groups/NatorMinnnesota MN
Nator Georgia https://www.facebook.com/groups/163448653866393 GA
Nator Florida https://www.facebook.com/groups/1298072073575997/?ref=br_rs FL
Nator Missouri https://www.facebook.com/groups/natormo MO
Nator Arizona https://www.facebook.com/groups/708796579135806 AZ
Nator New Mexico https://www.facebook.com/groups/270637012974823 NM
Nator San Diego https://www.facebook.com/groups/natorsd/about/ CA
Nator DC Metro https://www.facebook.com/groups/147772498652109 DC
Nator WA https://www.facebook.com/groups/948847285235072 WA/OR
Nator WI https://www.facebook.com/groups/379868465454404 WI
Nator Chapter E https://www.facebook.com/groups/176597409073225/ FL
Nator New England https://www.facebook.com/groups/255796874460817 New Englan
Nator Houston Miata https://www.facebook.com/groups/446031202177809 TX
Mazda Owners of Nebraska https://m.facebook.com/groups/733704760063616 Nebraska
Speed Squad https://www.instagram.com/speedsquad.tm/ Quebec Canada
Mazda Flow London https://www.facebook.com/groups/934300966591060/ Ontario Canada

Mazdaspeed EPIC NATOR MEAT 2014 – Spencer’s Review and Wrap Up

Oh, the wonders of the East Coast. Potholes, 80mph in a 55 zone, Toll Roads and EZ Pass, humidity and some of the greatest people you will ever meet!

Kim, Brydon and I had the wonderful, nay, EPIC, opportunity this year to attend the EPIC NATOR MEAT put on by a few members from mazdaspeedforums.org . Sadly we had only a day and a half to hang out with hundreds of people, watch some drag racing, and join everyone for a Dyno Day. This is one of the greatest events you can attend and has arguably the most knowledgeable people currently driving Mazdas all in one place. Not only did we get to see 500+ horsepower speeds at the event, but we got to witness some of the cleanest looking, most original, most unique and even the world’s fastest Mazdaspeed 3, all in one place.

Here are some of my Highlights.

  • Hanging out till 3 am in the parking lot and back patio of the hotel and learning more than I ever thought possible about Mazdaspeed’s, among other things…
  • Rolling from Philadelphia to the Dyno Day and running into a crew of 6 or so Mazdaspeed’s who had no idea who we were in our weak little Honda rental.
  • Eating some Killer food at Buca di Beppo and hearing so much passion and love of cars during the conversation.
  • Finally getting to meet so many people that I’ve had such wonderful conversations with on the phone, through email, through PM, or in threads.
  • Getting out of the Northwest rain and finally getting some Sunshine!

Some of the Worst Parts

  • Arriving at 8 am to the Dyno Day after a red-eye flight leaving at 6 pm the night before with a layover in Phoenix. Ugh.
  • Not having my own 2009 Mazdaspeed 3 that got left back in Washington.
  • Having to leave around 1:30 on Sunday.
  • Not bringing shorts, the weather was beautiful.
  • Accidentally buying bottled water that was far too expensive at one of those incredibly terrible and yet wonderful, quick stops in the middle of the highway. The place was a zoo and WAY to expensive.
  • Walking into the wrong room at midnight.

Time for Drag Racing

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Kim at the Drag Day doing some Social Media Updates

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The World’s Fastest  MS3 and Crew Getting Prepared for the Drag Day

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Mazda’s only for Dinner at Buca di Beppo

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Some of the Lovely People at the Dyno Day

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Halfway through the Dyno Day, Check out those Numbers!

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Flame Shooter

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The Unexpected Mazdaspeed Crew we caught Rolling to ENM

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Thanks for everything.

-Spencer@CorkSport

Keep your Mazdaspeed Engine Running Cleaner and Better with the CorkSport Aluminum Oil Catch Can and Drain Valve Kit

Introducing the Aluminum Oil Catch Can and Drain Valve Kit:

After many months of studying our previous design and listening to you, we are proud to announce the CorkSport Mazdaspeed Aluminum Oil Catch Can. The new and improved CorkSport Oil Catch Can will help rid your vehicle of contaminants, sediment, and other unwanted crankcase particles that can cause damage and premature wear to the engine components.

best mazdaspeed 3/ oil catch can kit

The added protection that an Oil Catch Can provides will increase the longevity of your engine. The Oil Catch Can is made of billet aluminum for strength and lightweight. Everything needed to install on your Mazdaspeed 3 is included, even the mounting bracket.

Don’t let your Mazda get contaminated by sediment, crankcase vapors, or unclean oil. With the CorkSport Oil Catch Can you will remove unwanted debris that would normally contaminate the intake tract. This allows for cleaner air entering the engine, lower detonation rates and increased longevity. Complete with 11 feet of reinforced silicone hose you can mount the Oil Catch Can in multiple locations.

oil catch can drain kit

For added convenience, we have developed the Oil Catch Can Drain Valve Kit which can be purchased separately. Draining your Oil Catch Can becomes a simple matter of twisting one lever with this simple-to-use kit. With both the Oil Catch Can and Drain Valve Kit you will have an all-in-one system for prolonging the life of your engine by keeping it clean.

Mazdaspeed oil catch can

You can read more about why a catch can is a good idea and why a catch can from CorkSport is an even better idea here:   https://www.corksport.com/blog/the-dangers-of-direct-injection/   and here:  https://www.corksport.com/blog/the-inner-workings-of-the-corksport-oil-catch-can/

The CorkSport Oil Catch Can is available  at: https://www.corksport.com/corksport-aluminum-oil-catch-can.html

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Product Release! Mazdaspeed Protege / Mazda Protege Front Motor Mount

The factory motor mounts on the Mazdaspeed Protege and the regular Protege are ill-suited for spirited driving and preventing wheel hop. The stock mounts also are prone to wear and even self-destruction. Luckily CorkSport has a solution.

picture of Motor mount for Mazdaspeed Mazda Protege CorkSport

Designed as a direct OEM replacement, the CorkSport Mazdaspeed Protege Front Motor Mount maintains OEM fitment while adding a large urethane thrust surface for added stiffness and improved driver responsiveness.
The CorkSport Advantage:

  • Large Thrust Surface for reduced vibration versus other aftermarket motor mounts.
  • Black Powder Coated Finish with Zinc Coated Sleeves for a durable, lasting finish.
  • OEM Fitment Designed as a direct OEM replacement for a worry free install
  • CorkSport Service and Support: Receive a 2-year warranty, full-color installation instructions, all of the needed installation hardware and knowledgeable telephone support

The CorkSport Mazdaspeed Protege Front Motor Mount is available at our online catalog and is in stock today. For more information please visit our product listing at https://www.corksport.com/corksport-mazdaspeed-protege-protege-front-motor-mount.html